How to be a Flexitarian Family
Flexitarianism, or semi-vegetarianism, is a great and growing trend in the UK. More and more people are choosing to embark on the journey of becoming a flexitarian family.
Not only is this diet great for you and your loved ones, it’s also growing in popularity. A 2018 report from Waitrose found that one-third of UK consumers have either reduced their meat consumption or stopped eating meat entirely.
In this blog, I’ll cover what it means to be a flexitarian family, the benefits of this lifestyle, what you need to consider before making the switch, and how to get started.
Important: always consult your and your family’s GP before making any significant dietary changes.
What is being a flexitarian family?
Being flexitarian means living a largely vegetarian lifestyle, while occasionally consuming meat products. This is sometimes also known as semi-vegetarianism. It’s a great middle ground if you’re not quite ready to take the plunge into full-on vegetarian or vegan eating.
Top tip: being vegetarian means you don’t eat meat but you do eat animal products, being pescetarian means you don’t eat meat but you do eat fish and seafood, and being vegan (or plant-based) means you don’t eat any meat, fish, or animal products.
What are the benefits of being a flexitarian family?
There are lots of benefits to being a flexitarian family. From ethics to cost to health, the reason to make this switch is different for everyone. The benefits, however, are endless.
It can be more ethical and sustainable
The production of animal products has an enormous environmental impact. A 2018 article published in Science magazine suggests that if everyone moved to a plant-based (vegan) diet, this could reduce food’s land use by 76% and food’s greenhouse gas emissions by 49%.
While it might be too much of an ask to cut out meat and dairy completely, even reducing your family’s consumption of these products can minimise your carbon footprint.
The animal product industry can also be unethical. There are countless well-known examples of animal cruelty in the industry (though this of course doesn’t apply to every producer). Some examples include poor living conditions and force-feeding or poor diets.
What you might not know is that some animal product industries also have significant human rights impacts. For example, Human Rights Watch released a report in 2019 outlining workers’ rights violations in the American meatpacking industry.
You could save money cutting down on meat
Historically, families always scrimped on meat to save costs. Still today, Meat Free Mondays reports that the price of meat has risen by 10% since 2007 and the protein staples of vegetarian diets cost less than meat.
For example, if you’re making chilli con carne, the meat alone will set you back at least £2.50. An extra tin of kidney beans to bulk out veggie chilli will only cost you £0.55. You could even throw in some lentils, which cost as little as £1.15 per 500g!
If you’re looking to save some cash while keeping your family healthy, a flexitarian diet could be the option for you.
Top tip: some vegetarian staples are really cheap and last forever! Keep tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, and lentils on your pantry shelf at all times and you’ll always be ready to whip up a quick meal. Quorn and other meat substitutes can be slightly more expensive, so buy in bulk when you see them on offer and store in the freezer.
There can be health benefits, too
You might see some health benefits from being a flexitarian family, too. The American Heart Association lists a number of key benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, strokes, and type 2 diabetes, as well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Eating less meat also means eating more vegetables, meaning you and your loved ones are more likely to hit your 5 a day. Leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses, citrus fruit is bursting with vitamin C, and even potatoes have potassium, vitamin B6, and magnesium. Long live the might jacket potato!
What do I need to consider before becoming flexitarian?
Your lifestyle
Before becoming a flexitarian family and embarking on this journey, it’s important to consider what will work best for your and your loved ones. If you’re a busy dad or mum with lots on your plate already (pun intended), swapping out spag bol for a four course vegan dinner once a week simply might not be possible. And that’s okay!
Think about what works best for your family. Maybe it’s just having cheese sandwiches for lunch instead of cheese and ham. Maybe it’s having vegetarian pizza on Saturdays instead of a meat feast. Or maybe it’s making meat free Mondays a staple in your home. (Or, of course, a combination of these!)
Top tip: start by choosing the day you think you’ll have the most energy to try something new. If you have a day off in the week, that might work best for your non-meat day. Make extra and have vegetarian or vegan lunch the next day, too!
Every step you take to reduce meat consumption helps the planet. It’s all about taking small, easy steps that ease your family into the change.
Getting meals right
It’s important that the meals you choose work for you, your time, and your family’s needs and likes. There’s no use making a gorgeous vegetarian moussaka if your loved ones can’t stand the sight of aubergine. Build on their likes and add a simple vegetarian twist. For many meals, it’s easy to find vegetarian substitutes to meat – or to just leave this out entirely!
Top tip: get everyone involved! Vegetarian taco night is super simple, if you swap out the mince for Quorn. Or foster your children’s inner chefs by getting them to help with kid-friendly recipes, like baked potatoes, beans, and cheese. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to be meat-free!
It’s also important to test recipes and admit failure. When my sister first went vegetarian at the age of 18, she made us aubergine rolls with smoked cheese. 15 years later, the snot-like texture of this recipe still lingers in my mouth – and it’s now a family legend. It’s okay to admit failure! Make a joke of it, but make sure the recipe gets the blame, not the veggies (or the chef!).
Your vitamins and nutrients
Meat has important nutrients that help maintain a healthy diet. For example, vitamin B12 is only found naturally in meat products. But that doesn’t mean a plant-based, vegan, or vegetarian diet is going to leave your family lacking. And a flexitarian family lifestyle is even less likely to leave you high and dry.
However, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on vitamins and nutrients, especially if vegan or vegetarian cooking becomes more commonplace in your household. The NHS has a helpful Q&A on vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, highlighting the key things you need to look out for and how to get them. These include iron, calcium, B12, and protein, among others.
Top tip: use handy guides (like this one from Harvard Medical School) to identify which vitamins and nutrients your meat was bringing to the table and what the vegetarian or vegan swap-outs could be. That way, you’ll feel happy knowing that your family isn’t missing out on any of the good stuff.
How do I become a flexitarian family?
Make a plan
Get started with a plan that works for you and your family. Choose one meal, one day, or one part of the week to go entirely meat-free. Get everyone on board and make the meal-plan together.
Top tip: let the little ones choose! When planning your vegetarian or plant-based meals, ask them to find recipes that they’ll enjoy using the links and books below.
If it’s going to be a big change for your family, start with just one vegetarian meal a week, such as lunchtime (breakfast is meat-free for most, anyway). Then build up as you find tried and tested recipes that your whole family loves. Before you know it, they’ll be begging you to make these new dishes!
Get recipe inspiration
There are many (many!) incredible blogs and cookbooks out there that offer vegetarian or vegan options. Here are a few to check out:
Blogs and websites
Cookbooks
- Little Green Kitchen: Simple vegetarian family recipes
- Plant Power: Protein-rich recipes for vegetarians and vegans
- The Green Roasting Tin
- But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!
- Plant-Powered Families: Over 100 Kid-Tested, Whole-Foods Vegan Recipes
- River Cottage Veg Every Day!
Check out my post Eating in Season: an Easy How-to Guide for the UK
What next?
Embark on your flexitarian adventure! Enjoy the tastes, smells, and sounds of a healthier, more affordable, and new daily meal routine.
And if you’re ready to take the sustainable journey even further for your family, check out my guide to a sustainable back-to-school.
