Is being a vegetarian ‘healthier’?

Have you considered trying to decrease the amount of meat you eat for health or other reasons? It can be very intimidating at first to imagine a life without meat, but it doesn’t need to be something to stop “cold turkey.” (Pardon the pun!) Let’s explore some ways to decrease your meat intake:

Flexitarian: This flexible approach aims to decrease your intake of meat while increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. This is an excellent introduction to decreasing your meat intake. A note of caution: You still need to aim for a protein source with all meals. Consider starting with “meatless Mondays” and look for vegetarian recipes you would enjoy.

Pescatarian: Do you enjoy seafood and feel you could consume it on a daily basis for your protein? Then the pescatarian diet might be the right fit for you. Those following this approach avoid meat and poultry but work to consume a high amount of plant-based foods and seafood.  Whether or not you consume dairy or eggs varies is based on your own personal goals.

Vegetarian: With this regimen, you would not consume any meat or fish products. As with the pescatarian diet, the inclusion of milk and eggs is based on your individual choices. Be aware, it’s easy to fall into the trap of consuming highly processed foods that are meat-free, so make sure your emphasis is on whole foods with minimal saturated fat and sodium.  We recommend the addition of a multivitamin that contains Vitamin B12 if you’re not supplementing through foods.

As to the question of “should I be a vegetarian” - that’s a big question. There is a lot of evidence that decreasing foods high in saturated fat has many benefits for cardiovascular health and is correlated with a lower body weight. For other health concerns, it isn’t as black and white. One thing is clear, decreasing your high fat meat intake IS beneficial for those who can meet their protein needs with other foods.