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The Reducetarian Solution: How the Surprisingly Simple Act of Reducing the Amount of Meat in Your Diet Can Transform Your Health and the Planet
Brian Kateman coined the term "Reducetarian"—a person who is deliberately reducing his or her consumption of meat—and a global movement was born. In this book, Kateman, the founder of the Reducetarian Foundation, presents more than 70 original essays from influential thinkers on how the simple act of cutting 10% or more of the meat from one's diet can transform the life of the reader, animals, and the planet. This book features contributions from such luminaries as Seth Godin, Joel Fuhrman, Victoria Moran, Jeffrey Sachs, Bill McKibben, Naomi Oreskes, Peter Singer, and others. With over 40 vegan, vegetarian, and "less meat" recipes from bestselling cookbook author Pat Crocker, as well as tons of practical tips for reducing the meat in your diet (for example, skip eating meat with dinner if you ate it with lunch; replace your favorite egg omelet with a tofu scramble; choose a veggie burrito instead of a beef burrito; declare a meatless day of the week), The Reducetarian Solution is a life—not to mention planet!—saving book.
302 pages, Paperback
Published April 18, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 7, 2017
The (surprisingly) short essays (I mean like, two pages in length on average) offered a real grab bag of quality. Few of the arguments were fleshed out fully, and you would have to come into this book already knowing that animal consumption is harmful to understand a lot of it. It definitely did have some good information, but it also had a lot of not-so-good information.
A lot of the time, the essayists ignored the socioeconomic barriers to reducing one's animal product intake–in fact, one essay said that the only thing stopping anyone is willpower! Only one essay talked about food deserts. Additionally, far too many of the essays focused on the ethics of eating sentient beings and animal rights in general. Those arguments simply don't work for everyone, and there are so many solid arguments that were hardly tapped into in this book. This is why vegetarians and vegans seem elitist. They think they are morally superior, and they ignore cultures, traditions, and other factors that might lead a person to eat more meat.
That being said, some of the arguments that were included felt much more compelling. Reducing meat and dairy intake is good for health (both personal and public), the environment, the fight against inequality, and national security. Some essays discussed these topics. I just wish they had done so to a greater extent.
I bought this book as a starting point for speech research, and it certainly did fulfill that wish. But people who are looking to this book for a real reason to reduce their meat consumption might not be convinced. It seems like little but a self-affirmation for the already-reducetarian community.
A lot of the time, the essayists ignored the socioeconomic barriers to reducing one's animal product intake–in fact, one essay said that the only thing stopping anyone is willpower! Only one essay talked about food deserts. Additionally, far too many of the essays focused on the ethics of eating sentient beings and animal rights in general. Those arguments simply don't work for everyone, and there are so many solid arguments that were hardly tapped into in this book. This is why vegetarians and vegans seem elitist. They think they are morally superior, and they ignore cultures, traditions, and other factors that might lead a person to eat more meat.
That being said, some of the arguments that were included felt much more compelling. Reducing meat and dairy intake is good for health (both personal and public), the environment, the fight against inequality, and national security. Some essays discussed these topics. I just wish they had done so to a greater extent.
I bought this book as a starting point for speech research, and it certainly did fulfill that wish. But people who are looking to this book for a real reason to reduce their meat consumption might not be convinced. It seems like little but a self-affirmation for the already-reducetarian community.
April 24, 2022
It was difficult not to subtract another star based on the single chapter that unreflectively supports entomophagy, but I don't want that to distort the importance of the book overall.
April 20, 2019
Something for everyone is in this book (and we’d be better off the more people read it). I like that each essay is 1-3 pages, and most were good, but some were much better than others.
September 13, 2017
The concept of this book is excellent. If everyone ate just a little bit less meat it would have a huge impact on the environment, people's health and of course animal welfare.
January 12, 2020
The writings are unfortunately short (usually ~2 pages). Bill McKinnon's piece in particular is a little hypocritical. The book gives horrible relationship advice (and I do mean HORRIBLE) and advocates for a vegan diet for dogs and cats, against the reccomendations of a large proportion of veterinarians. They also Allow Carol Adams to write; this lady argues that meat is inherantly misogynistic. Overall, the authors expect you to have come to a lot of basic conclusions and do not bother to justify their positions on such. The writing is disjointed and badly coordinated. In theory I support reducetatianism, and I had high expectations for this book. I was horribly mistaken. It is not worth your hard earned cash.
August 5, 2017
Collection of essays advocating how simply reducing the amount of meat in your diet can improve your health and benefit the environment. Makes sense and has a more mainstream appeal than more extreme measures. Really, it's a shame moderation and common sense should sound so revolutionary. As for this book, the essays are short and not individually ground-breaking, but I do recommend reading up on the movement.
