I just got started with week 1 of the flexitarian meal plan, and am cooking up some pretty tasty vegetarian dishes from the Flexitarian Diet Book.
The idea behind Flexitarianism is to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate, the amount of meat in one’s diet. Meat-based diets have been linked to heart disease, cancer, and weight gain. I’ve almost always been a meat eater, but during the last 8-9 months have greatly reduced the amount that I eat by reducing the portion of meat on my plate. Due to recent surgery, I also put on an extra 10 pounds that I want to get rid of.
The Flexitarian Diet provides five weeks of meal plans and shopping lists. You can get the hang of it quickly so that it’s not necessary to follow it to the letter; its meals emphasize whole grains, green vegetables, and healthy proteins, along with the occasional starchy sweet potato, whole grain pasta, and brown rice.
The recipes are relatively uncomplicated, and getting started with cooking the Flexitarian way is pretty easy. My first dinner was pan-fried firm tofu with BBQ sauce, sautéed kale, and a sweet potato with maple syrup, took about 20 minutes for me to prepare, and was quite delicious.
I’ll continue to provide infrequent updates as I get through the meal plan. Here’s a link to the book on Amazon.
