Have you been tempted to become avegetarian, but the thought of givingup barbecues or your mom's meatloafseems too daunting? Thankfully, youcan obtain many of the same benefits ofvegetarian living without forgoing meatcompletely. You just have to become a"flexitarian."

Flexitarians eat mostly plant-basedfoods but dabble in steak, chicken stir-fry or fish tacos. Their loose adher-ence to a meat-free diet is motivatedby animal rights, concerns over theearth's ecology and research suggestingimpressive health perks from swappingbeef for beans more often. "Think of itas a pro-plant, not anti-meat dietarylifestyle," says Dawn Jackson Blatner,RD, LDN, a Chicago-based dietitianand author of The Flexitarian Diet(McGraw-Hill 2008).

Why embrace flexitarianism?Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, a Canadian-based dietitian, freelance nutritionwriter and recipe developer, discussesreasons below.

It's, Well, FlexibleWhat exactly does being a flexitarianentail? Does it mean eating animal pro-tein once a week? Once a month? Oncea day? "As the name suggests, the beautyof flexitarianism is that it's all aboutoptions," says Blatner.

You can embrace meatless Mondays,making 1 day a week meat-free. Or youcan start by simply cutting the quantityof meat in certain meals; for example,replacing half the beef in burgers andtacos with mushrooms. You just haveto work toward switching from a meat-heavy diet to a plant-based one.

Flexitarianism is. also convenientwhen dining out. No more sticking tolackluster veggie menus! However, asdemand for vegetarian options increases,more restaurants will offer a better rangeof meatless menu choices.

It Can Trim Your WaistlineMidriffs everywhere may also benefitfrom meatless Mondays.

Researchers at Boston's TuftsUniversity compared food-frequencyquestionnaires from more than 55,000healthy women, finding that semi-vegetarians-who consume just smallamounts of animal products-were 11%less likely to be overweight or obese thanregular omnivores (Newby, Tucker &Wolk 2005). Similarly, a Journal of theAmerican Dietetic Association studyshowed that subjects who ate or drankmore calories from animal proteins wereat greater risk of being overweight orobese than those who consumed feweranimal proteins (Murtaugh et al. 2007).

It Offers a BetterNutrient BalancePlant-based foods are rich in fiber,disease-thwarting antioxidants and anumber of vitamins (such as vitaminC) that you won't find in meats. So it isno surprise that an American Journal ofClinical Nutrition study found that semi-vegetarians live on average 3.6 years lon-ger than meat-adoring nonvegetarians,likely owing to lower rates of chronicdiseases that have a diet connection-such as diabetes, heart disease and can-cer (Singh, Sabate & Fraser 2003).

Yet, by including reasonable amountsof animal-based foods in your diet, you

don't have to worry as much about get-ting enough protein, calcium, vitaminD, iron and vitamin B12, says Jim White,RD, spokesman for the Academy ofNutrition and Dietetics and owner ofJim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios inVirginia Beach, Virginia. (These nutri-ents can be lacking in stringent vegetar-ian and vegan diets.) If your flexitariandiet does include very few animal-basedfoods, consult with a dietitian who isversed in vegetarian eating and can makesure you are covering all your macronu-trient and micronutrient bases .•

ReferencesMurtaugh, M.A., et aJ. 2007. Diet composition and risk

of overweight and obesity in women living in thesouthwestern United States. Journal of the AmericanDieteticAssociation, 107, (8), 1311-21.

Newby P.K., Tucker K.L., & Wolk, A. 2005. Risk ofoverweight and obesity among semi vegetarian, lac-tovegetarian, and vegan women. American Journal ofClinical Nutrition, 81 (6), 1267-74.

Singh, P.N., Sabate, J., & Fraser, G.E. 2003. Does lowmeat consumption increase life expectancy in humans?American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78 (3), 526S- 32S.

PROTEIN POWERTaking meat out of the equation does not

mean the body must be deprived of protein,

which is required for muscle growth and

recovery. Incorporating these meatless

protein heavyweights into a "meat-light"

day makes reaching your quota a cinch.

14cup = 11 grams (g) protein

1 cup cooked = 8 g protein

1 cup = 17 g protein

3 ounces = 9 g protein

1 cup = 18 g protein

1 cup = 13 g protein

6 ounces =18 g protein

2 large = 12 g protein

This handout is a service of IDEA, the leading international membership association in the health and fitness industry, www.ideafit.com.© 2014 by IDEA Fitness Journal. Reprint permission is granted to IDEA members by the copyright owner, IDEA Health & Fitness Inc., (800) 999·4332.

May 2014 IDEA Fitness Journal I 87