Features

By Shama Kaur,
Kundalini Yoga Teacher &Wellness Mentor

In my own journey, I became a vegetarian in my mid-twenties, starting by cutting out meat, then chicken, fish and finally dairy.

Initially, my choice was rooted in ahimsa, but over time, the decision became instinctive — I simply couldn’t imagine consuming animal products.

Watching documentaries on the inhumane treatment of animals helped deepen my understanding and commitment, showing me the reality of animal agriculture and reinforcing my path toward compassionate living.

Modern animal agriculture has accelerated the extraction and exploitation of animals on an unprecedented scale, making current meat consumption unsustainable and exploitative.

Today’s global demand for meat means animals are intensively farmed year-round. Historically, meat was a rare part of the diet, enjoyed once a week or even monthly, depending on the availability of game.

Now, the abundance of meat in supermarkets and grocery stores makes it a staple at nearly every meal, often in quantities far exceeding our nutritional needs.

Ethical treatment

This constant demand drives industrial practices that prioritise speed and volume over ethical treatment or sustainability. Animals are kept in confined spaces and subjected to rapid breeding cycles to meet market demands.

World Vegetarian Day, celebrated in October, is a global reminder of the benefits of embracing a plant-based lifestyle — for our health, the environment and animal welfare.

Established in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society, this day encourages people from all walks of life to explore the benefits of reducing meat consumption or adopting a fully vegetarian lifestyle.

By showcasing the positive effects on both the planet and personal well-being, World Vegetarian Day promotes a more compassionate, sustainable and healthy way of life, inspiring individuals to make small changes that lead to significant changes.

Such intensive practices are resource-heavy, requiring massive amounts of land, water, and feed, while generating significant environmental harm. This shift to mass meat consumption strains our ecosystem and creates a cycle of overuse.

Veganism

There is now a strong shift back toward vegetarianism and even veganism, as awareness grows around the exploitation and industrialisation of animals.

Many people recognise the connection between high levels of meat consumption and increased health risks, including cancers, inflammation and immune system challenges.

Factory-farmed animals are often raised with hormones and antibiotics to accelerate growth, which can impact human health when consumed.

There is a growing movement highlighting a collective push for more sustainable, health-conscious diets that minimise harm to both animals and the environment.

Benefits of a vegetarian diet

Adopting a vegetarian diet brings a wealth of benefits for the body, mind, and spirit. 

Physically, a plantbased diet can improve digestion, increase energy, and lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Emotionally, I feel a greater sense of peace and clarity, knowing I am not ingesting the fear and stress that animals often experience in industrial farming environments.

Vegetarianism at a glance

Vegetarianism dates back thousands of years, rooted in religious and philosophical beliefs that promoted nonviolence toward animals. In Ancient Egypt, many, especially priests, adopted plant-based diets as a form of ritual purity, while in the Indus Valley, vegetarianism thrived through Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, which emphasised ahimsa (nonviolence) Greek philosophers like Pythagoras also advocated vegetarianism, associating it with ethical living and inner harmony. 

Indigenous diets in parts of South America were largely plant-based, sustained by crops like maize, beans and squash In contrast, colder regions such as Nordic countries, Eastern Europe, China and North America had diets heavily based on meat and fish, as agriculture was limited by harsher climates. Here, vegetarianism was less common and often seen as impractical On a spiritual level, vegetarianism aligns with the principle of ahimsa, or nonviolence, deeply rooted in traditions like yoga and Buddhism. Practicing ahimsa by avoiding harm to other beings can nurture compassion and a heightened sense of connection to all life.

Today, in my late thirties, I’ve decided to add a little dairy, like eggs and halloumi cheese, back into my diet.

I noticed persistent symptoms like cold hands and feet and a weaker menstrual cycle with fewer days, both signs of a possible blood deficiency.

Animal products are often rich in essential nutrients that help replenish blood, so incorporating these foods is a conscious choice to support my body’s balance while still honoring the principles that brought me to vegetarianism.

