I cannot believe that I have never heard of it, but the Flexitarian diet concept is ingenious. I have always tried to tell my patients that they should try to be vegephiles. This concept is similar in many ways.
The definition is “ A person whose diet is mostly vegetarian but sometimes includes meat, fish or poultry.” It’s also been referred to as casual vegetarianism as it encourages a mostly plant-based, semi-vegetarian diet and encourages more vegetarian foods while allowing meat or other animal products in moderation.
The multiple health benefits of a vegetable-based diet are well known. It lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke. Plant-based will help you lose weight and keep it within a healthy range for the long term. In short, you will live a longer and healthier life.
The diet is less about loss or restrictions and more about adding an abundance of delicious plant-based foods. if you have some specific meat-based indulgence that you crave occasionally, go ahead and have it. The secret is to simply increase your consumption of plant-based foods that are rich in nutrients and don’t worry about eliminating one food completely.
The total amount of meat consumed the United States has increased by 40% since 1961. Currently Americans consume around 274 pounds of meat per year. There environmental effects of this increased fish, poultry and beef farming are not insignificant. Because of its emphasis on plant-based nutrition, the Flexitarian diet could improve the health of the world as well as ourselves.
Stay well!
Ask Dr S. 