October 5, 2017
This book is very pretentious and self-congratulatory. I was hoping for some insight in what a lifestyle would look like if I ate less meat. This book showed me that I would turn into a self-absorbed do-gooder.
Although I appreciate the premise and intent, the book just really bombed for me. I read all of 3 essays in the various sub-headings before abandoning this book.
Although I appreciate the premise and intent, the book just really bombed for me. I read all of 3 essays in the various sub-headings before abandoning this book.
November 15, 2017
Having only heard of this movement recently I'm already a fan. In the past, whenever I've thought about the justification for eating animals I could never come up with one ... when I'm being intellectually honest. But I can tend to be a bit of an emotional eater, so the thought of giving up certain foods seemed so impossible that I just pushed the issue aside. That's why I'm such a fan of this approach, that we should reduce our consumption of meat and animal based products, and perhaps consider the perfect the enemy of the good. It makes improvement feel attainable, and makes me feel like I don't have to wait until my emotional life is in near perfect working order before I can do something to help.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Despite reducetarianism being something I can get behind, I struggled a bit with the book. But let me start with the good:
1. This book contains a series of essays by multiple authors. This gives you a wide variety of viewpoints, which is, I imagine intentionally, consistent with the "big tent" approach of reducetarianism.
2. The essays are all short, as in no more than about 3 or 4 pages maximum. This has pros and cons, but it means you know you can knock an essay out in a few minutes, and you won't get lost in between reading sessions, and the authors have to be concise. It's great for ADHDers. :-)
3. The section of recipes at the end was really nice. This book definitely provides motivation, but motivation without some type of help in execution seems incomplete. So it was a great touch to have recipes there.
4. There were some really lovely essays by authors that I like (and others I hadn't heard of). Some people who I follow for their serious science-mindedness, such as Michael Shermer and William MacAskill, had essays I enjoyed. There were also some other gems on topics such as keeping harmonious relationships with loved ones who don't share reducitarianism values, nudging, sexualization of meat, religion's relationship with animals, antibiotic resistance, athletics and veganism, etc.
Having said all of that, why only three stars? Well, there were a few things that made it so the book didn't resonate with me as much as I'd hoped it would have:
1. I mentioned there are pros to the multiple authorship essay approach, but in the end I think the movement really could have better benefited from a well-thought-out and well-researched cohesive book by a single author or two. The short essays made it so I just wasn't really engaged with a narrative. The variety of topics made it a mile wide and an inch deep. The core values of reducetarianism weren't portrayed as much as an eclectic mix of authors whose "average" stance might coincide with the movement's main thrust. In the end the format just didn't make the book all that interesting. I kind of had to force myself to pick up the book and read it, despite being excited about trying to improve my behavior to match my values more.
2. There was plenty of motivated reasoning, which is to be expected, but even worse, there was a fair amount of dubious science. GMOs are the current area of widest disparity between what the scientists/experts think (they overwhelmingly say they're safe) and what the general populace thinks, even more disparity than global warming. Yet there were multiple mentions of GMOs and not in a positive light. Granted, it was never the main topic. But that was one example. There was even a veiled reference to autism and diet sprinkled in one of the essays, with just enough ambiguity that I can't be entirely sure how egregious the statement was.
3. There were a few essays that surprised me a bit in their typical off-putting firebrand approach (eg. comparing meat eaters to cannibals). Even if they're right, I like the idea of reducetarianism because of how much I think society is polarized, and how what we know of psychology and the backfire effect that insulting and berating people and taking an uncharitable interpretation of their issues just isn't effective.
4. I read Doing Good Better recently and absolutely adored that book. But his persuasive and surprising result in that book on how best to individually help the environment (hint: carbon offsets, and it's really not that expensive) made the whole third section a little "overcome by events" for me. I care deeply about improving the environment, I'm just not sure that's my main motivation for wanting to go reducetarian, it's purely down to animal suffering for me.
In summary, I still like the movement and I'm going to try to do what I can to reduce my consumption, I'm considering the vegan or vegetarian before 6pm approach, where it's all up to me what I eat for breakfast and lunch. But I feel like we could have benefited from a more cohesive and serious treatment of the issue from a single author who could strike the right tone. Perhaps one will be forthcoming at some point in the future.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Despite reducetarianism being something I can get behind, I struggled a bit with the book. But let me start with the good:
1. This book contains a series of essays by multiple authors. This gives you a wide variety of viewpoints, which is, I imagine intentionally, consistent with the "big tent" approach of reducetarianism.
