People go flexitarian for a variety of reasons like health, animals and the environment. Could finances be the next motivator to be a sometimes-vegetarian?

Rosario Dawson is featured on the August 2011 issue of Shape magazine. Inside she shared how she grew up eating mostly vegan, but would occasionally eat differently when money was low.

“My mom was practicing vegan and raw diets years ago, so I understood eating healthy at a young age,” Dawson said. “We even belonged to the local co-op. I mean, we had Spam too, because we were poor and had to take whatever we could get, but we stopped eating white bread when I was.”

It’s understandable that in some cases, you have to eat what’s available to survive. But it may be more expensive to go for the “cheap meat” than grains and vegetables after all. Even Spam is getting expensive.

The price of the canned meat has gone up about 17 cents or 7% recently and a 12 oz. can costs on average $2.62. That’s enough to buy several vegetarian or vegan items like whole grain pasta or beans.

Not to mention that processed meats like those found in convenience foods like Spam are linked to several health problems, like cancer.

In the long run, it’s probably cheaper to spurn the Spam, even if it means having to hunt for those few extra nickels hidden in the couch cushions.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Emily Deschanel Is Walk For Animals 2011 Spokesperson (Video)
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Kristin Bauer Takes A Bite Into European Union Animal Tested Cosmetics

Let’s play a game of how many different kinds of flexitarians we can name.

There’s the vegan until six. The weekday vegetarian. And now, the latest new trend to reduce your meat intake…the vegetarian except Steak ’n Shake.

Roger Ebert has supported the idea of eating less meat and was especially turned on after seeing the film Forks Over Knives.

“Here is a film that could save your life,” Ebert said. “The bottom line: I am convinced this message is true. A plant-based whole foods diet is healthy.”

Ebert wrote an article in the Chicago Sun-Times where he explored what it would take to live beyond the average expected lifespan.

Apparently long life depends on keeping active, staying interested, and eating a diet high in volume but low in calories, which means mostly grains and vegetables. So many of us, me included, know that in theory but don’t always follow it in practice. For a time I followed the Steak ’n Shake diet, which meant: Be a vegetarian except when at Steak ’n Shake.

A flexitarian diet consisting of “mostly grains and vegetables” may be the key to living a century or longer, and if the Steak ‘n Shake plan isn’t for you, there are plenty of other ways to do it, such as cutting out red meat, eating only humanely raised meat and eating vegetarian at home while saving meat entrees for dinners out at the steakhouse.

Photo: PR Photos

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Okay. So you’ve finally made the decision to change your eating habits because you know that daily burger isn’t doing anything for your health or the environment and the last farm sanctuary you visited made you want to freak your doberman out by introducing him to his latest animal housemate Mr. Pig.

Meatless Monday is a good start, but is the 4th of July holiday the best time to convert, considering there will be all those hot dogs, burgers and other meaty goods on the grill?

Mark Bittman recently explored this dilemma is his New York Times food column.

Like every day in America, the Fourth of July is a celebration of protein. But the Fourth is a special day for burgers and ribs, not beans and rice, a day with contests to see who can eat the most hot dogs, not the most veggie patties. If you’re anti-meat, the Fourth of July can feel anti-you.

Bittman discusses the rising popularity in the Meatless Monday campaign and its benefits, but recognizes that the July 4th holiday may not be the best time for the most dedicated carnivore to make changes.

The Fourth of July may not be the day to trade in your hot dog, but the following Monday is a good one for beans and rice.

While Bittman’s suggestion will work for some, Vegetarian Star would like to remind potential flexitarians that the holiday is also the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with the dozens of faux meats available that put the real stuff to shame.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

“So many people tell me, ‘I could be a vegan if it weren’t for bacon,’ and I tell them, ‘Be a “vegan” who eats bacon.’”

“Real militant vegans hate when I say that. But if you are cutting back on the amount of meat that you eat, you’re still doing something great for your health, for the planet and for the animal.”

–Tal Ronnen, in an interview with the LA Times. The article highlights the growing trend among culinary experts, vegetarians and animal activists accepting and promoting flexitarianism or vegetarianism that lets one slide here and there instead of mandating the adherence to strict eating patterns.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

“I am not a vegetarian, but I don’t eat meat very often. First of all, I don’t want to make any declarations like that. Look, If I’m in Cleveland at 3 in the morning and I’m hungry and the only thing I can get is a room service turkey burger, I’m going to get it. But for my own health, meat is probably not the best thing for me. I eat meat like people in the Middle Ages, only on feast days. I probably eat it maybe a dozen times a year or probably eat it maybe a dozen times a year or something. If that’s not good enough for the vegetarians, sorry.”

