Protein Type | Definition | Examples |
---|---|---|
Incomplete Protein | A food source that lacks one or more of the nine essential amino acids. | Nuts, seeds, whole grains, vegetables, legumes (beans) |
Tips for success on the flexitarian diet. Evidence Based. Written by Meg Dowell on August 30, 2017. Written by Health experts, this article is fact-checked by nutritionists and based on scientific evidence. Our team is comprised of unbiased licensed nutritionists, dieticians and health professionals.
The hardest part about going on a diet is saying no to foods you genuinely love to eat. Even those interested in losing weight and passionate about the environment wrestle with the thought of going vegetarian or vegan because they can’t imagine giving up meat. It turns out there is actually a diet for people like this — ...
Dietary fiber as part of a plant based diet. You will find dietary fiber in a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Fiber is a slow digesting carbohydrate, which means it stays in your stomach longer. It also triggers feelings of fullness that don’t subside within an hour of eating.
Focus on eating healthy meat substitutes, like homemade black bean burgers, when you are craving a juicy hamburger. The flexitarian diet is a diet suitable for anyone who wants to eat healthy and lose weight.
Sugar — and spice (s) One major benefit of a mostly plant based diet is that it is much lower in sodium than diets high in processed foods and red meats. This concept turns many people off. We’re so used to foods with chemically and artificially enhanced flavors that food low in sodium tastes too bland.
Dairy. Dairy products, which come from animals like meat does, still contain small amounts of saturated fat. However, dairy can still be part of a healthy diet, and is encouraged at dinnertime as part of a basic flexitarian diet.
Though a more traditional flexible diet lets you eat whatever and however much you want (within certain parameters), the flexitarian diet does have some rules. But do not worry — they aren’t too hard to follow. Many of them will actually seem quite familiar to you, especially if you have ever looked into or actually tried a more traditional vegetarian or vegan diet. As long as you follow the basic premise — mostly plant foods, with the occasional meat source here and there — you’ll be just fine.
What does it mean to be “Flexitarian”? The word originated from the 1990’s and describes someone that consumes mainly plant-based foods with occasional meat or fish. It is a combination of the words “flexible” and “vegetarian.” In simple terms, flexitarian eating is the reduction of meat.
With flexitarianism, you receive similar benefits as you would if you were a vegetarian. It can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and help with weight loss. Consuming anything in excess can be bad for your health, so meat reduction alleviates issues like high cholesterol and more.
Flexitarianism is still a positive step towards healthier living that also benefits the environment. Even though some might be opposed to the term, it’s too late to go back now. Flexitarianism is being talked about more and more. For some, eliminating meat entirely might sound too hard, so opting for flexitarianism is still beneficial for those that want to improve their health and environment.
The Flexitarian diet was first introduced by Dawn Jackson Blatner (a dietician), who wanted people to reap the benefits of a vegetarian diet, while still getting access to some animal protein. Unlike vegetarians or vegans, Flexitarians have fewer restrictions on what they can eat.
Flexitarians emphasise plant protein consumption while reducing the intake of animal products. As a Flexitarian, you should expect to eat almost no processed meats like sausage, or bacon. They also refrain from eating minimal refined carbs, like white bread, croissants, and white rice.
Flexitarian diets aren’t just a fun way to shake up your menu. Studies show that eating this way could promote a range of health benefits. Many of the benefits of plant-based diets apply to the Flexitarian diet, such as increased vitamin and mineral intake, better nutrition, and reduced exposure to processed substances.
Diets rich in healthy fats and fibres are great for your heart. Studies on vegetarians show that people eating plant-based diets have a 32% lower risk of heart disease. The researchers believe this reduced risk comes from a higher intake of fibre and antioxidants – something you can also get from a Flexitarian diet.
One of the most enticing reasons to consider a diet change is a desire to lose weight. Flexitarian eating may be great for your waistline because it involves reducing processed and high-calorie foods. Studies frequently show that people following a plant-based diet might lose more weight.
Diabetes (Type 2) is rapidly gaining attention as a global epidemic. Doctors and specialists often recommend eating a healthy diet as a way to minimize the risks of diabetes. A plant-based diet, like that of a Flexitarian, can help reduce your exposure to unhealthy fats and added sugar.
A wide range of potential health benefits can be attributed to eating a Flexitarian diet… Research suggests that vegetarian and plant-based diets are often associated with a lower incidence of various cancers. Additionally, some experts feel that a Flexitarian diet might be beneficial both to human health and the environment.
One of the reasons the Flexitarian Diet has gained a following over the past several years is because it can help people can reap the benefits of vegetarianism without completely eliminating meat. Doctors and dietitians recommend semi-vegetarian eating plans like the Flexitarian Diet because they're easy to follow and encourage you ...
Unlike other diets that have numerous lists of foods you can't eat, the Flexitarian Diet is focused on what you can eat, with an emphasis on wholesome foods. There are five Flex food groups, including:
Ranked as the third best overall diet in America—right after the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet —the Flexitarian Diet is ...
When incorporating animal products into the Flexitarian Diet, you're encouraged to make more sustainable protein choices, like: Free-range or pasture-raised eggs. Organic or pasture-raised meat, dairy, and poultry. Wild-caught seafood.
