You have certainly heard of vegetarianism, a diet that totally eliminates meat consumption, although it includes other animal products such as eggs and milk. But have you ever seen anything about "quasi vegetarians" who even shy away from meat but eventually consume these foods from time to time?
If so, can we be talking about a flexitarian? word that comes from the junction of? flexible? and "vegetarian". This is exactly how flexitarianism works: meat is avoided most of the time, but dieters allow themselves to consume it on rare occasions.
Being flexitarian is different from being omnivorous
Most people follow an omnivorous diet, which means they eat everything: vegetables, fruits, cereals, eggs, milk, fish, chicken, beef, etc. A flexitarian may even consume meat, but it differs from the omnivore by the frequency with which it does.
In flexitarianism, the diet is much more like a vegetarian diet, as its followers prefer plant foods for about 80% of their meals, whether for health or ecological reasons.
In this mode, meat consumption happens sporadically, depending on the social context, such as a birthday party, and personal will. Thus, the intake of fish, chicken and pork or cattle is much more restricted for a flexitarian than for an omnivore, who consumes these foods for most of their meals.
Also read: Is red meat bad for your health?
Reasons that lead to flexitarianism
The choice for a flexarian diet can be motivated for different reasons. One of the simplest is personal preference, when someone does not like the taste of most meats and therefore avoids their consumption? although you can eat meat-containing foods such as salty pies, bacon crumbs, and feijoada.
Another reason for adopting a flexitarian diet is when a person would even like to stop eating meat, either because they feel guilty about the animals or the impact this habit has on the environment, but can not be completely without food.
This way, people start to reserve this animal derivative for very few meals. This is a common situation for those who have just made the decision to go vegetarian, making flexitarianism sometimes a transitional period between diets.
There are still people who would like to be vegetarians, but for some reason are not being able to meet their iron and vitamin B12 needs, found mainly in meat. In this way, they end up consuming small portions of this food for health reasons.
In addition to flexibility, professional guidance is required.
A flexitarian diet can have a number of benefits, including for the environment. Meat production and consumption have a major responsibility for carbon dioxide emission and water use. Thus, restricting the intake of this food is a way to reduce the environmental impact.
Read also: Vitamin B12: Know the benefits it can bring to your life
In addition, excessive meat consumption is associated with the development of diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity and cancer, making flexitarianism a healthier diet.
Despite these benefits, those who decide to adopt a diet that restricts meat consumption needs to have nutritional monitoring, because there is a change in the amount of nutrients ingested, such as those already mentioned iron and vitamin B12 and, to a lesser extent, proteins.
Thus, when assuming a major change in eating habits, it is always recommended to seek professional guidance to ensure that the new diet will only have positive effects on your health.
Ending the battle between vegans, vegetarians, and everyone else | Brian Kateman | TEDxCUNY (April 2024)
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