Veggie cuisine: is this the hottest new food trend?

Meat has long been a staple of many diets, but the recent rise of plant-based diets begs one question about veggie cuisine: is this the hottest new food trend?

Today, 12 per cent of adults follow a vegetarian or vegan diet and around 20 per cent of 16-24-year-olds follow a vegetarian diet, according to research published last year. Foodies claim that veggie cuisine will be the hottest food trend of 2015 – making this an exciting prospect for vegetarians, vegans and the restaurants catering to them!

Having just released its Quarterly Dining Trends report, restaurant booking platform Bookatable.co.uk has revealed that there is a growing demand for veggie and vegan eating among UK diners: ‘Bookings for establishments catering to vegetarian palates rose by 19 per cent between April and December of 2014,’ it says. ‘Vegetarian and vegan restaurants are on the up in London especially, with many previously carnivorous foodies opting for restaurants with a strong vegetarian offering or exclusively meat-free menu.’

The environmental debate

So why are more of us choosing veggie? Firstly, typically plant-based diets are better for the environment because all ‘non-vegetarian diets require significantly greater amounts of environmental resources, such as land and water’, explains Greenpeace. In particular ‘red meat has massive impacts on our contribution to climate change – it can take 15,000 litres of water to produce just 1kg of beef!’ And The Guardian reports that giving up red meat could be as effective at cutting your carbon emissions as giving up your car.

Further research into daily eating habits has found that the diets of British meat lovers amounted to double the climate-warming emissions of their vegetarian peers. The study was conducted by University of Oxford scientists and found that ‘meat-rich diets – defined as more than 100g of meat consumed per day – resulted in 7.2kg of carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, vegetarian and fish-eating diets caused about 3.8kg, while vegan diets produced only 2.9kg’.

To help reduce this impact, Greenpeace suggests ‘choosing grass-fed beef rather than grain-fed’. If, like me, the prospect of cutting meat entirely out of your diet is daunting, ‘try joining people like Sir Paul McCartney and Chris Martin by adopting Meatless Mondays’.

The health concerns

Although ‘meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals in your diet’, The Department of Health has advised that people who eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red and processed meat a day cut down to 70g. This is because ‘some meats are high in saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels’.

There has also been a link between following a pescetarian diet and a lower risk of bowel cancer, says a new study: ‘People who eat fish and vegetables but no meat are 43 per cent less likely to develop colon or rectal cancer,’ according to research from Loma Linda University in California. Being a vegetarian could similarly help you live longer because a diet that’s 70 per cent vegetarian can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by almost a fifth.

However lead researcher Dr Camille Lassale from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health explains, ‘A vegetarian diet doesn’t make absolute recommendations about specific nutrients. It focuses on increasing the proportion of plant-based foods relative to animal-based foods, which results in an improved nutritionally balanced diet. Instead of drastic avoidance of animal-based foods, try substituting some of the meat in your diet with plant-based sources.’

The right balance

Louise Pyne, registered nutritionist, warns that you need to plan your meals wisely: ‘Unless you smarten up your eating habits, going vegetarian can be restrictive and you could mean missing out on important nutrients. Vegetarian diets can be low in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and protein so it’s important to pile lots of raw nuts and seeds, avocados and vegetarian sources of protein onto your plate.

‘Balanced vegetarian diets are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals. Contrary to popular belief you don’t have to miss out on protein either. Beans, lentils, quinoa, tofu and eggs are all excellent vegetarian sources of this important macronutrient, which helps to keep weight in check and speed up recovery from exercise,’ she says. ‘Look for products fortified with vitamin B12, such as plant milks and sugar-free cereals, and taking a daily supplement which includes at least 10mcg.’

While not everyone is ready to become 100 per cent vegetarian, there is little doubt that eating less meat is one of the fastest ways to reduce your carbon footprint and with the right balance of nutrients it can be healthier too! With some great vegetarian dining choices out there, we suggest visiting one of these fab vegetarian restaurants from Bookatable.co.uk:

• Terre a Terre, Brighton

It’s vegetarian of a superior kind. Try the Pomme De Terre: smoked Yukon potato with paprika Applewood cheddar, sundried hash with goat’s cream, blasted quince, red cabbage salt crumbs, salt-baked celeriac and red onion gel with hipsi sorrel truffle butter, tiny jammed jackets with celeriac and thyme purée, buttermilk goat’s cream, pine and basil pesto, and smoked tomato sauce. Even we meat lovers can salivate at the description of this meal!

• Raw at La Suite West, London

A great place to go for vegan afternoon tea with a great selection of finger sandwiches. For lunch, try the Portobello Mushroom Burger: toasted rye bun with lettuce, tomato, coleslaw, caramelised onion and roasted sweet potato wedges. For drinks: a cup of Peppermint Leaf or Jade Sword Green Tea.