The plant-based, semi-vegetarian diet actually encourages you to eat meat, dairy,and seafood.

If you want to lose weight or simply eat healthier without giving up the foods you love, consider the Flexitarian Diet. Ranked as the third best overall diet in America—right after the Mediterranean diet and DASH diet—the Flexitarian Diet is a mostly vegetarian meal plan, except you don’t have to eliminate meat or dairy.
The Flexitarian Diet combines the words flexible and vegetarian to define a way of semi-vegetarian eating that emphasizes plant-based foods, with the flexibility of enjoying animal products in moderate amounts. 

As the name suggests, the Flexitarian Diet is flexible, so there are no hard calorie restrictions or macronutrient guidelines, or ratios for plant- to animal-based foods. However, the book provides a ballpark number of calories to aim for at each meal to ensure you’re eating enough and feel satisfied. For example, breakfast is around 300 calories, lunch is 400, dinner is 500, and snacks 150. This daily total is 1,500 calories—an ideal total for those who are trying to shed pounds. But aside from weight loss, the goal of the Flexitarian Diet is to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and meat alternatives, like beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds, and fewer processed foods and added sugars.

Why experts recommend the Flexitarian Diet for weight loss and better health

One of the reasons the Flexitarian Diet has gained a following over the past several years is because it can help people can reap the benefits of vegetarianism without completely eliminating meat. Doctors and dietitians recommend semi-vegetarian eating plans like the Flexitarian Diet because they’re easy to follow and encourage you to eat a large variety of foods that not only help you shed excess pounds but improve your overall health.

Additionally, studies have shown that vegetarian and plant-based eating plans can lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, and is associated with reduced incidence of all cancers, especially colorectal cancer. A 2017 review of multiple studies on semi-vegetarian diets suggests that this type of eating leads to improved metabolic health, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as short- and long-term weight loss. Moreover, a 2018 study in Circulation suggests that a low-calorie vegetarian diet is as effective in reducing bodyweight and fat and improving heart health as the Mediterranean diet. What’s more, a 2018 study in BMJ also showed that plant-based diets, like the Flexitarian Diet, can help reduce the risk for diabetes while improving the psychological well-being and quality of life in people living with diabetes.