There is no doubt that eating a vegetarian diet is good for your health. People who choose to follow this lifestyle typically gain 15% less weight than meat eaters, generally have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer and live longer than meat eaters. survive till But many of us cannot fathom the idea of completely giving up meat. No turkey on Thanksgiving? No big, juicy steaks off the grill? No 4th of July hot dogs at the family barbecue? How could we survive?
Well, here’s how you can be a vegetarian, “cheat” a little and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is called a “flexitarian” and it allows you to become an “accidental” vegetarian by including meat in your diet on a limited basis. In Dawn Jackson Blatner’s book “The Flexitarian Diet,” she offers 3 levels: beginner, advanced, and expert. At each of these levels, you opt for meat-free days. For example, a beginner may only need 2 meat-free days per week — it doesn’t sound that hard!
The authors point out that it’s not about giving up things in your diet, but about adding more healthy options like beans, nuts, whole grains, and produce. Her plan is based on around 1500 calories a day which will help you lose weight but this can easily be changed up or down – skip the snacks to lower calories or double up on snacks to increase calories.
You sources of protein will be from beans, nuts and seeds and since meat is usually the most expensive grocery item, you can actually save money by eating this way. But, the occasional inclusion of non-veg makes it a lot easier to stick to the plan. Plus, you’ll find that adding only a small amount of meat to some recipes will satisfy your craving without adding too many calories.
Another benefit of eating this modified vegetarian diet plan is that it can help you “wean” off meat if you later decide to become a “full blown” vegetarian. It’s really a case of re-educating yourself from the idea of meat as your main course and using it as a “seasoning” for some of your plant-based dishes.
So, whether or not you choose to follow a strict vegetarian diet plan, most nutritionists would agree that reducing your intake of meat is definitely a healthier way to eat.
Source by Diana Frame
