U.S. model of food production<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe central tenet of “VB6” is eating fewer animal products because, as Bittman writes, \u201cthe industrial production of animal products and hyper-processed foods creates devastating byproducts, from greenhouse gas emissions to land degradation to polluted water supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Bittman doesn\u2019t advocate strict vegetarianism, a goal he knows is unrealistic for most Americans, including himself. (He\u2019s not Orthodox, after all.) Rather, he advocates veganism — foregoing meat, poultry, fish, dairy or eggs — until evening, though he readily acknowledges often breaking his own rule. Bittman calls himself a \u201cflexitarian.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the months since his book came out, Bittman told JTA, he has done some rethinking and, if he were rewriting \u201cVB6\u201d today, he\u2019d make clear that the divide between processed food and unprocessed food is just as important as minimizing carnivorous eating.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to be just vilifying animal products left and right,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to make it clear that what we\u2019re talking about is not just eating more fruits and vegetables; we\u2019re talking about eating more real food.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a mostly lonely crusade. While elements of what Bittman advocates are shared by the environmental, labor rights and animal rights movements, a real food movement hasn\u2019t quite coalesced.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s three questions about the food movement we should be asking ourselves: What are we asking for? How are we united? Who\u2019s representing our movement?\u201d Bittman said. \u201cThe answers to those three questions right now are: a) we don\u2019t know; b) we\u2019re not; and c) no one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bittman rejects any notion that Jewish values motivate him, though he credits his \u201cPeter, Paul and Mary-ish\u201d Jewish upbringing with inspiring his progressive values.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up right after the Holocaust, and no one through the ’50s stopped talking about that — with good reason,\u201d Bittman said. \u201cMy reaction to that was to develop a sense of justice and fairness, but it went way beyond what was right for Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n
As we wrapped up our chat at the Times office in New York, I asked Bittman if he had any favorite culinary guilty pleasures. Hot dogs, good corned beef and pizza topped the list.<\/p>\n
Then I asked if there were anything he pointedly did not eat. Bittman thought for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really,\u201d he said, then motioned toward the Times cafeteria. \u201cI try not to eat there.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/MARK_BITTMAN_181.jpg\" "\\"MARK_BITTMAN_181\\"")