236 - Can We Go Halfway? with Reducetarian Brian Kateman

Episode • Jun 28, 2023 • 1h 1m

While vegan activists have been struggling to find the most effective way to get people to stop eating animals, today’s guest employs a unique approach to tackle this dire problem. In an effort to empower reluctant people to change their dietary patterns, Brian Kateman coined the term “Reducetarian”—which means a person who is deliberately reducing his or her consumption of meat—and he co-founded the Reducetarian Foundation, a non-profit spreading this message.

Brian is also the author of Meat Me Halfway, which attempts to create common ground at the dinner table, and he is also the co-director and producer of the documentary of the same name.

Tune in to hear about how Brian is addressing the ethical and environmental problems of animal consumption and production and the practical steps we can take to do something about it right now!

“At the end of the day, I want to reduce societal consumption of animal products to the greatest extent possible, and I want to use the most effective tools to make them happen, to make that happen. And certainly, I think there’s a place for a sort of moderate, inviting kind of message rather than telling people to cut out animal products entirely.” – Brian Kateman

What we discuss in this episode:

Why Brian believes that convincing people to reduce their consumption of meat, instead of trying to convince them to completely stop, is the most effective way to implement change.
Why he considers the “Reducetarian” tactic to be just one of many.
How and why Brian changed his diet.
The foods Brian ate when he first transitioned to being plant-based.
The foods he ate growing up.
Things Brian witnessed while shooting his documentary.
Brian’s thoughts on cell-based meats.
The reasons animal agriculture is so inefficient.