A FATHER-OF-TWO is going vegan for a month as part of a campaign aimed at improving health.

Bharat Patel, 48, of Bedford Road, Harrow, is preparing to participate in the London Vegan Pledge from Saturday until June 16, which will mean eliminating meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and honey from his diet.

The account manager, a vegetarian for four years, said: “Being Gujarati, we basically have a vegetarian meal every week anyway, so by doing this pledge I want to become better informed about vegan choices.

“I’m fully convinced of the health benefits.

“I wasn’t a big meat eater, but one day I just realised I hadn’t eaten meat for a long time so I just carried on.

“Going vegan felt like an obvious step.”

Mr Patel said he has already started eating vegan food and a typical dinner for him is a large serving of a range of steamed vegetables with lots of olive oil.

He will be meeting other pledgers and the organisers of the scheme, the Local Vegan Campaigns, this weekend to get nutritional information, health advice and ideas for menus.

He said: “I expect we will be free to choose our foods so long as it adheres to the vegan principles.”

This is the fifth pledge run by Vegan Campaigns, which encourages people to become vegan to improve health, reduce their carbon footprint and save animals.

Last year nearly 70 Londoners took the Vegan Pledge, the majority of whom were vegetarian already.

Mr Patel said he has the backing from his family and said: “They’ve seen my choices for the last few years, so for them it wasn’t unexpected when I took up this challenge.

“Even after the month, I do want to continue being vegan, although it might take some time before I’m 100 per cent vegan.”

To register for the Vegan Pledge or find out more information, visit www.vegancampaigns.org.uk, email info@vegancampaigns.org.uk or call 07890 136 663.