How to Make the Switch to the Flexitarian Diet Plan

Have you considered a vegetarian diet because you are interested in the health benefits, animal welfare, and environmental and sustainability impacts? However, you have yet to make the switch because removing all meat and dairy products from your diet sounds too challenging.

Interest in vegetarian diets is increasing in popularity. There are several different vegetarian diets, such as lacto, ovo, lacto-ovo, pescatarian, and vegan. Say hello to the Flexitarian Diet, a milder and more accessible approach to removing meat and animal products from your diet, but only partially. 

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The Flexitarian Diet Highlights

The Flexitarian diet is an approach to healthy eating that has gained popularity in recent years. Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner developed it. As the name suggests, it is a flexible way of eating that combines the principles of vegetarianism with occasional meat intake. The name comes from the combination of the words flexible and vegetarian.

Essentially, it is a flexible way to obtain the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Flexitarians aim to achieve a balance between plant-based foods and animal products without completely eliminating meat from their diet. This approach appeals to many people who want to improve their health and reduce their environmental impact without committing to a strict vegetarian or vegan diet.

The Flexitarian diet is based on whole, nutrient-dense foods from all food groups and emphasizes the importance of variety, sustainability, and mindfulness in food choices. In this way, it is a diet and a lifestyle that promotes health, well-being, and the health of the planet. Here are the highlights of the Flexitarian diet.

Highlights

• Ranked among the Best Diets Overall by U.S. News and World Report, not too far below the Mediterranean Diet. 
• Flexitarians consume less meat and fewer animal products than people who follow a typical diet but more than on a vegetarian diet. 
• Guidelines include reducing some foods and increasing other foods while not restricting any foods, which makes the diet much more doable than going 100% vegan.
• Scientific research shows that the diet may lower the risk of diabetes and have weight loss and metabolic health benefits.

What Do You Eat on the Flexitarian Diet?

Here is more information about this eating style. 

You Are Eating Fewer Animal Products

You will still have animal products as a flexitarian, but far less than others eat. Specifically, you have meatless days or use meat sparingly every day. But overall, it is limited and not the bulk of your diet. Flexitarians will consume small quantities of meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and fish. The general guideline is 9-28 ounces of meat weekly. Since you eat less red meat and animal-based foods, the diet is much healthier than the standard American diet. 

The “Flex” in Flexitarian

Instead of committing not to eat meat, dairy, or fish, you are more flexible with your approach, making the diet plan easy to follow. The Flexitarian Diet is an eating style or way of eating. It is not a fad diet that you start and stop. There are no strict rules or restrictions, but instead guidelines.

The guidelines include reducing processed foods and added sugars in your diet. The flexibility makes it easier for the entire family to eat together with minimal modifications. You can easily adapt many of your family’s favorite recipes. Here are some examples.

• Reduce the meat in your spaghetti sauce and replace it with leafy greens and vegetables.
• Make a burger with a portabella mushroom instead of ground beef, or reduce the amount of ground beef and add beans or vegetables to bulk it up.
• Instead of two eggs and toast, have one egg and 1/4-1/2 of an avocado and toast.
• Have bean and cheese burritos, use only 25%-50% of the usual meat, and increase the veggies.

The foods are easily accessible in the typical neighborhood grocery store and local farmer’s markets.

Delicious Vegan Snacks

Your Diet is Mostly Plant-Based

A flexitarian diet is like a semi-vegetarian diet because most of your diet is plant foods. Most plant-based meals will contain a variety of dairy-free alternatives, healthy fats, tofu, fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, and whole grains.

The foods are also natural (single ingredient), clean, less refined, and not processed with chemicals, additives, and preservatives. Plant-based eating can provide you with a good amount and variety of nutrients and are fiber-rich. Here are some of the typical foods that you will eat on the Flexitarian diet:

• Fruits: Any kind of fruit, including apples, bananas, oranges, berries, and more, is welcome on the Flexitarian diet.

• Vegetables: All vegetables are encouraged, including leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, root vegetables, and more.

• Whole Grains: Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, whole-wheat bread, and oats are excellent sources of fiber and nutrients.

• Meat Alternatives: Meat alternatives such as veggie burgers, sausages, and meatless ground beef are available in many stores and can replace meat in dishes.

