Celeb appeal '˜making veggies sexy'

Vegetarianism is becoming sexy - thanks to clean living celebs such as Gwyneth Paltrow, suggests new research.
Gwyneth PaltrowGwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow

A new study revealed almost 60 per cent of people claim a non meat-eater would make an appetising date.

And stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Arnold Schwarzenegger are tugging at the heartstrings of many young Brits by making a stand against meat eating.

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Other veggie celebs include comedian Russell Brand, comedian Ellen DeGeneres and Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde.

The same survey of 2,000 people, found a quarter of 16 to 34-year-olds wish their other half would care about the planet as much as they do.

And 24 people wish their partner would eat a more varied diet.

Two out of five said they eat less meat than they used to.

Professor Nik Brown, of York University, said: “It’s not surprising that values such as vegetarianism are becoming more and more important to us when considering a life date.

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“With changes in society such as increased awareness of certain issues via the internet and other sources we’re becoming a more informed, and therefore more opinionated nation, so would want these opinions to be shared by the person closest to us.

Prof Brown added: “People searching for someone to spend the rest of their life with are often thinking about the future and someone they may raise a family with, which is natural, and so a logical extension of this is to think about the future in a wider sense.

“With issues around the planet and reducing our meat intake getting more media exposure it seems some of us are linking this to every aspect of our lives, including our romantic lives.”

Brits are becoming more and more conscious about how what we eat affects the world around us.

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Nearly half (40 per cent) now think eating less meat would be better for the environment.

Fran Graham, Friends of the Earth’s Food Campaigner, said: “Future generations will feel the impact of current attitudes to meat more than the current one and therefore may feel more strongly about it.

“Interestingly, 33 per cent of those aged 16-19 in the study said they wish their partner would eat less meat - more than the national average.

“Our current appetite for meat means that global livestock production causes more climate-changing emissions than all cars, planes, boats and trains on the planet, and eating too much meat is linked to certain cancers, heart disease and strokes.

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“It is crucial the Government and food industry help make it easy for people to eat a more plant-based diet. It’s a huge culture shift that would be a double win: immediately and for the future - for the benefit of our health and the planet.”