The choice to become a vegetarian is usually influenced by religious, health or ethical reasons.

Religious sects, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, require that their followers abstain from eating beef (or, in some cases, from any sort of meat at all). Jews and Muslims are also limited in their choice to eat meat, with laws that enforce the consumption of meat (if allowed) to be limited to those meats that have been prepared in the Kosher or Halaal way.

Many people also choose this sort of diet because vegetarian foods are mostly rich in fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients, minerals and vitamins, all of which are responsible for strengthening the immune system and slowing down the aging process. It is also thought that a vegetarian diet can lead to a lower mortality rate and that vegetarians benefit from a reduced incidence of many non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes and even cerebrovascular disease). Vegetarian food has also shown to reduce the risk of cancer as long as the diet is offset by sufficient intake of vitamin B12 and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Beyond religion and health, there are a number of ethical reasons that lead people to becoming vegetarian. This includes the notion that eating meat supports cruelty to animals (where “factory farms” keep animals in cramped, cruel and oppressive conditions), while also damaging the Earth’s environment (it takes a lot more water, farmland and energy to rear animals for meat consumption than it does to cultivate grains, fruit and vegetables). 

Legumes include food such as kidney beans, peas, lentils, soya, and haricot among others. Legumes provide about 8 grams of protein per half cup of legume. Two or more servings a day of legumes provide a good source of fiber, iron, zinc, calcium as well as vitamins.

Nuts include pecan nuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistaccio nuts and cashew nuts (amongst others). Nuts are generally nutritious and healthy as they are packed full of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and other chemicals that prevent cancer and heart disease. Nuts are an extremely satisfying source of food that healthy fats and amino acids.

Seeds include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and poppy seeds (amongst others). Seeds provide a great way of adding vitamins, fiber, minerals and essential fatty acids (such as omega 3 and omega 6) to one’s diet. They contain plant sterols that are believed to help keep cholesterol levels in check and bring down the risk of cancer.

Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is also popularly known as textured soy protein, soya chunks or soy meat. TVP is a defatted soy flour product - a by-product from extracting soybean oil. It can acts as a meat substitute in many dishes and provides vegetarians with an alternative protein source that is much better than meat.