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The best way to save a large number of animals from death is to stop eating them! It really couldn't be any easier because there are so many meat, dairy and egg free alternatives that its not just about eating pulses and lentils!

Getting started - Beat the Meat.

Making the transition to becoming a vegetarian or vegan is easier than you think. One way to make things easy is to write out a list of your favourite meals and take a look at what you eat. Go through each meal and find a substitute for the meat! It really couldn't be simpler.

For example: spaghetti bologaise, lasagne, shepherds pie, chilli con carne and canelloni can all be made meat free by switching to soya mince. Its sold in all supermarkets and health shops and you probably won't even beable to tell the difference. You can put marinated tofu in pasta and noodle dishes which is also easily obtained from most supermarkets and health food stores and you can get braised tofu which is ideal for casserols.

You can switch to veggie burgers, veggie sausage rolls, veggie hotdogs and sausages and you can still have bacon sandwiches by switching to cheatin' rashers. There is even veggie fishless fingers, fishcakes, tai fish bites and scampi and thats before we mention chicken style nuggats, schnitzels and haggis!

If you are a pie and mash person the Linda McCartney range sells delicious deep filled country pies and country slices and Clive Pies does a wonderful range of organic pies. Alternatively you could make your own.

You don't even have to miss out on roast dinners, because you can try delicious nut roasts, cheatin' chicken and roast beef and there are lots of meat free gravies on the market so switching to vegetable gravy is easy!

You will have to watch out for sweets that contain gellatin as well as some jelly, but there are cruelty free versions out there so keep checking the ingredients!

Ditchin' Dairy

With a legally permitted 4 million pus cells per litre of milk going dairy free is an easy choice to make; and its not about giving things up at all, its about swapping products and taking up new delicious alternatives.

There are all kinds of soya, oat and rice milks to try. There are also lots of different brands, so if you don't like one brand of soya milk it doesn't mean you'll dislike them all. Don't forget to try the different flavours too!

If you are out and about in town, keep your eyes open because lots of milkshake parlours are now offering vegan shakes! Infact Shakeaway which has stores in Bournemouth, Southampton, Brighton, Bath, Reading, Croydon and Kingston have over 30 different vegan flavours available made from organic vegan soya milk and icecream.

Also most stores sell their own brand dairy free margarine now and there are also other brands widely on sale too.

There are delicious dairy free alternatives to cream, yoghurts, deserts, custard and even icecream so you won't miss out on anything!

You've probably guessed it already, but there is even a dairy-free alternative to cheese! Redwood makes a dairy free version of: cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, edam, cheese with meat free bacon bits, cheese with garlic and herbs, mature cheddar with cranberries, and barbeque style. They are also lower in fat than dairy cheese and free from cholesterol.

Make sure you check the ingredients when you buy things like crisps, biscuits and other processed foods because often they have milk in. Lots of food labelling now includes allergy advice which is an easy way to see if a product containst milk. If you can't find what you are looking for, we are more than happy to offer advice.

Eggs

Now that we have learned the truth behind the cruel egg industry, we know that a cruelty-free egg doesn't exist. This doesn't mean giving up mayo or cakes though because pretty much everything can be veganised!

You will be hard pushed to find egg free cakes in the supermarket, but they do exist and some health stores sell them. Some stores also sell tru-free's steam pudding which comes in a tin and is absolutely delicious.

You can make your own cakes with an egg replacer from your local health store or you can add a mashed bannana, some baking soda and a dash of cider vinegar before baking and that will make the mixture bind and rise! Why not have a go! Also if you ask in store at your supermarket, some make their dohnuts without egg too.

There is quite a selection of mayonnaise's free from egg. Plamil sell a regular egg free mayo, and egg free mayo with garlic, chilli, tarragon or lemongrass as well as organic. There are also other brands of egg free mayo available if you shop around.

We also recommend scrambling tofu as an alternative to scrambled egg! You can mash it up with a knob of vegan margarine, add some black pepper, mustard powder and then fry it up.

Keep an eye on the ingredients when you are buying food, egg products often slip into veggie burgers and sausages, biscuits and lots of processed food. Food labelling is significantly improving all the time and lots of supermarkets do label their products as suitable for vegans or 'egg free' so it is definately getting easier.