More and more younger people are turning vegetarian or vegan. It’s estimated there are over 3.5 million vegans in the UK and growing, and probably at least as many vegetarians eating eggs and dairy products (lacto-ovo vegetarian), and many more who also eat fish (pescatarian) but not meat.
Recent figures are hard to come by but it is highly likely that ten per cent of the UK population have turned away from meat largely as a reaction to the ruthless profiteering and cruelty of the meat industry, as well as obvious health benefits of going vegetarian, which is reflected in a steady decline in meat sales. A similar trend is occuring in other countries, notably the US.
In this section I explain how to get enough nutrients and how to be optimally nourished if following a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian diet.