Get set to go veggie

Well, good on the UK's Daily Record for putting this in their news section.

After all, that this is National Vegetarian Week (in the UK) may be news to some readers. This article is a bit fluffy, but it is unapologetically pro-veg, and it might get some people to consider the concept of vegetarianism a little more deeply as a result of reading it:

...it's not just animals' lives that the ever growing army of health-conscious vegetarians are saving - cutting out meat and meat by-products can help prevent heart disease and many forms of cancer, and provide many other health benefits.

To mark National Vegetarian Week, many unhappy meat eaters are considering making the change, but may worry about making the transition to the way of life.

Here is our guide to help you make the shift away from the meat counter...

1 WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?

A VEGETARIAN is defined as someone who doesn't eat meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, or slaughterhouse by-products like gelatine. You can eat grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit. Free range eggs (never battery eggs) and dairy products are acceptable if you don't go vegan.

You can also eat meat substitute products such as tofu, soy bean and Mycoprotein (e.g. Quorn).

Vegetarianism goes back to the ancient Greeks, and before 1847, when The Vegetarian Society was formed, non-meat eaters were called Pythagoreans, after mathematician and triangle fan Pythagoras, who was the first renowned vegetarian.

2 IS IT ALL JUST BEAN SPROUTS AND BROCCOLI?

A LITTLE imagination goes a long way and the list of acceptable stuff is longer than you'd expect. Most pizzas are vegetarian, and food product ranges such as Quorn or Linda McCartney provide veggie alternatives to traditional dishes, including burgers, chicken and sausages, with all the taste kept in.

3 WHAT ABOUT MISSING OUT ON THE PROTEIN IN MEAT?

YOU can easily get everything you need from a well-balanced veggie diet - protein also comes in dairy products, eggs and nuts as well as in other foods such as certain pulses and grains.

4 WHO ELSE IS VEGGIE?

THE following stars are all vegetarian: Fearne Cotton, Thom Yorke, Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Paul McCartney, Clint Eastwood, Josh Hartnett, B.B. King, Alicia Silverstone, Moby, Martin Kemp, Orlando Bloom, Shania Twain, KimBasinger, Tobey Maguire, Morrissey, Andre 3000, Natalie Portman.

5 HOWSHOULD I GO ABOUT IT?

THE Vegetarian Society (www.vegsoc.org) advise you to tell all your friends and family, once you are fully armed with all the info and facts you need to explain your decision. Then it's wise to invest in a veggie cook book so you can learn that it's about more than salads and baked potatoes.

You should start gradually, adapt meals using meat substitutes and develop a balanced diet you're happy with.

To start, you always should check ingredient lists to make sure there's no gelatine or other animal by-product such as animal fat in your foods.

6 WHAT DO I NEED TO EAT?

ACCORDING to the Vegetarian Society, your daily diet must include: three/four servings of cereals, grain or potatoes' four/five servings of fruit and veg' two/three servings of pulses, nuts or seeds, two servings of milk, cheese, eggs or soya products' a small amount of vegetable oil and marge or butter, yeast extract with vitamin B12, such as Marmite.

7 HOW MUCH HEALTHIER IS A VEGGIE DIET?

STUDIES have shown that vegetarians intake five per cent less energy as fat than omnivores, have a daily intake of a quarter less fat and have a much higher intake of polyunsaturated fat (the good stuff) than saturated fat (the bad stuff). There's also an increased intake of vital vitamins, nutrients, complex carb and fibre, and lower intakes of sugar and salt.

8 WHAT HEALTH BENEFITS ARE THERE?

Veggies have lower risk of coronary heart disease, and have much lower blood cholesterol rates than their omnivorous counterparts.

Studies show heart disease mortality rates to be 61 per cent lower in male vegetarians, 44 in female.

Vegetarianism is often accompanied by low heart pressure, lower obesity rates.

Bowel conditions such as Diverticular Disease are less prevalent among veggies, while they are half as likely to develop gall stones and they are less likely to develop kidney stone problems.

Studies show that women who eat no meat are less likely to develop osteoporosis, appendicitis, gout, hiatus hernia, constipation, haemorrhoids and varicose veins.

All-in-all, a worthy advertisement (you have to say it with a British accent) for vegetarianism, though I thought it was surprising that -- while there was a side note made about eggs in the first tip -- no such commentary was laid out for dairy, the consumption of which supports another cruel industry, and one that contributes to the consumption of veal. Not exactly a vegetarian choice.

Otherwise, big thumbs up for all the pro-veg articles lately, and hopes of more to come this week.

Tags: National Vegetarian Week