This adjustment has reminded me that being in tune with our body’s signals is an essential part of any lifestyle choice, making compassion and self-awareness guiding forces in my diet.

Nutritional tips for vegetarians

For vegetarians, consuming a well-balanced diet is essential to ensure all nutritional needs are met. Protein, a key nutrient, can be maintained by aiming for a daily intake in grams that roughly matches one percent of body weight.

For example, someone weighing 70 kilogrammes would aim for about 5670- grams of protein daily, depending on individual needs.

A rainbow of vegetables

Incorporating a “rainbow” of vegetables — different colours indicate varied nutrients — also promotes a complete, nutrient-rich diet. High-quality plant-based proteins can be sourced from foods like lentils, beans, chickpeas, quinoa, tofu and tempeh, which, when combined with grains, provide a full spectrum of essential amino acids.

Mindfully combining foods

Certain nutrients need special attention in vegetarian diets. Vitamin B12, crucial for nerve health, can be sourced from fortified foods or supplements. Iron is available in leafy greens, beans and seeds, though pairing these with vitamin C-rich foods (like citrus fruits) can boost absorption.

Calcium, essential for bone health, is found in fortified plant milks, leafy greens and almonds.

By mindfully combining these foods, vegetarians can enjoy a diet that’s both balanced and nourishing.

Baby steps to begin a vegetarian diet

Starting a vegetarian diet can feel easier with small, manageable steps. Begin by cutting out one type of meat at a time — start with red meat, then poultry and eventually fish.

Try exploring plant-based alternatives and incorporating more beans, lentils and tofu into your meals.

Experiment with colourful vegetables to create a variety of flavours and nutrient and keep some vegetarian recipes handy for inspiration.

Taking these steps gradually allows you to adjust both your taste and mindset, making the transition feel natural and enjoyable.

Research shows that over 25 per cent of Americans and 30 per cent of Australians now actively reduce.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

• Book Review: “The Hammam through Time and Space”
• Julie Peteet
• New York: Syracuse University Press, 2024, 368 pp.

Allof anthropologist Julie Peteet’s previous books have focused on Palestine and Palestinian refugees, but her newest volume examines a phenomenon common throughout the Mediterranean region: the hamman, often referred to, though misleadingly, as the Turkish bath.

Regardless of the topic, Peteet’s research is always on-the-spot and hands-on, whereby direct observation is contextualized by historical and cultural background. In this case, she visited a large number of the baths she writes about.

Countering the common misconception that the hamman began in the Roman or Ottoman era, Peteet instead traces its origins back to the Bronze Age (3600-1200 BC). “In short, the hamman is the product of a long pan-Mediterranean history marked by transformations, exchanges, declines, and revivals… Casting aside a center-periphery model of cultural flows allows us to see things in motion, moving in multiple, often not easy to disentangle, directions, interacting and inflecting one another. A cultural politics of mobility is at work here.” (p. 23)

Peteet categorises the baths she examines according to multiple criteria: From private baths for rulers and public ones built to display imperial power, to modest neighbourhood baths and modern spas. Despite its paucity of historical urban baths, Jordan figures prominantly in the book by virtue of the early Umayyad Qasr ‘Amra, famous for its stunning frescoes, and other castles in the Eastern desert, as well as Al Fudayn in Mafraq, and Jerash’s Roman baths. Most of these exhibit a melding of Greco-Roman and Byzantine influence, typical of an emerging Islamic style. (Syria, which is replete with historical baths, is unfortunately only mentioned fleetingly, as it was plagued by conflict at the time of Peteet’s research, as were Iraq and Yemen.)

At the other end of the spectrum are the numerous, modern “Turkish baths”

built as part of the Ottoman revival and the growing tourist and wellness industry, with several of Amman’s new luxury hammans being mentioned.

Yet, despite whether hammans were designed to fulfill the locals’ cleanliness needs or to attract tourists, they have much in common. “Across the Mediterranean from Morocco to Turkey, the bathing ritual has remained remarkably similar over the centuries… the sequencing of the body through space, the tools used to clean the body, notions of the aesthetically clean body, and graduations in temperatures.” (p. 28)

Alongside the history, architecture, rituals, and sensory appeal of the hamman, Peteet also explores its social and socialising functions, and thechanging attitudes of different generations and genders towards public baths.While indulging in a bath, she interviewed the work force, both managers and employees, in a number of establishments.

