One in three people in the UK are now ‘flexitarians’
[Photo: Pexels]
Vegans, vegetarians and pescetarians; there’s a new kid in town - the ‘flexitarian’.
According to new research, more than one third of people in the UK identify as flexitarian - put simply, flexible vegetarians - and so mostly eat a diet of plants with the occasional addition of meat.
Research by the Forum for the Future and Counterpoint, commissioned by Flora, predicts that the number of flexitarians is set to grow by 10% this year alone.
[Photo: Pexels]
There are no particular rules to being a flexitarian, so you could eat meat once a month, or once a day, but it’s usually taken on by those who want to cut down on their meat intake but can’t fully commit to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
Because, as a less-strict lifestyle choice, it opens up an easier way for people to eat less meat - and so help to achieve many of the environmental aims of vegetarians and vegans.
Mark Driscoll, head of food at Forum for the Future, told The Huffington Post: “A growing number of consumers are cutting back on the types of food which have the biggest impact on our world.
[Photo: Pexels]
“From a sustainability perspective, this is a welcome sign. Research has shown that widespread adoption of vegetarian or vegan diets could lower carbon emissions by 63% and 70% respectively.”
Importantly, the flexitarian lifestyle could also suit those who want to keep up their dating game, as a third of people from the UK have also said that they wouldn’t date a vegan.
Dating app Trueview.me surveyed 1,000 men and women, and found out that 34% of these people wouldn’t want to date a vegan.
Men were more bothered by this prospect than women - so bad news if you’re a female vegan - and if you’d need to get your partner to give up meat in order to date you, 77% of people said they wouldn’t be open to it.
So, all in all, flexitarianism could be the perfect compromise.
Do you identify as ‘flexitarian’? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.
