Enjoying healthy eating and being active every day are two of the most important things you can do to stay healthy, maintain a healthy weight and help reduce the risk of developing conditions like heart disease and cancer.  Research has shown that vegetarian diets are often lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre than a typical meat eater’s diet. However, vegetarian diets exclude a range of foods that provide essential nutrients; therefore, it is important to ensure that alternative foods of equal nutritional value are included to avoid nutrient deficiencies.

There are many interpretations of a ‘vegetarian’ diet, ranging from someone who simply does not eat red meat to another who avoids products of animal origin in all aspects of their lifestyle.