Moulding all these different aspects into a smooth and informative narrative, Peteet makes the connection between personal experience and the movement of history. “In the hammam, we indulge in self-care, a self-care that is thousands of years old. Bathing structures have remained a sensorium throughout the ages… [where] we can imagine other worlds, other times, other people, and other ways of socialising.” (p. 330) 

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Legendary Arab singer Fairuz, whose ballads have told of love, her native Lebanon and the Palestinian cause, turned 90 on Thursday as her conflict-weary country is wracked by the war.

Social media users lit up the Internet with her songs and tributes to the Lebanese star, who has seldom been seen in public in recent years but remains a rare symbol of national unity in the crisis-hit country.

In one for her most well-known songs, which came out during Lebanon's civil war, Fairuz crooned: "I love you, oh Lebanon, my country, I love you."

In a post on Instagram, French President Emmanuel Macron said Fairuz "embodies the soul of this region with dignity".

She "watches over the hearts of many Palestinians and Lebanese who are deprived of the peace they deserve", Macron said

Composer and oud player Marcel Khalife, in a tribute on social media platform X, wrote: "My homeland is Fairuz's voice."

Born Nouhad Haddad in 1934 to a working-class Christian family in Beirut's Zuqaq Al Blat district, Fairuz -- a stage name that means "turquoise" in Arabic -- studied at the national music conservatory as a teenager.

She shot to fame after her first performance at the Baalbek International Festival in 1957.

On Monday, Zuqaq Al Blat was the target of a deadly Israeli strike, while Baalbek's ancient ruins, where the music festival is still held annually, were granted "provisional enhanced protection" by UNESCO amid the Hizbollah-Israel conflict.

Fairuz, her composer husband Assi Rahbani and his brother Mansour revolutionised traditional Arabic music by merging classical Western, Russian and Latin elements with eastern rhythms and a modern orchestra.

Fairuz worked closely with her eldest son Ziad, known as the "enfant terrible" of the Lebanese stage and song, who composed Arabic music for her with a jazz influence.

Fairuz's reign as the queen of Arabic music was partly thanks to her championing the Palestinian cause, including "Sanarjaou Yawman" or "We Shall Return One Day", an elegy to Palestinians exiled by the creation of Israel in 1948.

She won national acclaim for remaining in Lebanon throughout the country's 1975-1990 civil war, and for refusing to side with one faction over another.

In 2020, France's Macron kicked off a trip to Lebanon by calling on Fairuz, awarding her France's Legion of Honour.

It was a rare public appearance for the ageing star that delighted the country, which at the time was reeling from a catastrophic explosion at Beirut's port.

AMERSHAM, United Kingdom — Family and friends of One Direction star Liam Payne, who died last month after falling from a Buenos Aires hotel room, gathered for his funeral in Britain on Wednesday.

Payne's former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson were among the dozens of mourners at the private service at St Mary's Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, just outside London.

Payne's tearful parents were joined by his two sisters, his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and former partner Cheryl Tweedy, with whom he has a son.

Around a dozen fans watched from behind a nearby cordon as guests hugged each other before walking past floral tributes into the 12th-century church to pay their final respects.

"Because his death was such a public death, to have the funeral in a private way... I think it was very nice," said onlooker Sheila Morris, a 65-year-old from Amersham.

"It's a beautiful church... it's a very beautiful place for a funeral," she said.

Payne's coffin arrived in a white horse-drawn hearse topped with floral tributes spelling the words "Son" and "Daddy", followed by his parents.

Payne was found dead on October 16 after falling from the balcony of his third-floor room at the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentinian capital.

His death, at 31, prompted a global outpouring of grief from family, former bandmates and fans, with thousands gathering in cities around the world to offer condolences.

