Foodie Vocabulary: Flexitarian

Flexitarian.  I stumbled upon this interesting word used to describe, in my own words, a more well-rounded eater, while recently reading through a Bon Appetit issue.  So strangely odd, yet somehow familiar, I had an intuition about what it could mean, but needed to read more to be sure.  And so I did.

A flexitarian is one who embraces the vegetarian, omnivore and vegan diets combined into one all its own.  And according to Bon Appetit, it is touted as the diet of the moment.  As the name implies, it is likely the easiest, most sensible--and flexible--diet around, focusing mostly on plant-based foods, but also including meat, poultry and fish in smaller amounts than typical. 

Bowl of Roasted Vegetables--A Great Base for the Flexitarian Meal

As a flexitarian, one also benefits health-wise, as the diet proclaims to be one that is high in vitamins, nutrients and fiber.  Ultimately, I see this genre of eating as a perfect depiction of "less is more" when it comes to those things, like meat and dairy, that we can sometimes, no often, overdo.  It's not deprivation, but a rearranging of sorts, of what and how much we eat.

So now that you have the 411, will you give the flexitarian way of life a try?  If you answered "yes", here are a few recipes from the DMRFF archives that will cover your ominvore, vegetarian and vegan bases--and quite deliciously so:

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables (Omnivore)
Potato and Kale Cakes (Vegetarian)
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette (Vegan-simply omit the cheese).

Happy-Flexi-Healthy Eating!