What Is Flexitarianism, Why Is It Such A Mouthful And Does It Work?

Everyone who has ever started a new diet would know, counting your calories while you go can be a right pain in the proverbials. Yes, it’s empowering. Yes, it’s good to understand where your energy comes from. But who has enough time in their lives to do it? Luckily for you, there’s an easy way to hit that fast-working diet without having to use your math skills so much. Introducing flexitarianism.

We do realise that you’d be spending more time pronouncing the word than counting those calories, but hear us out. It’s just ‘flexible’ and ‘vegetarian’ combined. That means, dear Reader, that it’s just a flexible alternative to being vegetarian.

You can focus on fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes and nuts, with the ability every now and then to have a cheeky little steak. Depending on your commitment level, you can stretch your meat intake from 255 grams to a more manageable 793 grams of meat per week.

When you first start out, cutting meat completely might be a bit daunting. Start off with cutting two nights a week of having chicken for dinner and see how you go. As you move through the diet, try and eat more fruits and vegetables, keeping check on your meat consumption and stretching it to maybe one night and then none.

The overall goal is to eat a more nutritious diet with plant-heavy foods and less meat. When you do incorporate meat in, try to buy organic or free-range produce.