Flexitarian...really?

[FrustratedTeddyLamp]

Seen flexitarian a few times now and so off I went to Google which gave me this definition:

Flexitarianism or 'casual vegetarianism' is an increasingly popular, plant-based diet that claims to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health with an eating regime that's mostly vegetarian yet still allows for the occasional meat dish

So a meat eater? An omnivore am I missing something? This seems stupid to me and just another unnecessary label

It’s the same as straight people labelling themselves queer. A meaningless label.

In such cases would it not just be easier to say vegetarian if at that time you don't want meat

No, because that comes from a place where the meat option is the norm and anything other than this is 'special'/'different'

I'm probably what a lot of people would call a flexitarian but I don't agree with the label because I don't see the 'normal' way of eating where people eat meat dominated meals every day, sometimes more than once as how people are supposed to eat.

I can go for days without eating meat, which I probably have maybe once a week, but even then it will be a meal that contains a small amount of meat, eg a biriyani or paella style dish that has a couple of chicken thighs along with rice, veg, pulses in a whole 4 portion recipe.

It's only in richer countries with intensive farming so meat is compartively cheap where it's seen as normal to eat like this, see all the 'hilarity' about the MN chicken if people dare to suggest that its reasonable to make more than one meal from a chicken.

Historically and in a lot of countries, people eat are more plant/egg based diet with small amounts of meat as flavouring or on special occasions. This isn't special flexitarianism, this is normal human eating.

@FrustratedTeddyLamp

I presume flexitarian isn't a well known term then if it's been around since the 70s and loads of people don't know about it? If so what use is it?

You go to a friends,a plane Ora restaurant and because you don't wanna explain you eat vegetarian but sometimes meat you say flexitarian, people don't know what it is so you have to explain anyway.

In such cases would it not just be easier to say vegetarian if at that time you don't want meat?

Some folk get very funny about using ‘vegetarian’ when it’s not strictly the case (and take GREAT DELIGHT in attempting to catch the person out with a perceived transgression of eating Haribo etc).

I don’t see why you’d want to police how someone describes their own diet. ‘Flexitarian’ is quicker to say than ‘I rarely eat meat or fish but I’m not strictly speaking vegetarian.’

I'm flexi-vegan, by which I mean I consider any moment of the day where I'm not consuming meat or animal products to be a period of me being vegan. So far I've been 100% vegan today because I skipped breakfast, I'll have some lunch soon so will be flexi for five minutes (ham and cheese sandwich), then I'll be vegan all the way through to dinner time (chicken with cheese and bacon topping plus some veg). Basically it's only snack or meal times when I'm not being actively vegan, so that's probably 95% of the day I'm vegan and 5% of the time I'm flexi.

Flexitarian is just within the normal range of average healthy eating regimes then. It would appear to be pretty indistinguishable from many standard good nutrition plans and it appears that many members of my family, including myself, fall within its definition, albeit without the virtue signalling about climate change.

I remember once reading on here from someone waxing lyrical about the merits of vegan diets, and when asked if they were vegan, they replied quite honestly that they were working towards become fully vegan.

tbh I wouldn't bother telling someone about my fairly average dietary habits. I think its wanky.

I would point out though that the international comparisons on diet are a bit meaningless. In the UK we live in a particular geographical and climate zone which pre-disposes itself to both arable farming and sheep and cattle rearing for meat and dairy in other areas. Grass grows particularly well here, which it doesn't do in other parts of the world which have more of a tradition of vegetarianism. Its also quite cold here in winter with little sun, so we have different dietary needs.

@ReeseWitherfork

if you're willing to eat meat then you're not a vegetarian/vegan

I've never referred to myself as a flexitarian but I can see where it's useful, and it's for this comment. I loathe to refer to myself as a vegetarian because I will eat meat rather than starve (at a wedding, or a shit restaurant for example) but if I don't refer to myself as a vegetarian then people won't cater for me as such. DHs office buys a round of bacon butties on a Friday for example, or a party buffet will have nothing but chicken goujons, sausage rolls and ham sandwiches. I tend to say "I don't eat meat" but that's not actually true; I just really really really don't want to.

