Eating Less Meat

Whether you're looking to eat less meat (like me) or have no interest in doing so whatsoever (like Conservative Boy), I'd advise reading this New York Times article called "Putting Meat Back in Its Place."

It proffers some worthwhile advice, including:

• Keep at least some of your decisions personal so they affect no one but yourself (and don't preach!).
• At the same time, don't apologize—deciding to eat less meat in no way harms the people around you.

The story also raises some good points, such as:

• Meat isn't the only source of protein in our diets; in fact, plants have protein too. And most Americans eat about twice as much as the recommended daily allowance of protein anyway.
• The USDA recommends that meat servings be four ounces per person, yet per capita we eat half a pound a day. Simply by serving the recommended portion size, you can drastically cut your meat consumption.
• In most traditional styles of cooking, meat is a condiment or treat or simply one of many ingredients. It doesn't have to be a massive slab in the middle of the plate, with everything else fighting for a little space off to one side.
  

Case in point that meat doesn't mean everything: Somewhat unintentionally, I haven't eaten any since Monday evening (and then it was just a bit of chicken in my fajita). And I'm not feeling deprived at all. Let's see, I've eaten some fabulous homemade oatmeal loaded with fresh berries, almonds, honey, and a touch of cream; a hummus and veggie pita sandwich; grilled portobello burgers (twice because they are so good) with homemade sweet potato fries; pasta in a light alfredo sauce; pita pizzas sans pepperoni; a peanut butter and honey sandwich; and some delicious homemade strawberry shortcake.

Yeah, this not eating meat thing stinks.