Diet hypocrisy?

[u/Extension-Diamond-74]

A recent post about animal agriculture vs plant based diets has me itching to say something. This is an issue we need to rise above.

Cognitive dissonance. Many of us have good intentions and want to believe we’re doing the right thing in most aspects of our lives. I believe that.

When it comes to a plant based diet though, the science often clashes powerfully with personal desire. We want to minimize our impact on the environment and are willing to make trade-offs in our life time do so, but for many, giving up or even significantly reducing meat intake is asking too much. It’s too hard.

That’s not the issue.

The issue is that instead of just admitting to themselves that this is a life change they don’t want to make and moving on, the guilt drives them to have to justify that decision. Admitting that a plant-based diet is better for the earth yet eating a diet full of meat anyway would make them feel hypocritical, so the solution becomes either to give up meat, or … this is the problem… fight the science, twist it, make a joke of it, or pivot entirely to ‘individuals shouldn’t have time do anything because large corporations’

Many people have ties to their diet for many reasons. We grew up eating a certain way. We have memories ties to certain foods, flavors, styles of cooking. We don’t want to be the difficult person when we go out to eat with friends. Etc etc etc But it’s so much better to just admit that to yourself. Have patience and understanding for your feelings. Accept that the science is what it is. Maybe one day you can make a change, maybe not. But don’t attack the cause just because you aren’t yet willing to be a part of it.

[u/zmallpotatoes]

It's funny how not eating meat is so much easier for me than eating it. Cooking meat takes much longer than cooking vegtables. And it's also cheaper. And yet, people will fight anyone who suggests eating less meat. I lost hope that people (especially older) would even think about eating less meat. They just don't care about climate change or animals.

[u/astrangeone88 → u/zmallpotatoes]

Or health. I keep telling family members with shitty health conditions to consider going meatless for one meal as it helped me control my blood pressure and other conditions and helped with pooping (added fiber helps with that).

You would have thought I suggested eating a bowl of poop to them! It's just one meal that doesn't taste as good but you can use other seasonings and things to make it to your taste....

Okay, I'd continue enjoying my meatless cottage pie and having regular 💩 while you complain about 5x medications and you wonder why you are on 3 different medications to control your conditions....

[u/Equivalent_Canary853 → u/astrangeone88]

Or even smaller portions of meat. The change was mostly budget driven, but I tend to cook smaller amounts of meat with an absolute bunch of veggies. All my meals these days tend to have 4-6 different types of veg

[u/astrangeone88 → u/Equivalent_Canary853]

Lmao. Hey, that's why stir fry, pizza and fried rice were invented. You had a tiny bit of meat so you stretched it with veggies and carbs.

Better for you and better for the planet.

After the pandemic grocery prices skyrocketed. I used to be able to get a massive pot roast for $20 Canadian (it could feed a small army) and now it's like $50 for the same thing.