Exactly. This is the same as me. I don’t want to, but I’d I have to I will. I’m not going to die a moral death if I eat a cocktail sausage at a kids party because I’m running on empty. But I will never choose a meat based meal. I will go a couple of months without meat and then eat meat - I am fed up people hopping up and down “you ate meat but you’re a VEGETARIAN!” No, I’m not. People love to tell me I actually am, to persuade me I am, but I truly am not. But my diet is most similar to a vegetarian. Be great to not to to explain and explain and explain but looks like we will have to, seeing as the phrase that explains it (flexitarian) is causing such offence too.

Be great to not to to explain and explain and explain but looks like we will have to, seeing as the phrase that explains it (flexitarian) is causing such offence too.

"I don't eat much meat. I don't like it much." How is that more taxing than "I'm a flexitarian" which you then WILL have to explain, as many people don't know what it is?

The problem with flexitarian is that it's being used in this thread to cover a wide range of meat consumption anyway. So you'd still have to do some explaining. As I will: I'm an omnivore, I eat some meat and fish but often choose vegetarian or vegan in restaurants, I cook a fair few vegan meals and I love to try any vegan or vegetarian food friends are kind enough to offer.

I'd describe myself as a flexitarian and have done previously. I didn't actually know what "omnivore" meant to be honest and if someone coming for dinner at mine said "I'm an omnivore" I'd be at a bit of a loss as to what to cook.

I like the word and to me (and most of the people I know) it means that you're mainly vegetarian but will accept meat or fish on occasion. For me, it's mainly when I eat at restaurants as where I am there are very very rarely any vegetarian options.

It might be a wanky term to some, but I think it explains things better than omnivore

Flexitarian has been around forever. As a vegetarian of 32 years I don't care enough to get annoyed.

Technically I am one. Eating vegetarian during the week and meat the weekend. But I find it wanky, and I refuse to label everything as if we NEED to be special. So I refuse to call myself that. I am just a bog standard omnivore.

I don’t think eating meat and fish can be cruelty free

Let's be honest about it: neither can following a strict vegan diet, unless you grow the food yourself, leave wildlife to take whatever it wants and harvest it by hand.

It's a bit like saying that you pride yourself on your firm ethical stance against sweatshops and child labour, because although you will happily buy a £2 jumper from a shop in this country, you personally leave it to somebody else to source the labour and blissfully ignore all of the obviously highly dubious morals in their supply chain.

I have a friend who would probably describe herself as flexitarian.

She eats vegetarian food by choice for ethical reasons, but she's not going to kick up a fuss when visiting others demanding a veggie alternative. It's a nice way to be. Doing your best without dictating to others how they should eat.

My boss is a flexitarian. He is vegan wherever possible, vege if vegan isn't possible, but would still eat meat if it was the only thing available. So if he went to a dinner party and the hostess cooked meat, he would eat it. So it is a bit different to a normal diet as he always tries to be vegan, and would never cook meat at home. He only eats meat if there is no alternative. I think it's a sensible approach.

Omni just means all so that doesn't explain anything. Flexitarian technically covers my diet but I always took it as a joke, I don't think anyone would say it seriously.

Also (human) carnivores are omnivores.

. I will go a couple of months without meat and then eat meat - I am fed up people hopping up and down “you ate meat but you’re a VEGETARIAN

Isn't it amazing how often people will make that assumption just because they've seen you eat a couple of normal types of food that happen to be vegetarian such as a vegetable pizza or falafel and hummus salad and then comment because you have a bacon sandwich?

I didn't actually know what "omnivore" meant to be honest and if someone coming for dinner at mine said "I'm an omnivore" I'd be at a bit of a loss as to what to cook

Seriously? Isn't that something we learn at primary school about different types of animals, including people?

