Blog

• Being a Flexitarian and the Benefits – brought to you in partnership with Pure Heavenly Chocolate

  

   

  Question number 1: What is a flexitarian diet? Well, it is simply, someone who has a flexible diet. The main aspect of their diet is mainly vegetarian, which means they mainly enjoy a diet of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains but they occasionally still enjoy meat and fish as part of their diet. The main reason people take up this diet is to decrease the amount of meat in their diet. This can be for both environmental and physical reasons.

  A plus of becoming a flexitarian is you’ll save some money on your weekly shop. You will be switching one of the most expensive parts of your meal, with something more cost-effective. Why not try switching your usual chicken curry for a tasty paneer and veggie curry, an easy swap for something that is just as tasty? One thing we have been craving in our home lately (especially with this chilly weather) is freshly made tomato soup, made simply from tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, and some herbs and spices. An easy recipe that can be enjoyed by itself or with a cheeky cheese toasty for dipping.  Flexitarian diets don’t rely on special, or hard ingredients to find, they usually consist of things you would include in your typical weekly shop. You wouldn’t have to add anything else to the trolly, just simply double up on a couple of things that you’ve already put in.

  A lot of people get concerned that they won’t feel full after eating a vegetarian meal. This simply isn’t something to worry about – if you are filling your bowl with lots of nutritional goodness you will feel full in no time. And if that doesn’t cut it, you can always go back for seconds. The easiest way to make sure you are consuming enough is to try and make sure you are eating your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. One of the biggest benefits to eating your five portions of fruit and vegetables is that you will be consuming more nutrient-dense foods, which is a great thing for your body and health. Nutrient-dense foods are the ones that pack in lots of GREAT nutrients, with a relatively small number of calories.

  Another reason to try a flexitarian lifestyle is it helps with the environment too. When you eat a mostly meat-based diet, it does produce a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, and going vegetarian, flexitarian or vegan is something small that can help you reduce your carbon footprint. Make sure to try and buy your fruit and vegetables that are produced in the UK, it is great for the British farmers and a little something we can do to look after our planet. If you are going to enjoy meat; we would say to avoid processed meat including sausages, bacon, ham, salami, and hot dogs. There are a lot of health and environmental reasons to try and keep the amount of processed meat down to a minimum in your diet.

  As we’ve said the best part of the flexitarian lifestyle is being able to eat what you want and it’s easy to follow, there are no hard rules; it’s just making a small tweak to your lifestyle. Even if you try to cut out meat Monday to Thursday you can still enjoy your Friday night treat food and your Sunday roast with your family and friends.

  Pure Heavenly Vegan, Low Sugar, Dairy Free Chocolate and Gift Boxes