The flexitarian diet is a diet that does not prohibit any food but favors the consumption of those that are better for the protection of the environment, and therefore for health. Vegetable proteins are thus favored and the consumption of meat and fish is reduced. It's actually more of an alternative way of eating rather than a full-fledged diet, akin to "eat better" rather than "eat less." The flexitarian diet generally advocates the consumption of good quality foods at the expense of an abundant diet.
We talk about a flexitarian diet to designate a diet that will favor over time a diet that increases the sources of vegetable proteins and decreases those of animal origin such as meat and fish. This is why a flexitarian diet is considered to be a diet that gives pride of place to so-called more sustainable foods, that is, foods that meet present needs and that do not compromise the satisfaction of the needs of future generations. As stated by Public Health France, the national public health agency, sustainable food is "food that respects the environment, is economically accessible and socially equitable, which aims to feed women and men in sufficient quality and quantity, today and tomorrow".
Adopting a flexitarian diet does not mean completely eliminating certain types of food from your diet as advocated by the vegetarian diet, a dietary practice that excludes the consumption of meat, fish, seafood, and sometimes eggs, or the vegan diet which completely bans the consumption of all products of animal origin (meat, fish, seafood), as well as eggs, dairy products and honey. This is why the flexitarian diet takes its name from the adjective flexible which characterizes flexibility, the way of "easily adapting to circumstances", as indicated in the Le Robert dictionary.
The flexitarian diet, in fact, does not prohibit the consumption of certain foods at all. It is rather, according to its possibilities, its desires, its rhythm, etc., to reduce those which are not respectful of the environment and to favor food of good quality and if possible produced locally.
Thus, the flexitarian diet consists more of diversifying your diet and modifying, by reducing them, the quantities and frequencies of certain foods such as meat and fish, without becoming vegetarian.
The flexitarian diet is therefore a balanced diet that can be practiced by anyone. In addition, by reducing your consumption of meat and fish, foods that are expensive, the flexitarian diet allows you to save money and buy other organic food products, which are better for your health and the planet.
On the other hand, reducing meat consumption also has positive effects on health because it is known that eating too much of this type of food promotes the onset of diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease for example.
As we have seen, the flexitarian diet does not exclude any specific type of food and favors the consumption of products that respect the environment and local products. This is why this diet requires you to reduce your consumption of meat and fish in particular.
The overconsumption of these foods has in fact significant environmental impacts due in particular to the deforestation it causes, the multiplication of transport, intensive production, overfishing, etc., which have strong consequences on emissions. greenhouse gases, among others.
The flexitarian diet compensates for the decrease in the quantities of meat and fish consumed, as well as their frequency, with more plant-based protein intake to guarantee the proper functioning of the body. These proteins of vegetable origin are found, for example, in pulses such as lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc., and in wholegrain products (wholegrain rice, wholemeal pasta and semolina, etc.).
As part of a flexitarian diet, it is also recommended to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables and to diversify their varieties. All are recommended, but this diet favoring a sustainable diet, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and preferably organic, should be favored as much as possible.
In general, the flexitarian diet recommends consuming raw products in the form of, for example, mixed salads, soups, gratins, savory or sweet home-made pies, rather than processed products which most often include additives.