If your diet is heavy in animal proteins and you're interested in trying a semi-vegetarian approach, incorporate the changes gradually. Cut your meat intake in half by swapping half a portion of meat or poultry with plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, or tofu. Fill your plate with more fruits and vegetables and try new whole grains. Meatless meals are becoming more and more popular, which makes it easier to find delicious Flexitarian recipes to try. And when dining out, find a restaurant that offers vegetarian options for you to try and inspire your home cooking. Looking for more? Check out The Flexitarian Diet book, available on Amazon.
The diet became popular in 2009 when registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner wrote The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life, which includes a 5-week meal plan focused on adding food groups to your diet—unlike other diets that restrict foods.
The plant-based, semi-vegetarian diet actually encourages you to eat meat, dairy, and seafood.
What is the Flexitarian Diet? Created by dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, the Flexitarian Diet is less of a strict diet regimen and more a general way of eating that combines the idea of a vegetarian diet, but with more flexibility.
Plus, as a flexitarian style of eating still includes some animal products, the risk is likely to be less than on a s trict vegan diet. For omega-3’s, fatty fish are your best option. By simply including 2 servings of fish like salmon, sardines, tuna, or mackerel, you’ll easily meet you omega-3 needs for the week.
Healthy fats, including those from oils like olive and avocado, as well as nut butters and avocados. Unsweetened milk alternatives, including soy, oat, almond, cashew, hemp or coconut. Herbs and spices. Unsweetened beverages, including coffee, tea, water, and sparkling mineral water.
And by increasing your intake of plant-based foods and reducing highly processed ones and sweets, the Flexitarian Diet has the potential to aid with weight loss and support metabolic health.
Finally, the Flexitarian Diet is quite similar to the Mediterranean Diet. But, unlike the Flexitarian Diet, the Mediterranean diet has been well-studied and shows benefits for chronic disease risk, weight, and reduction in overall mortality risk. Overall, the idea that eating more plant-based foods, which are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, ...
One meta-analysis looked at the health effects of replacing red meat with other dietary patterns. Only a plant-based diet, high in fiber-rich foods, was found to result in a significant improvement in cholesterol and triglyceride levels – both of which are risk factors for heart disease.
May be beneficial for heart health and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. A 2017 review of these studies found that a flexitarian-style diet may have benefits for weight loss, heart health, and preventing type 2 diabetes. However, the study goes on to mention how more research (and a more defined definition of flexitarian) is needed.
Flexitarian is a portmanteau, combining the works flexible and vegetarian. It refers to a diet that emphasizes the consumption of food other than meat and fish, but doesn’t totally disallow those items. Flexitarians may indulge in a burger, chicken breast, salmon fillet and many other types of meats a few times a week.
There are many reasons why people decide to follow this type of diet. Heavy consumption of meats and fish has a number of impacts, from health (especially from high, sustained levels of red meat, the National Institutes of Health pointed out) to environmental concerns.
The good news for chefs and restaurants is that someone following the general concept of flexitarianism doesn’t absolutely need any special menu items, nor do they need specific ingredients excluded from dishes.
Flexitarian diets are generally plant-rich, containing fruits, vegetables, grain, legumes, nuts and seeds, and include modest amounts of meat and varying amounts of fish and dairy foods. A flexitarian diet encourages variety rather than restriction as you don’t have to exclude any specific food. So it’s different from a vegetarian diet, which ...
Scientists view the flexitarian diet as a flagship of sustainable diets for people all over the world. 3,4. That’s because research shows that we need to shift to more plant-based diets globally, both for our own good and for the good of the planet. Especially in affluent countries, people need to eat less meat to relieve pressure on ...
Especially in affluent countries, people need to eat less meat to relieve pressure on the environment while meeting nutritional and health demands. But many people feel that switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet doesn’t fit with their lifestyle.
5 Compared with the current average French diet, the flexitarian diet had a 66% reduction in the amount of beef and veal eaten and a 69% reduction in industrially-processed foods containing fats, salt and sugars. It also cut down on wild-caught fish ...
That’s why flexitarianism is becoming increasingly popular across the world, the trend being driven initially in the USA and Australia with the aim of managing body weight. 1,2 More recently, people’s motivation to move towards flexitarianism is more to do with global health and environmental concerns. “A flexitarian diet is largely plant-based but ...
The healthy mix of nutrients in the flexitarian diet spells good news for our health, studies suggesting benefits for weight control and blood pressure, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes compared with the typical non-vegetarian diet. 8.
According to The Flexitarian Diet author, DJ Blatner, RDN, the goal is to minimize meat consumption and focus on foods that can be added to the diet, rather than taken away. The driving idea is to prevent dieters from adopting a restrictive mindset, which is often a major contributing factor to unsuccessful dieting. (For instance, so-called flexitarians can eat meat occasionally.)
The Flexitarian Diet allows for lots of variety and doesn’t entirely remove any one food group. It encourages its followers to mindfully listen to their body’s cravings by eating meat on occasion. It’s also more accessible than other diets because of its wealth of options and the agency it gives to its dieters to make food choices that best suit their needs.
Conversely, expanding the variety of your diet can pave the way for success by giving you a sense of freedom and making the transition to following the diet more manageable.
This semi-vegetarian diet is broken down into “Five Flex Food Groups” with accompanying principles and suggestions.
Second, a 2017 review notes that out of 25 studies, there’s significant evidence demonstrating that following a Flexitarian Diet improves metabolic health, blood pressure, and lowers the risk of developing gastrointestinal distress.
This balance also sets the Flexitarian Diet apart from many others that tend to eliminate entire food groups, which can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Diets aren’t for everyone, and every diet isn’t for everyone. Read: Go in with an open mind and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.