Fruitarian, vegan or raw foodie? If you have wondered what the difference is, then the Meveg Congress, opening today, might be the thing for you.
The two-day event at the Dubai World Trade Centre brings together 16 proponents of healthy living from as far as Singapore, Russia and the United States.
The effort seeks to convince audiences that ditching meat, even if only for a few days each week, can help people and the planet to become healthier.
That message is particularly relevant in the UAE, which has very high levels of diabetes and obesity, as well as a deep environmental footprint in the world.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the UAE has the highest per-capita footprint at 10.68 hectares. This indicates what portion of the planet's natural resources people living here need to sustain their lifestyles.
"Somehow, we seem to be topping all the wrong lists," said Sandhya Prakash, the founder and director of the Middle East Vegetarian Group (Meveg) and a UAE liaison officer for the International Vegetarian Union.
"It is time we look at what we are putting in our bodies."
Some of the speakers at the conference have dedicated their professional lives to clarifying the connection between health and food.
One of them is the cardiologist BM Hegde. A former professor at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School at the University of London and the retired vice chancellor of Manipal University, he is currently editor-in-chief of The Journal of the Science of Healing Outcomes.
"Vegetarianism is one of the many aspects of keeping a human healthy," he said. "Modern medicine has forgotten man but focused on organs."
He explained that a holistic approach to health was necessary, rather than filling up a person "with a few chemicals" for a certain period of time.
Another speaker, Loh Yeow Nguan, the executive director of education and outreach of the Vegetarian Society of Singapore, will explain the benefits of a fruitarian diet, which includes mostly fresh and dried fruit. A former heavy meat-eater, he has been surviving on a largely fruitarian diet since 1987.
The conference will also look into the environmental impact of the foods people consume, as well as organic produce, which is raised without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilisers.
Participants will also have the chance to taste vegetarian and vegan dishes. Vegetarian dishes avoid using animal flesh. Vegan dishes also exclude animal products such as dairy or eggs.
"I never promote people to go 100 per cent vegetarian," Mrs Prakash said.
"It is a choice. What is important is to highlight the benefits and allow people to use their common sense."
vtodorova@thenational.ae