[ncuneo]

So by no means do I intend to become a vegetarian, but maybe a pseudo one. I seem to have some symtoms of hormone imbalance and cannot take anything to correct this due to a blood clotting disorder. So I am looking to my food and feeling maybe a few meat free/low dairy days could benefit me.

From that perspective, what would be more beneficial - one week a month vegetarian on a few days week?

[3CatsMeow]

Are you planning to cut meat down on your 'non-vegetarian' days? I would say few days a week - that way you keep your diet more consistent on average, and its easier to gradually cut meat out every so often than go veggie for a whole week. Perhaps try both ideas out and see which one feels better

[ncuneo]

So I've tried it, almost accidentally, a couple times and the entire day has been meat free. I'd like to take it a step farther and have less to no dairy, but I'm taking it slow. When I can I always try to by non-hormone treated dairy and meat, but I'm on a budget and things of that nature can be difficult to find.

After further thought, doing a 2-3xs week sounds like a more balanced, sustainable approach.

[3CatsMeow]

In the UK its pretty easy (and not much more expensive) to get organic meat, things are probably different in America though. If you do manage to find some non-hormone meat, perhaps buy a little amount, freeze it and use it sparingly in dishes? that way your getting the benefits of a mainly plant based diet, with a little bit of meat too. I think non-hormone treated usually means better welfare for the animal too, which is always good.

[k8yk]

I agree that a few days a week sounds like a better approach.
I'm vegetarian plus I eat at least one Vegan (no animal products) meal a day and on Mondays I am fully vegan. After doing that for awhile, I found I liked the vegan diet and now 90% of my cooking is vegan, I pretty much only eat dairy when I go out.
So you could also try something like 1 vegetarian meal a day (or one carnivorous meal a day) depending on how much you would want to cut back. Check out the Meatless Monday website- lots of great meal ideas for non-vegetarians wanting to give meatless a try.