It’s always good to tell an interesting fact when you’re with friends. Here are some vegetarian-related snippets for you to use whether you’re a vegetarian or not.

1. There are a lot of vegetarians out there.

If you are a vegetarian, sometimes you can feel a little lonely. You scour the menus looking for the vegetarian option (hoping it’s not a mushroom risotto, or worse: a pile of vegetables) and most of your friends and family are meat eaters. However, in reality, there are many, many vegetarians in the world. Million! In India it is estimated that more than 350 million people are vegetarians. In Taiwan, about 13% of people are vegetarians.

If you live in the UK, you may be interested to know that up to four million of you are vegetarians. In Brazil, it is said that 8% of the population (that’s 15.2 million people) is vegetarian. In the United States, 13% of the population consider themselves vegetarian or vegan.

So you are not alone. Someone has to tell the restaurants.

2. Vegetarians do not eat fish (or chicken)

Vegetarians hate being asked if they eat fish. By definition, a vegetarian does not eat animals, be they land or sea. Where the problem lies is that you may have met a vegetarian who eats fish. Or rather, someone who eats fish and no other animals and then labels himself a vegetarian. They are not vegetarians. These people are actually called pescetarians.

The issue of eating fish can cause problems for vegetarians, as too often your host may serve you fish at a dinner party or ‘fish’ ends up being the vegetarian option on a menu.

So the next time you come across a person who eats fish but claims to be a vegetarian, feel free to correct them.

3. Vegetarians Get Enough Protein

There’s another question vegetarians get asked all too often: where do you get your protein? People who don’t normally care about nutrition feel compelled to care about a vegetarian’s protein intake. It’s the kind of question that feels like the only trick carnivores have up their sleeves and it’s not a very good one. Mainly because they are showing their ignorance of nutrition. Protein is abundant in a vegetarian’s diet. Here’s a list to get you started: nuts, beans, textured vegetable protein, tofu, cheese, lentils, peas, yogurt, broccoli, spinach, avocado, soy, and quinoa. Also, many people actually eat too much protein (at least this is the case in Australia). Therefore, there is little point in worrying about a person’s protein intake, especially when so many people cannot meet their daily needs for fruits and vegetables.

4. Vegetarians have a lower risk of developing heart disease

People may be vegetarian for ethical or religious reasons. However, there is a positive consequence for your health if you are a vegetarian. Vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease. However, this is not the only benefit. Vegetarianism can also reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, and some types of cancer (including breast, colorectal, and ovarian). Vegetarians are less likely to become obese. When considering the prevalence of these diseases in society, this is good news.

5. Anthony Hopkins is a vegetarian

In my first point I said that there are many vegetarians in the world. So it’s not surprising to learn that there are a ton of celebrities who are vegetarians and vegans. Here’s a quick list, but there are many, many more. We have: Kate Winslet, Corey Feldman, Sarah Silverman, Carrie Underwood, Casey Affleck, Diane Keaton, Pamela Anderson, Ian McKellan, and Natalie Portman. From the world of music we have: Kelly Clarkson, Billy Idol, Bryan May, Johnny Marr, Moby, Michael Bolton, Ricky Martin and Nelly.