Opting to be a vegetarian in a largely meat eating society is not as easy as it sounds, particularly if dining out is on your agenda as few private homes and eateries are geared for vegetarian tastes and yet, despite such drawbacks, more and more people are electing to keep their bodies free of meat, poultry and even fish products.

People stop eating meat etc. for a variety of reasons: Some may have been advised or chosen to do so on health grounds, others may simply have gone off the taste and texture and yet others have the welfare of animals and birds in mind . Whatever the reason, it is now an accepted fact that sticking to a vegetarian diet can vastly improve overall body tone, clear up skin and hair problems, reduce incidents of cancer and, providing that a sensibly balanced vegetarian diet is adhered to, assist in losing excess fat and weight.

Dairy products, such as milk, yoghurt, cheese and eggs are an important source of protein and calcium for vegetarians but none of these should be consumed in excess otherwise problems can arise from a high intake of saturated fats. Strict vegan diets, however, totally exclude dairy products in any form therefore practitioners must study all the pros and cons of their selected foods in order to circumnavigate potential dietary related problems including anaemia and vitamin deficiency.

It is important to note that a vegetarian or vegan diet must contain far more than daal, rice and vegetables if overall bodily and mental health is to be maintained. Some vegetarians  do include fish in their diets which is a good move although, frankly speaking, the fish sold in the markets these days is usually caught in extremely polluted water and so contains an alarming amount of toxic material no matter how it is prepared.

As previously mentioned, eating out can be a minefield for vegetarians and vegans: Few restaurants offer a balanced vegetarian or vegan selection on their menu and being invited for a meal in a private home can be an extremely embarrassing experience indeed, whether or not the host/hostess has been forewarned of the dietary preferences of their guests as the majority are under the impression that simply picking meat/chicken/fish out of the biriyani for example, will suffice.

It is also widely assumed, despite the fact that a number of traditional vegetarian dishes are served alongsidemeat/chicken/fish ones on a daily basis, that vegetarian and vegan food is tasteless in the extreme but this is most certainly not the case as, in some instances, vegetarian/vegan food far outclasses greasy meat dishes when prepared in an interesting, exciting manner as the Chinese, Malay and other ‘healthy’ food aficionados discovered generations ago.

In many countries of the world vegetarians and vegans are widely catered for in restaurants of all types and trends but here in Pakistan the relatively few who follow this course tend to be viewed, and treated, as creatures from outer space which is a sad state of affairs that needs to be changed. Since October 1 is celebrated as World Vegetarian Day, here’s a delicious treat, and you don’t even have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it.

Baked stuffed pumpkin delight (Serves 4)Ingredients:1 small pumpkin or four pumpkin slices4 medium-sized potatoes4 medium tomatoes.Pitted black olives to taste1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil4 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese

Quarter kg mushrooms1 bulb garlic, cleaned and crushedHalf litre milk1 dessertspoon cornflourKnob of butterSalt & pepper to tasteA little browned, fried onion

Method:If using one small pumpkin, cut in half and de-seed, if slices then clean but do not peel. Arrange pumpkin in an ovenproof dish, cover and set aside. Peel and dice potatoes, boil in lightly salted water until half cooked, drain and place in a mixing bowl. Add chopped tomatoes, black olives, chopped mushrooms and basil to potatoes and mix well. Spoon mixture into pumpkin shells or slices.

Make sauce by melting butter in a heavy bottomed pan, then stir in cornflour, a little salt and pepper and crushed garlic.

Allow to brown slightly then slowly pour in the milk stirring all the time to prevent the sauce from sticking. Simmer over low heat until thick and then pour over the potato mixture inside the pumpkin shells/slices. Sprinkle with grated cheese, more olives if desired and a little browned, fried onion if you like.

Place, uncovered, in medium oven and cook for approximately 45 – 60 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and the filling nicely browned.

Serve hot, either on its own or with garlic bread and salad.