What Is the Flexitarian Diet? Why Is It One of the World’s Healthiest Diets?

What Is the Flexitarian Diet?

In the list of the world’s best diets, the Flexitarian Diet ranked in 2022 in 3. place . Flexitarian is actually a combination of 2 words: flexible and vegetarian. The term entered our lives in 2009 with dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner’s book, whose slogan was:

The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life.

You do not have to eliminate meat entirely while eating vegetarian food. You can be vegetarian most of the time, but when the urge to eat meat arises, you can eat healthy meat—preferably from sheep or goats. Overall, eating more plants and less meat is expected not only to help you lose weight but also improve your general health and reduce rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

How Do You Follow the Flexitarian Diet?

Being flexible means adding five food groups to your diet. These are: the new meat (non-meat proteins such as beans, peas, or eggs); fruits and vegetables; whole grains; dairy products; complex sugars (such as starch) and spices.

• You can create a meal plan with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes. You can follow it as planned or swap your choices for different recipes from another week.
• This plan follows three-four-five meals: breakfast is approximately 300 calories, lunch 400, and dinner 500. Snacks are approximately 150 calories each; with two snacks, the daily total is 1.500 calories.
• You can adjust this calorie intake slightly upward or downward according to your daily activity level, sex, height, and weight; this does require some fine-tuning.

What Does the Flexitarian Diet Cost?

It requires no exotic ingredients, so food does not cost more than usual. Fewer visits to the butcher help keep the budget reasonable. The diet is personalized; for example, it allows you to prepare dinner with whatever is on sale. There is no membership fee, but you may need the book “The Flexitarian Diet.”

Will the Flexitarian Diet Help You Lose Weight?

You will probably lose weight on the Flexitarian Diet. Research shows that vegetarians consume fewer calories than meat eaters and therefore have lower weight and body mass index.

Given this diet’s plant-based emphasis, eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains will probably mean consuming fewer calories than you are used to. This calorie deficit and increased physical activity lead to weight loss. How quickly it happens depends on how well you follow the diet.

In 2006, Nutrition Review published a review of 87 studies showing that vegetarians weigh %15 less than non-vegetarians. According to the authors, obesity rates among vegetarians range from %0 to %6. Both male and female vegetarians weigh, on average, %3-20 less than meat eaters.

In 2003, the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders published a six-year study of 38.000 adults that found semi-vegetarians had lower average body weight than people eating a fully meat-based diet.

Is the Flexitarian Diet Easy to Follow?

This regimen is quite easy to follow. Jackson Blatner emphasizes that you do not need to follow your diet perfectly. It is about progress, not perfection. The book includes plenty of rules and even shopping lists. This resource already handles much of the hard work and the planning side of the equation.

It offers flexibility. There are many recipes that do not take long to prepare. Eating out and drinking alcohol are allowed. The diet emphasizes flexibility. You are not overwhelmed by rules all day, but you do need to follow a rule each day.

Eating out is manageable and permitted. Look at restaurant menus beforehand to find healthy meals; browse dishes online, or, if there is no website, call and ask what kinds of food are available. Be cautious of words such as fried, crispy, breaded, creamy, scalloped, or sautéed. Instead, choose places using methods such as boiled, baked, grilled, roasted, poached, and steamed .

• Related topic: 7 Techniques for Healthy Cooking

If you decide on the Flexitarian Diet, make a detailed meal plan before starting and, before going shopping, always prepare a shopping list .

Nutrition experts emphasize the importance of fullness, having enough food, and satisfaction. If you build a healthy vegetarian diet around fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, you should not feel hungry between meals.

How Much Exercise Should You Do on the Flexitarian Diet?

Exercise is strongly recommended. Ideally, in addition to strength training at least two days a week, you should do moderate exercise five days a week for 30 minutes or vigorous exercise for 20 minutes three times a week. With the Flexitarian Diet, you should know broadly how to see the world as your gym, maintain motivation, and overcome exercise barriers.

Is the Flexitarian Diet Good for Heart Health?

Yes. Research shows that plant-based diets help control cholesterol and blood pressure and keep heart disease at bay. This is largely because plant protein is higher in fiber, lower in fat, and contains no cholesterol compared with animal protein. The American Heart Association says vegetarian diets can be healthy and nutritious if carefully planned to include essential nutrients.

Can the Flexitarian Diet Prevent or Control Diabetes?

Yes, it is a good option for both. PLOS Medicine published a study in its June 2016 issue comparing different plant-based diets’ effects on diabetes risk. Although a strict vegetarian diet produced a small %2 reduction in type-2 diabetes risk, a semi-vegetarian version such as the Flexitarian Diet was associated with a substantial reduction of %20 in diabetes risk.

Does the Flexitarian Diet Have Any Health Risks?

There have been no signs of serious risks or adverse effects. However, if you have health problems, consult your doctor before making major dietary changes.

Flexitarian Diet Meal Plan

Here is a typical 1500-calorie day on the Flexitarian Diet.

Breakfast 

• Buttered toast with apple and peanut butter

Ingredients:

• 1 slice of whole-grain bread
• One or half a tablespoon of almond butter or peanut butter
• 1 sliced apple

Lunch

• Vegetable burger

Ingredients:

• 1 whole-grain hamburger bun
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup of broccoli
• 1 orange

Snack

• Pineapple with ginger and walnuts

Ingredients:

• 3 pineapple rings
• 2 teaspoons of chopped ginger
• 2 teaspoons of chopped walnuts

Dinner

• Peanut stir-fry

Ingredients:

• Half a cup of diced firm tofu or 50-60 gr cooked chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons of peanut oil
• 2 cups of mixed vegetables
• 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup of fresh pineapple juice
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Dessert

• Mexican-style hot chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of skim milk
• 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon of honey 
• Cinnamon