21 October 2008

Talk of the Town Tuesday: Announcing the next Talk of the Town Pick

My next "Talk of the Town" review will air Wednesday, November 5th. You will note that this is the day after the election. Yes, Virginia, there is life after 24-hour CNN vigils. (I think.)

Anyway, we'll probably all have become heartily sick of politics by then, so we're going to tackle our first health title, Dawn Jackson Blatner's THE FLEXITARIAN DIET. A former notable word of the year according to the New York Times, "flexitarian" is defined by Blatner as "a flexible approach to dieting without giving up meat" by adding more vegetables for your diet.

Proponents of flexitarianism tout the health benefits as well as savings (buying less meat!) and the addition of more delicious options to one's repetoire. Is "loose adherence to the meat-free diet" a better option than either going full veggie or staying omnivorous? And can an on-the-go, cooking-impaired person (i.e. me) go "flexitarian"? Find out Nov. 5.

8 comments:

Elizabeth said...

How do I call in?

Elizabeth said...

So how is "flexitarianism" different from just following the food pyramid?

What's next? Are people who eat sweets sparingly are going to get their own "-itarian" term? ("An-orange-makes-a-lovely-snack-itarian"?)


But maybe it is helpful. I'm always trying to eat more vegetables, but maybe if I did have a step-by-step guide I would make more progress than just by wishful thinking.

Ellen said...

The number is (703) 560-TALK during the show (7-8PM). Unfortunately, I'm not sure we have the studio capability to have you and me and Parker all live at the same time... but you can always chat with Parker and tell her what you think post-review.

Elizabeth said...

Ooh, I could do that. And then when I'm done, you could call back in and respond!

We could take over her show!

Elizabeth said...

Um, I appear to have put two "are"s in one sentence in that second comment. Sorry about that.

Ellen said...

Oranges make a great snack!

In all seriousness, I am not sure -- from what I've read outside of the book it seems to be characterized mostly by a willingness to seek out vegetarian products (like Boca burgers) or restaurants, while not considering oneself a vegetarian.

But I'm hoping the book will help me to answer your question better or justify the use of the term... or perhaps not! We shall see.

Ellen said...

I'm sure Parker would love it if we took over her show. Callers are always welcome!

CB said...

You will love this book! I bought it a few weeks ago and it has really helped me to incorporate more vegetables and whole grains into my diet. The book has a great quiz at the beginning that helps you set your "baseline". Well you will find out about it when you read and review it. The author has a great website too www.dawnjacksonblatner.com . I have watched a lot of her videos and downloaded some more great recipes.