The Alternatives to a strict Vegetarian/Vegan Diet are Semi-Vegetarian or Flexitarian Diet
Whether becoming a vegetarian is a moral choice relating to the environment, a contentious choice over animal rights, or a simple desire to eat a in a healthier manner, it is not always easy to make the transition to a completely plant based diet after a lifetime of consuming animal products. Many people are choosing to start their transition with a flexitarian diet as they move toward vegetarianism; others are opting simply to be flexitarian. Many people are looking for a way to enjoy eating a healthier diet, one that allows them to feel good about themselves, their food choices and still feel satisfied with their meals. For some a flexitarian diet is one way of achieving all these goals. Flexitarians are people who favor a mostly vegetarian diet, but who will still occasionally eat meat. The health benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets are well touted and wonderful, but some people find the meals too restrictive, especially in the beginning.
Medical concerns over the long-term effects of eating meat and consuming animal-based products on the human body are becoming more common. In recent years, health professionals around the world have suggested that a vegan or vegetarian diet containing plant-based foods is one of the best ways to improve overall health, increase the intake of necessary vitamins, nutrients and natural fiber, as well as lowering cholesterol and maintaining a healthier weigh. As we now know, a well balanced diet consisting of nuts, legumes, grains, fruits and vegetables is perfectly capable of providing everything the human body needs.
The problem for many people lies in the fact that having been raised eating meat and animal-based products can make it difficult for some to stick to the transition of eating without them. Sometimes simple cravings for the missing items are the reason a switch to a healthier diet fails. In cases like these, a flexitarian can choose to indulge in as much plant-based food as possible daily and on occasion choose to eat a small portion of fish, poultry, pork, beef, or other animal products as needed to satisfy the immediate cravings. This allows them to gain the enormous benefits of greatly increased plant-based foods. A choice of a day or two with meat, eggs, and dairy products during the week can help those new to a healthier regime stay on target.
The Alternatives to a strict Vegetarian/Vegan Diet are Semi-Vegetarian or Flexitarian Diet by UrbanSculpt Principal Health Education Practitioner Brenda Rivera - Billings M.Sc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://urbansculpt.com/blogs/2014/1/5/the-alternatives-to-a-strict-vegetarianvegan-diet-are-semi-vegetarian-or-flexitarian-diet.
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