On Eating Green

So, I’m a vegetarian. Many of you have asked in the comments or via email about why I am a vegetarian and so I am going to explain why I gave up meat, eggs, and, to a large extent, dairy.

I’ve avoided writing about this in any meeaningful way for a number of reasons, but mainly because people have a tendency to (1) insistently defend their own habits or (2) explain why I shouldn’t be a vegetarian, both of which are completely unnecessary.

The thing you have to know is: I am not judging anyone who chooses to eat certain foods. I could care less if you eat steaks or chicken nuggets or pork loin for dinner. You can eat Twinkies every night for dinner, if you want, and we can still totally be friends. Seriously. During high school my diet consisted of two things: Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles and Dr. Pepper. If you eat meat, cool. If you don't eat meat, cool.

Also: I have a nutritionist. No need to explain how being a vegetarian means that I am not getting enough calcium or protein or B-12 or whatever. I can assure I am getting all those things in ample supply.

Alrighty then.

Here's the lowdown:

+ I do not eat meat of any variety

+ I eat eggs only when they are baked, in small quantities, into something else (breads, pastas). We do not have eggs in our home (when a recipe calls for an egg, we actually use flax, which is still really strange even though we've been doing it for a year)

+ I almost never purchase dairy products for our home, but will pretty freely eat dairy when at a restaurant or a friend’s house (or an ice cream parlor) (if you invite me to your wine and cheese party, not only will I eat the cheese, I will appreciate that cheese like nobody else)

Here’s why we went vegetarian:

Last July, Will and I decided to give up meat for a week. Will, who has long had problems with his shoulder, an old baseball injury, read an article on ESPN about vegetarian athletes and their seeming ability to heal faster after injury. This spurred the week-long hiatus, a sort of experiment in vegetarianism.

During that time, Will brought home a book, The China Study, about the most comprehensive study on nutrition ever conducted. The findings?

People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease.

The book is pretty persuasive and we decided not to go back to eating meat. That simple. And, soon enough, we cut out eggs and dairy products, to a large extent, too.

Look, I know that studies should be viewed critically and that there are about one billion studies about nutrition, all of which contradict one another in various ways (eat carbs! don't eat carbs! eat eggs! don't eat eggs!). However, the study was long-term and strikingly comprehensive, not to mention that the findings have been validated time and time again.

And, I believe in a plant-based diet for one really good reason: I feel so much better. It could be because I eat less animal-products; it could be because I largely replaced animal-products, by necessity, with more fruits, vegetables, and grains. Either way, it’s working for me.

Last July we agreed on a free day--one day a month that we were free to eat meat. I haven’t used any of my free days since last July at Michael Mina (a night which involved tuna tartare, caviar, and foie gras--if you do it, do it right) and, honestly, I don’t really feel any desire to eat meat. That doesn’t mean that I don’t completely reserve the right to eat a fat juicy BLT one of these days.

Leave comments if you have questions that need addressing and I’ll put together a follow-up post.

Comments

[Pamela]

I admire your stamina -- I gave up meat in high school but then slowly started letting it back into my diet after I got married 10 years ago. I've struggled ever since to give it up.

Do you eat fish/seafood at all?

[j]

What are your and Will's favorite meals?

[Kimberly]

This is awesome - I'm so tempted to just print this out to explain the reasoning why I went vegetarian...so many people just jump right up on their soapbox and explain how you're wrong etc. and I'm kinda tired of explaining myself. I read that very ESPN article (having a basketball/back injury myself) and also Fast Food Nation/Omnivore's Dilemma, and it convinced me.

I feel so much better lately... :)

[@ThinkBlue]

That was a very thoughtful and well written post.

I've been proactive about trying to change my diet...although when I eat any kind of meat, it's from Whole Foods - free range, grass fed. And it's not cheap so it's not often that I eat it.

Like the previous commenter, I would love to hear some of your favorite dishes - I'm always looking for new things to try. I love squash but I need to change it up a bit.

Oh and I highly recommend seeing the film Food Inc...such an eye opener.

[Erin C.]

Kudos to you for sticking with vegetarianism for so long. There must be a payoff (feeling better). I am seriously thinking about inching more and more toward a mostly vegetarian diet. The tricky part is the other member of my household doesn't buy into that lifestyle, so that is why I haven't jumped in sooner. It does seem like a no-brainer: feeling good, trimming off excess weight, less disease. And, the speedier injury recovery is a new one to to add in attempts to persuade my husband.
We both just watched the movie, "King Corn", which, while not exactly vilifying the meat industry, makes a good argument to not support it.

[Mel]

I find this very interesting. I love veggies and often think that I could be a vegetarian... But have never seriously considered it or looked into seeking advice froma nutrionist to ensure a well balanced diet.

I've also heard of the China Study and have also heard that the proof is quite compelling. Maybe I'll purchase it myself...

Anyhow, so this may be a stupid question, but I assume no meat of any variety includes seafood, correct? No seafood?

And what would a typical day's menu include for you? I'm curious!

[maggienwilly]

What is the flax portion to replace an egg?

What do you do at summer b-b-ques where the main dish is usually meat?

If more people knew where meat and animal products come from, I think fewer people would jump to judge.

[Amanda]

Yay Janet :) you explained this so well. I get tired of explaining too. I have to agree with J, I am also tempted to print this out and just show it to whoever ask.

[alfredsmom]

As a lifelong raised vegetarian, I am still looking for good recipes. Although I was raised as a vegetarian, I do not have a healthy balanced diet. Way to much bread and pasta, not enough greens and protein. Help us all out and list your meals!

[Janssen]

Please write more about this! I'm so interested in hearing what people eat and why, particularly vegetarianism.

[janet]

I would like to hear more about what you eat in a typical day/week. I would like to go vegetarian, but my husband would never do it. So usually when I am eating alone I leave out meat, and when we're dining together it will usually include meat. I don't think I could give up dairy/cheese though...do you eat a lot of soy products?

[Shea]

This echoes a lot of the above commenters, but I am curious as to what "a day of food" looks like for you guys. Also how you are getting protein and what sorts of recipe substitutions have worked well. Did you ease into it or go cold turkey? Contemplating making the change myself, but need it to be manageable living with a boyfriend who likes meat. :)

[Rachel]

Do you have any recommendations for finding a good nutritionist? How/Where did you find yours?

[Julianne]

Thanks for sharing this info! I've been exploring go vegetarian myself and I'm very interested in the subject. Can you share how you made the leap?