Strategy #4: Become a Flexitarian

Become a Flexitarian

       At one point I thought about becoming a vegetarian because I had learned about all the benefits. However, I thought it was going to be hard and also I just didn't see myself following a diet of total exclusion of meat and animal products. Later I decided I could just have diet with plenty of veggies and a little bit of meat-what do you know they had a word for that: Flexitarian! A flexitarian diet is mostly plant-based but has the flexibility of adding in meat into it. I love it! You will be surprised how many new vegetables you will learn about just by following a mostly plant based diet. Meat tastes good but having a predominantly meat based diet has shown to increase the risk of heart disease, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cholesterol problems and some proteins found in animal products actually turn on cancer genes (we all have cancer genes). You may be feeling as fit as a fiddle today but the saturated fat from excess meat consumption is slowly building up in your arteries. I have met people who have had heart attacks before the age of 40 and all I can think about is the food they were eating before the attack. If only someone would have told them to cut down on the meat and eat more veggies right? It's really sad.
      There are many benefits to eating a plant-based diet:
1.Lower cholesterol (LDL)
2. Healthy weight
3. Fiber in plants aid in digestion
4. Antioxidants in plants lower risk of some cancers
5. Gorgeous skin
6. Plants are cheaper than meat
7. Lower risk of diabetes
8. Lower risk of heart disease
9. You will feel lighter and have more energy
10.Lower risk of developing high blood pressure
  It may be mind boggling  how you could honestly have a meal without meat but it is possible. When I started, I picked one day out of the week that would be a meat-free day. I did that for a while and I discovered it was not too bad so I extended that to most days of the week. Ease into it and I promise, you will surprise yourself.