Yonan says he became a vegetarian in part for health reason, but also for environmental ones.

Click the image above to go to the podcast of this interview with Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan. It is funny to think that committing to a vegetarian diet could pose a career risk to anyone, but if you are a food-focsed writer or editor, of course:

You could see how high cholesterol might be a job hazard for these folks. “The meals that we food people get into can sometimes be way over-the-top of the kinds of things that normal people eat,” Yonan says.

But it’s not just foodies who are cutting back on meat. In a poll conducted last year with Truven Health Analytics, NPR found that 39 percent of adults surveyed said they eat less meat than they did three years ago. The main reason they cited for the change? Health concerns.

Yonan says that so far, the response to his “coming out” has been positive — except for the vegans who think he hasn’t quite gone far enough. He assures readers he’s no less prepared to be a food editor because his choice of featured foods won’t be affected by his own diet.

Still, we were curious. If you knew that a food editor didn’t eat meat, would that alter your assessment of his coverage?