Flexitarian Diets

Combining the words "flexible" and "vegetarian," flexitarians eat a diet that is vegetarian most of the time. Flexitarians typically eat a plant-based diet, but also occasionally eat fish, chicken and other meat. Some people follow a flexitarian diet to lose excess weight; others follow it as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Beginners

• When first starting out as a flexitarian, try swapping two or three meat meals with meatless meals each week. Most people have some vegetarian meals without even thinking about it, such as grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches. As you get used to a more plant-based diet, swap more meals. Advanced flexitarians often only eat one meat meal each week.

What You Eat

• Instead of meat for a protein source, a flexitarian diet is heavy on beans, tofu and quinoa. The focus is on fresh, rather than processed, food. Typically, a flexitarian diet includes about 1,500 calories daily, and is a diet people often use to lose weight.

Health

• Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of "The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life," says true vegetarians tend to live longer and have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Switching to a more plant-based diet is recommended in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans -- the federal government's nutritional guidance to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases and obesity.

Economical

• Flexitarian diets are economical. For many families, meat is one of the more costly areas of the grocery budget, and beans tend to be inexpensive. Cutting down the meat budget can also leave extra money left to choose more-expensive plant foods, such as organic fruits and vegetables.