What is a flexitarian?

I've wanted to reduce my meat consumption for a while. After watching countless documentaries or reading article after article about the treatment of animals in factory farms, the health benefits of reducing your consumption and the amount of water waste it takes to sustain cattle, pork and other animals - it only makes sense. I didn't want to give up meat all together and some might think that's weak, but there must be some way to reduce my meals to mostly vegetarian with a supplement of meat for at least one meal. That's when I came across the flexitarian diet.

I am not the biggest fan of diets in general. I think some like Whole30 are not good for your body. Am I a dietician? No. I've done the research on my end and there is no concrete evidence that a fad like Whole30 provides you with a complete and well-balanced diet. I must admit, I have absolutely tried some of these fad diets before and they just didn't cut it for me. So what makes the flexitarian diet different?

According to Healthline, "The Flexitarian Diet is a style of eating that encourages mostly plant-based foods while allowing meat and other animal products in moderation." Before I even came across this term in How to be a Conscious Eater by Sophie Egan, I was already starting to cut my meat down to 1-2 meals a day. Egan makes some excellent arguments on why to go flexitarian and those really spoke to me - making me be more conscious of my eating choices for the sake of the environment and my own health. After reading the book, I cut my meat consumption down to 0-1 times per day with my meat meals being mostly for dinner, unless I have a vegetarian option to substitute it with. From Greatist - "The flexitarian label suggests an active and purposeful movement away from a meat-heavy diet. It’s a healthier way of eating that includes significantly more whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables than the Standard American Diet (or SAD), says Michael Roizen, MD, chief wellness officer of The Cleveland Clinic and co-founder of RealAge."

Why not just go vegetarian? I personally have done that before years ago. I did it for a 3 week period and it was great at first. Week one went by with a breeze; week two, I noticed my body getting weaker and by week three, my concentration was barely there and I felt faint very easily. I did some of my own research and found that most of my signs were geared towards an iron or protein deficiency which easily could have been solved if I had educated myself more before just going head first into the diet. This does not mean I won't try to go vegetarian again one day; it just means that I am not ready yet.

If you're wanting to try out reducing your meat consumption, I would recommend being a flexitarian first and it means exactly that - it's flexible. If you want to start out having one or two meatless days a week, that's great. If you want to challenge yourself and do more, that's great too. Not all diets are for you so listen to your body, see how you feel and don't let others make you feel down if you aren't able to complete it or you need to change it up.

Here's a typical meal I eat in a day:

Breakfast - Old fashioned oatmeal, fresh berries (strawberries or blueberries) + a small amount of honey and almond milk

Lunch - Black bean tacos with pico de gallo, red onions, romaine and taco sauce; Broccoli pesto pasta

Dinner - Hibachi chicken with veggies and white rice

Snacks - Fage yogurt with fruit and a drizzle of honey; Apple or banana

Update on 4/29: I would also like to reference this great article from The Good Trade on what it means to be a flexitarian. Read it here.

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash