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"What do you eat?!” may be the question most often heard by vegetarians, as if meat is the only food group available. Obviously, as the five million thriving vegetarians in America have shown, there’s a lot to eat, without choosing meat—and they’re healthier as a result. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, vegetarians have lower rates of cancer, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. While simple recipes abound for tasty meatless fare, vegetarianism is a leap that many aren’t prepared to take. But you can still have many of the health benefits of a vegetarian diet without trading your turkey for Tofurkey by trying "flexitarianism" on for size. Flexitarians, or semi-vegetarians, are “sometimes" vegetarians, meaning people who reduce some of their meat consumption and fill the gap with other plant-based food groups—eating a mostly vegetarian diet, yet remaining flexible. Although the name is new, the idea is not. In fact, a few generations ago, meat was most often eaten in side-dish portions, while other food groups took center stage. Beans, vegetables, and grains supplied the bulk of a meal, while the meat supplied the flavor. This might sound backward, but many nutrition experts agree that our health would benefit if we took this “old-fashioned” approach to eating. Eating less meat and more grains, beans, fruits and veggies means you’ll be consuming fewer calories, less saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. And that adds up to a lot of health benefits. On average, people who eat less meat are leaner, less apt to weight gain than people who eat the most meat, less prone to cancer, especially colorectal cancer, and suffer from fewer heart problems. Another benefit is that you’ll save money. Meat costs more per pound than most foods. You can use that extra cash you save to get a gym membership, new running shoes, or an iPod for your workouts. Committing to a 100% vegetarian diet isn’t necessary to achieve the health benefits that vegetarians enjoy. There aren’t specific guidelines to exactly how much meat to cut out to achieve these benefits, but cutting back even slightly is a positive change. A national health campaign known as Meatless Monday promotes cutting out meat one day each week, but you could try meatless lunches during the week for the same effect. Now, replacing a sirloin steak with a can of pinto beans might not appeal to you. But how does roasted tomato-eggplant ratatouille with rice, or spicy black bean chili and cheesy cornbread sound? There are many meals like these that taste so good you won’t even think to ask “where’s the beef?” Eggplant parmesan, pasta salad, bean burritos, and vegetable fajitas are some good examples. Admittedly, a flexitarian diet will call on your creativity. Here are some tips to get you started:
What it all boils down to is balance and moderation. Although moderation never sounds exciting, the benefits to your health, your waistline, and your wallet can be very exciting indeed!  Want to learn more about going meatless? Check out SparkPeople's first e-book! It's packed with over 120 delicious meat-free recipes, plus tips and tricks for going meatless. Get it on Amazon for $2.99 and start cooking easy, wholesome veg-centric meals the whole family will love!
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Nutrition Articles › Healthy HabitsMeatless Meals Benefit Your HealthA ''Flexitarian'' Diet Meets in the Middle-- By Liza Barnes, Health EducatorSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
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Liza Barnes
Liza has two bachelor's degrees: one in health promotion and education and a second in nursing. A registered nurse and mother, regular exercise and cooking are top priorities for her. See all of Liza's articles. |
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Member Comments
I went VEGAN (no meat, dairy or eggs) for half a year once and lost over 30lbs with no exercise. I felt amazing too, but cheese and ranch dressing were my downfall. I should really try veganism again someday, maybe even raw vegan or fruitarianism. - 6/10/2012 12:27:48 AM
- 5/23/2012 4:26:36 PM
- 4/24/2012 8:31:07 AM
Um, have to disagree with you on that... unless you call my 10 years meat-free as lacking willpower. No need to be condescending or rude about why people are attempting to discredit the article... have you thought that maybe the article is not accurate and relies on biased information? The article says a lot more than "eat more veggies"... if that's all it said, I would completely agree. Instead it talks of the benefits of avoiding meat, to which I do disagree and for good reason.
In the end, I will also get a steak and big helping of veggies, so maybe we agree... although I may have more than 4 ounces of steak. :) - 4/6/2012 12:54:32 PM
You can complain about the difference between a pescatarian, flexitarian and a vegetarian, I'll just worry about getting the 4 ounce steak instead of the 16 and add a big pile of vegetables on the side. - 3/14/2012 7:35:58 AM
Apparently there are 5 million vegetarians in the US who, as an aggregate, have lower rates of some diseases. This statistic has reference bias written all over it - vegetarians by definition are mindful eaters - they think about what goes into their mouths. I am sure we could find another group of 5 million Americans who are also mindful eaters who happen to include meat in their diets and are as healthy or healthier than the 5 million non-meat eaters.
In reality health and nutrition is so complex it is almost impossible to account for, or control, all the variables and confounders in any given piece of research. Promoting a meatless diet as being healthier is bad science. If you want to suggest people try it and see how it works for them, I have no quarrel with that, but please hold off on the unfounded, unproven statements about what is healthier - we all know the results of the "fat is bad" message from a few years ago. Oops, turns out we need fat - who knew? - 3/2/2012 6:32:22 PM
I do occasionally eat meals without meat, and don't care what it is called. I do eat meat, fish, eggs, and it has helped me restore my health after 10 years being vegetarian/vegan that made me very ill (and fat!).
I say, if you enjoy eating a veg diet and continue to have good health on it, then by all means keep it up! If not, do not let anyone make you feel guilty for eating meat. But then, SP has a book to sell, so they are pushing veg left & right. - 3/2/2012 5:49:27 PM