If you're thinking about trying a plant-based diet, but the many restrictions in the plant-based diet don’t suit you, then flexible dieting will be right for you because you can eat whatever you want in the amount you want. At the same time, it's a healthy system that helps you reach your goals. So today, with help from Fitness Garage.
Many women prefer this system because it doesn’t have too many rules or bans and you don’t have to give up your favorite foods. It helps you add lots of plant-based elements to your diet, and focuses on vitamins and the nutritional values you need to get.
What can I eat on flexible dieting
This plan helps you focus on plant-based foods, but still lets you have some meat portions during the weekStudies show that eating more healthy plant foods helps with weight loss and improves your overall health. There are also many plant recipes that mimic your favorite meat dishes.
What you need to know about this plan:
There’s no set meal time but for weight loss plans, breakfast should have 300 calories, lunch no more than 400 calories, dinner 500 calories, and you can have two snacks under 150 calories each.
Foods to avoid:
If you’re allergic to some foods, you can swap them for healthy alternatives. That’s one good thing about this plan. They are:
- Dairy free products: I use dairy alternatives other than milk, cheese, and yogurt.
- Gluten free: Choose gluten free grains like quinoa and brown rice. There are many gluten free options in the market.
- Soy free: If you are allergic to soy, avoid tofu and most foods made from soy.
Some tweaks to this plan:
There are some tweaks you can make to the plan, and this varies per person, since some cases are exceptions like:
- Women with diabetes: Many studies have shown that a plant-based diet helps type 2 diabetes patients, but you need to watch the amount of carbs you eat.
- Pregnant woman: Low iron levels are common during pregnancy. You should eat more meat and also include more plant-based iron in your diet.
Allowed foods:
There are some foods allowed on this diet:
- Vegetables: You should increase the amount of vegetables in your meals and try dishes where vegetables are the main part.
- Fruits: Fruits help reduce cravings for sweets and contain many vitamins and water that help hydrate your body.
- Whole grains: Grains are nutritious foods that have a lot of nutrients and fiber, like brown rice and quinoa.
- Plant protein: You'll reduce the amount of meat in your meals but shouldn't cut protein. So you can use some plant-based foods high in protein like beans, lentils, and nuts.
- Eggs: Besides plant protein, eggs are a great source to add protein to your body.
- Dairy products: This system allows dairy like yogurt, kefir, and milk, but it’s better to use plant-based options like oat or almond milk.
- Oils and spices: Use healthy oils and spices like olive oil to add better and different flavors, such as thyme, cumin, onion, garlic, and lemon.
Foods not allowed
There are a few foods not allowed in this system but they are few and not essential:
- Meats: This system allows eating meat but in limited amounts, and nutrition experts recommend having at least two days a week without meat, focusing on plant-based meals.
- Added sugar: Most healthy diets advise cutting down added sugar in your food and slowly reducing it to limit it soon.
- Complex carbohydrates: This diet bans whole carbs but recommends whole grains and their products.
Pros and cons
There are many health benefits you get from following this diet, like all healthy diets, but you need to know if these benefits suit you or not. They are:
- General nutrition: This diet includes foods that help give your body vitamins and important nutrients. It also lets you eat fatty fish to get omega-3.
- Flexibility: This plan doesn’t cut out a lot, and there are plenty of substitutes available, so you can eat what you crave. Just add more plant-based foods. So it works if you always join your friends at the dinner table.
- Cost: This plan doesn’t need expensive or fancy substitutes. There are lots of cheap choices like veggies and legumes you can use. Eating less meat also saves money on food.
- Weight loss: Healthy plant-based foods are linked to weight loss because they have fewer calories.
I’ll tell you the downsides of this diet so you can avoid them. They are:
- For meat lovers who gorge: Some girls eat meat in almost every meal and rely on processed and smoked meats for their snacks. So this diet doesn't suit them and causes them to feel deprived and uncomfortable.
- Extra tips for diabetic patients: Diabetics try to avoid some plant foods because they are high in carbs, like beans and lentils.
Always choose diets that fit you, because the key to losing weight is sticking to a healthy diet. You can learn about Fitness Garage plans by sending a message to the Facebook page.
