The Flexitarian Diet: A Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight

The Flexitarian Diet is a flexible nutrition plan that is based on the principle that vegetarianism really works in keeping a person slim and healthy. However, it doesn’t completely exclude meat from the diet. It is not a diet in the strict sense but it is a new way of cooking and eating (for weight loss and improving health) that is very flexible. You are allowed to eat what you want with the simple guidelines that can be customized depending on preference. It doesn’t have any rules or restrictions but you need to eat more plants during each regular meal. You need to understand the basics of what is called “FlexFoods” then you can swap ingredients, dinner plans and use “meaty” alternatives for completely satisfying meals.

About The Creator of the Flexitarian Diet

The secret to a healthy diet and slim body is FLEXIBILITY according to Dawn Jackson Blatner, the creator of The Flexitarian Diet who is also a registered dietician. She is also a well-known columnist for LIfetimeTelevision’s website so she knows about the needs of dieters. She is a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and according to her, vegetarianism keeps people slim and healthy. However, it is very difficult to completely cut out meat from the diet. That is why she came up with the flexible diet which has become very popular today. She is also an experienced cooking instructor so the recipes are not just healthy but also delicious.

How Does it Work?

The Flexitarian Diet is really simple; all you need to do is to add five food groups to your diet and you won’t need to remove any food groups.

Here are the five food groups:

• New Meat – Beans, tofu, peas, lentils, nuts, eggs and seeds
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Whole Grains
• Dairy
• Sugar and Spice – some examples are dried herbs, agave nectar sweetener and salad dressing

There are meal plans that include breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipes. The meal plan can be follow as outlined but recipes from different weeks can also be interchanged according to preference. The breakfast meals are around 300 calories, the lunch meals are around 400 calories and the dinner meals are around 500 calories. The snacks are around 150 calories each. With two snacks, the daily caloric total should be approximately 1,500 calories. The plan can be adjusted depending on your weight, gender and level of physical activity.

Flexetarian meals focus on plant proteins instead of animal proteins. The creator of the diet also offers tips on strategies and food preparation. The recipes can be tried at your own pace or you can start following the regimen completely. There is also what is called a “Flex Swap” feature which is suggestions for adjusting recipes along with ingredient substitutions like adding fish, chicken, turkey or red meat to vegetarian recipes. The diet is based on the philosophy of its creator: “Eat more plants and do the best that you can.”

Does It Really Work?

Many health experts agree that a diet high in fruits and vegetables with limited consumption of meat is healthy. Thus, The Flexitarian Diet may really be effective in improving overall health. However, when it comes to weight loss, it still comes down to the volume of food consumed daily. When you still consume more calories than is needed to maintain your weight then you will not lose weight and there is even a possibility that you will gain weight. This means you have to be very careful and follow the meal plans strictly with adjustments according to your weight and level of physical activity. Otherwise, it won’t help you lose weight.

The Flexitarian Diet Pros

• The Flexitarian Diet doesn’t completely remove meat from the diet
• It is high in fruits and vegetables so the diet is healthy
• There are many people who say it is really effective for weight loss while at the same time improving overall health
• The book is very cheap (around $10 online)

The Flexitarian Diet Cons

• Meal preparation is a vital part of the diet so it is time consuming
• You still need to control food intake if you want to lose weight
• Some feedbacks say it isn’t very effective for weight loss

Final Verdict

After thoroughly scrutinizing The Flexitarian diet, it is a good diet for those who want to lose weight and become healthier. The main problem is the fact that the diet is time consuming since you need to prepare your meals carefully. However, it gets easy once you become accustomed to meal preparation. There are many people including health experts who recommend this diet not just for weight loss but for improving overall health as well.

Article from DonsumerHealthDigext.com: https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/weight-loss/the-flexitarian-diet.html