To think ‘Flexitarian’ isn’t hypocritical?

[MotherOfDragons90]

My DH and I have been gradually phasing meat out of our daily lives. For environmental and financial reasons. I’m not finding it difficult to not eat meat day to day, but I refuse to cut it out completely. I will still enjoy a cheeseburger at bonfire night, roast lamb at MILs on the odd Sunday and a nice steak on our anniversary.

I said to my DSis today (who is a full vegetarian) that I think our balance works well and if everyone did the same it actually might make a difference environmentally, and for animals. She is adamant that it makes no difference and I’m just a hypocrite who may as well eat meat all the time.

It’s really got my back up because I feel like I’m genuinely doing my bit and she’s just stamped all over it! Am I being a hypocrite?!

Boggles if people reduce their meat and dairy consumption then it absolutely does help animals, as less animals are bred into existence. It's as simple as that.

If a farmer sees no profit in breeding animals they will have to diversify into something else.

Getting rid of animals from our food production would have dire environmental implications though - whereas animals exist in naturally occurring habitats like grass and woodland, crops do not, they require the razing of existing ecosystems, so increasing our plant consumption means more habitat loss, more carbon loss from soil through tillage (cows build soil and lock carbon in) and of course we'd have to think of other uses for the waste from our crop consumption...i wonder if those solutions would ever go back to the soil like cowshit does? :/

I agree with this and I’m a meat eater.

However meat eating has been central to how humans celebrate, mark occasions, connect with one another for hundreds of thousands of years.

Culturally (and probably biologically) it’s totally ingrained. Naturally that dies hard. Which is why I feel the softly softly approach is most effective in changing behaviour.

Yeah i totally get this, I'm not preaching to anyone, I used to eat meat myself up until a year ago but always knew that it was awful, you just push it to the back of your brain I guess. I would just have a lot more respect for people who own it like you did, rather than try and make out that people who don't eat meat are idiots and not helping anything and are hypocrites because they drive a car etc etc

Inn baffled that people eat meat every single day and several times a day to the point where eating a cheese pizza for tea has to be labelled ‘meat free monday’

It's called marketing. In reality, we eat loads of plants every day, perhaps supplemented with meat.

Breakfast - granola? Porridge? Toast? Cereal? Pastry? Bagel?

Lunch - sandwich? Wrap? Salad? With a token amount of meat.

Snack - snack bar? Cake? Biscuit?

Meal - pasta? Rice? Pizza dough, pie pastry, yorkshire pud, mash, chips, etc..

Few eat fry ups for breakfast any more, who even religiously has a bacon butty? Thats a naughty treat for most! Try finding a plant free lunch, yet veggie options abound!

I'm pretty much vegan with the odd dairy lapse. I think what you are doing is brilliant and the way forward. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to embrace veganism and every little helps.

I am not a fan of the term flexiterian - you are an omnivore who is reducing their meat consumption - which is great btw!

Of course it makes a difference. Imagine if all meat eaters did that. Also if people eat better quality meat with higher welfare standards just once or twice a week instead of cheaper stuff every day, it would be much better in terms of their health, the environment and animal welfare.

I am a vegan but fully accept not everyone wants to be. I think when you stop eating meat (or dairy) for the animals it is much easier than doing it for your health or the environment. For example I find it so hard to loose weight but going vegan last year was easy in comparison once I had made up my mind.

Keep doing what you are doing OP.

It's not hypocritical but it is not a thing, and going on about it as if it is, is VU. Most people don't eat meat every day or in every meal. Meat is expensive. What you are describing as 'flexitarian' is NORMAL. It doesn't need a poncy label or a stupid #meatfreemonday hashtag or whatever.

I don't like the label but I think it's useful - just look at the huge difference in replies to this thread.

There's one person saying they've reduced meat consumption to once a day (!) Then there's people like OP who eat mostly vegetarian or vegan food and when they do eat animal products occasionally they might be selective over what they'll eat & want to know where is from. Which frankly is how all of us should be eating.

