Part-time vegetarian diet could reduce obesity risk by 43%

For those looking to lose a bit of weight may want to consider going partly vegetarian according to…

For those looking to lose a bit of weight may want to consider going partly vegetarian according to a new study. The study looked at 16,000 people and found that cutting back on meat and eating a part-time vegetarian diet on some days could cut the risk of obesity by 43%.

In this latest study, the part-time vegetarians who ate more meat-free meals and extra fruit and vegetables were more likely to keep weight off, and almost halved their obesity risk.

The study's authors revealed that the more fruits and vegetables people ate, and the less meat they consumed, the less likely they were to gain weight – even after factors like age, beginning weight and lifestyle were taken in to account. Those in the 'most vegetarian' group ate only a couple fewer meat-free meals a week (around 60g less a day) than their most carnivorous counterparts, but also ate more fruit, vegetables, nuts and olive oil.

Why is this diet so appealing? According to The Times Maira Bes-Rastrollo from the University of Navarra, study author told the European Congress on Obesity in Porto, Portugal: "It's not a radical shift to a vegetarian diet, it's more a gentle approximation. It's not strict."