Vegetarian diet ‘lower in calories’

Many ladies will cut down on fatty meats in a bid to fit into their skinny jeans, but a vegetarian diet offers a number of advantages other than weight loss, according to one commentator.

Su Taylor from the Vegetarian Society advised: "A well planned vegetarian diet really can make you feel better inside and out."

She explained that a balanced veggie diet will closely follow the government's healthy eating recommendations, while people who do not eat meat are less likely to suffer from conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Vegetarians tend to have a lower average body mass index and are also less likely to be obese, Ms Taylor said.

"A balanced vegetarian diet tends to be lower in calories and higher in fibre so can also help maintain a healthy weight," she added.
Her comments follow a study from the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, which shows that vegetarians are a third less likely to develop diverticular disease – a common bowel disorder – than those who eat meat.

Would you give up meat in a bid to lose weight fast?