Hey there! I'm interested in going on a (sorta) vegetarian diet. Although I've completely stopped eating fish, I will have to eat some red meat b/c of my anemia. However, I want to eat minimal meat as I'm really against hunting for sport and all that. It's also worth mentioning I live in the deep South, and the best local restaurants in my area are a barbecue and a steak house. Do you have any suggestions for going on a sorta vegetarian diet? Any help would be much appreciated!
Hey Anon!
The first thing I’m going to say is I am not a medical practitioner, and in terms of diet, do what is healthy for you. I am also biased as someone who has been vegetarian for a while, but I do understand that diets are something that you have to like and want. Vegetarian or vegan is not for everyone, but wanting to reduce your consumption is a good thing in itself, whether it leads to veganism/vegetarianism or lower meat consumption in general.
If you want to reduce your meat consumption, for the ethical reasons you mentioned or for environmental or economic reasons, red meat is usually the better place to start. Cow is not environmentally friendly in terms of space required, feed required, the time required, waste created and water required. Its one of the highest co2 contributors of red meats, and Beef can also be quite pricy.
To start your journey into a more vegetarian diet, you may want to look into Flexitarianism/Semi-Vegetarianism. To start this, you could try opting for white meats, or local meats rather than red meats or energy-intensive meats(such as crustaceans (I don’t know if your fish includes seafood), chicken, turkey, or duck). Specifically for your BBQ places, try ordering vegetarian sides (such as coleslaw or potatoes) with your meal rather than a side that includes meat. For general homemade meals, you can also go for replacing these meals with veggie meals (such as integrating all veggie days or limiting your meat consumption to specific meals in the week).
Do what is healthy for you since you know your body and your medical needs as you mentioned.
I hope that helped and was what you were looking for :)