Leading a vegetarian lifestyle

FoodS, just like the clothes we wear and the cars we drive, go in and out of fashion.

If you consider that eating meat also has been linked with such controversial topics as animal cruelty, the environmental crisis and avoiding disease and living longer, you can appreciate the push and pull argument for leaving the chicken, lamb and beef off your dinner plate.

Firstly, let's define what a vegetarian is. There are many kinds. Basically, if you declare yourself a vegetarian, you will avoid eating all meat products.

This includes pate, pies, soups and oils that contain animal proteins.

There is an option to add all seafood, eggs, milk, and gelatine (which contains a processed food substance from cows) to that list.

Some vegetarians still eat "white meat" or will happily snack on foods made from chicken or beef broth.

Some are a transient vegetarian, which means if you are a woman, you may eat red meat once a month to coincide with your menstrual cycle and top up your iron levels.

Another type of transient vegetarian means that when they go on holidays or have a special dinner like Christmas, they choose to eat meat and animal products to fulfil a social grace, or need.

It is a very personal choice and only you can make it.

Right now, it is very fashionable again to be a vegetarian and you can be assured that it is not without many benefits.

For more information, you might like to check out the Vegetarian Times (yes, there really is a magazine for vegetarians!) which can be accessed online.

Further, many vegetarian restaurants have opened all over the world and traditional fast food outlets are even offering vegetarian meals as no doubt you will have noticed.

I remember all the fuss in the very late 1980s, when the 'veggie burger' started to appear on beach cafŽ menus near my home town. Very chic and very tasty too!

One benefit of a vegetarian diet is that eating only plant foods can prevent some diseases.

Vegetarians consume little or no animal fat and therefore have very low cholesterol levels, which may have a positive knock-on effect to your blood pressure and heart health.

Additionally, if you're not filling up with protein, you are filling up on fibre rich carbohydrates that give you heaps of energy; keep your digestive system regular; greatly lower your chance of getting heart disease and diabetes and can boost your immune system.

According to a 30 year study of international diets, the people of Japan have the longest life expectancy of anyone on the planet and their secret is a diet of fruits, vegetables and soy.

Another benefit of becoming a vegetarian is that you can actually help save the planet. Who would have thought that by tucking into a salad sandwich, you'd be changing the world?

Well, that is perhaps over-simplified but you will definitely help reduce pollution. The meat industry is responsible for chemical and animal waste runoff from factories that goes into 173,000 miles (276,800km) of rivers, allegedly. The packaging and refrigeration of the meat can also greatly contribute to carbon emissions and landfill.

At the risk of sounding patronising, here is a warm and fuzzy reason for saying no to the steak tonight. You will help reduce world wide famine.

This is because about 70 per cent of all grain produced, at least in the United States, is fed to animals which are bred specifically to end up in our kitchens.

All this grain could be instead fed to approximately 800 million people - a staggering, and perhaps frustrating, figure indeed. Grain is an unprocessed complex carbohydrate that should make up over 60 per cent of our daily diets according to dieticians, which these faceless 800 million are going to be without.

Now let's consider the animals themselves. Imagine being born and raised in horrid conditions and having your natural instincts and health sacrificed, until finally the day arrives when you are lined up and sent to the slaughter house?

Humans are top of the food chain but are we also above the laws of Mother Nature? Anyone who has witnessed the atrocities in treatment of animals strictly for the benefit of our tummies and/or fashion, will tell you that it can make us feel very ashamed of ourselves indeed.

Approximately 10 billion animals a year are killed to feed humans. Experts also say that another benefit of becoming a vegetarian is that you will actually save money.

Swapping the hundreds of pounds of meat and meat products with the same weight in vegetables, fruits and grains can save you, apparently, thousands on your annual food bill. In other words, meat is very expensive!

Vegetarians or meat eaters, the choice is up to you.

Religion will also dictate what and how you eat to a greater or lesser degree. Buddhists, for example, are strongly encouraged to avoid all meat products and Islamic followers avoid all pork products.

I'm just glad that I don't have to give up my dark chocolate and cups of tea just yet to save the planet or someone's life! Phew!

Good luck everyone.