(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Millions of Americans are struggling with their health and levels of physical fitness, largely because modern diets are so replete with fat and sugar that it’s almost impossible to eat healthy in this day and age. Luckily, there are still some ways to ensure that our diets aren’t killing us, as eating healthy isn’t quite as unachievable as it may sometimes seen. Indeed, by carefully conducting research you can discover new and exciting ways to eat more plants while reducing your consumption of lackluster foods that diminish your overall health.
A flexitarian diet, for instance, can radically reshape how you approach your personal health. Here’s how a flexitarian diet will help you eat more plants, and why it’s becoming more popular in our era of rising obesity rates.
It’s time to go green
Everybody wants to eat healthier and live a more active lifestyle, but we all know that’s easier said than done. After all, fast food restaurants seem to be the norm these days, and even health gurus find it hard to locate excellent multivitamins or reliably-sourced health foods that are also affordable and easy to prepare and consume. By relying on a flexitarian diet, you’ll quickly realize that it’s still possible to eat healthy (while also splurging every once in a while) as long as you make the right choices and plan your meals out ahead of time.
What is a flexitarian diet, anyway? As the name implies, a flexitarian diet is somewhat flexible; while it mostly focuses on eating plant-based foods, it allows for some flexibility and will permit the consumption of meat and other animal products as long as it’s done in moderation. You’re thus embracing the lifestyle of a vegetarian without committing to it, enabling you to eat some of your favorite foods while also ensuring that your broader diet remains mostly healthy by being plant-based.
Why are flexitarian diets all the rage right now? Largely because plant-based diets are arguably needed to save the planet, according to some climate scientists and food producers who are worried about the costs associated with the mass production of red meat. The most attractive part of a flexitarian diet is that it’s not overly strict; you’re still allowed to consume animal products, but are simply supposed to make an effort to do so in a healthy and sustainable fashion while sticking mostly to better plant-based alternatives. You thus don’t have to worry about giving up your Alpha Wolf Nutrition or other multivitamin supplements when embracing such a diet and lifestyle.
Not everyone has what it takes to be a flexitarian, though, so it’s important that you don’t rush into this endeavor without preparing yourself ahead of time. If you attempt to become a flexitarian without truly understanding it, you could scare yourself away from the lifestyle before you achieve any stellar fitness or health results.
Small steps
So, how do you actually become a flexitarian to ensure you’ll be eating more plants? The best advice is to begin by taking small steps; many people try to embrace a flexitarian diet or even a full-on vegetarian lifestyle immediately and without conducting ample research ahead of time. This leads them to make a number of common vegetarian mistakes which can imperil their health or mood. By easing into a flexitarian diet with small steps, you’ll make gradual improvements to your health while also ensuring you don’t grow fed up with the lifestyle and throw it out altogether after a few weeks.
An excellent way to begin is by familiarizing yourself with plant-based cookbooks and other catalogues of information which will help you produce tasty yet healthy meals and snacks by relying mostly or entirely on plants. Most people who aren’t already vegetarians or flexitarians may not be aware of what they can and can’t eat, so familiarizing yourself with the literature is an essential step if you want to get this diet right the first time.
Whenever you feel as if a flexitarian diet is too challenging to maintain, remind yourself of its health benefits. Not only are flexitarians and others who stick mostly to plans less likely to develop diabetes, for instance, but they’re generally at a substantially lower risk of heart disease because of their reduced or eliminated consumption of meat. A green diet is healthy for your body and mind alike, too, and can help you achieve greater levels of mental clarity than you’ve previously enjoyed.
Always remember to properly wash and prepare your foods before consuming them, regardless of whether they’re plant-based or meat-based. Before long, you’ll find that a flexitarian diet is far more manageable than a vegetarian one and nearly as healthy. For those trying to eat more plants without sacrificing their favorite foods, a flexitarian diet is the ideal lifestyle.