More on less meat.

Apropos my earlier post:  Mark Bittman, one of my favorite cookbook writers, has a NYT column on eating less meat.  The suggestions are exactly the sort of sensible, low-stress ones I'm trying to implement:  

1. Forget the protein thing....For anyone eating a well-balanced diet, protein is probably not an issue.
2. Buy less meat. How many ounces of meat is a serving? For years, the U.S.D.A.’s recommendation has been four ounces a person, yet most of us have long figured one-and-a-half to two pounds of meat is the right amount for four people. ...Change that amount, and both your cooking style and the way the plate looks will change, and quickly.   Remember that most traditional styles of cooking use meat as a condiment or a treat....
3. Get it out of the center of the plate.... If you think of meat stews or soups, chicken pot pie, even lasagna, you’ll quickly recognize that the decision to load them up with meat or to use meat as an ingredient of equal importance to the others is entirely yours. The same is true when you’re grilling. Compare these statements: “We’re grilling a leg of lamb and throwing a few vegetables on there,” and “We’re grilling vegetables and breads, and will throw a few chunks of lamb on there.”     

There's more -- read it all.