Health benefits
Not only do the animals get to live longer, but we do too if we follow a healthy veggie diet and avoid the three C traps – just eating chips, cheese and chocolate. According to the Vegetarian Society, vegetarians have:
A reduced risk from certain cancers by up
to 40%
Decreased possibility of heart disease by over 30%
A reduced chance of suffering from kidney and gall stones, diet-related diabetes and high blood pressure
Lower cholesterol levels
A reduction in health problems related to obesity.
Enough reasons to give vegetarianism a try we think. If you do it properly, you can enjoy a varied diet, eat substantial amounts of vegetables and be healthier and leaner at the end of it.
Going veggie advice
There's bags of good advice on kicking the carnivore habit at www.vegsoc.org. You can also get a free copy of The Vegetarian Society's Going Veggie – A Guide for Life, which is packed with recipes and nutritional advice. You'll also find loads of recipes in our recipe database and recipes from the National Vegetarian Society in our special Vegetarian feature.
Balance it out - iron replacement
Women often worry they might be lacking in iron if they don't eat meat, but a good serving of leafy green vegetables such as spinach and curly kale is just as good. The healthy vegetarian gets protein from pulses, nuts, grains and cereals and dairy foods. Add to these your vegetables, fruit and carbohydrate and you're pretty
much covered.
Eating out
If there's nothing on the menu that takes your fancy, ask if the chef can offer any other options. They can be unusually obliging and they've often got a stock of vegetables to use up. Plus they like to try out new dishes for adding to the menu.
Super veg
Just like chocolate bars, some vegetables are more superior than others – in nutrition, if not taste. These are the ones that make it into the super league. Eating them raw is best, otherwise steam or stir fry.
Broccoli: Very high in cancer-fighting chemicals. Steam or stir fry to keep in most of its nutrients. Also a good source of iron.
Cabbage: It's best eaten raw and can detoxify the stomach and stimulate the immune system. Shred into Greek and Waldorf salad.
Watercress: Calcium, vitamin C and potassium, this is packed with goodness. Buy ready prepared and mix into your salads for a peppery taste. Helps purify the blood and stimulate the thyroid.
Peas: A good source of iron, zinc and vegetable protein. Frozen are just as nutritionally good as fresh, even if they lack in sweetness and texture. Cook a packet and whizz with vegetable stock for quick soup.
Get the kit
Steamer
This stainless steel four-piece stacked steamer set from Heal's stops vegetable nutrients being lost in the cooking water. It's £31 in the Heal's sale, and comes with a 15-year guarantee.
Vegetable peeler
Good Grips vegetable peeler even makes peeling carrots a pleasure it's so efficient. It's £4.25 from John Lewis and once you get one, you'll wonder how you prepped without one.
Pressure cooker
If you're serious about cooking your own chickpeas and kidney beans, a pressure cooker will cut the cooking time by half. The Tower multi-splendour pressure cooker from Littlewoods is £49.99, cooks veg in no time and comes with a 10-year guarantee.
Good books
Vital Vegetables (BBC Books £16.14), has more than 200 recipes and dishes for all seasons and occasions.
Eat Your Greens (Network Books, £12.99), by Sophie Grigson, has got imaginative dishes that work and covers all the main vegetables and includes recipes with meat.
Entertaining with Cranks (Orion, £5.59), is great for recipes when you have vegetarian guests.
Recipes
Quick roasted tomato soup - serves four (as a starter)
Tomatoes are in season right now and this soup which takes little effort makes the most of their sweet flavour. Freeze some, without the crème fraiche, for later in the year when tomatoes get tasteless again.
Ingredients
2lb/900g ripe tomatoes
10-12 garlic cloves
1/2 pint vegetable stock
200g tub crème fraiche
When you consider the health benefits of turning vegetarian, it's no wonder that there are three million of us in the UK who've given meat the elbow.
Instructions
Roast whole tomatoes in a large roasting pan with 10-12 cloves of whole peeled garlic for 20 minutes at 180C/Gas 6.
Tip into a blender with their juices and whizz with half a pint of vegetable stock. Tip into a saucepan and season with salt and pepper.
Stir in spoonfuls of crème fraiche, to taste. A whole 200g gives the creamiest finish. You can sieve the soup if liked. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Artichoke and pimento pasta - serves two
Artichokes are hard work to prepare, but this fabulous recipe uses ready-prepared ones from a jar, so no excuse for not giving it a go. You'll find them stocked with the pasta sauces in good supermarkets, along with the pimentos.
Ingredients 250g jar artichokes hearts
2 tbsp capers
1 red onion
250g jar pimentos
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
salt and black pepper
250g tagliatelle or pappardelle
chopped fresh parsley
black olives, optional
Instructions
In a bowl marinade a jar of artichokes, which you've drained, two tablespoons of capers, rinsed, a chopped red onion and half a jar of drained red pimentos, cut
into slices.
Drizzle over some extra virgin oil and the juice of one lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and leave to marinate for half an hour.
When ready to serve, cook 250g tagliatelle or pappardelle. Drain and tip into a big serving bowl. Stir in the artichoke mixture. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and a few black olives, if liked.
Nellini bean and feta salad serves two
A speedy salad that is good on its own for lunch or as a veggie side dish with fish and chicken. You can vary the beans, try butter beans or chickpeas instead of cannellini.
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tomatoes
2 x 400g cannellini beans
50g/2oz black olives
1 red onion, sliced
200g feta cheese
fresh parsley
warm crusty bread or ciabatta, to serve
Instructions
Make the dressing by whisking the oil and vinegar together, then stir in the mustard. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Cut the tomatoes in wedges and mix with the beans, olives and onion slices. Spoon over the dressing and stir. Crumble over the feta and scatter some chopped fresh salad over the top. Serve with the bread.
