Flexitarianism, or what?
The name comes from the English language and is a combination of two words: flexible, which in Polish means flexible and vegetarian. The word itself therefore suggests what it means. In short, flexitarianism can be described as flexible vegetarianism. This method of nutrition is about limiting meat in your diet and using vegetables, fruit or cereal products with the addition of dairy products and fats when composing meals. The words restrict meat are key here, because flexitarianism does not have one clear-cut rule that must be strictly followed.
Generally (which does not mean that it is always the case), flexitarians can be divided into two groups – people who, by definition, eat meat less often, but regularly, e.g. 1-2 times a week, and those who consume this type of products only when traveling, restaurants, parties, events, etc., i.e. when sticking to a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet is usually more difficult or when they just want meat on a given day (e.g. eating a steak or a burger in the city once every few weeks, or months).
The concept of flexitarianism should not be confused with semivegetarianism at the same time. Supporters of the latter style of eating, by definition, do not just eat certain types of meat, e.g. red meat.
Why convert to flexitarianism?
Of course, it can be considered that there are as many reasons as there are supporters of this type of diet, but in general they can be divided into three groups:
The desire to take care of your health can play a significant role here. It should be mentioned that flexitarianism is considered one of the healthier ways of eating. The main health benefits of using it are presented in the graphic below:
However, it should be remembered that we can achieve all these health benefits only if we not only remove most of the meat from our diets, but, in accordance with the principles of flexitarianism, we base our dishes on unprocessed products, such as, for example, fruits, vegetables or whole grains, and We derive our protein from, for example, dry legume seeds, which by themselves have many health benefits. Of course, it is not about giving up meat and at the same time eating, for example, deep-fried French fries, large amounts of sweets, or eating pizza every day, but with vegetables and not ham or bacon.
Compared to a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet, flexitarianism may also be better in at least one field – its proponents are less at risk of developing nutritional deficiencies such as deficiency:
– vitamin D,
– vitamin B12,
– polyunsaturated fatty acids,
– iron,
– zinc.
Of course, vegetarians and vegans can have perfectly balanced menus – the only thing is that such a balance will be a bit more difficult, especially for people who do not have a dietary education and / or do not like to cook, are not interested in healthy eating, etc., and e.g. stop eating meat for ethical reasons.
Anyone can become a flexitarian
All you need to do is start with small steps – replace the chicken for lunch with tofu, a ham on a sandwich with a paste of roasted vegetables, choose a nutritious red lentil soup instead of broth on the bones, and for a snack eat hummus with carrot sticks instead of a single-pack sausage or kabanos sausage.
I know that probably some people may ask themselves – do you really need to call such restriction on meat right now? Does everyone have to show it like this? Of course not. However, it is easier to explain to others what is going on using a specific name. So it definitely simplifies communication. Calling our behavior also works better for us mentally – then it is easier for us to rationalize our actions and stay in our decisions.
So I strongly encourage everyone to become flexitarians. Not only will it be positive for your health, but also for the environment, and your cuisine will certainly become more diverse.