Was John Wesley Right? How Plant-Based Diets Stand the Test of Time—Plus a Recipe from Wesley’s World

Does John Wesley’s wellness advice from nearly 300 years ago still hold true today? According to many of today’s health experts, some parts certainly do (although others, like “hold[ing] a live puppy constantly on the belly” to help with digestion—not so much).

In his book “Primitive Physick,” published in 1747, Wesley wrote:

This suggestion is similar to today’s “flexitarian diet.” Coined by dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner in 2008, a flexitarian diet encourages eating mostly plant-based foods while allowing meat and other animal products in moderation; hence, the combination of “flexible” and “vegetarian” in the name.

The flexitarian diet is based on the following principles:

• Eat mostly fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.
• Focus on protein from plants instead of animals.
• Be flexible and occasionally incorporate meat and animal products.
• Eat the least processed, most natural forms of foods.
• Limit added sugar and sweets.

Because the flexitarian diet relies heavily on eating plant-based foods, it may provide several health benefits like those of vegetarian and vegan diets, including reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, as well as help with weight management.

The flexibility of this diet allows you to incorporate it into your routine and adjust accordingly based on your needs and preferences. For example, you can start off by removing animal products from one of your daily meals or by going meatless for one or two days of the week. You can keep modifying your animal product consumption until you find what works best for you.

Take Wesley’s advice and warm up with a vegetarian (or vegan) version of a classic English comfort meal this fall:

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 18 oz button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 7 oz celery root, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp ground mild paprika
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 28 oz potatoes, chopped
• ½ cup skim milk
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic, stirring for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, rosemary, mushrooms, carrots and celery root. Cook, stirring for 4 minutes or until softened. Add lentils and stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in paprika and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook potatoes in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Mash in a bowl with milk until smooth. Stir in nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
3. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to lentil mixture and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
4. Spoon lentil mixture into a 6-cup capacity ovenproof dish. Top with mashed potato and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Note: To make dish vegan, replace milk with almond or soy milk.

• Serves: 4
• Recipe: WeightWatchers
• Sources: Health and John Wesley (mhm.org)
• The Flexitarian Diet: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide (healthline.com)