Flexitarian Diet Plan

The Flexitarian Diet Plan is a vegetarian diet plan that allows the individual to occasionally partake in eating any types of meats. Registered dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner conceived this diet plan that has worked with thousands of overweight patients. Flexitarians are not purist vegetarians but instead are called “semi-vegetarian.” The word is a modern twist combination of “flexible” and “vegetarian.”

This diet plans calorie allowance is at 1,500 per day as opposed to the average 2000 count per day. Breakfast is at 300 calories, lunch at 400 calories and dinner at 500 calories. Flexitarians are allowed two snacks a day at 150 calories each. Individuals on this diet plan can lower their calorie intake to 1,200 per day by skipping the in between meal snacks or raise their calorie intake by 1,800 per day by doubling their breakfast.

There are three levels to the Flexitarian Diet Plan: the beginner, the advance and the expert. The beginner has two vegetarian days a week eating a total of 1.7 pounds of meat or poultry over the rest of the week. The advance has three to four vegetarian days a week with a total consumption of 1.2 pounds of meat or poultry per week. The expert is vegetarian except for two days a week and eats only 9 ounces of meat or poultry per week. The main goal for the expert Flexitarian is to consume as much beans, nuts, whole grains fresh vegetables and fresh fruits.

This diet plan centers on plant-based proteins such as beans, nuts and seeds and the dieter consumes about 50 grams of protein each day. New foods introduced to those on this diet plan are flaxseed oil, agave nectar, quinoa, leafy greens and sunflower-seed butter. The key is to learn to substitute or what is called, “flex swap” foods such as how to use swap fish, chicken or beef in a vegetarian recipe.

This diet plan is pro plant but not anti-meat plan, which is clinically accepted as wholesome and manageable healthy lifestyle change. Flexitarian diet plan helps show how to add more disease-fighting, economical and earth-friendly plant foods to the daily menu and to cut back on large portions of meat. A dieter will lose weight slowly but will feel a whole lot healthier, lighter and energized.

Some of the flex swaps include:

• Chicken breast to Tofu cutlet
• Hamburger to black bean burger
• Lunch meat sandwich to lentil salad in a whole grain pita
• Meat sauce for pasta to white bean and basil
• Shredded cheese on pizza to pinenut topped flatbread
• Shrimp stir-fry to edamame stir-fry
• Sour cream on tacos to guacamole on taco salad
• Steak burrito to vegetarian refried bean burrito
• Turkey chili to vegetarian chili

In as little as 12 weeks individuals on this diet plan can see significant differences in their weight, cholesterol, blood sugars and blood pressure levels. Flexitarians are recommended to a standard exercise of 30-minutes cardio activity five days a week and strength training twice a week. An average dieter on this diet plan can lose 30 pounds between six months to a year and realistically keep the weight off permanently.