Flexitarian — The Semi Vegetarian Diet

When writing an article about food for Thanksgiving, I ran across an interesting new word. Flexitarian. Chosen as a “most useful word” by the American Dialect Society in 2003, it describes people who consume plant-based foods primarily but supplement their diets with occasional meat products. A “semivegetarian,” if you will. A little research on the subject suggests that people who eat this way are motivated more by the growing evidence suggesting that over-consumption of meat is unhealthy rather than PETA propaganda. I didn’t even know there was a group that picks “Most Useful Words.” So I’ve realized some things from this exercise.

At any rate, if all of us followed the food consumption guidelines recommended by the FDA, we would all likely fall into the flexitarian group. Most food consumption guidelines suggest a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and legumes. For the most part, animal-based products should be consumed in lesser quantities. Unfortunately, most Americans have these reversed in their everyday diets. Some suggest that flexitarians are responsible for the explosion of products like soy burgers. I can understand the rationale. Most strict vegetarians aren’t interested in eating something that even resembles a hamburger.

There are a few types of vegetarians, so what does it take to qualify as a flexitarian? People fall into a continuum…