Meera Sodha: ‘I’m thrilled to have new ingredients in the kitchen’
I’m like a giant panda in that 98% of what I eat comes from plants,It’s a long story, but the short version is that I love animals alive and vegetables on my plate,If I think about who I am and how I eat, I am built from Gujarati ingenuity and Lincolnshire produce when it comes to putting vegetables at the centre of the table,While I eat mainly plants, I do leave a little room in my diet for other things that I enjoy – a fish curry shared with my husband, Hugh, an omelette for a quick dinner, or tidying the edges of a hunk of manchego – and three of my cookbooks, Fresh India, East and Dinner, overall reflect that way of eating,I have variously followed a vegan or vegetarian diet, but the moment I fell off the wagon by eating some meat, I feared I lacked conviction.
I’d question my values and feel as if I’d failed, and I’d want to throw in the towel.But, left to my own devices, I very rarely ate meat or fish, say once or twice a month, and dairy and eggs more regularly, but there was no wagon to fall off – and overall I was moving in the right direction.Even though I’ve written the vegan column at the Guardian for eight years, I’ve never labelled myself a vegan or, for that matter, a vegetarian, pescatarian or meat-eater.So when the Guardian recently asked me to broaden my horizons to include vegetarian recipes every other week, I said yes.Back in 2017, many of the vegan recipes being written weren’t especially tempting and, having grown up eating the most beautiful home-cooked, largely vegan Indian food, I had a lot to add to the conversation.
But things have changed since then.Now many of the UK’s brightest brains are creating fantastic plant-based dishes: it’s where the greatest innovation in food is.There are vegan ranges in every supermarket and every fast-food chain, and most restaurants and pubs have at least one vegan option.And so perhaps now is the right time for me to go full panda.Before I do, I’d love to share a couple of things I’ve learned along the way.
Veganism is far from the restrictive diet I once thought it was.Initially, I felt it was so limited that I’d have to give up my column within two months (thanks to Itamar Srulovich and Diana Henry for talking me out of it).But the limitation forced me to think more creatively.I had to learn different ways of cooking vegetables to get to a delicious and satisfying meal quickly.It has opened up my palate and given me new skills; I’ve learned how to extract the most flavour from a celeriac.
Overall, it has made me a better cook, and it has been fun along the way,It has also made me more conscious of what I eat,It’s forced me to read every label and, in doing so, I’ve become more aware of what I’m putting into my body (and what I’m recommending you put into yours),It’s led me to be much more aware of ultra-processed ingredients and foods, for example, of which there are lots when it comes to pre-packaged vegan food,Finally, the community around my column has been amazing in all sorts of ways.
I’ve learned that most of my readers are Meat-Free Monday-ers or part-time vegans, and have shown enormous enthusiasm for weekly vegan options.Many are not, as I initially thought, part of a small, east London bubble, but from as far as the Outer Hebrides and of all ages.Both my father in-law and stepfather-in-law, for example, who are in their late 70s and grew up eating meat daily, now eat vegan food regularly.I am conscious that I’m making this change at a time when Donald Trump has pulled out of the Paris agreement, and just after the Los Angeles fires.But I believe that one of the most empowering things we can all do in the face of the climate crisis is to choose what we put on our plates three times a day.
And if we all, in our millions, choose to eat less meat more regularly, that’s where the greatest change will happen,I’ll still be writing vegan recipes every other week here and my food will still be about flavour, vegetables and pleasure,For the time being, because so much of what I do is tinkering in the kitchen, I am thrilled to have new ingredients for my weekly column – the equivalent of new paints to paint with,Sometimes I might not get it right, but I’m enthusiastic to learn and to see what I can create for you,
Young women in England and Wales projected to have just one child by 35
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Study finds strongest evidence yet that shingles vaccine helps cut dementia risk
Researchers who tracked cases of dementia in Welsh adults have uncovered the strongest evidence yet that the shingles vaccination reduces the risk of developing the devastating brain disease.Health records of more than 280,000 older adults revealed that those who received a largely discontinued shingles vaccine called Zostavax were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the next seven years than those who went without.Pascal Geldsetzer, at Stanford University, said: “For the first time we are able to say much more confidently that the shingles vaccine causes a reduction in dementia risk. If this truly is a causal effect, we have a finding that’s of tremendous importance.”The researchers took advantage of a vaccination rollout that took place in Wales more than a decade ago
Patient satisfaction with NHS has hit record low of 21%, survey finds
Public satisfaction with the NHS is at a record low and dissatisfaction is at its highest, with the deepest discontent about A&E, GP and dental care.Just 21% of adults in Britain are satisfied with how the health service runs, down from 24% a year before, while 59% are dissatisfied, up from 52%, the latest annual survey of patients found.Satisfaction has fallen dramatically from the 70% recorded in 2010, the year the last Labour government left office, and the 60% found in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic.Mark Dayan, a policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust thinktank, which analysed the data alongside the King’s Fund, said the years since 2019 have seen “a startling collapse in NHS satisfaction.“It is by far the most dramatic loss of confidence in how the NHS runs that we have seen in 40 years of this survey
Lowering bad cholesterol may cut risk of dementia by 26%, study suggests
Lowering your levels of bad cholesterol could reduce the risk of dementia by 26%, a study suggests.People with low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in their blood have a lower overall risk of dementia, and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease specifically, according to research published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.Taking statins also provided an “additional protective effect” against the condition for those people with low levels of bad cholesterol, researchers found.The number of people living with dementia worldwide is forecast to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, but evidence suggests almost half of cases could be prevented or delayed.LDL-C is often referred to as bad cholesterol and can cause plaque to build in arteries, leading to cardiovascular disease, which can increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks and death
If you’re over 70, protect yourself and ask for breast screening | Letter
The supplement in your print edition about breast screening (24 March) left out one very shocking fact. If you are over 70, then you are no longer called for breast screening. In my case, I lost my temper with my bra – the wire was digging in and making my right breast sore. I marched down to my local bra shop, where the lovely shop assistant asked me if I had had a scan recently. When I said “no” she suggested that I see my doctor
Norman Campbell obituary
My father, Norman Campbell, who has died aged 79, was among the leading cardiologists of his generation in Britain and Ireland. His intelligence and excellent clinical skills made him a highly respected physician. He described his work as “on occasion fascinating, at times difficult and demanding, sometimes with moments of near terror”.His whole career, save a formative period in the US, was spent at the Royal Victoria hospital (the “Royal”) in Belfast. His generation of health professionals cemented the city’s status as a world-leading centre of cardiac care and rehabilitation
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