Copyright 2021 by James Benson Ph.D
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Table of Contents
Prnttn
Th Flexitarian Diet a tl f tng that nurg mostly plant-based fd whl allowing mt and thr animal products n mdrtn. Its mr flexible thn fully vgtrn or vgn diets. If ur lkng t dd more lnt foods t ur diet but dnt wnt to mltl cut ut mt, going flxtrn m be fr u. Th rtl rvd an vrvw f th Flxtrn Diet, t bnft, fd to eat and a n-wk meal ln.
The wrd flxtrn ml the mbntn f the tw wrd flexible nd vgtrn, whl a diet ml a w of life. The thr bhnd the Flxtrn Dt a more flxbl rh to vegetarianism, tht you n tll r the bnft f ldng u n frut, vgtbl, nd whl grn, wthut dthng nml products lk tk nd burgers entirely.
In th 2019 Bt Dt Rankings b U.S. Nw & World Rrt, th Flxtrn Diet w ranked N. 3 n th Bt Dt Ovrll tgr, in trm f long-term health nd d prevention, nd No. 2 n Best Diets fr Dbt. It w also rnkd N. 2 n th Best Plant-Based Dt (nd t the Mdtrrnn dt). And unurrngl, th dt also took hm nd in the Et Dt t Fllw tgr n 2019, uggtng tht t l-thn-rgd nature mk it easy to follow nd mntn.
Flxtrn a marriage f two wrd: flxbl nd vgtrn. Th trm w coined more than a decade g, and in hr 2009 book, "The Flexitarian Diet: Th Mostly Vgtrn Way to Lose Wght, B Healthier, Prvnt Disease and Add Yr t Your Lf," rgtrd dietitian Dawn Jkn Bltnr u dn't hv t lmnt meat mltl t r the health bnft associated wth vgtrnm you n be a vgtrn mt f the tm, but still hw down n a burger r tk when th urg hits. By tng mr plants nd less meat, its uggtd that dhrnt t th dt will nt nl l weight but can mrv thr vrll hlth, lwrng thr rate f hrt disease, dbt and nr, and lv longer as a rult.
A flxtrn dt is xtl wht its name ml t' a flxbl way to kktrt healthy eating and tntll hd some und nd mrv ur health n th r.
Gnrll kng, the purpose f th flxtrn dt t reduce th munt f nml-bd rdut you num and replace thm wth whole, lnt-bd tn. Fr xml, replace your brb taco fllng wth d blk bn. Hwvr, th d not mean replacing your jrk nk with tt h. T lose wght on a flxtrn dt, u'll nd t choose th rght fd t urt tht gl, rgtrd dietitian-nutritionist Stt Ktl, RD, CDN. "Technically, tt chips and table ugr r vgtrn but w knw tht f ur diet includes too muh f th t of fd w wll nt lose wght," Ktl says. "Hwvr, kng whl-grn, frut, and vgtbl as well as m lean proteins mk for a hgh-fbr lr-ntrlld dt."
Wht Is the Flxtrn Diet?
The Flxtrn Dt was rtd b dttn Dawn Jkn Bltnr t help l reap th bnft f vgtrn tng whl tll enjoying nml rdut in mdrtn. Thats wh the nm f this dt a mbntn of th wrd flexible nd vegetarian. Vegetarians lmnt mt nd mtm thr animal fd, whl vgn mltl rtrt meat, fish, gg, dr nd ll nml-drvd fd rdut. Sn flxtrn t animal rdut, thr nt ndrd vegetarians r vgn. The Flxtrn Diet h n lr-ut rul r recommended numbr f lr nd mrnutrnt. In ft, t mr a lifestyle than a diet. Its a vegetarian who nll nrrt mt into their dt. There r n hrd nd fast rules t th flxtrn dt; ntd t llw you t gt th hlth benefits td wth vgtrnm whl giving m wggl rm to hv th dd steak, mkng it an ideal entryway t a lnt-bd dt.
It based on th following rnl:
Et mtl frut, vgtbl, lgum nd whole grains.
Fu n rtn frm lnt instead f animals.
B flexible nd nrrt meat nd nml rdut frm tm t tm.
Et th lt processed, mt natural frm f foods.
Limit added sugar nd wt.
Du t its flexible nature and fu n wht t nlud rthr thn rtrt, the Flexitarian Dt a ulr h for l lkng t eat healthier. Th rtr of th Flxtrn Dt, Dwn Jackson Bltnr ll out hw t trt tng flxtrn b nrrtng rtn munt f mt r week n her bk. However, fllwng her f rmmndtn is nt rurd t start tng n a flxtrn w. Sm l on th dt may t mr nml rdut thn others. Overall, th goal t t mr nutrtu plant fd nd l mt.
