The flexitarian diet (also known as semivegetarian diet) consists of eating meat occasionally while increasing the intake of plant-based products. It is a great solution for people who want to take care of their health and the environment without the strict restrictions of a vegetarian or vegan diet.

A flexitarian diet is a diet that consists of eating meat occasionally, e.g. when going out to a restaurant, party, etc., in favour of a higher intake of plant-based products. It is a kind of semivegetarianism (a variant of vegetarianism), as although it does not prohibit the consumption of meat, it recommends limiting it, especially red meat (e.g. beef, pork) and relies rather on the occasional consumption of fish or poultry. 

For whom is flexitarianism dedicated?

The flexitarian diet is a great idea for people who want to take better care of their health, as well as the environment, but at the same time do not feel the need to introduce strict restrictions into their lives related to the total exclusion of meat (vegetarianism) or all animal products (veganism).

Flexitarianism – benefits

1.Treatment and prevention of many diseases

Due to the reduction in consumption of animal products in favour of plant-based products, this diet naturally has a lower intake of saturated fatty acids or cholesterol and a greater supply of fibre, vitamins and minerals. All this has a beneficial effect on the treatment and prevention of many diseases, including type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

2.Helping to control body weight

Of course, whether you lose weight or gain weight depends primarily on the calorie supply of your diet rather than what you eat, but increasing your intake of plant-based foods often naturally results in weight loss. This is because fruit and vegetables are a rich source of fibre, which contributes to feelings of satiety, while being much lower in calories than, say, fried meat. By replacing meat on your plate with vegetables, you often consume far fewer kcal, even though the meal portion is the same or even larger. If, at the same time, you control the eating of sweets and other highly processed products and eat them occasionally in a similar way to meat, you will certainly not be concerned about the extra kilos.

3.Positive impact on the environment

By limiting your meat consumption, you can help to conserve natural resources by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing water and land consumption.

Research into the sustainability of plant-based diets has shown that switching from the average Western diet to flexitarianism, in which meat is partially replaced by plant-based foods, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7%.

Eating more meals based on locally grown fruit and vegetables will also result in more land being used precisely to grow them, rather than for livestock feed or farming. Growing crops requires far fewer resources than raising animals.

Flexitarianism – risks

Flexitarians, just like vegans and vegetarians, despite the many pluses of following diets that limit the intake of certain types of products, always face certain risks, more specifically the failure to provide adequate amounts of certain vitamins and minerals, among others:

• vitamin B12
• zinc
• omega 3 acids
• iron
• calcium

These compounds are either mainly provided from animal products (vitamin B12, omega 3 acids) or are much better absorbed from them (zinc, calcium, iron), and therefore their reduced supply in the diet may result in deficiencies of the above-mentioned components in the body. Such deficiencies are very rare and only occur in the case of a non-diverse and unbalanced diet. Of course, with possible deficiencies identified by blood tests and after consultation with a doctor, the introduction of appropriate supplementation should solve the problem.

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Bibliography:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5094759/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/flexitarian-diet-guide#downsides