Is Flexitarianism the Weight-Loss Tool for You?
I've read all about the bonuses of being a vegetarian. In addition to the obvious benefits for the animals involved, eating less meat is associated with lower rates of cancer, heart disease, obesity, and other diseases and conditions. But not everyone can give up all flesh all the time. For me, it's sushi—can't live without it. My boyfriend, though a longtime fan of Charlotte's Web star Wilbur the pig, still says bacon is his viande noire. As I noted earlier this year, however, being a flexitarian is an option for those of us who would like to move closer to a vegetarian diet without adhering to it absolutely. The question is how to do it, particularly if you're new to a plant-based diet.
Dawn Jackson Blatner, a Chicago-based nutritionist, has written an entire book, The Flexitarian Diet, on the subject. Her goal: to help assuage the fear that eating less meat means being consigned to alternating meals of tofu and raw sprouts with veggie burgers from the freezer section. Instead, she encourages us to think about the sources of plant protein that are already in the cupboard and fridge—black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, nuts, and eggs, to name a few. Those—as well as, yes, soy products like tofu and tempeh—should take up about a quarter of your plate in a typical meal. Fruits and veggies should be about half, and whole grains should make up the other quarter. None of that is terribly exotic. "Most people have flexitarian tendencies already," says Blatner.
To begin with, she suggests planning two meatless days a week, then progressing to five or more days if you're comfortable with the idea. Most of the recipes she includes in the book are built around ingredients handily bought at the supermarket. (For the few exceptions—mostly specialty foods like agave nectar and quinoa—one can tap Amazon.com, she says.) And many recipes include easy substitutions for the days you're hankering for meat: A recipe for cilantro-peanut stir-fry, for example, can include tofu, chicken breast, or lean steak strips. An orzo stir-fry can utilize fish or black beans.
Blatner's book promotes flexitarianism as a way to control weight. If you follow her meal plan, you're likely to lose some poundage, given that the menus add up to about 1,500 calories a day. Any meal plan that jacks up the veggies to 50 percent of your daily intake and controls calories is likely to be good for your waistline; as I wrote last week, eating more foods that are less energy-dense (those fruits and veggies) and fewer that are energy-rich is associated with weight loss.
Flexitarianism also sounds a lot like the ancient eating patterns, including the Mediterranean diet, that I wrote about in the spring: All emphasize whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables, "good" fats like those in nuts and olive oil, and protein from plants and fish rather than terrestrial animals. My own diet philosophy is less about calorie-counting than about portion control and following those general healthy eating principles 90 percent of the time (plus plenty of exercise, which Blatner also writes about). But if you need a little more meal-by-meal guidance, The Flexitarian Diet is a great resource.
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I Lost 30 Pounds in 30 Days
Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!
Get the book
The book is great and highly recommend it. Dawn Jackson Blatner makes this style of eating fun and approachable. In addition to the book her website is a great resource for nutrition information, recipes and a ton of great videos! http://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com
I am a big time fan of hers!
Flexitarianism - you mean eating food?
I always come to articles with this sort of title with hope I will learn something new and exciting about eating healthy - other than that it's a very good idea not to eat unhealthy. And I am always disappointed. Once again I read about the wonders of vegetarianism, and if one is regrettably still addicted to proteins-eat tofu, tempeh, beans and lentils, some fish-voila! proteins! If your local market is lacking, you can get wonderful stuff from Amazon.com. No advice for those of us allergic to fish & seafood-whatever name you have for clams, oysters, shrimp, etc. Can't eat any of it without serious emergency room adventures. I don't like tofu - and if you are any sort of cook and have ever cooked a good piece of meat you know no amount of saucing or other assistance turns tofu into anything resembling meat, chicken, turkey - whatever.
I challenge you that a good, healthy diet can includes meat; and is not fattening nor heart damaging. You just have to know how to cook. You have to be knowledgeable about food. What goes together, chemically, with what - Which foods complement each other, or not.
My husband has an inherited cholesterol problem, as well as inherited diabetes. We learned all this 3 years ago when he had a heart attack requiring triple bypass surgery.
I am an excellent cook, my husband loves my food. I cook healthy. When I advised his rehab team what my meals consist of: lean meat, lots of veg and a bit of carb they gave me a green light. I reduced portions and there are some meals we have only once in 2 or 3 months. My husband has lost 25 pounds, his diabetes is totally under control, 20 year olds would want his resting heart rate and pulse, and his cholesterol is totally under control.
My husband is a gym fanatic - and was before the heart attack.
He goes to the gym every other day, rain or shine, all year, every year, and has for about 15 years. I add this to make sure it is understood his health issues were not the result of no exercise. He is a working musician and is on stage every week. He also has a full time job.
It is not necessary to deprive yourself of any type food.
We are omnivores - that is how nature made us, and the folks I know who have had the longest and most rewarding lives, are those who lived in moderation, but well.
I suppose if you can't control your eating a life of tofu and carrots will keep you from getting fat while indulging the need to eat all the time.
Barring that affliction - get some exercise, eat in moderation, and realize none of us gets out alive. As Mr Shaw observed: You don't live longer - it just feels that way.
In a country with an abundance of good food, people are starving - and you want to go off into the land of ordering food from Amazon.com? Real people need real information to help them feed their real families better - not this exercise in yuppie narcissm.
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