Reducetarian: Shifting Away from Animal Consumption Minus the All or Nothing Attitude (plus a Fake Plastic Tree)
I loved this interview in Current Affairs: How To Advocate Effectively For Reducing Meat Consumption, in which Brian Kateman (unlike, say, PETA) talks in a way relatable to most Americans about his childhood with the Standard American Diet.
I grew up that way too: kielbasa made by my grandfather, Dad firing up ribs on the grill, microwaved hot dogs for dinner. It all tasted great.
Brian is not an all-or-nothing guy. He advocates for little shifts in our diets. Like meatless Monday. I grew up Catholic, a religion in which many people observe a meatless Friday.
I like Brian’s approach because I know that changing your diet is very challenging. Because of my Boston Teachers Union health insurance, I have the privilege of $20 weekly appointments with an amazing nutritionist. But anyone can access Brian’s Reducetarian Foundation website.
It was a great time for me to read this as Iam newly vegetarian (again). The catalysts of my episodes of vegetarianism and even veganism over the years have been:
Disordered Eating (high school and college)
The Worst Year of Teaching - when I started distance running and veganism to gain a modicum of control over my life
A Recent Absolutely Disgusting Experience With Meat Too Traumatic to Write About Here
I have lost 35 pounds in the past eighteen months, and a lot of this happened through consumption of chicken breast and ground turkey.
But for the past month, I have maintained my weight through vegetarianism, despite a rocky start in which I ate wheat crackers slathered with vegan butter for two weeks of dinners in a row.
But I found the best vegan pre-packaged salad and also a bunch of protein bars and powders. (I refuse to advertise any brands on this blog, but you can DM me if you want to know then).
This is good for me and also for the environment. As the planet suffers from the extreme effects of capitalism, I can spiral downward into news article after news article and feel completely powerless.
But the little things I do (composting, textile recycling, sometimes thrift and vintage shopping, and now this diet) make me feel slightly better. Reducetary-ing my anxiety, perhaps.
On another note, nothing makes me happier lately than walking into my living room first thing in the morning to gaze at our Christmas tree. I plan to leave it up and have my kids decorate it for Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
