Any "laid-back" vegetarians out there?

This is pretty much my tenth "meat-free" day (I clearly remember having about 1 tbsp of turkey pate on the 8th, out of curiosity). I say pretty much because in the meanwhile I`ve still had a couple ham-flavoured cream cheese wedges, which I`m pretty sure had some meat in them.

The thing is, I would love to go veggie, or at least pescatarian (I adore fish!), for the many great benefits. But I just know that completely cutting out certain foods would make me go crazy and probably end up craving and obsessing over them. Also, if I`m eating somewhere else than home and I don`t have veggie protein sources available, I will most likely prefer having some meat rather than eating just a side dish of carbs and fat.

So I am thinking of a resolution to be meat free 99% of the time. If I am curious about the taste of a certain meat, or I am craving an old favourite, I will have a bit. If circumstances don`t allow a healthy veggie alternative, I will eat meat.

I know this is not being vegetarian/pescatarian according to the 'all-or-nothing' definition, but I figure I would still be getting 99% of the health benefits and be helping protect the environment resources 99% of the time, right? Anyone else in the same boat? Please share your stories, experiences, thoughts, advice - anything at all.

I am a good example of a "laid back vegetarian" according to your definition.  One day, about a year ago, I just decided to stop eating meat (and eggs and dairy).  I had never been big on meat anyway, so it wasn't like an occasional veggie burger was a hardship.  I found that I was forced to cook more (rather than relying on prepackaged food, etc) and that the food I made was wonderful.  I also found my tastes changing and foods I had disliked in the past tasting good (like black beans).  I never considered myself to be a vegan.

After a few months, I had to give up on the no eggs and dairy thing because it was very difficult with two small children and a husband who are total omnivores.  I basically started eating eggs and cheese again, although in fairly small quantities.  Now, this summer, I started eating very occasional meals with shellfish in them.  Shellfish was the only thing I missed when I was a true "vegetarian", and this summer I had lobster once and clams once.  I would guess and say that on an annual basis I'll eat shellfish once or twice during the summer and then probably not again until the following summer.  To me, I am still a vegetarian and anyone who wants to be insulted or annoyed by this can climb a tree.

One of the things I hate most about other vegetarians is the judgemental attitude I run into with so many of them, and I think that this "you can't call yourself a vegetarian" attitude is a perfect example of it. I think it is total BS for people to have to classify themselves as pescetarian, flexitarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, ovo vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, vegan and on and on for fear of pissing someone off.  I think it is no different than listening to vegetarians get on their high horses and lecture others on how disgusting, cruel, poluting, unhealthy, etc, etc it is to eat meat. 

I agree that people should be congratulated for whatever efforts they are making to be more healthy/ethical, rather than nit-picking over labels.

I did find myself in an embarassing situation once when I went to stay at a stranger's house. I told her in advance that I was a vegetarian, and she said that was no problem, but when I arrived she had cooked salmon for dinner. Because her vegetarian daughter ate fish, she had assumed all vegetarians did. I said sorry for the misunderstanding but I don't eat fish, and she made an omelette instead (I didn't then dare ask if the eggs were free range, so had to let that one go!)

What I learned from that is that it's better to be explicit upfront about what you will/won't eat, including stuff like free range eggs only, no gelatin, etc. rather than using a label like vegetarian or vegan, as people's interpretations of the terms are so different.

kayso...

i know you've already gotten a lot of ess-aych-eye-tee about this post, but i thought i'd put in my two cents before I went crazy..

I don't think it's fair to call yourself a vegetarian, even a 'laid back' one. That's like saying i'm a 'laid back good citizen' i occassionally steal, but for the most part i'm good. 

A little harsh, and not quite the same, but you catch my drift. If you REALLY want to do your part for the environment and animals alike, you have to make the commitment. If you don't think you can handle that, then i wouldn't be posting here about your achievements as a 'laid back' vegetarian. I applaud your effort, don't get me wrong. But there's a lot more you could be doing for your body and our earth. 

It's offense to me, when i see posts like this. Please, just call yourself what you are. It gives real vegetarians (and vegans like me!) a bad name when you say things like this. It makes us seem like people who just want attention for a diet they aren't really following. Or like being vegetarian is a trend, when it's actually a lifestyle.

I would just re-think this post, and re-think what you call yourself. Just say it like it is.

jeannieb.

