Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Being flexitarian...

Since I can remember, I've wavered back and forth from being a vegetarian, pescatarian (is that even a real type of diet?), chicken-only meat eater, and the eat-anything-I-want without-thinking-about-where-it-came-from diet (when I use the word "diet" I am speaking of "daily diet" - not the "I'm trying to lose weight" diet). Based on my lifestyle, desire to age gracefully (hopefully!), and for personal moral & ethical reasons, I've found that the vegetarian diet with flexibility works best for me.

My body & skin (and sensitive tummy!) loves a veggie diet - lots of dark leafy greens, yams, fruits, antioxidant-packed berries, beans/legumes, high-protein tofu, and whole grains. As I've written before, I've chosen to keep vegetarian-only products in our home (we cook every weeknight), but in an effort to not feel "deprived" when we go out and I feel like enjoying sushi or a fillet of salmon, I go ahead. All in moderation. I never feel restricted in what I eat...I just consider where the food comes from before I take a bite.

Keeping our home full of non-processed, nutrition-packed, organic, all-natural foods, and having limited portions of fish/meat has become a lifestyle for us. Matt and I enjoy cooking together every night and feel good about what we're putting in our bodies - healthy, delicious, disease-fighting, anti-aging foods! Matt's even said that since we've moved in together, he's felt healthier, stronger and had more energy (for paddling, surfing, etc) than ever, and is actually enjoying the primarily veggie-diet (I've found that men have a harder time letting go of meat than most women do!).

I have friends & family who have been doing meatless-Mondays and I think it's FABULOUS! A great way to lean into a healthier lifestyle and save a bit of $$! I encourage the people who are close to me to try a "flexitarian" diet for just a week...and see how you feel. It's amazing what a difference it can make, and how yummy it can be!