NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK 22-28 May 2006
With lower rates of a wealth of diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and obesity – and even an increased life expectancy – the health benefits of adopting a vegetarian diet are clear-cut. Add to that the environmental destruction caused by clearing rainforests for grazing, the contribution to global warming of methane from livestock, and the erosion of soil by cattle – not to mention the 750 million people going to bed hungry every night, while one-third of the world’s grain is fed to farmed animals – and you’d think that everyone would be queuing up to go veggie during [b][i]National Vegetarian Week[/i][/b][b] ([/b]22-28 May 2006). However, a recent study examined consumers’ readiness to change to a plant-based diet, and found surprising results. The study, published in the [b][i]European Journal of Clinical Nutrition[/i][/b], found that people’s most common concerns were about how they could get enough iron and protein on a veggie diet, and many felt they needed more information about how to prepare plant-based meals. “It is a common myth that you will lack protein or iron if you give up meat,” says health campaigner Amanda Woodvine, of the [b][i]Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF)[/i][/b]. “But it would be virtually impossible, unless you were deliberately limiting the amount of food that you ate, to become deficient in protein. Most foods contain some protein and it is easily supplied in a vegetarian diet. Protein is easily obtained from breads, pasta, rice and cereals, pulses (such as beans, chickpeas and lentils), soya products and nuts and seeds. And as a nation we get a staggering 80 per cent of our iron from vegan foods, such as baked beans, whole-grain bread and leafy green vegetables. Only 17 per cent comes from meat. “By going veggie you can cut your risk of killer diseases including heart disease and cancer by up to fifty percent. What’s more, giving up meat can help you to slim down, reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol level, and add up to six years to your life!” For further information on how to switch to a vegetarian diet and for free recipes, contact the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH. Tel: 0117 970 5190 W: www.vegetarian.org.uk E: info@vegetarian.org.uk ENDS Footnote to editors: The Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF) is a health charity which scientifically investigates the links between diet and health. Reference: EJ Lea, D Crawford and A Worsley. Consumers’ readiness to eat a plant-based diet. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006) 60, 342-351.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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