Titles suck don't they??

I am a flexitarian/locavore if it had to be named. But as you have seen that still can stir up some dirt. (I am lucky to be in Philadelphia w/ the Amish so it isn't so hard to get responsibly raised meat and veg) I think it is easiest just to say "I don't eat ---." Of course if that sentence can continue for years, it might just be able to say "I only eat..."

Kudos to you on your achievements. You might find that like myself and some others, over time you will loose your taste for meat. After begining to eat less meat over time (started with the cookbook "Almost Meatless") I found that not too far in I grew to disdain ground beef, and many other meats. They just don't smell or taste as good as I once thought they did. It also helps/hurts that now if I eat more than a few ounces of any meat I usually end up with a stomach ache.

For me, I think it is easiest to be a little flexible since I hate to inconvience others and sometimes you just want a bit of meat.

I failed a few times before I became a vegetarian. It took me about a year before I nailed it down, and I haven't looked back since.The first time, I started out saying I would only eat meat 2 or 3 meals a week when I went out with friends. That didn't work at all for me because it just became all the time because I just forgot about it. Kind of like trying to lose weight by saying I will have cake only a few times a week. The second time I said I would stop eating meat and only eat fish. I thought that would make my life easier eating out, but after awhile I just missed eating hamburgers and went right back. 

To me giving up meat and fish was kind of like what I imagine someone that is quitting smoking must feel like. Your friends are doing it, what's the big deal, you've been doing it forever anyway. My last try I gave it up cold turkey and promised myself I only needed to get thru the next 30 days. I didn't prepare at all, didn't know what I was going to eat, I just did it day by day, meal by meal. By the end of 30 days I just wanted to stick with it for as long as I could. It's been a year and half and meat/fish just doesn't appeal to me anymore.

So from my own experience it's really hard to eat the stuff some of the time, and not others because afterawhile you will just go back to it completely.

I woke up one day and quit eating meat and eggs. Then I woke up one day and quit milk, to the dismay of my aunt who had bought a coffee for me as a pleasant surprise, but it was very important to me. Then I woke up one day and added eggs and dairy back. I bet one of these days I'll wake up and go back to vegan. I've heard other people say this is how they did it. I've found that people who try to ease in have a harder time. Maybe that's not about method, though, but mentality--if you wake up and decide to do it, vs feel like jumping in, it's a different level of conviction and interest. And if you don't want to go all the way, that's fine, and maybe it will be a step to going all the way as you find you don't miss what you gave up. But if you ever do decide you want to go for it fully, going slowly after making that resolve is probably not the key to success.

As others have said, you can't be a sort of vegetarian, but you certainly can opt to eat mainly veggie foods, and cut back on animal products, and it's obvious you understand that vegetarian and vegan are all or nothing terms. Ambiguity is a big problem for fully vegetarian or vegan eaters, because people get confused and think that we'll eat things we won't. I'm sure you'll be able to explain your preferences to limit animal products, although you might have a harder time getting people to respect it. It's definitely a choice you can make healthfully, and you'll find lots of support here in the vegetarian forum. But if you use the title "laid back" vegetarian instead of just using a proper statement, like, you limit consumption of animal products but are not vegetarian. You'd have to ask advice about specific vegetarian meals. Otherwise, obviously, you'll be offending many vegetarians and vegans, and get more advice on your terminology than on food. You're selecting a diet option, but it's not a vegetarian one, and like another poster said, being vegetarian is a lifestyle for many, not just a diet.

A friend once followed a similar plan as yours. She explained it fairly easily and found it convenient. She became a pesce-pollotarian for a while. She talked about wanting to get a vegetarian meal because she preferred it. She was careful with terms, and when she started out, and said she wanted to be a sort of vegetarian, she understood when I told her that did not exist and made things harder for vegetarians.

Quote from someone other than the OP: "One of the things I hate most about other vegetarians is the judgemental attitude I run into with so many of them, and I think that this "you can't call yourself a vegetarian" attitude is a perfect example of it. I think it is total BS for people to have to classify themselves as pescetarian, flexitarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, ovo vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, vegan and on and on for fear of pissing someone off.  I think it is no different than listening to vegetarians get on their high horses and lecture others on how disgusting, cruel, poluting, unhealthy, etc, etc it is to eat meat."

