Healthy Gourmet: Way of the vegan

Although we know some things are bad for us - like hydrogenated fat or too much sugar - there is no scientific agreement that one kind of diet is better than another.

Whatever you like to eat, knowing how to cook it properly makes a big difference to your health. For the next three weeks this column will look at the worlds of vegans, carnivores and piscivores, and provide some tips on how to cook in the healthiest way.

My cousin Simona Ferrante has been a vegan since she discovered a few years ago that she has diabetes. On top of this our family has a history of kidney failure. She did not want to become dependent on medicines, so she started looking for solutions on how to eat healthier.

She was drawn to veganism after reading studies that found that cholesterol from animal-derived products can stay in the body, affecting the liver, intestines and kidneys. As a result Simona has managed to keep her diabetes under control. Her two children, Gabriele, six, and Federico, three, have been on vegan diets since they were born. They have never been vaccinated, nor have they ever had antibiotics. They have never fallen ill.

Simona says you can eat with satisfaction, even with the restrictions of a vegan diet - and you can convince your children to do so too. This is how she does it.