Give your body a boost and eat your greens during National Vegetarian Week

Green vegetables and tasty fruit will be on the menu this May for the start of National Vegetarian Week.

The week, which begins on Monday 22 and finishes on Sunday 28, aims to let everyone know how easy and tasty a veggie diet can be.

Organised and co-ordinated by The Vegetarian Society charity, National Vegetarian Week remains the most successful way for the society to raise its public profile and promote the vegetarian diet.

All week the charity will highlight the advantages of vegetarianism and show how a meat-free diet can have a positive effect on many of the health problems hitting Britain today, particularly obesity, osteoporosis, breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Many gorgeous, healthy-looking celebrities such as Stella McCartney, Alicia Silverstone and Heather Small can credit their enviable physiques and glowing skin to a vegetarian diet. Film star Jude Law is also known for his love of vegetarian food.

Rich in fresh vegetables and fruit, vegetarian food is packed with important protective antioxidants. These nutrients include the beta-carotene form of vitamin A, vitamin C and E which along with the high-fibre content of a good vegetarian diet are believed by many researchers to play a major role in reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.