by Maple Herzog

Created on: September 12, 2009

Flexitarian is the term used to describe someone who eats mostly vegetarian food, but is not entirely opposed to occasionally consuming meat, fish or poultry. In fact, flexitarians can be described as closet omnivores - much of their daily meals consist of vegetables, fruits and grains but they will not say no to a piece of meat or a salmon burger every once in a while. The American Dialect Society voted the word 'flexitarian' as the most useful word of 2003.

In general, a flexitarian consumes much the same ingredients as a vegetarian. While vegetarianism and veganism is more of an idealogy, the flexitarian's diet is due largely to lifestyle changes - that is incorporating more vegetables into his or her diet for a healthier lifestyle. The key to a flexitarian's diet is moderation.

John Hopkins University published a research that showed that one vegetarian-based meal a week can reduce the average intake of saturated fat by up to 15 percent. This shows that diet based around greens and fruits are largely beneficial. On the other hand, many people find that giving up meat completely is difficult, hence the flexitarian diet. The flexitarian diet is also more economical and environmentally sustainable since meat products are often more expensive and take a larger toll on the environment through carbon emissions.

If you are looking to adopt the flexitarian lifestyle, you can start by setting aside one day in each week as a purely vegetarian day. Base your meals around whole grains, greens and fruits. For example, you can start off the day by having a bowl of oats with soy milk and fruits, have a grilled vegetable sandwich for lunch and for dinner, a mixed vegetable stir fry with quinoa. Slowly extend your vegetarian-based days to at least 4 or 5 times a week. Substitute milk for soy milk, use nuts and seeds instead of cheese and use ingredients made without meat-based products like butter.

You can also cut your regular meat consumption in half by substituting meat ingredients for vegetarian ones. For example, instead of using chicken breasts or lean beef, you can use tofu. A grilled Portobello mushroom sandwich is delicious with grilled veggies, while using tofu can add protein and meat-like texture to stir-fries, curries or soups.

Some recipes that can be incorporated into a flexitarian diet include:

- Pasta with kale, shiitake mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts and grated parmesan (substitute sundried tomatoes with chicken strips)

- Asian sweet and sour soup with eggs and tofu (substitute tofu for chicken breasts)

- 3 bean salad with greens, edamame, garbanzo bean and black beans (substitute beans with tuna or beef)

- Green curry with eggplant, broccoli and bamboo shoots and tofu (substitute eggplant nd tofu with chicken or beef strips)

- Vegetable stew with zucchini, mushrooms and carrots (substitute mushrooms for lamb)

A flexitarian diet is flexible enough to incorporate meat or soy or bean based protein if needed. It is a way to ensure that you stay heart healthy while still being able to enjoy the occasional quarter-pound burger or steak!

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