According to the Vegetarian Society there are a great many worthwhile health advantages to vegetarianism. These include a much lowered chance of developing gall-stones, kidney stones, hypertension and diet-related diabetes. There's a 30 per cent less heart disease risk and the risk of some cancers is reduced by as much as 40 per cent. You're very much less likely to contract food poisoning and the chances of falling prey to the human mad cow disease are much reduced too.

There are now some Vegetarian Term Life policies on the market. Just a few at present, but it's thought that their popularity will increase. Vegetarians are starting to be rewarded for their healthier life style by cuts in insurance premiums.

It's a sensible move. After all if insurers find that vegetarians are so much less likely to die prematurely and in fact to live much longer. It's a case of everyone wins.

A spokesman for one insurance company made the statement "In simple terms, vegetarians live longer and are healthier throughout their lifetimes."

It's not just the vegetarian diet, but the lifestyle of the type of person who is a committed vegetarian. They're less likely to drink to excess, or smoke and probably more likely to take exercise as a matter of course. Even if the exercise is little more than tending their vegetable plot - recent reports of waiting lists for allotments are amazing and it seems everyone is finding vegetable and fruit growing to be rewarding in more ways than one. This particular insurance company has been offering a healthy discount - 25 per cent - on the first year of premiums.

A study of some 11,000 people, carried out over 12 years, showed very clearly that vegetarians have lower mortality rates in many major areas than non-vegetarians. It's thought the there are some 4 million vegetarians in the UK. Obviously some are more committed to the idea than others and sometimes a bacon butty smell wafting past can tempt all but the most determined. However, the blood pressure monitors, the cholesterol test results and the scales will show the full story and therefore slightly easier to stay on the straight and narrow.

If you're interested in finding out more about this type of diet then the Vegetarian Society website is the place to look. There's lots and lots of information an all aspects of vegetarianism and it's a good place to start.

There's a whole section devoted to young people and vegetarianism and a host of recipes and shopping suggestions. Details of hotels and other accommodation that cater for vegetarian diets are also listed.

The Vegetarian Society of the UK is a registered educational charity. Everything they do is connected with educating the public as well as businesses and other organisations. Their role is the promoting of knowledge and understanding of vegetarianism.

Maybe you're not convinced? Years of T-bone steak and chips and the old standby of chicken in a basket doesn't train anyone down the veggie track. At one time the nation's favourite meal was a Sunday lunch of roast beef and Yorkshire pud with all the extras. However, given all the facts, maybe you'll get on to your insurance broker and see what's available for those attempting to change their lifestyle. They'll search a very wide range of insurers and be sure to come up with something to suit you.