How to Eat Less Meat without Going Vegetarian

How to Eat Less Meat as a Part Time Vegetarian

Letting Go of Food Rules: Why I Became a Part-Time Vegetarian

If you want to eat less meat for personal, environmental, or health reasons, why not just start? The idea of going completely vegetarian held me back from examining and changing my eating habits for some time. I didn’t know how to eat less meat without just going full-time vegetarian. I mean, why try to eat less meat when I could just go all the way and eat none of it, right?

As with most diets, I had an all-or-nothing mentality: either I was a meat-eater, or I wasn’t! If you’ve followed my journey for some time, you know I’ve experimented with many different ways of eating—from plant-based veganism, to a meat-heavy paleo or ketogenic diet. Food rules always provided me some comfort. And, having a specific “box” for me to fit into (i.e., “vegan” or “keto”) gave me a greater sense of control over my health.

Of course, paradoxically, this pull towards rules and a desire to ‘do it right’ only gave whatever diet I was eating at the time more power over me. When I was following a diet or specific food rules, there was a sense of comfort. But, when I wasn’t following the rules anymore, I had ‘blown it’—and this often propelled me to spiral into a binge (or a series of binges).

In my experience, diets and their all-or-nothing mentalities have gotten in the way of my food freedom—and actually added to my stress about health and food. And, over time, swinging back and forth on my pendulum with this all-or-nothing mentality really wore me down. So, now that my pendulum has settled as I’ve made peace with food, what’s my diet look like? I share the details in today’s video.

How to Eat Less Meat without Going Vegetarian

Part Time Vegetarian

As I immersed myself into mindfulness and explored mindful eating, I came across the book Savor by Thich Nhat Hanh. Thich Nhat Hanh is well-known as a global spiritual leader and peace activist, but along his Buddhist path he’s also prioritized mindfulness as a tool for health. In the book, he discusses mindful eating and proposes the option of being a “part time vegetarian.”

Something about this phrase really struck me. As a rule-follower, I was intrigued (and a little confused) by the lack of clarity around the statement. What does it mean to eat vegetarian “part-time?” He goes on to express that, if you’re wanting to eat less meat than you do currently, why not simply do so?

Nhat Hanh outlines a path for how to eat less meat without going completely vegetarian. Why not try eating all vegetarian meals for a few days each month, or eating a vegetarian meal each day? Or, what if we reduced the portion of meat we eat at each meal, without necessarily eliminating it completely?

This open-minded (and rule-free) approach resonated with my body, heart, and mind. I could eat less meat without removing meat from my diet completely. But, to embrace this approach, I had to let go of my urge to cling to food rules and tune in to my inner wisdom.

How I Eat Now & Why

Over the years, I’ve experimented with eating lots of meat, no meat, and something in between. For me, the middle way has always felt best. In terms of my body, when I eat less meat I notice improvements in my energy levels, digestion, and sleep. Plus, I find that my food prep is easier, since preparing protein is often the most daunting part of food prep.

When it comes to my heart and mind, reducing my meat consumption has aligned with my values. As I’ve gotten to know myself better, I’ve opened up to connecting more deeply with humans, and animals (like my dear girl Kristen, who passed last year). In the process, I started to feel a greater sense of compassion for all beings.

Personally, I always felt torn with the ethics on eating meat. When I’d eat it, I’d want to avoid thinking about the fact that I was eating it.  And when I wasn’t eating it, I felt relieved that I wasn’t. But the fact is, I noticed that my body functioned better with some animal protein.

The Middle Way

Really, what mindfulness does is foster the ability to see clearly—which I was avoiding when it came to my relationship with meat. Pretending I’m not eating it, or avoiding looking at, doesn’t make the fact that I’m eating it not true. Mindfulness helped me acknowledge this truth:

My body feels best with some animal protein. But my heart feels better with less.

Personally, I had to find a middle way. And for me, it looks like this: Eat some animal protein, while listening to my body, heart, and mind regarding the amount. I caneat less meat without needing a hard-and-fast rule about whether to eat it, or how much.

If there are no rules and no boxes to fit into, then I make the call. This is why letting go of rules is freeing, even if it’s also scary.

Letting Go of Food Rules

Early on, I went back and forth a lot internally, trying to figure out which was of eating was “my” way. The truth is, there’s no ‘one’ way. And, even the way of eating that suits my body, heart, and mind now is likely going to change as I evolve.

As we grow and age, we will need to adapt and change our diets—so there’s no sense in becoming attached to a certain way as “mine.” I may eat less meat now, and in the future someday I might eat more meat, or less meat, or no meat at all!

Let me be clear: The purpose of this lesson is not to convince you to eat in any specific way. YOUR body knows best, and you are the expert of your inner wisdom.

Rather, the point of this lesson is to help you reflect and consider: Are pre-determined ways of eating holding you back? Is there a ‘box’ you’re trying to fit into when it comes to your diet? And, if so, could that ‘box’ simply be lifted so you feel open—rather than constricted—with food and health?

Download the Food Rules worksheet to explore some of your own food rules. You may have many, or none, or somewhere in between!

Whatever the case may be, simply notice what resonates with you and then reflect: Are your ideas & ‘rules’ around food helping or hurting your journey?

Today’s Journal Prompt:

• Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Cowspiracy documentary
• The Beginner’s Guide to Becoming a Vegetarian – Healthline
• Becoming a Vegetarian – Harvard Health
• How to Go Vegetarian or Vegan – The Spruce Eats
• 40 Vegetarian Meal Prep Recipes – Mind Over Munch

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