Table of Content
INTRODUCTION
Th idea f gng vegetarian or vegan m lk gd n n theory: Youll v nml lv, t mr frut and veggies, nd improve ur rbn footprint n th r. But gvng u mt and h mltl n b tough concept to wllwll if you love th tuff.
Tht whr th flxtrn diet comes in. The tng ln, whh h also been lld m-vgtrnm, fu n fllwng vgtrn-lk dt. But f lttl bn, hkn, fh, or tk happens t nd up n ur lt, thats ttll OK, t. With flxtrn diet, youre bng flxbl wth rmrl focusing n lnt-bd foods but wth mll amounts of mndfull chosen nml rdut.
Th uthr Jackson Blatner says u dn't have to lmnt mt completely t reap th hlth bnft associated with vegetarianism u n b vgtrn mt f th tm, but tll hw down n burger r tk whn th urg ht. B eating mr lnt nd l mt, t uggtd that dhrnt t th dt wll not only l wght but can improve thr vrll hlth, lwrng thr rt f hrt d, diabetes nd nr, nd live longer as rult.
A flxtrn dt zeroes n on tng (mtl) plant-based dt, whh wht nutrtn xrt hv bn rmmndng fr r. Th d behind flxtrn dt simple: Yu plan n tng a lnt-bd dt, but allow for lttl mt, t. Fr example, f you g to brbu nd th r rvng burgr, u n have one, but the fllwng d t hm, u resume t ur nn-nml dt.
CHAPTER ONE
Wht I a Flexitarian?
Flxtrn are jut tht flexible. Instead of mmttng to full-time, lnt-bd dt, flexitarians focus on eating mnl whl fd lk frut, vgtbl, grn nd dairy. The munt f mt that flxtrn num vr: Sm mght nd x d eating mt-fr and thn nj a Sund rt, whl others mght t mll amount f mt fw days wk.
Whl t mght seem frgn t m people who grew u n mt nd tt dt to start treating mt mr lk a grnh, ndr that Amrn are tng whl lt mr mt thn w ud t. In th 1950, fr example, th vrg Amrn consumed 138.2 pounds f mt r. That number rd t mr thn 195 und n 2000.
Fr people wh nt m t mmt to uttng ut burgr or fh ntrl but wnt t mrv their health r rdu th environmental mt of tng mt nd fish, flexitarianism offers mrm. It also ft n nl wth wht hlth tng dvt like Mhl Plln ffr a gudln t eating well: Et fd. Nt t much. Mtl lnt.
Dt Plan
If adopting flxtrn diet und like th rght h for u and ur fml, t ml t get started.
Et mr plant-based fd
Sund obvious, rght? But nl n n 10 Amrn t nugh frut nd vgg d. T mk ur ur gttng all th nutrnt that these foods rvd, tr nrrtng vgtbl juices lk this Grn Dtx Machine into ur mrnng. Theyre grt w t nk n an xtr rvng r two of vgtbl wth mnml ffrt. Hmmd mth n l mix in frut and vgtbl.
You n l r ml wth ml d salad tht nlud wt fruits lk mng wth lf greens. Fnl dd veggies r also wonderful whn ddd t sauces. And whn u nd a md-ftrnn nk, rh fr a f fruit wth ur favorite nut buttr or ld veggies and hummu.
Et l mt
Turn mt nt a ndmnt for your ml, r limit t just tht Sund meal. Mk pound of grass-fed bf last fr 10 servings rthr thn fur or k in giant t where u mk ur th vegetables mr thn udrul th amount f mt, for xml.
Qult unt
Be sure tht th mt that do t is f the bt ult: fr-rng hkn, grass-fed bf, wld-ught fish, t. And t w frm th rd mt lk lm, ug and, , bn. Whn urhng nml rdut lk mt r dr, buy the hght quality your wllt llw. Yur body will rt smaller servings f nml rdut lt mr thn lrg amounts of inferior mt nd dr.
Mnwhl, dt ntng f t, Frnh fr nd tt h will dfntl rdu ur meat ntk nd wll l lv u flng terrible.
In ft, theres been n nr in th munt of -lld ultr-rd fd, whh tunnngl make u 60 rnt f the vrg Amrn diet nw. They nlud frozen dinners (, tht nlud zz), ll d (even dt!), store-bought k nd cookies, and muh mr. Choose lnt fd tht r as l t their nturl tt possible.
Gt the rght nutrnt
If ur cutting way bk n animal products, thr r fw nutrients t nur u gt nugh f:
Vtmn B12: Animal fd r th bt ur f th vitamin, whh mntn nrg lvl, k ur hrt ticking healthily nd n bt md. If ur uffrng frm vtmn B12 dfn, I rmmnd tkng whl fd-bd B-complex ulmnt r hgh-ult whl foods-based multvtmn.
Irn: A nutrnt tht hl trnrt xgn thrughut th bld, getting nugh iron critical, particularly fr wmn, as females l iron durng thr monthly mntrul l. Healthy iron lvl l rvnt nm, keep brn functions wrkng mthl nd support th bd dvlmnt nd growth.
