The Best Books To Read When Starting The Flexitarian Diet

If you read my recent article about the Flexitarian Diet, you may be wondering how to get started. This is the topic of this article.

I will review five books that will help you get started with the Flexitarian Diet. These are available from Amazon or you may be able to find them at your local bookstore.

Introduction

When I consider purchasing a book, I prefer the physical book over the digital one if possible. I like to bookmark pages, make notes, and have them available when I want to grab them.

On the few occasions that the book is only available for download if I like it, then I print it out and stick it in a binder.

Some love the digital versions better, but it’s a simple preference that I have.

Also, since the Flexitarian Diet is teaching us to eat more plant-based foods, after checking these books out, you may wish to look at Vegetarian cookbooks as well. Here I will only discuss the books specifically for the Flexitarian diet.

What Are The Five Best Books To Read When Starting The Flexitarian Diet

1. The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life by Dawn Jackson Blatner

This is currently available in paperback and Kindle

Written in 2010, this 285-page book does a good job covering the Flexitarian Diet. Blatner breaks down the diet into a five-by-five plan. The five flex food groups are explained, then she goes into a five-week meal plan.

Blatner explains

• How to get your kitchen ready
• Recipes
• Shopping lists
• Meal Planning
• Why exercising is an important part

This may be one of the early books written about the Flexitarian Diet, but it has been a favorite for many that follow this diet and can be found in many kitchens.

2. Everyday Flexitarian: Recipes for vegetarians and meat lovers alike by Nettie Cronish and Pat Crocker

This is currently available in paperback and Kindle

This was written in 2011 and contains 276 pages of Flexitarian-friendly recipes. They cover every part of the meal from appetizers to desserts and everything in between.

I like how the book breaks it down into simple understandable recipes. But the best part for me is the first section.

They explain a lot of the basics of organics, canned foods, and other generally important information on nutrition. I even learned several helpful bits about peppers.

The cookbook may not include pictures for every recipe, but the recipes are easy to follow and will please everyone in your household.

3. Flexitarian Diet: A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide with Recipes by Bruce Ackerberg

This is currently available in paperback and Kindle

In this 2017 book, Ackerberg explains what a Flexitarian Diet is and covers the basics of the diet. He breaks it down step-by-step in his easy-to-follow guide.

This is designed to get you started and will help you on your way to eating more like a Flexitarian. There are also a few recipes included.

This book will teach you:

• What a flexitarian diet is
• The foremost things that you need to do in order to embrace flexitarianism with ease
• The additional food groups that the diet includes
• Two options that you can choose from if you follow a flexitarian diet
• How do the different recipes that are included use them to plan your meal

4. The Flexitarian Table: Inspired, Flexible Meals for Vegetarians, Meat Lovers, and Everyone in Between by Peter Berley

This 352-page 2014 book is available in Kindle, Hardcover, and Paperback

Peter has worked as a personal chef and caterer for over 20 years. He is very familiar with what it takes to make a great meal.

In this book, you will find both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions of many meals. Peter will provide flexible choices for you in his easy-to-follow recipes.

I do like the way Peter breaks down seasonal favorites. If you like challenging recipes, this may be the book for you.

Don’t get me wrong, many of the recipes are easy to follow, but many times you have an award-winning chef, be prepared to be challenged at times. I find some recipes can be either fun or frustrating.

5. The VB6 Cookbook: More than 350 Recipes for Healthy Vegan Meals All Day and Delicious Flexitarian Dinners at Night by Mark Bittman

This is available on Kindle or Hardback

This 272-page book was written in 2014 by award-winning author Mark Bittman. Mark is the author of the “How To Cook Everything” series, a columnist for the New York Times, and has been featured on the Cooking Channel.

Mark provides many new recipes and explains why a plant-based diet is better for us. He is also a realist and knows that people will not give up meat entirely.

If we shift to a more plant-based diet and still eat limited amounts of animal products, this will work out better for us in the long run.

This is one of the more popular cookbooks with over 350 recipes included. A great addition to any collection.

Final Thoughts

The Flexitarian Diet allows us to shift to a more plant-based and healthy way to eat. There are many benefits to decreasing the number of animal products that we consume. This diet gives us a way to do this.

These are only five of the many books available on the Flexitarian Diet and several others are available from Amazon. Don’t limit yourself to books that state “Flexitarian” on them, there are numerous vegetarian books that will also help you with this diet.

Please leave any questions or comments below and if you have a favorite Flexitarian Book, I would like to hear about it.