I am a Flexitarian

I have had the most liberating idea come to me. This new found concept has brought loads of freedom into my so called healthy lifestyle. I came upon this fascinating word yesterday as I was reading one of my favorite blogs. It really made me laugh as I pondered it's meaning. I also have said I don't like to have a label put on me but this one fits me perfectly and it makes me feel so wonderful. Please don't take me too seriously.



According to Wikipedia:



Flexitarianism -is a semi-vegetarian diet focusing on vegetarian food with occasional meat consumption. A self-described flexitarian seeks to decrease meat consumption without eliminating it entirely from his or her diet. There are no guidelines for how much or how little meat one must eat before being classified a flexitarian. [1]


Mr. Smiley and I started changing our diets about 3 years ago. We have slowly made changes for the good and to make a long story short, we even tried tofu this past week and it wasn't bad. Changing the way we eat hasn't been a painful road for us. A word of warning though, I must tell you that once you decide to take this path in life, food as you know it will never be the same.



We now love to eat really good "real food". We try to eat whole grains, veggies, fruits, and a little meat. We try to limit our consumption of white flour, white sugar, food colorings, nitrates, nitrites, pork and many other unmentionables. Eating out and finding really good food at a restaurant is getting more difficult and we increasingly find ourselves enjoying our own food at home.



Sunday night on our long drive home we decided that we would try to eat meat less than what we have been and see how that would go. Then I came upon this great word - flexitarianism- What a relief. With no guidelines to how much or how little meat I must eat to be classified as a flexitarian, I believe I can always be classified as such and never disappoint or not fit into this category.



In fact, in 2003, the American Dialect Society voted flexitarian as the year's most useful word and defined it as "a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat".[2]

I think that a flexitarian can also eat as much or as little white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans or saturated fats and any other of those nasty chemicals we decide to put into our bodies and call food. I think flexitarianism covers most of the basics.



When you decide to try to be healthy or eat healthier than you have before, you get all sorts of misconceptions generated by others on your behalf. I once had a visiting teacher bring me brownies to the door and tell me she knew I would never eat them but that I could give them to my kids to enjoy. Not to mention brownies are the most wonderful food ever invented. Now, I don't have to fake it anymore. I will simply reply, "I am a flexitarian." and go on ahead and eat those brownies and not feel one bit of guilt.



I have given numerous nutrition seminars and people get this total false idea about me. I have never mentioned that I am a vegetarian or even pretended as such but I have had many ladies ask me how I survive on eating salads. No, I am not the sugar Nazi as some have suggested. I actually have no will power, which is why I rarely buy candy, cookies, or even make them very often because all I would do all day is eat them. We just try to eat healthy and once in a while we do eat pork, white sugar and french fries.. "I am a flexitarian!"



I try my best to feed my kids nutritious foods. I try to take my vitamins everyday. I try to drink filtered water and try not to use the microwave everyday. But, I am human. I am a mom. I have kids that don't like carrots and squash all of the time. "I am a FLEXITARIAN!!!"