Flexitarianism
Our global food systems are having dramatic and negative consequences on our planet. In 2019 the Lancet medical journal published a study that calls for significant changes to food production and consumption to avoid catastrophic damage to the planet, with targets for our diets to simply “place consumption within the boundaries of the planet” (Willett et al. 2019)
These targets for a “planetary health diet” include a reduction in red meat consumption by more than 50%, a double in the intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, suggesting that plant sources should form the majority of our protein intake.
Enter –the “flexitarian” diet pattern
Flexitarianism centres around plant foods, with a mostly vegetarian approach, yet still allows for the occasional inclusion of meat or animal-based products. It is a more flexible diet pattern than fully vegetarian and vegan diets. It encourages individuals to reduce their consumption of meat in exchange for alternative plant-based protein sources, without advocating the need to completely eliminate animal products out their diets. For this reason, flexitarianism is often referred to as “casual vegetarianism”.
Flexitarianism is based on the following principles:
Consuming mostly fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes.
Focusing on protein sources from plant-based products/foods.
Emphasising whole foods.
Limiting added sugars and salts.
Flexibility to allow incorporation of meat and animal products from time to time, with a focus on higher welfare and leaner animal products.
Followers of flexitarianism claim that it’s focus is adding in new foods to the diet, rather than cutting anything out. Increased variety of plant-based products can be extremely beneficial to health–legumes, wholegrains, nuts and vegetables can be easily incorporated into any existing dietary pattern, increasing micronutrient, fibre and protein consumption in a cheap and highly unrestrictive manner.
The occasional inclusion of meat and animal-based products also reduces the risk of nutritional deficiencies that can come from poorly planned fully-vegan and vegetarian diets, such as Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc, Calcium and Omega-3’s.When animal products are consumed, a stronger emphasis is placed on provenance and welfare of the animals, eating “less but better” meat.
Flexitarianism appeals to individuals who take an interest in both the sustainability and health of their diets, as the increasingly popular diet claims to reduce your carbon footprint with a reduction in the amount of animal products consumed.
Cultivating plants and crops requires far fewer resources than raising animals for human consumption, reducing the overall carbon footprint of a diet when meat is partially replacedby plant-based foods.
References: Willett, W.,Rockström, J.,Loken, B.,Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S., ... & Murray, C. J. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.The Lancet,393(10170), 447-492.