I thought carefully about what kind of eating patterns I wanted to have once I've made my "lifestyle transition." I call it a lifestyle transition because that is exactly what it is. I want to be clear; I'm not on a diet. "Diet", in my opinion, is a dirty word (when used in reference to a restrictive eating pattern with the express purpose of losing weight quickly). Diets are temporary, ultra-restrictive, often unhealthy, unsustainable, and ultimately unsuccessful. I am engaged in changing the whole way I think about and prepare my food. This is, hopefully, a permanent change that I hope to keep enthusiasm for. I looked long and hard at what changes I felt needed to be made and came up with one glaringly obvious adjustment. I ate way too much meat. Too much meat? Is there such a thing? I would have answered no, but I was consuming meat as the main food product for EVERY meal. No exceptions. With the kind of lifestyle I lead there was really no cause for consuming such calorie dense sustenance with that kind of consistency. I have, however, tried the vegetarian thing and I was miserable without my meat. So I needed to find a middle ground I could stick with. For those of you who have read The Plan, you know that by the end of this year I will have split my week into three strictly vegetarian days, two pescatarian days (with fish and/or shellfish only), and two carnivorous days (call them free-for-alls). I thought it was just common sense and a plan I could maintain. Apparently there is a "movement" which is all about cutting back on meat. It is called flexitarianism. There was even an article in the paper about it.
'Flexitarians' find new path: Occasional carnivores - CharlotteObserver.com
Who knew this was news? I can't say I have reasons as noble as saving the planet or ensuring animals are happy before they are slaughtered. I just recognized an unhealthy tendency and wanted to work to change it. Look at me being trendy without trying!
No comments:
Post a Comment