Easing into a plant-based diet

"Flexitarian" was voted the most useful word of 2003 by the American Dialect Society, but it didn't get much attention until recently.

‘Flexitarian’ is the word Northwestern University registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner coined to help people eat a more plant-based diet without becoming full-fledged vegetarians.

The term refers to people who get most -- about 80 percent -- of their daily calories and nutrients from a plant-based diet of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and beans and 20 percent from lean meat, fish and poultry. A recent study by Oxford University researchers touting flexitarianism as a healthy alternative to vegetarianism has nutritionists and health foodies buzzing.

Some vegetarians feel that it’s a good way to introduce people to cooking without meat. It doesn't mean the diet is embraced by all vegetarians. Before they were flexitarians, those who could not quite give up meat were referred to as semi-vegetarian and they didn't carry much street credibility in the vegetarian community.

In a letter to the editor, Joe Camp, Vegan Outreach Coordinator, writes: “As a full-time animal advocate, I see the notion of ‘flexitarian’ -- defined as ‘a person who consumes mainly vegetarian food, but occasionally eats meat or fish’ -- as a definite boon for animals. Farmed animals endure unfathomable misery on today's factory farms and in slaughterhouses. Flexitarians offer a great alternative to those wishing to reduce this suffering but who see the immediate switch to vegetarianism or veganism as too strict. To me, eating vegetarian isn't about being perfect or pure, but about reducing suffering. Even if we just cut our meat consumption in half, we would be reducing half of the misery of today's farmed animals.”

There's room for improvement in both styles of eating. Some people think that being a vegetarian means to just not eat meat, so they fill up on french fries, pop tarts, peanut butter and macaroni ‘n cheese.

Here are some ways to tweak your diet:

Easy on the processed meat: That's one type of food that has consistently been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer. So instead of pepperoni, sausage and hot dogs, consider the leanest cuts of meat, such as organic roast beef from a sustainable farm.

Vegetarian doesn't always mean low-fat: French fries and soda are vegetarian, but they don't provide the essential nutrients recommended daily. The fries could also deliver a hefty portion of unhealthy trans fat -- partially hydrogenated vegetable oil that is linked to heart disease. Diets that include a lot of cheese, whole milk, cream and butter are high in unhealthy saturated fat, whether they include meat or not.

Also, recent studies have found increased blood levels of homocysteine in vegetarians, possibly because they don't get enough B vitamins. Homocysteine is an emerging risk factor for heart disease, making it important for vegetarians not to eat a diet rich in saturated fat or trans fats.

Go varied: Here's where the vegetarians often shine. Their intake can be rich in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, beans and whole grains. This provides plenty of complex carbohydrates, which are less likely to send blood sugar levels soaring than more highly processed white-flour products. Other benefits: fiber, vitamin C and E, and beta carotene, which is converted in the body to vitamin A and is good for vision and immunity, among other things.

Boost B12: Since animal products are the source of this key vitamin, low intake can be an issue for both vegetarians and vegans, according to the Oxford University review. Many breakfast cereals and soy milk are fortified with B12. Just choose skim or low-fat soy milk, since regular varieties can be high in fat.

Be sure to get enough omega-3s: These are the healthy fats found in seafood and fish that reduce the risk of heart disease. There's emerging evidence that they're also good for the brain, may help prevent some types of arthritis and could help boost mood. Instead of eating fish or other seafood, good vegetarian sources of Omega-3 are flax seed, rape seed, algae, walnuts and tofu. See The Vegetarian Society’s paper on Omega-3 for more information.

Check calcium: Many Americans don't meet the recommended daily intake -- about the equivalent of drinking three glasses of skim milk -- of this bone-preserving mineral, which is also key for vital organs including the heart. Vegans are especially vulnerable to low calcium intake, the Oxford University review found. Tofu made with calcium carbonate and calcium-fortified foods, including ready-to-eat cereal, juice, soy or rice milk are options in addition to calcium supplements.

Flexitarianism is being embraced in the diet and health food industries, and a host of cookbooks have been written to appeal to flexitarians.

Betty Crocker's Vegetarian Cooking offers suggestions on how to add meat to some of its recipes, making it useful for flexitarians and mixed-diet families. It also focuses on simple recipes that won't intimidate someone unfamiliar with vegetarian cooking.

Another book, The Accidental Vegetarian by Simon Rimmer, is written by a meat-eating chef who just happens to have a collection of veggie-friendly recipes. The book claims to redefine vegetarianism by moving it away from the "'lentil and sandal' image."

See Also:

Getting Started & Doing it Right

Nutritional Yeast or Brewers Yeast

What is it about those Vegetarians?

Miso Soup Might Help Lower Breast Cancer

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The Vegetarian Society

Vegan Outreach

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