The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life

Book excerpt: The Flexitarian Diet is the first book to describe what is potentially the next big diet and nutritional movement--"flexitarianism." The concept has grown so popular that Bon Apetit selected "flexitarian" as a hot trend for 2010. A flexitarian diet is part-time vegetarianism but, as the name suggests, flexitarianism is also about flexibility... a healthy, guided, customizable, appetizing, family-friendly flexibility. The Flexitarian Diet begins with a quiz examining three nutrition factors: 1) food preferences and aversions; 2) whether the reader's current diet is likely to cause shortfalls or overloads in particular nutrients; and 3) which food habits they most want to change. The answers point to best starting point for that reader. This way, readers make gradual, rational changes one meal, one food group at a time. Each section includes information about how to substitute flexitarian recipes for traditional favorites, tips on how to assure that family members are engaged in the process, suggestions for foods that are easy to incorporate in the average meal, and sneaky ways to hide healthy foods under fabulous taste! There are no strict rules or program guidelines. Readers will learn how to incorporate FlexFoods into their current diet one at a time, and are given the freedom to move through the food categories at their own pace, which increases their chance for success. This is a 5-by-5 Program: 5 main FlexFood categories, 5-Ingredient Recipes, 5 types of Troubleshooter tips, 5 keys to Improve Your FlexLife, and a 5 Week Meal Plan.