We hope that this leaflet has provided some inspiration. If you would like any help or advice in increasing the number of vegetarian options that you offer, please contact us or visit our website. Order a free copy of our guide Catering for older vegetarians and vegans at www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk for practical advice, a menu planner and some great recipe ideas.
Free support for care homes VfL has already recruited over 400 care and retirement homes to its UK-List. List members follow our Code of Good Practice by providing good vegetarian, and often vegan, catering.
Better for all
List membership is free, and benefits include free marketing for homes and regular new recipes for residents to enjoy. You can join online by visiting our website.
Vegetarian for Life is an advocacy charity aiming to improve the quality of life of the UK’s older vegetarians and vegans. Our services include: -
a UK-List of veg-friendly care homes catering and healthy-living guides nutritional advice charitable grants to aid independent living and respite care caterer training
www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk Email: admin@vegetarianforlife.org.uk Tel: 01683 220888 Dalveen, Grange Rd, Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway DG10 9HS Registered charity number 1120687 Company number 6294709
Think you need to be a vegetarian to enjoy meat-free meals? Think again. This leaflet explains why providing a few veggie options on your menu can be better for everyone – and could even save you money.
Easier to swallow Our ability to eat certain foods can deteriorate with age. It is a sad fact that any problems with chewing affect the nutrient intake of older people. Vegetarian and vegan foods are easier to swallow and digest.
Vegetarian foods usually contain more vegetables, unsaturated (healthy) fats, fibre, folate and antioxidants (vitamins C and E, and carotenoids) than meat dishes. Older people living in institutions often lack these nutrients and others. Our free guide Nutrition for older vegetarians and vegans explains which foods are rich sources. Order from www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk or by calling 01683 220888.
Veg appeal A study of older adults in a care setting found that they preferred fruits, vegetables and beans to red meat, milk and dairy products. This suggests that a plant-based diet could have wide appeal, and not just to vegetarian residents. Says Carol Gilligan, who has run a care home for 27 years: “We currently have two vegetarian residents, but two sisters have recently moved in and they are increasingly avoiding meat and eating vegetarian food. Many of the other residents are also regularly having the vegetarian option. They love the extra choice – particularly Italian dishes. “I recently held a vegetarian week with the agreement of residents. It was very popular and there wasn’t a single complaint!”
Cheaper for caterers It’s a common myth that going vegetarian, or providing more vegetarian menu options, will be more expensive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Soya mince and pulses (peas, all types of beans, and lentils) tend to cost much less, and go much further, weight-for-weight, than even the cheapest cuts of meat.
The best investment for health A recent study looked into the cheapest way to eat more healthily and to cut the risk of heart disease and stroke. The diets of 78,191 women were investigated. The best way to make your diet more healthy, said the researchers, was to spend more on nuts, soya, beans and wholegrains, and less on red and processed meats and high-fat dairy.
Packed with nutrition The ability to digest, absorb, and use vitamins and minerals decreases with age. Not getting enough nutrients increases the risk of getting an infection. But vegetarians typically have a more nutrient-dense diet than meat eaters. That is, vegetarian foods provide more nutrients in every portion.
Full of fibre Constipation tends to be a problem for older people generally, but vegetarians tend to suffer less than meat-eaters. This is because a balanced veggie diet contains plenty of fibre. Fruits, vegetables, pulses, wholegrain bread, pasta, rice and oats provide fibre naturally, in abundance.
Fighting disease Over recent years, research has shown that vegetarians and vegans tend to be very healthy – perhaps more so that their meat-eating peers. Take inspiration: a well-planned veggie diet is likely to lead to better health, cutting the risk of obesity, diabetes and cancer – and can increase life expectancy by up to 6 years!
Natural protection Vegetarians are also less at risk of heart disease and have up to 50 per cent less chance of dying from it. Apart from being slimmer, having lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure levels, research suggests that yet another factor may protect vegetarians against heart disease. Salicylic acid in their blood is up to one-and-a-half times higher than in meat-eaters’. Salicylic acid is the main ingredient in aspirin, prescribed to reduce the risk of heart attacks by fighting the inflammation that causes them and it seems that salicylic acid is also present in fruit and vegetables. If that wasn’t enough, added bonuses of a vegetarian diet are a whopping 30–40% lower risk of cataracts and reduced risk of dementia. The diet may even help ward off wrinkles by boosting the skin’s natural defences against sun damage!