2. The essays are all short, as in no more than about 3 or 4 pages maximum. This has pros and cons, but it means you know you can knock an essay out in a few minutes, and you won't get lost in between reading sessions, and the authors have to be concise. It's great for ADHDers. :-)
3. The section of recipes at the end was really nice. This book definitely provides motivation, but motivation without some type of help in execution seems incomplete. So it was a great touch to have recipes there.
4. There were some really lovely essays by authors that I like (and others I hadn't heard of). Some people who I follow for their serious science-mindedness, such as Michael Shermer and William MacAskill, had essays I enjoyed. There were also some other gems on topics such as keeping harmonious relationships with loved ones who don't share reducitarianism values, nudging, sexualization of meat, religion's relationship with animals, antibiotic resistance, athletics and veganism, etc.
Having said all of that, why only three stars? Well, there were a few things that made it so the book didn't resonate with me as much as I'd hoped it would have:
1. I mentioned there are pros to the multiple authorship essay approach, but in the end I think the movement really could have better benefited from a well-thought-out and well-researched cohesive book by a single author or two. The short essays made it so I just wasn't really engaged with a narrative. The variety of topics made it a mile wide and an inch deep. The core values of reducetarianism weren't portrayed as much as an eclectic mix of authors whose "average" stance might coincide with the movement's main thrust. In the end the format just didn't make the book all that interesting. I kind of had to force myself to pick up the book and read it, despite being excited about trying to improve my behavior to match my values more.
2. There was plenty of motivated reasoning, which is to be expected, but even worse, there was a fair amount of dubious science. GMOs are the current area of widest disparity between what the scientists/experts think (they overwhelmingly say they're safe) and what the general populace thinks, even more disparity than global warming. Yet there were multiple mentions of GMOs and not in a positive light. Granted, it was never the main topic. But that was one example. There was even a veiled reference to autism and diet sprinkled in one of the essays, with just enough ambiguity that I can't be entirely sure how egregious the statement was.
3. There were a few essays that surprised me a bit in their typical off-putting firebrand approach (eg. comparing meat eaters to cannibals). Even if they're right, I like the idea of reducetarianism because of how much I think society is polarized, and how what we know of psychology and the backfire effect that insulting and berating people and taking an uncharitable interpretation of their issues just isn't effective.
4. I read Doing Good Better recently and absolutely adored that book. But his persuasive and surprising result in that book on how best to individually help the environment (hint: carbon offsets, and it's really not that expensive) made the whole third section a little "overcome by events" for me. I care deeply about improving the environment, I'm just not sure that's my main motivation for wanting to go reducetarian, it's purely down to animal suffering for me.
In summary, I still like the movement and I'm going to try to do what I can to reduce my consumption, I'm considering the vegan or vegetarian before 6pm approach, where it's all up to me what I eat for breakfast and lunch. But I feel like we could have benefited from a more cohesive and serious treatment of the issue from a single author who could strike the right tone. Perhaps one will be forthcoming at some point in the future.
June 28, 2020
In the past several years, my daughters have become vegan and vegetarian, motivated by environmental concerns and animal welfare, and with their actions, they've introduced me to a new way of thinking. For me, and I'm sure many of my generation, using animal products for food has been the default position, one that has required no questions. But the more I learn, the more I realize that thinking about the food we eat should be the default position, not only for the environment, but for the people who depend on it. While becoming vegetarian or vegan might be a bridge too far, reducing is a realistic goal for anyone. Reducing animal products and replacing them with plant products is win-win. A plant-based diet is good for health, better for the planet, and a better use of resources so that more people can eat. (Most crops grown on our planet feed farm animals that will be slaughtered and used for meat, a low yield for resources allocated.) As well, reducing the demand for factory-farmed meat curtails animal cruelty. (If we had to look at conditions of industrial farming, many of us might forgo animal products without further incentives.) I highly recommend this collection of essays and recipes for anyone wanting to learn more. Though the quality of entries is mixed, each entry is brief, and the book overall is an informative starting point to making a positive change.
August 15, 2017
Good book, great overview of the many issues related to our food choices. The book contains over 60 short essays from experts, mostly authors of books, on many areas related to climate and food choices. My only concern is the name, "Reducetarian". Committing to Reduce... infers giving up some things and that makes change difficult. This issue was even addressed in the essay by Bee Wilson, author of Consider the Fork(http://www.considerthefork.com). In the essay, it is explained if a mindset of deprivation is created it may also to lead to anger and this makes change cumbersome. The point of this essay, which I also promote, is we must recast the mindset from deprivation or reducing, as promoted by meat and dairy industries, to seeing plant strong food choices for what they really are: better, more tasty, less expensive, and superior in many ways especially for how they promote personal and planetary well-being. Choosing plants for food helps people feel better and contributes to a healthier planet and this makes those choices a superior emotional gain that keeps on giving, it is not deprivation.
