Sticking to a meat-free diet? Mind the snacks

Vegetarians are healthier ...but prone to guzzling fatty treats, warns study

THEY may not be tucking into turkey, pigs in blankets and all the trimmings this Christmas.

But it seems that vegetarians are unlikely to turn down the offer of fatty, sugary snacks.

Researchers have found they consume more crisps, pizza and smoothie drinks than their carnivorous counterparts.

The findings emerged in a study looking at the diets of more than 420,000 people and assessing their risk of developing or dying from heart disease.

It concluded that, despite an apparent fondness for snacking, vegetarianism was associated with a lower risk of developing the deadly disease.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Glasgow and published today in the European Heart Journal, suggests meat-free diets should be promoted and encouraged.

Using data from the UK Biobank, it found meat- eaters, who comprised 94.7 per cent of the sample, were the most likely to be obese.

After a follow-up of 8.5 years fish eaters, compared with meateaters, had lower risks of cardiovascular outcomes such as stroke and heart disease.

Researchers noted, however, that vegetarians consumed more unhealthy foods, such as crisps, than meat-eaters and that therefore vegetarians should not be considered a homogeneous [of the same kind] group.

Overall, meat-eaters consumed the least fibre, polyunsaturated fat, water, fruit and vegetables.

Fish eaters were more likely to drink more sugary drinks and ready meals compared with the other groups, but also reported eating the fewest takeaways.

Fish and poultry- eaters were, according to researchers, more likely to eat home-cooked meals.

Meat-eaters were more likely to have long-term health conditions.

Dr Carlos Celis-Morales of the University of Glasgow’s Cardiovascular Research Centre said: ‘Regarding eating patterns among vegetarians compared to fish eaters, vegetarians reported consuming more crisps, slices of pizza and smoothies, but also more water and fruit and vegetables than meat-eaters.

‘However, there were no differences in the total amount of calories consumed by meat-eaters vs vegetarians – 2,170 vs 2,117 kcal.

‘Besides, compared to meat-eaters, vegetarians had a lower body weight [around 13lb lower].

‘This could be related to the longer sitting time and higher alcohol consumption reported by meat- eaters compared with vegetarians.’