A semi-vegetarian, or flexitarian, is someone who consumes mostly vegetarian foods but still eats meat, often limited to poultry or fish. They may choose this lifestyle for health or ethical reasons, and can obtain protein from alternative sources such as beans and whole grains. Vegans and true vegetarians may have differing opinions, but a flexible lifestyle can still reduce demand for animal products.
A semi-vegetarian, which can also be called a flexitarian, is not actually a vegetarian, but is a person who can consume many vegetarian foods while still eating meat. Sometimes even the type of meat is defined and those who can eat poultry or fish are sometimes semi-vegetarians while those who eat red meat are not, although this definition varies. More often, the term refers to people who have diets that consume a limited amount of meat, of any kind. People may structure their diets this way out of awareness of meat consumption, culturally some people just eat this way, or alternatively for health reasons people are advised to eat very little meat.
The term semi-vegetarian is often differentiated from vegetarians who eat meat byproducts. People who eat dairy and eggs are lacto-ovo vegetarians. What makes them different from the flexible class of eaters is that they do not yet consume animal meat. In theory, it can be argued that the former are not killing animals by eating, although this is debatable because factory farming practices that produce eggs and milk can be considered cruel or possibly dangerous to animals.
This could be the opinion of the vegan, another vegetarian who is compared to the semi-vegetarian. Vegans do not consume animal meat or animal by-products, although some vegans do eat honey, which is a bee product. Sometimes there are bad feelings between true vegetarians and vegans and semi-vegetarians. However, even some of the staunchest supporters of animal rights see a flexible lifestyle as an improvement, since it creates a reduction in demand for animal products and killing animals for food.
The diet of the semi-vegetarian could be very varied. Although unhealthy, people could theoretically claim this title by eating cheese pizza for dinner five nights a week. More often, interest in the flexitarian lifestyle actually expands the many things people can eat, encouraging people to start looking at the taste and variety of vegetarian dishes that can be incorporated into the diet.
To obtain the necessary protein, the semi-vegetarian has to consider alternative sources of protein. Certainly things like eggs and dairy make it easy to go meatless. Other great proteins include those derived from beans and whole grains. Vegetarian meals can also substitute for vegetable alternatives to meat in traditional recipes. Grilled vegetables, corn and black beans, or lentils could be filling a taco, for example. Eggplant Parmesan can be just as tasty as Chicken Parmesan, and many more examples exist.
When people choose to eat a semi-vegetarian diet, they will have a lot of variety to choose from. Well-selected diets can feature a variety of dishes from many cultures or provide healthy substitutes for traditional foods. With these substitutes, people can get a lot of protein, a lot of dietary fiber, and a lot of vitamins, and all of these things can improve the health of the diet.
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