Pr nd Cn
Pros
Emhz nutrtu foods
E t mmdt rnl rfrn
Budgt-frndl
Cn urt hlth weight l
M rdu rk f dbt
Sutnbl
Gnrl Nutrtn
The flxtrn diet embraces ll fd gru, so its likely u'll mt ll of your nutrient nd n this diet (rh with a lttl planning t nur adequate rn intake). Fr comparison, stricter vgtrn nd vgn dt m fll short n mg-3 fatty d, particularly DHA, found n fh. A tud in th Jurnl of the Adm f Nutrtn and Dtt found more than 50% f vgtrn n n gru reported a DHA ntk of zr. A flexitarian dt llw fr th flexibility for individuals t tll consume fh regularly nd can rvd a bttr vrll nutrient bln.
Flxblt
Nthng eliminated frm th flxtrn diet. Rather, the fu n increasing lnt-bd fd whl rdung th ttl consumption of nml-bd foods. Sn all foods fit into this diet, t t mk hng to ut ur lftl and build meals around fd that you nj. Yu n l nfdntl g t a frnd dinner rt r visit a restaurant whl tll focusing n th core principles f this dt.
Cost
This plan d nt rur tl ml replacements r l recipes. Intd, you n choose ml that ft your fd budget. Thugh you m spend more each wk n rdu, t tnd t bln ut u m b ndng l h week n meat.
Wght Loss
Svrl studies have suggested tht m-vgtrn diets r td wth lwr bd weight. A 2015 study in Clnl Nutrition Research fund tht post-menopausal wmn wh fllwd a semi-vegetarian diet hd lwr body wght, BMI, and bd fat rntg compared t nn-vgtrn wmn. Another 2014 tud in the Jurnl of the Adm f Nutrtn and Dtt fund that m-vgtrn hd lower rates of bt mrd t nn-vgtrn.
Rdud Rk of Diabetes
Etng a flxtrn dt may help rdu ur rk of t 2 dbt. Thr different tudn from 2009 n Dbt Care,9 n from 2011 n Nutrition, Mtblm, and Cardiovascular D,10 nd n frm 2014 n Nutrition Journal11found tht a m-vgtrn dt w associated with a lower rk f t 2 dbt mrd t non-vegetarian diets.
Cons
M b dffult for dl mt-tr t follow
Ptntl fr lw rn ntk
Addtnl gudn may b necessary fr th with diabetes
M B Difficult for Daily Meat-Eaters
If u grew u n a meat-and-potatoes household, t m b dffult t trntn to tng more vgtrn ml. Hwvr, the flxtrn dt but adopting a lftl tht wrk fr you, whh might mean going meatless tw d r week nd enjoying ur bf, hkn, r rk n th thr days. In ddtn, recent rrh suggests tht mdfng mxd dh t b more vegetable-centric thn mt-ntr n rult n mlr flvr rfl nd njmnt. Try mxng hd muhrm nt ur burgr, gng hlf and half n meat and lentils in ur burrito bowl, or ddng mr veggies nd l rk t your hmmd ramen.
Potentially Lw Irn Intake
Rrh among Australian wmn found that m-vgtrn wmn had nrd rates f lw rn lvl, rn dfn, nd nm compared to nn-vgtrn wmn. Depending n hw fruntl youre nludng meat on the flxtrn diet, u may nd to extra ttntn to ddng more lnt-bd rn ur. Th include soy, lntl, bn, seeds, leafy grn, nd whole grn.
Addtnl Gudn fr Those With Dbt
Research h shown a flxtrn diet is td with a rdud rk f diabetes.5 Hwvr, th wth diabetes may need a lttl xtr gudn when following th dt. Mn lnt-bd rtn ur, like beans nd lntl, r l rich n rbhdrt. Yu may find the ttl rb count n ur ml a bit hghr, whh uld affect bld sugar lvl.
Fd t Et on the Flxtrn Dt
Flxtrn mhz lnt rtn and thr whl, mnmll rd lnt fd while limiting animal rdut.
Fd t t rgulrl include:
Prtn: Sbn, tfu, tmh, legumes, lntl.
Nn-trh vgtbl: Grn, bell r, Brul rut, green beans, rrt, cauliflower.
Strh vgtbl: Winter squash, , rn, sweet tt.
Fruits: Apples, rng, brr, gr, hrr.
Whl grn: Qun, teff, buckwheat, frr.
Nut, seeds nd other hlth fats: Almnd, flaxseeds, chia d, walnuts, hw, th, nut buttr, vd, olives, coconut.
Plnt-bd milk alternatives: Unwtnd almond, nut, hm and soy milk.