I hadn’t googled it OP, but have used it in the past to describe someone that doesn’t mind whether their, or others’ diets, contain meat, vegetarian or vegan preferences.

Given the often childish outbursts towards others because of their food choices from all food preference groups, I had somehow related flexitarianism to people who are unbiased about any and all food choices…
It’s a shame it doesn’t mean that! If only there was a term that meant “someone who accepts everyone’s food choices, and even gives them a try sometimes”! In this instance, I don’t think omnivore always works….

It's certainly a silly word, but it isn't a silly concept. It's good for your health and the planet to eat more plants and less meat. And I don't necessarily think there's anything particularly wrong with your friends and family knowing that you prefer to avoid eating too much meat, whether you call yourself a flexitarian or not. Fwiw I'm neither a vegetarian nor a 'flexitarian' - I eat quite a lot of meat. I would probably eat a lot less of it if it weren't for my fussy dc and meat-loving dh. I still wouldn't call myself a flexitarian though .

There used to be a term 'meat reducer' before flexitarian. I think flexi has wanky overtones but I can see it's useful if you're going to stay with someone and would be uncomfortable having meat three times a day.

I think mainly plant based with the odd bit of unprocessed fish or meat is the ideal, really.

Most people don't call themselves anything though. Terms like this are born of the media and marketing people that are looking for an angle to sell you something. People do co-opt themselves into it though as well

Maybe you don't eat meat often because of environmental impact and don't really have animal welfare high up on your list of priorities. Maybe you just don't like meat enough to eat it often. Maybe it makes you fart uncontrollably for hours. Whatever, there are loads of reasons that people don't want to eat meat that don't chime with many of the moral reasons that some people become veggies or vegans for. But you exist, and someone wants to sell you something to help you do it, and that's much easier if there's a label to apply

@CremeEggThief

Flexitarianism is not a new term, OP. It's been around for years. So there's obviously a lot of people out there who are happy with/see a need for the label. As a vegetarian, I see this as a positive step.

I was going to say that! A friend gave me a 'flexitarian' cookery book nearly 30 years ago.

It's a ridiculous term. A flexitarian is just a person who eats food. It reminds me of that woman who asked reddit if she needed to come out to her family as LGBTQ+ because she didn't want to cheat on her husband and was therefore "demisexual". In other words, she was straight.

person who eats nothing but meat = carnivore (incredibly rare)
person who eats eggs and dairy, but no meat except for fish = pescetarian
person who eats eggs and dairy, but doesn't eat meat = vegetarian
person who doesn't eat any animal products at all = vegan

Virtually everyone else is an omnivore. I suppose there are a few other possible combinations, such as people who eat meat but no eggs or dairy, but I expect that's extremely unusual.

"Flexitarian" would only be a useful term if there were a strict vegetarian/carnivore binary, but there's already a perfectly good word for people who eat an omnivorous diet - omnivores. In fact, human carnivores are so rare that "meat eater" generally just means "omnivore".

"Flexitarian" would only be a useful term if there were a strict vegetarian/carnivore binary, but there's already a perfectly good word for people who eat an omnivorous diet - omnivores. In fact, human carnivores are so rare that "meat eater" generally just means "omnivore".

It depends though. No it's not a necessary,
entirely distinct category of human diet. That doesn't mean it would never be relevant conversationally, or useful socially, to state that you are a person who prefers to eat little meat compared with most omnivores.

If, for example, I knew that my friend or my family member preferred to eat little meat, I probably wouldn't choose to make a big joint of roast beef if they came round for lunch.

Equally, in a conversation with friends or colleagues about food and cooking, I would find it perfectly reasonable for people to say e.g. 'I guess I'm a bit of a 'flexitarian' these days - I don't eat much meat.' Because 'I eat food' doesn't really convey that information.

But "I don't eat much meat" would cover that, @Fairislefandango. What does "flexitarian" actually mean? Eating meat once a year? Once a month? One person on this thread even said "flexitarians" might eat meat three times a week!