Flexitarianism means eating primarily fruits, veggies and grains but occasionally incorporating meat, poultry or fish into the menu, something that strict vegetarians would never do. Flexitarians eat meatless meals at least four nights a week. According to the American Dietetic Association, one-quarter of Americans subscribe to this diet.
While many vegetarians choose their way of eating based on environmental or moral issues, flexitarians pick their pattern based on healthy choices — whether they realize it or not. It appears to be exactly the eating plan that dietitians and nutritional experts have been steering people toward for years. The reason is flexitarianisms’ base of low saturated fat and high fiber foods. Additional benefits are that flexitarians get closer to the daily recommended amount of fruits and veggies than meat-eaters who focus more on proteins.
And this shouldn’t be surprising for all the big boys who chomp down their 16-ounce steaks on a nightly basis: Studies show that flexitarians generally weigh less and have better scores for hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and prostate and colon cancer. Makes sense since it’s fairly common knowledge that people who eat three to four servings of fruits and veggies a day drop their risk of suffering a stroke by 42%.
— Karen Beaudoin