And annoying as it must be when a "vegan" eats a cheesecake or whatever, at least they're having less impact on the planet by eating plant based most of the time. At a time when less impact is much needed.

Basically we need a word for people who eat vegan / vegetarian but occasionally "break the rules" - because these people are doing their best but get vilified by people from all sides.

“Basically we need a word for people who eat vegan / vegetarian but occasionally "break the rules"”

Aren’t they just the same as people who usually eat meat but occasionally eat a vegetarian/vegan meal? Omnivores.

You aren’t a vegetarian at all if you eat meat, even if it’s occasionally.

The issue is with people having to label everything. I've been vegetarian for a long time but if people ask if I eat meat I say no, nor fish. I don't immediately say I'm veg because of preconceived notions. Do what works for you, labels nearly always require justification!

Imo the label flexitarian is silly

Like you want a pat on the back and feel like you are better than the other human omnivores.

Eat what you like, but don't make it a believes-system to beat other people around the head with

If you are doing it for the environment and your health then fair enough. If your doing it for animal cruelty then vegan or nothing.

Aren’t they just the same as people who usually eat meat but occasionally eat a vegetarian/vegan meal? Omnivores.

No. Not when it comes to catering for these people or understanding why they (won't) eat certain things.

I'm vegetarian and don't agree, any reduction is a good thing. Saying otherwise is just encouraging the consumption of more meat.

TL:DR @Motherofdragons90

It's not hypocritical, but using that term makes you seem pretentious! Great to eat less meat, but you're an omnivore (although that word isn't quite as popular)

all meat uses more land to produce the same amount of protein but the 'climate emergency' is clear that the priority is reducing ruminants.

You do realise this is nonsense? And that the whole 'meat is an inefficient use of resources ' thing is about the intensive grainfed systems in South America, the US etc.

Meat produced from upland grass in the UK is a different thing entirely and uses animals to convert otherwise inedible vegetation into a source of nutrition and protein, from land you can't grow lentils or veg or beans on. These upland grasses store a lot of carbon and are a positive thing.

Improve the environment by driving and flying less, eating less palm oil, using less plastic, and making sure your meat is grass reared in the upland areas of the UK.

Don't force the poorest in the world to starve by choosing to shun locally produced sustainable meat in favour of things that are staples in parts of Africa, South America and Asia. The globe struggles to feed everyone as it is, we should eat as much home-produced food as possible and this includes grass fed red meat.

That's a nice idea sole but it's simply not practical or affordable for millions of people in the U.K.

all meat uses more land to produce the same amount of protein

Rubbish.

A lot of land in the UK used for meat production is useless for growing crops.

We started last year just cutting down on meat gradually but keeping the good bits like Christmas dinner and such. My DH still has the occasional full English and bacon sandwich and I didn't eat much to start with. These days we tend to be more veggie based than meat but totally by accident rather than trying now. It's 100% improved our health and makes a difference financially too.

Just ignore her. Maybe she's fighting the meat jealousy and wishes she could have a little sausage sandwich every now and again too 😂

I would enjoy a bacon bap etc slowly in your sisters face every time I see her.

Somedays I have a vegan meal. Other days I fancy some bloody meat. Who cares? And who cares about the lexicon? Call yourself flexi if you want to.

I don't eat meat (I don't like it) and I appreciate anyone making an effort to eat less. Once you get used to more veggie meals you might move more in that direction. Any reduction is to be applauded in my book!

sole while I don't disagree that eating locally where we can is important and that grass fed meat can play a part I think your argument is not based in reality.

I'm sure you know that we have intensive grain fed farming systems in the UK too. I'm pretty sure as a nation we eat a hell of a lot more shittily reared chicken than quinoa for example... none of which is grass fed.

And the climate argument is about carbon emissions/ resources used, not just land. How much of the cattle used in the dairy industry in the UK is grass fed? How much of the beef cattle as a whole is grass fed year round? Like a pp said it's a nice idea - just completely unrealistic.

You can't just switch to grass fed meat/dairy. That would be utterly unsustainable without people massively reducing their consumption. Reduction HAS to be the primary argument right now.