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Supporting or wanting to adopt a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to cut out animal products entirely. Photo: Alamy

If you can’t give up meat, cut down and still feel the health benefits – meet the Reducetarians

  • Want to eat less meat but can’t give up that bacon sandwich? Try joining the Reducetarian movement
  • Launched in the United States five years ago, it preaches a moderate cutback in the consumption of meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy products
Wellness

When Brian Kateman started the Reducetarian movement in the US five years ago, his father, Russell Kateman, supported the concept of reducing the world’s consumption of animal products. He just didn’t follow the dietary approach himself.

Surely he could love both his child and Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches?

Then, last year, Russell gave in and cut back on animal-based foods. “I was really addicted to meat and being lazy, but now I feel like a new man,” said the 67-year-old optometrist.

Since changing his eating habits, which included three-times-a-week visits to the fast-food chain, the Staten Island, New York resident has shed 20 pounds (9kg) off his 240-pound frame (his target weight is 200 pounds) and no longer needs to take cholesterol pills. His doctor also reduced his diabetes medicine. “I move more,” Russell Kateman said. “I enjoy life more.” And he’s meeting a Reducetarian goal.

Being a Reducetarian is about eating less meat, not cutting it out entirely.

The Reducetarian movement’s quest is “to improve human health, protect the environment, and spare farm animals from cruelty by reducing societal consumption of animal products”.

The concept of eating less meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy isn’t new. But in an era of extreme diets, the idea of moderation and acceptance is novel.
The movement’s approach is “don’t let perfectionism get in the way of the good”, Brian says during the Reducetarian Summit, an annual event that took place in Crystal City, in the US state of Virginia, in late September. “Reduce rather than be perfect.”
I am not saying don’t eat cheese, I am saying eat less cheese
Lisa Sasson, a clinical professor in New York University’s department of nutrition and food studies

To illustrate his point, Brian shared a personal story.

Years ago at a fast food outlet, his friend had ordered a side of bacon. When the waitress came to clear the plates, Brian grabbed the last, uneaten strip. At the time, he was a vegetarian trying to transition to veganism.

“I would fall off the plant-based wagon,” he admitted. But he knew succumbing to one bacon temptation could not derail him from his grander objectives; it only strengthened his resolve.

The Reducetarian umbrella covers a number of diets, including vegetarian, vegan, omnivore and flexitarian. At the sold-out conference, the 720 attendees were encouraged to choose pins that best described their personality and interests.
When Brian Kateman began the transition from vegetarianism to veganism, he would slip up and eat meat from time to time, especially bacon. Photo: Alamy

Within the first hour of the two-day event, the “vegan” bin was empty. On an opposite table, a sign read, “I Reduce: For My Health”. Tote bags conveyed the movement’s inclusive message: “It’s not all or nothing. Everyone is welcome.”

During his opening statements, Brian laid out the Reducetarian goals: to lower the global consumption of animal products by 10 per cent. To help meet this challenge, he recommended individuals and families alter their traditional eating patterns with such practices as Meatless Mondays, weekday vegetarianism or vegan-before-6pm.

Jonathan Safran Foer, who explores the connection between food and climate change in his new book, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, shared his personal strategy at the meeting. The novelist said he would eat vegan for breakfast and lunch but go the whole hog (figuratively speaking) for dinner.

To assist budding Reducetarians, Brian has published a cookbook and is working on a documentary called Meat Me Halfway, which includes a comical scene starring his parents and an avocado. (He screened a clip at the conference.)

The Reducetarian website, which receives half a million unique visitors a year, offers a trove of resources, such as a video of Brian’s TEDxCUNY talk from November 2014, a blog with news items and recipes (sample dishes include breakfast tofu “chorizo” tacos and creamy coconut vegetable korma), and a pledge to eat less meat for 30 days.

Pledge-takers will receive encouraging emails during their month-long effort.

Brian Kateman has published a cookbook to assist budding Reducetarians

Reducetarianism is deeply tied to environmental and animal welfare causes, but its health benefits are undeniable.

A plant-rich diet can help ward off many ailments, including heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure and diabetes. It can also boost your mood and lengthen your life expectancy.

In a new study published in August in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers tracked the food intake of middle-aged participants between 1987 and 2017.

It determined that “diets consisting of predominantly plant foods and that are lower in animal foods were associated with a lower risk of incident cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease mortality, and all-cause mortality in a general population”.

To gain the health advantage, you don’t need to eliminate meat from your menu – just play around with the food group ratios.

“This is a more practical approach,” said Lisa Sasson, a clinical professor in New York University’s department of nutrition and food studies. “You’re not a vegetarian and you’re not a heavy meat-eater.”

Sasson supports the gradual approach espoused by Reducetarians. Instead of eating animal products five times a week, she recommends three times.

“I am not saying don’t eat cheese,” she said, “I am saying eat less cheese.”

Lisa Sasson supports the gradual approach to limiting the consumption of animal products espoused by Reducetarians

While many people might find it easy to limit their consumption at home, they could lose their way on the mean streets of rib-eye steaks, rotisserie chickens and pork buns. Fortunately, public institutions are providing more plant-based options to the public.

In April, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a green initiative called OneNYC 2050 that includes the elimination of processed meats and a 50 per cent cut in red meat purchases at city-run facilities and public schools by 2040. A month earlier, all 1,700 public schools in the city adopted Meatless Mondays for the 2019-2020 school year.

Students will kick off the school week with a vegetarian breakfast and lunch.

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For several years, the Humane Society of the United States has been working with some of the US’ largest food management groups to develop menus, train culinary professionals and expand plant-based dining at universities, hospitals, health care facilities’ cafeterias, school districts, prisons and military bases.

Arizona State University (ASU), for one, created the Fresh Start to the Week programme, which encourages students to swap out a meat-centric meal for veg-friendly dishes once a week. Daily Root stations, which serve plant-based meals three times a day, have sprang up on ASU’s four campuses.

On the other side of America, the University of Connecticut has been experimenting with burgers that blend beef with vegetables and mushrooms. The first brand failed for being too realistic – the students mistook the red juice for blood, not beets – and not tasty enough. “It was good with toppings,” said Dennis Pierce, director of dining services, “but as a stand-alone, it had a little bit to be desired.”

Russell Kateman now regularly dines on dishes such as sautéed broccoli, soups and salads. Photo: Alamy

The second attempt was much more successful. The students have been gobbling up the Bo Jackson mushroom-beef burger – more than 37,000 pounds (16,800 kg) over two 16-week semesters. The university has also taken on the burger’s best buddy, the hot dog. With the proper condiments, the carrot dog could go head-to-head with the Chicago hot dog.

“The plant-based movement is here to stay,” Pierce said. “We have seen a significant decrease in the consumption of meat and sugary beverages. The students are definitely eating healthier.”

As for Russell Kateman, the new convert regularly dines on sautéed broccoli, soups and salads. He still eats a steak once a month, with his son’s full support.

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