Thousands of people will start a new diet in the New Year, but often, those diets are rigid plans that do not leave room for changes. A Jefferson City dietitian is bringing attention to another method of healthy eating that could help your heart, your waistline and your pocketbook. Denise Coots, St. Mary’s Health Center dietitian, wants some of her patients to consider changing their eating habits with the flexitarian diet.
What is it?
The flexitarian diet, like its name implies, is flexible. It relies more on vegetables and less on meat for nutrition. The term was first recognized in 2003 when the American Dialect Society called it one of the most useful words of the year to describe the new way of eating.
The flexitarian dieting idea received another boost in 2009 when nutrition expert and dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner wrote The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life.
“There is no set-in-stone definition,” Coots says. “It’s a combination of the two words flexible and vegetarian. It’s a very subjective term.”
Another name for the eating plan could be semi-vegetarian because meals rely heavily on vegetables for vital nutrients. People who consider being vegetarians but can’t go all the way might like the benefits this diet offers. It calls for a reduction in red meat and poultry. Fish is considered a meat substitute.
What’s the benefit?
Blatner says the diet will leave you 15 percent slimmer, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer and help you live 3.6 years longer than your meat-eating counterparts. WebMD indicates those are benefits shown through research on a vegetarian diet, not necessarily a flexitarian one. But there’s no dispute that eating a more plant-based diet is good for your health. Research shows a diet high in red meat is linked to heart disease because some meats are high in saturated fat, which raises cholesterol. Red meat is also linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Coots points to another benefit: The flexitarian diet is easy on your pocketbook. “Meat is the most expensive part of most of our meals,” she says. Filling up on low-cost vegetables and fruits makes money sense.
How does it work?
Knowing you should eat more veggies and actually doing it are two different things. Recipes constitute more than half of Blatner’s book, which helps those interested in the flexitarian diet make the switch. Blatner’s goal is to add more vegetables to your diet, not just cut the meat. Coots advocates for the same strategy. Some people will reduce the size of their meat portions or cut out meat altogether one to two days a week.
“Try meatless Mondays,” Coots suggests. “Maybe that’s a starting point.”
Her family eats meat as part of the evening meal three to four nights a week. More serious flexitarians will skip the meat on all but two days and eat only nine ounces of meat or poultry weekly.
While grabbing fast food or relying on prepared meals is easy, preparing meals with vegetables takes planning. A look inside Coots’ freezer reveals dozens of bags of fruits and vegetable to add to meals, including puréed squash, pumpkin and guacamole, broccoli, peppers and bananas. You’ll find plenty of ideas on how to “hide” puréed vegetables in your meals in Jessica Seinfeld’s book Deceptively Delicious, Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food.
Although the flexitarian diet may start with reducing your meat portions, the result may be a delicious variety of new dishes to try and share in the New Year. You can find dozens of recipes on Blatner’s website dawnjacksonblatner.com/recipes, and Coots shares some of her own.
Just remember, as the name implies, be flexible.
What to cook?
Coots offers this sample meal she offers her family.
- Twice baked potatoes made with steamed/pureed cauliflower, low-fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, pepper, small amount of shredded cheese & parsley for the garnish
Either bake or microwave the potatoes until finished - cooking time will depend on size of potato. Scoop out the flesh and mix with the other ingredients until reach desired consistency. Spoon mixture back into the shells and top with shredded cheese and parsley. You could top these with salsa and additional scoop of Greek yogurt
- Steamed vegetables- broccoli and carrots served with hummus
- Fresh fruit - grapes
- Smoothie of plain Greek yogurt blended with frozen cubed mango
Breakfast:
- scrambled egg whites with pepper and fresh grated Parmesan cheese or salsa
- homemade whole wheat pancakes with pumpkin puree
- fruit - split a banana
Snack
- cheese stick & raisins
Lunch
- organic mac & cheese box with pureed pumpkin
- green beans
- mandarin oranges
Snack - carrot cake muffin or an apple and almonds
Another dinner option:
- Pork loin
- Baked beans
- Left over mashed potatoes
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