'Completely devastated' 

Payne shot to stardom as a teenager alongside Styles, Horan, Tomlinson and Malik after their appearance on the UK talent show "The X Factor" 14 years ago.

He died from "multiple traumas" and "internal and external haemorrhaging" after the fall from the hotel room, a post-mortem examination found.

The balcony attached to his room overlooked a rear patio that was about 14 meters high.

Hotel staff had called emergency services twice to report a guest "overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol" who was "destroying" a hotel room.

Investigators have said he was alone at the time and appeared to have been "going through an episode of substance abuse".

In a short statement following his death, Payne's family said: "We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul."

One Direction said they had been "completely devastated" by his death.

After forming in 2010, the band went on to release an album of radio-ready songs each year in time for the holiday shopping season and became one of the highest-grossing live acts in the world.

In 2016, after Malik left, the group said it was on an indefinite hiatus but not splitting up.

Payne's first solo single "Strip That Down" peaked at number three on the UK charts and number 10 on the US Billboard top songs list.

But in recent years he had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and coping with fame from an early age.

His last solo work, the single "Teardrops", was released in March, with a second album announced at the time.

Payne was born and raised in Wolverhampton, central England.

LONDON — Real Madrid dressing-room lockers used by legends including Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham have been put on display in London as part of a Sotheby's auction.

Spanish champions Real are auctioning pieces of the club's changing area after rebuilding their iconic Bernabeu stadium.

The 24 dressing-room lockers were used by Ronaldo, Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Sergio Ramos and Luis Figo among countless other stars from 2001 to 2022.

They are being auctioned as they were during the 2021-2022 season, when Madrid won a La Liga and Champions League double with a squad including Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric.

Bidding opened for two weeks from November 12 and a reserve price of £10,000 ($12,650) has been set on each individual locker.

"These lockers represent an extraordinary period in Real Madrid's history," said George North, Sotheby's Head of Collection Sales.

"This is the first time we've brought an entire locker room to market and it shows the kind of popularity and status of a club like Real Madrid."

The lockers, which are being exhibited in London until November 26, will include a certificate of authenticity and a list of players who used them.

Other items for sale include Real's giant stadium mosaic, measuring approximately three metres wide, with a reserve price set at £12,000.

Some of the proceeds of the auction will go to the club's charitable partner, the Real Madrid Foundation.

WASHINGTON — Rumours are swirling that a high-profile fan of mixed martial arts will turn out Saturday for a heavyweight battle at New York's famed Madison Square Garden: President-elect Donald Trump.

Even as the brash real estate tycoon is busy picking members of his incoming Cabinet, it's a real possibility the 78-year-old will rock up to the caged octagon for the Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.

When Trump held his election night victory party at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a notable non-relative joined his family on stage: UFC chief executive Dana White.

Trump "doesn't quit. He's the most resilient, hardworking man I've ever met", White told the ecstatic crowd.

It was "karma" that fueled the Republican's victory, added White, one of the sport's most outspoken Trump supporters.

Trump's nostalgic vision of alpha male masculinity -- endlessly played up at campaign rallies and which he discussed on podcasts popular with young men -- may have motivated this demographic to turn out at the ballot box.

As UFC head, White oversees a sprawling empire of contained violence -- a community to which Trump has maintained close ties for decades.

Even as he campaigned for the White House, Trump attended three UFC fights, earning massive ovations.

UFC fighters shower Trump with praise.

"To have the president possibly in attendance, it's all a huge honour," Jon Jones, who is defending his UFC heavyweight championship title on Saturday at UFC 309, told reporters this week.

"See you at MSG @realDonaldTrump," UFC fighter Bo Nickal, a Trump supporter, added on X.

Several other fighters expressed their enthusiasm for Trump, including Justin Gaethje, Jorge Masvidal and Michael Chiesa.

They're part of the rapidly growing industry of combat sports, which have emerged from outcast status to widespread acceptance.

"MMA [mixed martial arts] is a matter of national pride and Trump connects with many fighters," Lucas Dos Santos, the newly crowned Maryland Muay Thai amateur cruiserweight champion, told AFP.

