Before I attended the Healthy Living Summit, I knew I was already on the path to reduce the amount of meat I was eating, but I never knew there was a name for it.
I’ve read all the books and blogs and articles that say a plant-based diet is really the best way to go for both health and environmental concerns, but I just can’t give up buffalo wings and burgers for good.
I’ve played around with a vegetarian and vegan diet, but at the end of the day, I’m not ready to go meat-free. I love beans and lentils and tofu and tempeh and seitan and almond milk and all sorts of varieties of fruits and veggies, but I just can’t say “goodbye and good luck” to milk, eggs and butter and beef.
Enter, Flexitarianism.
Dawn Jackson Blatner, who I mentioned before, is the author of The Flexitarian Diet, the mostly vegetarian way to lose weight, be healthier, prevent disease and add years to your life.
Dawn talked in her seminar about the things that make flexitarianism a good idea: Lower blood pressure, lower risk of type 2 diabetes, weight loss, lower risk of heart disease… all good results of a healthy diet. But the one feature of the flexitarian diet is that it is "R.A.W.”
Not as in uncooked, but that it is Realistic Achievable Wellness.
For some people, the reality is that they are just not going to give up meat. Period.
Myself included.
And that’s okay.
And the achievable part of it is that it doesn’t make you drop all your old habits and start all these new habits, but rather just reapportion your plate and your week. The goal of the flexitarian diet is that 15 or more of your meals throughout the week are meat-free (think PB&J for lunch instead of turkey on rye) and that the proportion of your meals is 25% protein, 25 % whole grains and 50% produce. (Think big salad with grilled shrimp on top.) So, if you’re a meat and potatoes kind of person, no problem. Make the salad before the entree big, and the meat and potatoes small.
One thing I learned last year when I tried to go vegan for a week was that being vegan does not automatically mean being healthy. There are plenty of junk foods that do not have animal products in them, and there are also a lot of processed foods, marketed as vegan, that have less than stellar nutritional profiles as well. So following the reapportioning of your meals, maximizing the produce at each sit-down, will lend better long-term health results.
The wellness part of it is in the fact that any sort of largely-plant-based diet is going to yield far better nutritional bang-for-your-buck and help you reach your goals. It’s just a fact. Even Q agrees.
I haven’t read the book but I do hope to get it out of the library soon!
Are you a flexitarian and didn’t know it? Have you ever tried a vegetarian or vegan diet, or are you currently one?
Have a great Tuesday!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I am really excited to read this book! It already fit so well in what I already believe about diet and nutrition. I really love that Dawn’s approach is so accessible, no matter where you are on your healthy living journey and no matter what your beliefs are on eating meat. Great review!
Chase – first of all – your blog looks awesome! Have you updated the design recently? Or am I just going crazy? Either way, it looks great
Secondly, I am def a flexitarian, but have never called myself that. I was a vegetarian from senior year of high school through college and began eating meat again early in my 20s. The number one reason I have never eaten much meat is b/c I was always so poor in my 20s – haha! Meat is so expensive so I always ate a ton of pasta, grains, salads, veggie burgers, etc. I still eat that way today, but more for my own health reasons. I truly believe that a plant based diet is best. I like to eat meat now and then (and love the option of enjoying a wonderful steak at a restaurant or crabs in Annapolis), but I rarely cook it at home…
Thanks! Yep, the bloggie got a fresh new design! I agree! Give up crabs? No way!
I started doing the same thing! I keep my breakfast and lunch full of greens and fruits and such and then wait until dinner to have meat. But with my dinner, I try to have more veggies or a big salad with my meat or animal product.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 13 years and it has been super simple for me. Why? Because the thought of eating an animal that was once living is just too much for me! It makes me sad and grosses me out. I do not judge what anyone else does, however. I am fine with family and friends eating meat, but I like the idea of them eating LESS. It saves a few animals and benefits their health. Win win.
I too have also tried to go vegan. It is hard. I don’t eat eggs and only use almond milk, but honestly… there is no substitute that even comes close to cheese.
I agree that getting more veggies in is good (and something I struggle with big time), but I disagree with making protein such a small part of the meal.
The benefits of the “Flexitarian” diet are benefits of nearly every diet/nutrition plan out there. You can also lower your blood pressure, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, lose “weight” (although I would argue weight loss is meaningless, fat loss is what you really want) and lower risk of heart disease with the paleo/primal diet, which is very heavy in meat (wild game and pasture-raised, grassfed meats.)
We are lucky to have so many great farms in PA, MD and VA; there are now more options than ever for eating humanely-raised, grass-fed meat and free-range poultry. I would recommend learning more about the health benefits (and fat loss potential) of grass-fed meats before you settle on an almost vegetarian diet.
(Sorry – nerve hit – I am passionate about this!:)
But an almost vegetarian diet isn’t necessarily a low-protein diet; I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. I think that in this book (which, I have not read, so I could be wrong) the expectation that you just get a larger portion your protein from non-meat sources as opposed to meat sources. I don’t know much about Paleo but I keep hearing about it. What can you tell me about it? Plus, veggies have protein too, especially if you’re eating enough of it to fill up half your plate. Two cups of broccoli has 9g protein!
You know I’m a big fan of meat, and I totally agree that when eating meat, you should find humanely-raised, grass fed, cage-free whenever possible. I think that the point is that meat is not the only protein. (Note: I have not read the book) Me personally, non-meat proteins are cheaper to buy and are generally less risky for foodborne illness, so I choose to swap them out at home.
You also have to consider the kind of protein. Soy protein will not build muscle the way protein from animal sources will; in fact, there is evidence that its presence in your body actually makes it harder to gain muscle. Yes there is 9 g. of protein in 2 c. of broccoli, but there is 20-30 g. of protein in a chicken breast. You want to eat 4 cups of broccoli, be my guest:)
Paleo/Primal diet is not something I would personally follow or suggest to others (it is too rigid for me and its followers tend to be a little overzealous:), but my point was that almost every diet/nutrition plan out there can boast the “reduced risk of diseases.” I don’t care if it’s eating all meat or all veggies or counting calories or cutting carbs – if an obese person follows almost any diet plan out there, they will lose weight/reduce body fat and that is a key factor in reducing risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, etc.
Also…I’m curious where the fear of food-borne illnesses originated. Do you own a meat thermometer? That can really help take the guesswork out of preparing meat.
I think that you and I are approaching it from two different places. I think I personally am more concerned about the global impact of eating meat (environmental and sustainability concerns, etc.) as opposed to eating meat for building muscle. I wish to make sure I get enough protein in my diet (just as I do for all other macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc.) but I’m not training for a show or a competition or anything that would have me more concerned about the effectiveness of different types of protein. I don’t dispute anything that you’ve said; I just personally think that the current “American diet” is relying too heavily on meat proteins and therefore missing out on non-meat proteins that can be great options. And I do have a meat thermometer but I still freak out when I hear things about e.coli etc. because I don’t prefer red meat well-done. Then again, people died from green onions from Chi-Chi’s in 2003 so who knows