In a recent study tracking the world’s best diets, the flexitarian diet came out at second place as one of the best diets in terms of managing food habits. In that same study, flexitarianism was voted the best (first place) for weight loss, and second place for diabetes management.
The latest report from Stats SA indicates that diabetes is the second leading cause of death among South Africans, and the leading cause of death in South African women. Tammy Fry, co-founder of the Fry Family Food Co. says this is an alarming statistic, considering that type 2 diabetes is primarily a result of lifestyle choices, and can be avoided.
“One of the leading causes of type 2 diabetes is obesity. This means that a balanced flexitarian diet, one which is rich in whole foods and vegetables, is good for both people living with diabetes and those who want to maintain a healthy weight without going completely vegan,” Fry continues.
In the simplest definition, a flexitarian diet is a combination of the words ‘flexible’ and ‘vegetarian’. It’s the best of both worlds for making small manageable changes to one’s diet with the option of alternating between meat focused meals and a greater variety of plant-based products. Typically, a flexitarian will eat predominantly plant-based with smaller amounts of meat.
South Africa is a meat-loving country – currently ranking as the 9th highest consumer for beef and 11th highest for poultry consumption (per capita, globally). Fry says that despite South African’s love for meat, she is seeing a growing trend where more people are exploring the idea of swopping their meals with meat-free options – many of them for health reasons.
“A study by KLA showed that a quarter of South African consumers wanted to eat less meat and 47% of them want to reduce their meat intake specifically for health reasons. It is encouraging to see that most South Africans are open to embracing a reduced-meat, flexitarian diet for health benefits,” Fry said.
She added that global movements like Veganuary are really helpful for South Africans because they make it simple to try plant-based without completely committing to a total life-change.
“I believe that one of the reasons the Veganuary participation has grown so rapidly over the years is because it makes trying plant-based easy and people are seeing the results almost immediately.”
Here are some advantages of adopting a flexitarian diet or lifestyle:
- Less risk of heart disease – A high fibre diet is good for the health of your heart, and although this has been studied in connection with a plant-based diet, there are similar benefits in adopting a flexitarian diet to improve the health of your heart. Meat has zero fibre, while plant-based foods including meat alternatives tend to be higher in fibre.
- Weight loss – plant-based foods can have less calories so having more of them in your diet (and choosing the right ones) is going to do wonders for weight loss in the long run.
- Diabetes – there have been studies that show type 2 diabetes is less prevalent in flexitarians which could be linked to the limited intake of highly processed food and rich fats that the body may struggle to process quickly.
- Better for the environment – animal agriculture has a much greater impact on the environment than farming needed for plant-based foods so by cutting some of the meat out of your diet you are lessening your impact on the planet.
“Keep it simple and do not strive for perfection – it is your journey so enjoy the process and make it your own. Contrary to popular beliefs, most plant based foods are extremely tasty, easy to use and easily available. Most retail stores now offer a wide range of plant-based products that are easy to cook and pair well with local and traditional meals,” Fry concludes.
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The plant-based company making a change
With ancestral roots in South Africa, a country well-known for its consumption of meat, Wally and Debbie Fry were pushing against the tide when they embarked on their plant-based journey in 1991. Their business idea stemmed from creating nutritious products for their family who are all passionate about plant-based diets. Literally starting in their home kitchen in Durban, experimenting with how to make nutritious and tasty meat alternatives to feed their own family, Wally and Debbie have grown the business into a successful global entity.
Three decades later, the family business, The Fry Family Food Co., remains just as passionate about creating nutritious products for a plant-based lifestyle. Wally and Debbie still make food for their family, however it’s a lot bigger now, with Fry’s products served up at dinner tables across the country, and beyond.
The task of building a plant-based food company from scratch was immense, and exhausting, to say the least. But it has been incredibly exciting for the family to see their products and philosophies starting to shift public consciousness.
To further promote the idea of reducing or eliminating meat consumption, Fry’s launched Meat Free Mondays in Australia and South Africa, a movement created to encourage more people to think about how and what they were eating and reducing their meat consumption.
A diverse and award-winning range of mouth-watering products, the Fry’s product range is perfect for every and any member of the family. It’s not only good for the environment, but better for your health too. The Fry’s brand mission is to create simple and tasty products that allow you to make small changes to your diet, which ultimately serve a greater cause.
Now part of the global The LIVEKINDLY Collective (as of March 2020) The Fry Family Food Co. has international reach and is proudly bringing its plant-based philosophy to more and more kitchens around the world.
From our kitchen to yours. With love from the Fry Family.
View the full product range, here: https://fryfamilyfood.com/au/food/
