The flexitarian diet plan is ranked 3rd in the list of the best diets in the world. Flexitarian is a portmanteau of 2 words: flexible and vegetarian.
This term entered our lives in 2009 with the book “The Flexitarian Diet” by dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner.
What is The Flexitarian Meal Plan?
With a flexitarian diet, you don’t have to eliminate meat.
You can be vegetarian most of the time, but when the urge to eat meat comes along, you can have a burger or steak.
Eating more herbs and less meat can help you lose weight, improve your overall health, and reduce heart disease, diabetes, and cancer rates. So, how is the flexitarian diet applied?
Being flexible is all about adding all five food groups to your diet. These groups are called “new meats” (non-meat proteins such as beans, peas, or eggs), fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, complex sugars (such as starch), and spices.
You can make a meal plan consisting of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes. You can follow up as planned or change your preferences to different recipes weekly.
This plan consists of three to five meals daily: Breakfast is about 300 calories, lunch is 400, and dinner is 500 calories.
Snacks are about 150 calories each. If you do two snacks, you will get 1,500 calories per day.
You can pull this calorie up to a little more or less, depending on your daily activity level, gender, and height, and weight.
Will the Flexitarian Diet Help You Lose Weight?
With the Flexitarian Diet, you will likely lose weight. Studies show that vegetarians eat fewer calories than those who eat meat, which means those who cut out meat gain less weight.
If we emphasize the plant-based nature of this diet, eating large quantities of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will likely result in fewer calories than you’re used to.
This calorie deficit and increase in physical activity allow you to lose weight. How quickly or not depends on how much you keep on the diet.
How Often Should You Exercise While Implementing a Flexitarian Meal Plan?
Exercise is highly recommended. Ideally, you should do 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week or vigorous exercise three times a week for 20 minutes, along with strength training at least two days a week.
The Flexitarian Diet will make you understand how to see the world as your gym.
Also, studies show that plant-based diets help keep cholesterol and blood pressure in check and keep heart disease away.
This is large because plant protein is higher in fiber than animal protein and does not contain less fat and cholesterol.
The American Heart Association says vegetarian diets can be healthy and nutritious if carefully planned.
There are no serious risks or signs of side effects of the Flexitarian meal plan. However, if you have health problems, you should consult your doctor before making any significant dietary changes.
Can the Flexitarian Diet Prevent or Control Diabetes?
Yes, it’s a good option for both. A study published online in the June 2016 issue of the journal PLOS Medicine compared the effects of different plant-based diets on diabetes risk.
Although a strict vegetarian diet resulted in a small reduction in type-2 diabetes risk of 2%, a semi-vegetarian version, such as the Flexitarian Diet, was associated with a significant 20% reduction in diabetes risk.
Flexitarian Meal Plan
Here is a typical 1500-calorie meal day for the Flexitarian Diet.
Breakfast
- Toast with apple and peanut butter
Materials:
1 slice whole-grain bread,
One or half tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter,
1 sliced apple
Lunch
- Veggie Burger
Materials:
1 whole-grain hamburger bread,
1/4 avocado (sliced),
1/4 cup broccoli,
1 orange
Snack
- Ginger and walnut pineapple
Materials:
3 pineapple rings,
2 teaspoons of chopped ginger,
2 teaspoons of chopped walnuts
Dinner
- Pan-frying with peanuts
Materials:
Half a cup of hard tofu cut into cubes or 50-60 g of cooked chicken breast,
2 teaspoons of peanut oil,
2 cups of mixed vegetables,
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger,
2 cloves of chopped garlic,
1/4 cup of fresh pineapple juice,
1 cup cooked brown rice,
2 tablespoons chopped coriander.
Dessert
- Mexican hot chocolate
Materials:
1 cup skim milk,
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder,
1 tablespoon honey,
Cinnamon
Printable (PDF) Flexitarian Meal Plan
Meals | Day |
---|---|
Breakfast | Toast with apple and peanut butter (1 slice whole grain bread, one or half tablespoon almond butter, or peanut butter, 1 sliced apple) |
Lunch | Veggie Burger (1 whole-grain hamburger bread, 1/4 avocado (sliced), 1/4 cup broccoli, 1 orange.) |
Snack | Ginger and walnut pineapple (3 pineapple rings, 2 teaspoons of chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons of chopped walnuts) |
Dinner | Pan frying with peanuts (Half a cup of hard tofu cut into cubes or 50-60 g of cooked chicken breast, 2 teaspoons of peanut oil, 2 cups of mixed vegetables, 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1/4 cup of fresh pineapple broth, 1 cup cooked brown rice, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander.) |
Dessert | Mexican hot chocolate (1 cup skim milk, 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon honey, Cinnamon) |
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