August 27, 2017
As someone who has been a vegetarian (primarily vegan) for nearly 22 years, I can say that I liked this book. I was prompted to read it after seeing so many other vegans bash it for it not ouright promoting veganism as the only acceptable diet/lifestyle. I'd love for people to see the environmental, health, and animal compassion reasons for not eating meat and want to go vegetarian or vegan, but it's not likely that the masses will do that in my lifetime. Getting people to reduce their meat consumption is the next logical step. I think every meal that people reach for plant based foods over animal based ones is a good move, so it's great to motivate people to make more plant based meal decisions. Some of the essays were a little dull and some had repeat information, but overall I did enjoy reading them. I recognized numerous authors of the essays from books that I've read of theirs. The book is well worth reading!
May 15, 2018
An amazing collection of short essays... short enough to read 1-2 on the metro ride to work... that really forces one to think about a different way of life. To me that drives a book to the edge of almost above a 4-star rating. The logic isn't far to fathom, as with all movements within the environmental sector... reduce, reduce, reduce. But this book captures the thought/philosophy behind reducing your intake of meat, the health reasons behind the decision and finally the environmental impact of switching up your diet to be more plant-based. I wish I could take the 100% veggie plunge but bacon and sausage call me some days. However, tonight I cooked a small steak and fed four of us... treating meat as a condiment rather than a focus and it felt.. right and just and good. "our meat problem is simply a part of our mindless consumption, part of our throw-away culture... compulsive consumerism that quickly reduces things to rubbish." Baby steps towards greater bounds... read it!
January 20, 2020
I have seen several documentaries about becoming vegetarian or vegan and the impacts that eating meat have to our heath and the environment (not to mention the horrendous animal living conditions and animal cruelty). I have made several attempts to go both vegetarian or vegan myself and then get extremely disappointed when I slip up at a social gathering because the food options are limited or my family is not on the same page.
This book was my ah-ha moment! I mean, why didn't I consider that even reducing the amount of meat I consume would make a big impact to both my health and the environment?? Why do I (we) have that mindset that it has to be all or nothing? For those of us who have challenges to eating fully plant based but want to do something to make a change, reduction of meat is definitely a solution we can achieve, and the essays in the book give you plenty to think about and reasons why its a good idea.
This book was my ah-ha moment! I mean, why didn't I consider that even reducing the amount of meat I consume would make a big impact to both my health and the environment?? Why do I (we) have that mindset that it has to be all or nothing? For those of us who have challenges to eating fully plant based but want to do something to make a change, reduction of meat is definitely a solution we can achieve, and the essays in the book give you plenty to think about and reasons why its a good idea.
June 16, 2018
Great overview of reducing meat consumption for those interested in the environmental, social, health and animal rights benefits of eating less animals.
This covers the cultural, historic, economic and governmental reasons as to why we eat so much meat nowadays. It also covers how to go plant-based, ways to make it fun from a psychological standpoint, and even a vegan bodybuilder chapter on assessing and hitting protein requirements.
I love that each chapter is by a specialist within that topic, so the book has great summaries of their field, without you having to read their entire book about a very specific topic within plant nutrition, psychology, the environment, etc.
This covers the cultural, historic, economic and governmental reasons as to why we eat so much meat nowadays. It also covers how to go plant-based, ways to make it fun from a psychological standpoint, and even a vegan bodybuilder chapter on assessing and hitting protein requirements.
I love that each chapter is by a specialist within that topic, so the book has great summaries of their field, without you having to read their entire book about a very specific topic within plant nutrition, psychology, the environment, etc.
July 15, 2017
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway, but I had heard of the term 'reducetarian' from Twitter. The book includes a lot of different perspectives in the argument for becoming a reducetarian. Some of them were kind of out there in left field that I could not connect with, but some of them were really good. I am convinced. I suppose the downfall with this collection of essays was that they were short, and I wish some of the essays could have been elaborated on. Anyhow, it was a quick and easy read, that makes you think about subject in several different ways.
September 28, 2017
I really enjoyed the variety of topics covered in this book. So many of the experts featured are heroes of mine.
