What is (and how) to be a flexitarian, the “diet” followed by one in ten Chileans

According to a 2021 survey, 9% of Chileans said they had this diet. What does mean? What is the difference with being a simple omnivore? Is it being a lazy vegetarian? Experts, athletes and activists explain it.

Olivia Wilde, American actress and director, has confessed that she has oscillated between veganism and vegetarianism for many years. She honestly admitted that she struggled to fully indulge in a lifestyle free of animal products.

“Being vegan is not always easy or accessible, but I like it and it makes me feel better as a person, in addition to the fact that it has many physical benefits”, she said there. a few years old. Huffington Post .

For a role she performed in 2014, Jennifer Lopez also followed a strictly vegan diet and she loved the result. “I love eating this way,” he said, “I never imagined how good eating only vegetables could be.” Like Wilde, he said he could never commit to a lifestyle fully veganbut who no longer eats red meat.

brad pitt , Drew Barrymore the tennis player Novak Djokovic and the American footballer Alex Morgan They are another of the many world famous people who have embraced a plant-based or flexitarian lifestyle as it is also known.

Novak Djokovic, champion of the last Wimbledon and winner of 21 Grand Slam tournaments, is known for his plant-based diet.

In simple and almost literal terms, flexitarianism refers to a semi-vegetarian diet. Although it is based on the principles of not consuming animal foods or products, it is flexible and less strict, allowing the ability to make exceptions without guilt or remorse.

In Chile, according to a report published in 2021 by the consulting firm Ipsos in collaboration with the international organization Vegetarianos Hoy, no less than 9% declare that they follow a flexitarian diet.

According to Ignacia Uribe, director of the foundation Vegetarians today , that 9%, as the same concept says, is also flexible and could even include more people. “In the survey, there are still 36% of people who say they try to reduce their consumption of animal products,” he says, “so they could also be identified as flexitarians.” So they are, but they don’t know it.

But there are people who view this laxity with a critical eye. As María Concha, a vegan and animal activist, who has gone 20 of her 35 years without eating animal products, says she doesn’t understand “the critical thinking” behind flexitarianism.

“Ethically, it seems strange to me that you don’t eat meat at home but eat it in restaurants (or vice versa),” he says. However, he feels that “it’s good that there are categories for different eating styles, and that everyone feels comfortable with what they’re doing.” Moreover, “if flexitarianism leads to less consumption of meat or animal products, it contributes to it”.

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flex what?

If we think of top athletes in Chile, there is hardly anyone more athletic and flexible than Tomás González, the best national gymnast in history. González, 36, is now also a kinesiologist and co-founder —with Eugenio Camus— of ReFoods a flexitarian food brand.

“The original term refers to vegetarians who, from time to time, overstep the rule and eat meat,” explains the Pan American medalist. “But today the definition also refers to people who, for health reasons or to contribute to the environment, want to reduce their consumption of animal products.”

Regarding the criticisms that come from the strictest sectors of vegetarianism and veganism, Camus believes that not everyone will stop eating animals overnight, “but we must contribute to consuming foods that are less demanding on the environment. “. When we will be 10 billion inhabitants in 2050, with a growing middle class – especially in Asia – we will have to produce 50% more calories. We will need more land and water to produce them, but where are we going to get these resources? We need to switch to foods that require less land and water to produce, but for more people to join this change, it is difficult to demand that they stop consuming animal meat altogether.

Gymnast Tomás González has his own line of flexitarian foods: ReFoods.

For Ignacia Uribe, the flexitarian world “is an important force for change”. She compares him to celiacs. “A lot of people appeared who preferred not to consume gluten and thanks to this demand, many products were developed which made life easier for these people”, he compares. The market has adapted to this change, and so has the rise of flexitarianism.

Vegan products, for example, according to Uribe, are bought mainly by non-vegan people. “Perhaps flexitarians,” he says, who when given the opportunity acquire them for ethical, political, environmental or personal health reasons.

“Thanks to these 36% who try to reduce their consumption, these products exist and continue to emerge on the market”, he adds. “It allows us vegans, who are less numerous, to follow this way of life in a pleasant way, because now there are vegan options in almost every restaurant or supermarket. Something that 5 years ago was unthinkable .

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food flexibility

But what is really the difference between a person who defines himself as a flexitarian and an ordinary person who eats meat from time to time? Is it really a type of diet or is it just an excuse to fill an identity void?

These are valid questions, and they come up every time the subject comes up. On the other hand, is there a strict flexitarian?

Ignacia Uribe laughs and explains the oxymoron: “The flexitarian, as the name suggests, is essentially flexible and not strict or rigid in their diet.” So is there a contrast between an omnivore and a flexitarian?

Yes, there are, says Uribe. “Unfortunately, a lot of people eat meat every day: not just red meat but ham for breakfast, avocado bird, something with fish, pizza with salami, pate, sausages. The omnivorous majority, I would say, eat something with meat every day.

Photo: Anna Pelzer.

“The flexitarian, on the other hand, is someone who, if given the opportunity to choose, will always favor a plant-based diet,” he explains. “But if, for example, he goes to visit his grandmother and she serves him chicken with rice, he eats it because he doesn’t declare himself a vegetarian.”

She believes that a flexitarian is someone who has the concern, but who has not given himself the time or the conditions “to make the most complete transition to a diet without animal products”.

Tomás González has another perspective. “Due to health issues, it is important to have a balanced diet. People who decide to completely eliminate animal products should seek professional advice, as the body needs micronutrients that are more easily assimilated when consuming these foods, such as zinc, iron and vitamin B12. “, he explains.

With all the information we currently have, when it comes to deciding what to eat, not only does the variable of taste or personal health come into play, but also the impact on the environment. On this last aspect, for Ignacia Uribe, the flexitarian option has almost “the same benefits as those of vegetarianism or veganism. Not 100%, but close.”

“For example, the water footprint of animal products is infinitely larger. To produce a kilo of legumes, you need 50 liters of water, while you need 15,400 liters for a kilo of meat, he explains. For the production of one liter of milk, about a thousand liters of water are used, and for a kilogram of cheese it is 4 thousand. ” Mad ! he exclaims.

“It’s called a food choice,” he says: the difference between eating a vegan cheese pizza or a cow cheese pizza. If you eat one with cow’s cheese once a month, you don’t reduce your impact 100%, but it’s still super good. Every step counts and every decision is a vote for one type of industry over another,” he concludes.

Source: Latercera

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