• Dairy Alternatives: Use dairy alternatives such as soy, almond, oat milk, and coconut yogurt instead of dairy products.

Your Protein Mostly Comes from Plants

Instead of getting your protein from animal sources, you will get most of your protein from plant-based sources. However, you may not meet your daily protein needs in your diet by doing this. It is vital to ensure you are replacing meat with high-quality protein sources. When you are a flexitarian, you must pay extra attention to your protein needs. Animal protein is complete, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids our body does not produce. 

Plant-based proteins are incomplete because they include only some essential amino acids. However, by combining plant-based proteins such as beans and rice, the variety will help to ensure you get all the protein that you need. Focus on plant-based types of protein, such as beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Some excellent sources of plant protein for people who follow the flexitarian lifestyle include:

• Plant-Based Protein Sources: Substitute tofu, tempeh, and seitan for meat in many dishes. And plant-based protein supplements offer another protein option.

• Nuts and Seeds: Add olive oil, nuts, nut butter, and seeds that are rich in healthy fats, protein, and fiber to snacks and meals.

• Legumes: Beans, lentils, chickpeas, and other legumes are rich in protein, fiber, and other nutrients.

The Flexitarian Diet Health Benefits

The Flexitarian diet emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, which are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Eating this way can improve overall health. Like any other diet, the Flexitarian diet has pros and cons. In particular, the Flexitarian Diet is associated with the following health benefits:

• It can help reduce the risk of certain cancers.
• It can help lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes management by promoting stable blood sugar levels and improved insulin sensitivity. 
• It can reduce inflammation as fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens naturally contain antioxidants and polyphenols that fight free radicals that can harm or damage your cells.
• It can help reduce the risk of heart disease by promoting lower cholesterol and blood pressure. 
• It can help you lose weight without dieting and with healthy weight maintenance.

By reducing meat consumption and choosing more plant-based foods, Flexitarians can help reduce their carbon footprint, save water and other natural resources, and reduce the environmental impact of animal agriculture. The Flexitarian diet is a flexible approach to eating that allows for occasional meat consumption, making it more realistic and easier to follow than strict vegetarian or vegan diets. It also offers a variety of food options and can be adapted to individual preferences and needs.

The Flexitarian Diet Potential Risks

There are some additional considerations of the Flexitarian Diet. Here are some of the main disadvantages of the Flexitarian diet. The Flexitarian diet can be challenging in social situations, where meat is often the centerpiece of meals. Finding suitable options may require extra effort, especially when dining out or attending events.

A diet rich in plant-based foods can be more affordable than a diet rich in meat, but high-quality plant-based protein sources can be more expensive than some meat products, which can be a barrier for some people. The diet is very healthy, but some people could risk not getting enough specific nutrients when reducing meat and animal products.

Flexitarians who do not consume enough protein or essential nutrients found in animal foods may be at risk for nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, planning meatless meals carefully and considering supplementing as needed is important. Consult with your doctor before making any radical dietary changes to be on the safe side. Specifically, some of these nutrients are:

• Vitamin: You can naturally find Vitamin B12 only in animal products. A workaround for this is to look for foods fortified with B12.

• Zinc & Iron: When combined with animal products, your body absorbs zinc and iron better. You can still get enough of these nutrients from plant-based food such as legumes, seeds, and nuts, but you will need to pay more attention, just like your protein intake. 

• Calcium: Dairy is a significant source of calcium in the typical diet. Flexitarians can include leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and swiss chard to get enough. 

• Omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids are plentiful in fish such as salmon. Flexitarians can consider supplements, walnuts, chia and flax seeds, and fortified foods.  

Summary: The Flexitarian Diet

The Flexitarian Diet is a flexible and healthy approach to eating that blends the benefits of a vegetarian diet but allows meat and animal products in limited quantities. It is ideal for people who want to eat better but cannot live without animal products such as a juicy burger or grilled steak. The main benefit is that it is a healthy diet that leads to consuming more whole foods and is associated with many health benefits.  The Flexitarian Diet is worth exploring if you want a more nutritious diet while supporting sustainability and environmental interests without strict and rigid calorie counting rules.