The more I've heard what Brian Kateman has to say, the more I think we're sharing a brain. :)
One excerpt that really stood out:
Our excessive meat intake is merely a single example of our national over-consumption of everything. And it's everything, our throwaway cheap clothes, our rapidly outdated and replaced electronics, our bloated vehicles, our mansions, that's going to kill us in the end.
The more I've heard what Brian Kateman has to say, the more I think we're sharing a brain. :)
One excerpt that really stood out:
Our excessive meat intake is merely a single example of our national over-consumption of everything. And it's everything, our throwaway cheap clothes, our rapidly outdated and replaced electronics, our bloated vehicles, our mansions, that's going to kill us in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2020
This book has a good variety of essays touching on different topics of reducetarianism - reasons to limit or forgo meat. Not all essays are for everybody as they're so varied, but that means there's at least a few most people will like. This book is a good starting point for anybody looking to cut out or limit their meat consumption or are just curious.
The essays are short and you can skip ones you aren't interested in. Overall, an easy quick read (or listen if you listened on audio as I did).
The essays are short and you can skip ones you aren't interested in. Overall, an easy quick read (or listen if you listened on audio as I did).
September 24, 2025
I have been (mostly) vegetarian for over 15 years, so I don't think I am part of the target audience, but I still enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The essays were short which was great for my 10 minute commute to work. Some of the essays were very doomsday, others approached from a unique perspective that I had never thought about and I appreciated those the most. I particularly liked the essays about reducing our over consumption in general, not just regarding animal products.
January 7, 2019
If you have been noodling around the idea of eating less meat, reading The Reducetarian Solution just might give you the nudge you need to start doing it. This book has something for everyone.
Read the whole review at: https://greengroundswell.com/the-redu...
Read the whole review at: https://greengroundswell.com/the-redu...
September 17, 2021
This book was super informational WITHOUT the fear inducing “you’re not as good as me” tone of many vegan/vegetarian articles. It is broken into 3 parts: mind,body, planet. Articles are from multiple different authors and are easy to digest. Did a very good job of encouraging people to make small dietary changes for big health/environmental gain. Highly recommend.
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June 9, 2022Audio Book:
Collection of essays on health, environmental, social, animal welfare impacts of eating meat. Some where a bit over the top for me but overall I agree that eating less meat is good. This layabout a philosophy of eating less meat (by 25 or 50 or 90 …..%). Decision is up to you but a conscious decision to eat less meat is healthier for your body and the earth.
Collection of essays on health, environmental, social, animal welfare impacts of eating meat. Some where a bit over the top for me but overall I agree that eating less meat is good. This layabout a philosophy of eating less meat (by 25 or 50 or 90 …..%). Decision is up to you but a conscious decision to eat less meat is healthier for your body and the earth.
May 13, 2017
I did not like this book. The credentials were not given for the authors of the essays, only their relevant publication and very few of the claims are backed up with references. To make a convincing argument you have to have data to back up what you say. Otherwise you are just giving your opinion.
August 10, 2017
While I like the premise of this book, and it's organization into mind, body, and planet, the essays were not of consistent quality. The editor should have cut several of the less well written essays completely. The point could have been made better and to the point.
June 18, 2019
This gives a lot to consider while examining our meat consumption. Some statistics were pretty eye opening and some were disheartening and alarming. It mostly reaffirmed my choice to be deliberate with my meat eating. Our environment can only last so long at the rate we’re going.
January 6, 2020
Awesome
I am not a stories collection kind of book fan. But this one is the sole exception in my whole reading life. Loved it. The title says reducetarian but at the end of the day is vegan. Which is OK. The book is great.
I am not a stories collection kind of book fan. But this one is the sole exception in my whole reading life. Loved it. The title says reducetarian but at the end of the day is vegan. Which is OK. The book is great.
March 31, 2020
It’s fine. Helpful to get your thought process on reducing meat. Some of these arguments are not very well presented, some are extreme to the point of eye rolling, but overall I’m convinced and I’ve decided to cut meat out on weekdays.
March 11, 2021
I have a couple of great vegan cookbooks and this one gets added to the list...yum Really like the photos, bit of a pet peeve for cookbooks that are all text. Breakfast Burritos and the mac n cheese are my next to try..
August 30, 2021
More like 3.5 stars. A good book for those with a bit of knowledge going in, but it doesn't go into the detail that I expected or fully wanted. I like the idea of the more flexible approach that can be impactful on its own or lead to further change as the individual is ready.
December 4, 2021
It's an ok book. Some sections I liked and others I skimmed through or skipped altogether. If you aren't already interested in reducing your meat intake I don't think this book is going to be an instrumet of change in someone's life.
May 12, 2017
FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews