A CAMPAIGN that aims to shake up the meaty diet that many people enjoy is on the horizon.

Next month, Friends of the Earth (FOE) are re-launching their ‘Meat Free May’ initiative for a second year.

It challenges us to give up meat and fish for a month, while raising money for the charity.

Fran Graham, campaigner in the land, food and water team at FOE said: "We ran it last year and it went really well, we had lots of interest, we had around 750 people take part and we got some really lovely feedback- people really loved the idea of jump starting and changing their eating habits."

For many people giving up meat might seem tricky- but fear not- Gabriela Lerner, founder of the Radiant on Raw enterprise, has shared her tips with Taste on how to eat without meat.

Gabriela, 57, switched to a raw food lifestyle following her husband’s diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2011.

She claims that the changes had a positive impact on her health and her husband’s condition.

She believes it put his body in the best physical shape to fight the cancer and he has now been cancer free for a number of years.

German-born nutritionist Gabriela praised the South West for providing her lifestyle with variety for her meals.

She said: “Dorset has an abundance of organic growers and producers. I find it really easy to source amazingly tasty, freshly picked organic vegetables."

Ahead of Meat Free May, the board certified health coach recommended ideas for a tasty meat-free dish that she said also provided a high nutritional value.

She said: “Funny, isn’t it, that the majority of people still believe a meal isn’t a meal without meat? Yet meat is actually a very limited food source with even more limited nutritional value.

“Yes, it contains protein, but, to give just one example, calorie per calorie, broccoli contains more protein than a steak.”

Gabriela recommended a plate of courgette ribbons with a chunky tomato sauce or Thai green curry kelp noodles. However, if you want something a bit more ‘meaty’, then stuffed Portobello mushroom with cashews and sour cream is a good choice. Recipes for these ideas can be found on her website radiantonraw.co.uk.

You can get involved with Meat Free May and raise money for Friends of the Earth, donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/foe/

CONTACT ME:

t: 01305 830984

e: tanita.matthews@dorsetecho.co.uk

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