More Australians are opting to go meat-free to improve their health or lose weight.
In fact, over ten per cent of Australian population are now vegetarian.
According to experts, going vegetarian is actually good for your wellbeing as long as you know what to eat.
The story of how Teh Chou Yeh became a vegetarian 30 years ago is somewhat unusual.
Her father was dying of cirrhosis and had already begun writing his will.
Out of desperation, she decided to stop eating meat to pray for her father's well-being based on Buddhist beliefs.
Her father ended up living on for another 23 years until the age of 99.
No-one could explain how the cirrhosis miraculously healed itself, but Teh Chou Yeh believes it could have something to do with her vow.
She's since stayed a vegetarian.
Renske Dijkhuis is a nutritionist at Leading Nutrition, an aged care dietician company.
She says research shows that a vegetarian diet can improve your overall wellbeing especially once you hit 50.
The number of vegetarians in Australia has been steadily rising in recent years with 2.1 million choosing a mostly meat-free diet.
It has proved to better for the waistline with only 45.4 per cent of vegetarians obese or overweight, compared with 60.7 per cent of the general adult population.
Whilst more people are becoming vegetarian, Renske Dijkhuis cautions it's not as simple as removing the meat out of the diet.
If you're not going out in the sun as much these days, you can use eggs, margarine, or a punnet of mushrooms that's been placed under the sun on your windowsill to boost your vitamin D intake.
You also need to eat iron-rich foods such as legumes, green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified foods, tofu, tempeh, nuts and seeds.
Brisbane-based GP Jacqui Kelly says vegetarianism is suitable for anyone provided that they're eating the right kinds of food.
Dr Kelly says those considering or already adopting a vegetarian diet should be wary of iron blockers such as dairy or caffeine.
