At We Feed You we hear about a lot of people looking to up their plant intake and adopting a plant-based eating style or wondering how a flexitarian dietary pattern might be beneficial.
Well we are here to help! First let us explain what these terms mean, they are actually very similar. Flexitarian focuses on still including all food groups in the diet but making a commitment to include more plant-based meals during the week. Like following a flexitarian pattern still allows for the inclusion of all food groups, however focuses on the plant-based pattern the majority of a meal coming from plants – think grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, fruit & vegetables.
The reason we like these dietary patterns is that they still encourage consuming foods from all food groups (when you’re told to eliminate particular foods or food groups this should raise a red flag!). They also promote the benefits of including more plant foods in our diet, such as increased fibre intake and broader nutrient intake both offering many protective health benefits. Not to mention a diet containing a greater volume of plants is typically more sustainable and less resource intensive.
How to implement this at home?
- Adopt meat free Mondays
- Build a repertoire of plant-based dishes (you won’t compromise on taste or satisfaction!)
- If you have a meat-based lunch, have a vegetarian dinner (or vice versa)
Is this something you’re doing? We’d love to hear.