Fd like mt nd fh is mr brbbl thn those fund n lnt sources. Snh nd bn hv hgh munt f iron nd, whn paired wth fd tht naturally hgh n vtmn C, wll be absorbed better.
Wht Cn Yu Et?
When fllwng th flxtrn dt, ull focus n tng mr vegetarian ml. Th dt tll allows fr meat-based ml thrughut th week. The k t fu n vgtrn meals most of th tm whl allowing fr mt in moderation.
Studies hw tht naturally nrng your consumption f tfng lnt-bd fd, whh are rh n nutrients fr overall hlth rmtn, wll ld t greater numtn f vgtrn dishes.
Sn u dnt have t lmnt any fd completely, ur mr likely t tk with th balanced ml ln.
Thr r n f r t fllw t mbrk n flexitarian diet. Sml look for vgtrn r tht r rh n lnt-bd fd t ft ur meatless d.
Wht Yu Need t Knw
Thr' no f tmng f ml rurd n a flxtrn dt. Fr th wth wght loss gl, Bltnr' bk d utln a 300-lr brkft, 400-lr lunch, nd 500-lr dinneralong wth tw 150-lr snacks n-btwn ur meals.
Yull fnd lght mdftn to th ln f u need grtr r fwr numbr f lr. However, u n wrk n bmng mr f a flxtrn wthut fllwng n rtulr hdul r lr rurmnt.
Dtr Rtrtn
If u hv dtr rtrtn r fd llrg, t frl easy to find utbl modifications to th flexitarian diet. Hr r fw hlful suggestions.
Dr-fr: U nn-dr alternatives fr milk, gurt, nd h.
Glutn-fr: Choose glutn-fr grains lk un nd brown rice, and b ur thr fd h r gluten-free.
S-fr: Sk th tfu nd n thr -bd foods (lk dmm r milk).
Othr Modifications
The ntur f th flxtrn dt is flxblt, and some l may nd t make certain djutmnt and xtn t nur th flxtrn diet meets their ndvdul nutrtn needs, nludng:
Indvdul wth dbt: Stud hw tht vgtrn dt offers gnfnt physical nd hlgl bnft fr th with t 2 dbt. Hwvr, l wth dbt nd t ttntn t their ttl rbhdrt ntk t h ml. Vgtrn ml mtm hv hghr rrtn f rbhdrt, nd th could fft blood ugr lvl.
Th wh r rgnnt r brtfdng: Low rn lvl r mmn durng rgnn nd m-vgtrn diets hv bn td wth lower rn lvl n thr wn.6 Pl wh r pregnant nd follow flxtrn dt m wh t nlud mt mr rgulrl, nr plant-based rn ur, nd/r take n rn supplement f thr dtr rmmnd n.
Sn th flxtrn dt nlud ll the fd gru and promotes vrt nd bln, t is generally f nd hlth h for mt l.
Th B of Healthy, Blnd Diet
Vegetables
Frut
Whl grn
Plnt-bd rtn
Egg
Dr
Oils, Herbs, nd S
Mt (n mdrtn)
Wht Nt t Et
Meat (in excess)
Addd ugr (n x)
Rfnd carbs (in x)
Vegetables
Vgtbl r the bkbn f th flexitarian diet. Inr your vgtbl ntk by xrmntng with new kng techniques or using vgtbl n rtv w such zdl nd ulflwr r.
Frut
Rthr thn rhng fr a nt f cream to tf your nnt wt tth, th flxtrn diet rmmnd turnng t frut. It offers th sweetness w crave, along wth mn nutrnt, fbr, nd wtr which k you flng full nd hdrtd.
Tr rtng new drt wth ur fvrt frut, like frzn bananas dd n dark hlt r bkd apples wth nnmn.
Whl Grn
Grains hv grnrd n unfvrbl ruttn th dnt nrl deserve. Whole grn ( d t rfnd grains) rvd fbr and nutrients. Wv n your standard fvrt lk oatmeal nd brwn r, but l tr ddng in nnt grains like mrnth, quinoa, or mllt.
Plnt-Bd Prtn
Whl you dnt have to lmnt mt nd nml rtn, ull want t nlud more vgtrn meals in your dt. Mix n lnt-bd rtn lk tofu, bn, lentils, and nut and d.
Egg
In addition t lnt-bd rtn, flxtrn can also t gg. Eggs r great w to gt rtn when u'r njng mtl ml.
Dr
Th flexitarian dt llw dr and, thanks t its bn-trngthnng combo of lum nd vtmn D, t' nutrtu h. Yu can nlud milk, cheese, yogurt, kfr, r dr-ltrntv n this ln.
Ol, Hrb, nd Spices
Get creative n th kitchen thrugh th u f dffrnt l, flvrful hrb, and aromatic . Th will help t dd flvr n nutrtu w.
