Be a flexitarian!
If you're leaning towards a heart
healthy diet with more nutritious servings of fruit and vegetables but aren't
quite ready to go cold turkey on meat or poultry, consider being a flexitarian.
A flexitarian is essentially a flexible, or part-time, vegetarian.
Try these four tips to get you started.
You may already be eating flexitarian-style without even knowing it!
1. Designate
a vegetarian meal or "day". Start by planning at least one
vegetarian meal every day. For breakfast, try a bowl of oatmeal topped with
sliced almonds and fresh strawberries. Make a chickpea salad for lunch with
diced tomatoes, corn and whole wheat couscous. Go for bean chilli at suppertime
paired with a fresh leafy green salad and whole wheat bun. Remember to add a
low fat milk product or milk alternative to round out each of the meals. Or,
try designating vegetarian theme days, such as "Meatless Mondays"
or "Tofu Tuesdays" to help introduce a regular routine of vegetarian
eating.
2. Switch up your protein.
For a change of pace, replace the meat or poultry in your meals with a plant-based
protein once in a while. Try having:
- A tofu stir-fry instead of a pork stir-fry
- Pasta with pine nuts instead of spaghetti with meatballs
- Soy- or beanburger instead of a beef hamburger
- Hummus on a whole grain pita instead of a ham sandwich
3. Mix and match grains, beans,
nuts and seeds. That way, you'll get a good mix of different plant
proteins. For example, cook up a pot of lentils and brown rice, have a peanut
butter sandwich on whole wheat bread or make a jar of trail mix using sunflower
seeds, almonds, dried, unsweetened fruit and air-popped popcorn.
4. Remember — it's about
being flexible. It's all about having the freedom to eat well, and
choose when you want to eat vegetarian style and when you don't. When including
meat and poultry in your diet, just remember to choose leaner cuts, remove any
visible fat and follow the portion sizes outlined in Eating
Well with Canada's Food Guide.