Article by the Drummond Team

 Reduced amounts of meat and lots of vegetables – A diet to feed a future of 10 billion people? 

As we continue on our mission to consume less animal products in efforts to save the planet, you’ve probably heard the term flexitarian. We’ll bet your  first thought was that it was something to do with eating vegetables while touching your toes, but it turns out it has nothing to do with physical flexibility. So what does this term mean? Can it actually help you save the planet? And should you be doing it?

Flexitarian essentially means eating a diet that is predominantly plant-based, but allows meat. It involves making a conscious decision to drastically reduce your meat consumption, but it is much more flexible than veganism or vegetarianism, hence the name. Lots of people use the flexitarian diet as a pathway towards a plant-based lifestyle. It acts as a stop-gap between eating too much meat and becoming a full-on vegan. We can see the appeal. Veganism is tough. It requires sacrifice, careful decision-making and despite a number of major brands offering more vegan options, your choices are still limited. Being a flexitarian is less rigid and allows you to make your contribution to helping the planet and eating healthier, while still allowing for the odd meat “treat”. But there has been some furore over the growth of flexitarianism. Some people have claimed that it’s not really a thing, or it’s just a cynical marketing ploy to pander to guilty meat-eaters. So what’s the answer? Is it legit? And are there any benefits? Nutritionists and recent research think there are. And, its  much less strict and often easier to adhere to than a strict vegan diet.  Also, there aren’t any strict measures like counting calories or macros. The greatest potential benefit is the fact that a typical Western diet is red meat, dairy, artificially sweetened and processed foods with minimal plants. A flexitarian approach will likely see an increase in micronutrients being consumed (vitamins and minerals), which is a huge benefit for overall health.

So, what changes am I going to have to make?

For those of you who eat meat every day then this will be the greatest change. For red meat you’re looking at a burger a week or a large steak a month and that’s your lot. You can still have a couple of portions of fish and the same of chicken a week, but plants are where the rest of your protein will need to come from. The researchers are recommending nuts and a good helping of legumes every day instead.

There’s also a major push on all fruit and veg, which should make up half of every plate of food we eat (but this excludes  the “starchy vegetables” such as potatoes!)

The Diet in Detail: 

  1. Nuts – 50g a day
  2. Beans, chickpeas, lentils and other legumes – 75g a day
  3. Fish – 28g a day
  4. Eggs – 13g a day (so one and a bit a week)
  5. Meat – 14g a day of red meat and 29g a day of chicken
  6. Carbs – whole grains like bread and rice 232g a day and 50g a day of starchy vegetables
  7. Dairy – 250g – the equivalent of one glass of milk
  8. Vegetables -(300g) and fruit (200g)

(note that this  diet has room for 31g of sugar and about 50g worth of oils like olive oil)

Tips for becoming a flexitarian:

  • Don’t be afraid to try new fruits and veggies.
  • Find ways of eating that you actually enjoy. Prep can be quite time consuming so make it quick, easy and tasty by pre-chopping, adding herbs spices and oils.
  • If fat-loss is your goal, teaming a flexitarian way of eating will only produce this outcome in the confines of a calorie deficit.

(this article is for information purposes only and is not an endorsement of this diet or product by Drummond Education)

Sources: BBC news / metro.co.uk / The guardian 

Are you interested in teaching Nutrition? Have a look at one of our courses today!