Losing Weight with the Flexitarian Diet

Now that it's the New Year, New Year's Resolutions are in full swing. One of the most popular resolutions is to eat healthy and lose weight. There are so many options out there for diets, so how do you choose which one will fit you best? How do you change your diet to be healthy without giving up everything you love?

One idea that is growing in popularity is that of the "flexitarian" diet. This is a version of being a vegetarian. But before you get scared, know that flexitarians don't give up meat entirely. They simply work to reduce the amount they eat in order to improve their health, while increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables and grains they consume.The goal is to have a healthy lifestyle, and not strictly adhere to an ideology.

Eating a flexitarian diet can impact your weight, as well as your health, especially if you are currently a frequent meat eater. Beef and other meat has high levels of saturated fat, and while it includes high levels of protein, most Americans eat more than the recommended daily intake of protein.

If you reduce the amount of meat you eat, you will reduce your daily intake of fat, and reduce the amount of calories you eat. However, you do not have to give up meat entirely. Most flexitarians still eat fish and other seafood as well. If you maintain a healthy diet and keep your calories in check, you will see weight loss as well as other health benefits such as better cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure.

So how do you get started? I would highly recommend buying a recipe book. One that can give you the appropriate swaps for meat. The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life by Dawn Jackson Blatner gives you simple recipes to help you make your transition. You can get it at www.amazon.com for about $17. This book will also introduce you to some areas of fitness to help you get started.

If you need more information on getting started on a flexitarian diet, I also highly recommend doing some research online before purchasing a lot of materials.Visit the American Dietetic Association's website for more information. Once on the website, run a search for "flexitarian" and you will find articles and book review to help you get started.