Friday, October 17, 2008

The new fad: Flexitarianism

In case you haven't heard the term before, a "flexitarian" is essentially a casual vegetarian. An almost vegetarian. Someone who generally abstains from meat but may have a burger at a friend's barbecue or enjoy their grandmother's pot roast. Some advocates are environmentally motivated. Some are motivated by the growing number of studies revealing the health benefits of reducing red meat intake. And some have simply grown fond of the growing variety of vegetarian dishes available nowadays.

The concept/practice is catching the attention of many with the recent release of Dawn Jackson Blatner's, "The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life."

I wish it were being approached as more of a lifestyle change, or diet change, than as a diet but if that's what it takes to open peoples' ears than it's fine by me. Read more about flexitarianism here, here and here.

2 comments:

CB said...

Deborah - I agree with everything you say especially the part about "lifestyle change". I purchased The Flexitarian Diet and it really is a great book and definitely a step in the right direction. If books like this help people change and it is packaged as a "diet" well then I am all for it because in the end it will help.

Anonymous said...

Thanks! Every small step counts, right?