"From what I've seen, vegetarianism works best when accompanied by a deeply felt spiritual commitment. When spirit and emotion support a diet devoid of animal products (or with dairy only), our bodies seem perfectly able to extract and transform all the other nutrients they need for maintenance and repair from plant products. Vegetarianism does not appear to have equally positive effects when embarked upon solely for 'sensible' reasons of health; if passion and emotion are not involved, we seem to be less efficient at processing vegetable matter, and symptoms of insufficiency may result after a number of years. Moreover if the diet doesn't work, intellectual reasoning or ideology may at times block our awareness of the signals given out by our body indicating distress or discomfort"

Annemarie Colbin, 'Food and Healing'

Research shows that vegetarians experience lower levels of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, arthritis and obesity, and have a longer life expectancy.

If you want to make the change, just follow these simple guidelines...

Stopping eating meat and fish doesn't have to be as dramatic as it seems. You probably already eat lots of meat-free meals each week: cereal, beans on toast, mushroom pizza, stir-fry vegetables, pasta with tomato sauce.

Going veggie doesn't mean a boring diet-- there are lots of exciting food s to explore.

So try to think of your new vegetarian lifestyle as a new start, with lots of fantastic new flavours to enjoy.

Invest in some vegetarian cookbooks and stock up on staples: vegetables, rice, pasta, beans, marmite, nuts and seeds, and iron rich snacks such as dried apricots.

Supermarkets and healthfood stores stock a variety of ready meals. (look for the Vegetarian Society 'V' logo)

Now, set a date for the big change.

If you find it really hard, start with one vegetarian meal a day and build up slowly to a full vegetarian diet. Or give up meat first, then fish later.

Make sure that you don't miss out on vital nutrients.

All are ideal for stir fries, casseroles and using in place of the meat in meat recipes. For example...traditional Shepherds Pie can be made using TVP Mince or Quorn mince. Use your imagination..nothing is written in stone.

It is also worth taking a multi vitamin and a Vitamin B complex to keep you in top condition. Make sure you chose a brand that it is suitable for vegetarians....always check the label

Make simple swaps in your diet...

You might be surprised to learn that lots of products that appear to be 'vegetarian' aren't...anything from your bottle of wine to sweets can contain animal ingredients. So now that you have established your meat and fish free diet, look out for animal products hidden in every day foods. Always check the ingredients on the packaging for hidden nasties. (see the table below). And don't forget to chose free range or organic eggs. ('barn fresh' or 'farm fresh' eggs are not the same, and are from intensive reared hens)

Substitute gelatine for vegetarian gelling agents such as agar agar and pectin.

Replace standard gravy products with vegetarian gravy granules and stock cubes.

Vegetarian cheeses (made without rennet) are now widely available.

Choose vegetable, soya or nut oils and margarine, rather than animal oils. Or if you are eating dairy products, use butter which has no additives.

Embracing a total vegetarian lifestyle...

You would be surprised at the unexpected places animal ingredients turn up..clothes,toiletries and household products.

Leather is a usually a by product of the meat industry, but animals are sometimes slaughtered just for leather. Modern leather and suede alternatives look, feel and function like real leather and cost around the same.

Many Cosmetics contain animal ingredients or are tested on animals.Many cosmetic companies state publicly that they do not use animal testing, but many get their products from other sources that do test on animals. Check out these animal friendly companies for more informnation....

Many Household Cleaners are tested on animals or contain animal products. Once again check out the companies or buy specifically animal friendly brands..now widely available in most supermarkets.

Even fully fledged vegetarians face unexpected hurdles...