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The primary aim of eating well is to maintain health and wellness and as a bonus is controlling weight too. Certainly, the origins of a weight problem lie with bad eating habits and lifestyle.
People who have opted to follow a flexitarian diet say that switching to this way of eating has health benefits.
So what are the health benefits of a flexitarian diet as it seems to be able to repair the body where it is needed? People love it because it is a way of eating that still allows meat in moderation.
The diet encourages mostly plant-based foods but unlike the rigid vegan diet, it is a bit more flexible. That is one of the other benefits of a flexitarian diet – you do not have to eliminate meat entirely. Flexitarians, therefore, are not considered to be vegetarians or vegans.
Because the diet does not stipulate how many calories you must consume the flexitarian Diet has no clear-cut rules or recommended numbers of calories and macro-nutrients. This is a benefit in itself – the ease of the diet. In fact, it is more of a lifestyle than a diet, and the health benefits of a flexitarian diet are enormous.
Some of the many health benefits a flexitarian diet offers
◼ Better health
The reason for this is that a diet with more vegetables means a diet with more fiber. Fiber is essential for maintaining cholesterol levels and eliminating toxins through bowel movements. Good bowel movements are essential for a healthy immune system. Fiber also helps regulate blood sugar levels.
◼ Cancer protection
When you include more cruciferous vegetables in your diet – cabbage, broccoli, kale, watercress and cauliflower, they slow colon growth and reduce intestinal polyps.
Breast cancer rates are also reduced because they help towards eliminating excess estrogens from the body. These particular vegetables increase your levels of glutathione which is most important as low levels of glutathione are associated with early aging.
◼ Diabetes 2 controlled
Type 2 diabetes, a global health epidemic can also be managed and even prevented by following this diet. The reason for this is that the predominantly plant-based diet aids weight loss, also because of the fiber content. Studies show that type 2 diabetes is a lot lower in flexitarians and vegans as full on meat-eaters.
◼ Include lots of garlic in your foods
Garlic is a food in the flexitarian diet and it has powerful healing properties. It has anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antiviral properties and used in the treatment of colds, flu, infections and even asthma. Add fresh garlic to your diet, especially when you have become somewhat resistant to antibiotic therapy.
This semi-vegetarian diet known as the flexitarian diet works threefold – it is easier on your wallet with less meat, easier on your weight and easier on your health, and your food tastes so good too.
