I became vegetarian about seven years ago. I remember how I put off starting when I would think about giving up my favorite meat dishes. The Flexitarian diet is a great way to ease into vegetarianism if it is something you are considering. Aside from that, this diet is a good choice if you just want to try to make food choices that are healthier. The diet is based on eating more plant based foods and eating less meat.

The diet was written by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, who coined the term ‘Flexitarian.” The word is a combination of  ‘flexible’ and ‘vegetarian.’ Blatner states that a person could see permanent results on the diet if they view this as a lifestyle change instead of a diet. In addition, she says that you could lose up to 30 pounds within 6 to 12 months without feeling deprived.

Studies have shown that vegetarians live almost four years longer than those who are on a meat filled diet. Vegetarians also weigh less than non-vegetarians. Scientific evidence also shows that a plant based diet is proven to be the healthiest.

She goes on to explain that the Flexitarian Diet is also cheaper. Meats are the most expensive item we purchase at the grocery store. By spending some of the extra money on in season fruits and vegetables, you will enjoy a larger variety of choices which make the diet easier to incorporate. The diet isn’t filled full of time consuming recipes or ingredients that you have not heard of. She makes it easy to understand and simple to make.