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Celebrate World Vegetarian Day

Updated: 2006-09-29 17:24

A supporter of vegetarianism poses in front of a Pamela Anderson 'Go Vegetarian' billboard.[Getty Images]

What do Pamela Anderson, Andre 3000, Joaquin Phoenix, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire and Gwyneth Paltrow have in common? They are all vegetarians!

On October 1 (Sunday), the world's vegetarians will observe World Vegetarian Day for reasons that include health, ethical, environmental and humanitarian factors.

What type of vegetarian are you?
There are several types of vegetarians and these are 'vegans', 'lactos', 'lacto-ovos', 'fruitarians', 'flexitarians'/'semi-vegetarians' or even 'pescatarians'.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians exclude meat, poultry and seafood in their diet, but eat eggs and dairy products. Lactos exclude meat, poultry, seafood and eggs but will consume milk, whereas vegans strictly exclude meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs and any products of animal origin such as honey and gelatine.

Fruitarians are said to only eat fruits, nuts and seeds, but will however consume roots of plants such as carrots and potatoes. Pescatarians are generally those who do not eat meat but include fish in their diet.

Some say that being vegetarian can be challenging, and the main issues surrounding these challenges include meal-planning, accessing enough protein, and raising children in a vegetarian household.

If you have been thinking of becoming vegetarian, here are 10 helpful hints to get you started:
1. Invest in vegetarian cookbooks and investigate on the internet for vegetarian recipes.
2. Make a list of the various ways you can cook the same food. For instance potatoes can be boiled, roasted, mashed or made into hot chips and Mexican-style filled potatoes.
3. Adapt your favourite dishes such as pasta and stir-fries into vegetarian meals by excluding the meat component.
4. Experiment with fruit, vegetables, lentils, legumes and grains that you don't normally eat.
5. Try tofu. There are many types of tofu in the market, with varieties including fresh, firm, deep-fried, marinated, egg-based tofu and tempeh (fermented soy cake). You may, however, need to make your way to an Asian store for the more exotic types.
6. Check out your local supermarket for the variety of quick/frozen/foil-packed/canned vegetarian foods available.
7. Explore the vegetarian options on the menus of all cafes and restaurants you normally dine at.
8. Explore the 'fake meat' (soy-based) products available at the supermarket or local Asian stores.
9. Stock up on nuts and seeds.
10. Replace animal fats (eg. butter) with vegetable oils (eg. olive, canola, sunflower, peanut oils).