“But there’s no definitive proof, by the way, that vegetarians live longer. What I do know, that overeating of meat is horrible, not just for you but for the whole planet. I’m not making it up. It’s a fact. I think the UN published a study a few years ago, that the amount of land and resources it takes to raise cattle is worse for the planet than all the cars and plane exhaust. So you actually are doing more for the planet by not eating a cheeseburger than you are by driving a Prius.”

–Bill Maher, during an interview with Scene when asked how he keeps his “girlish figure.” Looking sexy and saving the planet are so easy and tasty to do in one step.

Photo: PR Photos

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Each year Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to take on a new challenge. Last year it was learning Chinese. This year, it’s eating only what he kills. By doing so, he’s pretty much become vegetarian.

Zuckerberg told Fortune in a detailed email how the idea for doing this came about and how he’s not only eating healthier, but has learned more sustainable ways of producing food.

This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have. This year I’ve basically become a vegetarian since the only meat I’m eating is from animals I’ve killed myself. So far, this has been a good experience. I’m eating a lot healthier foods and I’ve learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals.

The idea surfaced after Zuckerberg was having a pig roast with friends who felt uncomfortable with the animal in the middle of the room still looking alive.

A bunch of people told me that even though they loved eating pork, they really didn’t want to think about the fact that the pig used to be alive. That just seemed irresponsible to me. I don’t have an issue with anything people choose to eat, but I do think they should take responsibility and be thankful for what they eat rather than trying to ignore where it came from.

Besides drastically reducing his meat intake at home, another bonus to this way of flexing is that Zuckerberg finds himself frequenting restaurants with more vegetarian options.

More at Fortune.

Photo: Jason McELweenie/Creative Commons

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Emily Deschanel Is Walk For Animals 2011 Spokesperson (Video)
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author

How does Treehugger.com‘s founder do his part to help the environment even though he’s not a full time vegan? He simply eats a vegetarian diet for the majority of the week.

This “Weekday Vegetarian” plan was first discussed at a TED conference in February 2010 and now Graham Hill has written a book on it and published it exclusively to Amazon Kindle.

From Treehugger.com:

Graham provides compelling arguments for why you can, and should, become a weekday vegetarian. Whether you do it for environmental, animal welfare or health reasons or a combination of all of those things, the book explains how you can make a difference locally, globally and within your own home simply by rethinking your food choices.

Besides being paperless and eco-friendly, Amazon Kindle books are a convenient way to peruse dozens, hundreds and even thousands of materials without worrying about how to store, recycle of give away paper copies of the books. At a little over $100, the Kindle stores thousands of titles and most ebooks downloaded to Kindle are also available for the Kindle App on iPad, iPhone, and all Android devices.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Dr. Oz Welcomes “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition” Author
• Rory Freedman To Emcee LA Premiere Of “Vegucated”

Actress Megyn Price has done some applause worthy activism on the set of Rules of Engagement. She convinced the food crew on the set to implement Meatless Mondays.

The debut of the event was overwhelmingly positive, offering delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes like Italian stuffed portabello mushrooms, bucatini pasta with roasted garlic, zucchini and sundried tomatoes, rosemary focaccia, tiramisu and eggplant lasagna.

Price blogged about the experience in April.

As expected, the event wasn’t received with open arms by everyone.

“The takeaway is that Meatless Monday was a 75% success – lots of people loved it,” Price wrote. “I know I sound naïve, and, call me Pollyanna, but I expected a little more curiosity and little less animosity. As I look back, I’m proud and happy that, even for just one day, the people I work with and love made a huge, positive, healthy change, and no animals had to be slaughtered in the process. And, by the way, from what I remember, Pollyanna lived happily ever after.”

Besides saving animals, eating meat-free for just one day a week can help save the earth’s resources. According to Meatless Monday, it takes approximately 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef but only 220 gallons of water to produce the same amount of tofu in the state of California.

There are several carbon footprint calculators on the web that can help you see exactly what you use–and don’t use–when you choose to eat a plant dish over a meat one.

Photo: PR Photos

Possibly Related Posts:

• Bonnie-Jill Laflin Thinks Tofu Scores A Slam Dunk
• Emily Deschanel Is Walk For Animals 2011 Spokesperson (Video)
• Linda McCartney Food Range Adds Four New Products
• Meatless Mouthful–Meagan Duhamel Scores Gold Medal With Diet
• Kristin Bauer Takes A Bite Into European Union Animal Tested Cosmetics