How are these the same? How is it judgmental to use a dictionary to define a term? If you want to make a particular food choice, go ahead. I'm not lecturing anyone about the nature of eating meat. It's not for me to tell you what to do. I discuss it with people who ask and want to discuss it, or who make completely false statements that meat is the only healthy thing to eat.  It would be preaching to lecture and preach that being vegetarian is the only right choice. Being firm in the definition, however, is a matter of fact. But the terms mean something specific. The end. If you aren't a vegetarian, you aren't a vegetarian, and using it any other way only serves to create confusion. Telling someone "I'm a vegetarian" and being offered fish, or saying "I'm vegan" and fed carrots only to find out they're honey-glazed is extremely aggravating. People are confused enough about what these terms mean. Words that have definitions should be used properly. It's not exactly difficult to just say the truth--"I eat very little meat" or "I only eat chicken and fish".

Why to you need the label vegetarian?  or even laid back.  I am on my 9th day of not eating meat. I consider myself going vegetarian, NOT VEGAN. I may not by definitionbe meeting all the qualification of vegetarian by some standards but I am doing what I think is right for now.  I chose to not eat meat to see if the increased intake of beneficial plant based foods would make me feel better. I also wanted it to give me a sort of cleansing of sorts.

So far so great. I feel better everyday.  I have a heart condition that seemed to be aggravated after I eat sometimes. Don't ask me why.  I would get heart palpitations after a meal sometimes.  I have only experienced this once since changing my diet.  That was after I ate a cheese quesadilla, with extra cheese. (like I said, I am just not eating meat) and now have decided to limit my dairy.  So if I fit your label as laid back vegetarian so be it. I don't plan to go vegetarian forever. My goal right now is to go 30 days, mostly just to see if I can do it.  I don't crave meat so far. I do think of some meats I used to enjoy.

I feel do what you think is right for you, forget about labels.  If you feel you need to eat some meat so be it. I am just choosing not to at this time, and really am not having any serious cravings.

Good Luck,

Original Post by mikezaremba:

Why to you need the label vegetarian?  or even laid back.  I am on my 9th day of not eating meat. I consider myself going vegetarian, NOT VEGAN. I may not by definitionbe meeting all the qualification of vegetarian by some standards but I am doing what I think is right for now.  I chose to not eat meat to see if the increased intake of beneficial plant based foods would make me feel better. I also wanted it to give me a sort of cleansing of sorts.

So far so great. I feel better everyday.  I have a heart condition that seemed to be aggravated after I eat sometimes. Don't ask me why.  I would get heart palpitations after a meal sometimes.  I have only experienced this once since changing my diet.  That was after I ate a cheese quesadilla, with extra cheese. (like I said, I am just not eating meat) and now have decided to limit my dairy.  So if I fit your label as laid back vegetarian so be it. I don't plan to go vegetarian forever. My goal right now is to go 30 days, mostly just to see if I can do it.  I don't crave meat so far. I do think of some meats I used to enjoy.

I feel do what you think is right for you, forget about labels.  If you feel you need to eat some meat so be it. I am just choosing not to at this time, and really am not having any serious cravings.

Good Luck,

 

 Hi Mike, that's awesome. I am vegan and I love identifying myself as such. I do get what your saying though and if it's not an ethical basis for your switch, then there is no need to label in my opinion (except of course when eating out, etc). My husband is vegetarian and while in part he made the switch from being a meat-eater because he respected my beliefs, he also did it largely for health reasons and has never felt better. Good luck on your journey!

I used to hardly eat meat last semester.. it was too much effort to cook for me and I wanted to stop wasting so much energy on growing animals for meat, etc... or something like that. Unfortunately for me, I suck at actually getting my nutrients and looking up protein and stuff like that. I got a bit sick so I'm eating meat again :/. I DO eat alot more vegetarian options these days though (I USED to NEED meat in every meal) I find them more healthy and less calories as well :). I really applaud people who can stick to it strictly! I can at least say I don't eat meat as much (and hardly any beef or pork... especially pork).

I'm an on-and-off vegetarian. I was full blown veggie last year, but this summer I had to give it up because of the food service program I was entering (hardly any veggie meals, yuck =()) and I've found that I do end up craving certain things--LIKE PULLED PORK. BUT I've found GREAT vegetarian versions of these foods and they keep me very happy and taste pretty much the same. Whole Foods is a great provider of these types of foods =D