When Dos Santos attended UFC events where Trump showed up, "people were screaming like it was Julius Caesar entering the Colosseum".

'We want a hero' 

It is a dramatic distinction from the polished A-list celebrities like Taylor Swift and Beyonce who backed Trump's opponent, Democrat Kamala Harris.

Trump did earn an 11th-hour endorsement from someone with one foot in the fight world and another in celebrity stardom: Top podcaster Joe Rogan.

The former UFC commentator interviewed Trump for three hours shortly before Election Day, providing a platform for the candidate to speak to millions of mainly young men about a range of issues.

Rogan said Harris had considered appearing on his show but it fell through -- a decision that may have proved costly.

"I think the whole bro-culture/podcast network thing was absolutely central" to boosting Trump's appeal among the key young male demographic, Paul Johnson, an associate professor of communication at the University of Pittsburgh, told AFP.

Trump's ties to the fight world run deep. He has circulated with boxing promoters like Don King, featured retired WrestleMania star Hulk Hogan at the Republican convention in August, and hosted UFC bouts at his casinos in early days when the series struggled to gain traction.

Now it's a multi-billion dollar behemoth. UFC merged last year with the WWE, whose pro wrestling precursor World Wrestling Federation was run by the legendary promoter Vince McMahon.

Linda McMahon, his wife, was tapped by Trump to head the Small Business Administration during his first term. She now heads his transition team, holding immense sway over who joins Team Trump.

In a bizarre merging of worlds, Jake Paul, the YouTube sensation who joined Trump on a podcast during the campaign, was fighting boxing icon Mike Tyson -- 30 years his senior - in a much-hyped matchup Friday.

But it's UFC that turns more heads today.

"It is the sport of heroes, and I think president Trump's embrace of that really did help" him defeat Harris, Campbell McLaren, a co-creator of UFC, told the Sportico podcast after the election.

"We root for them because we want a hero," he said of the sport's fighters. "Trump made himself the hero."

LOS ANGELES, United States — YouTuber, content creator, entrepreneur, self-proclaimed face of boxing: Jake Paul has become a master of re-invention during his meteoric rise to fame and fortune.

The 27-year-old from Cleveland, who defeated veteran heavyweight icon Mike Tyson in an eight-round made-for-Netflix bout on Friday, has parlayed his fame as an internet celebrity into a lucrative career in combat sports.

Paul, who is estimated to have a net worth of $80 million according to the Celebrity Net Worth website, first rose to prominence in 2013, posting short-form videos to the now-shuttered site Vine, garnering millions of followers and billions of views.

He subsequently transported his knack for creating viral content to YouTube in 2014, launching his own channel which became renowned for controversies, practical jokes and hip-hop.

In 2015 he made a foray into television, signing for the Disney Channel in the teen series “Bizaardvark”.

That relationship ended in 2017 amid increasing media attention on some of Paul’s Youtube stunts such as setting furniture on fire in an empty swimming pool at his luxury home in Los Angeles.

Paul gained wider attention however when he turned his hand to celebrity boxing, a trend started by his elder brother Logan Paul who fought English influencer KSI in a pay-per-view amateur contest in Manchester in 2018.

Though ridiculed by the traditional boxing world, that fight — where Jake Paul appeared on the undercard against English influencer Deji Olatunji — gained attention from the sport’s moneymen for selling some 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.

Two years later, Jake Paul made his professional debut in a fight against English Youtuber AnEsonGib, appearing as part of the undercard alongside a bona-fide world middleweight title bout.

Paul has continued to fight sporadically in the years since, earning grudging respect from the boxing world after a split-decision loss to Briton Tommy Fury last year.

Paul’s success in rebranding himself as a legitimate boxer has been driven by the millions of followers he already has via social media, guaranteeing eyeballs on events he takes part in and making him an attractive proposition for promoters.

“He’s in a position that most young boxers are never in,” said former welterweight world champion Shawn Porter, who now works as a television analyst.

“He has hundreds of thousands to millions of people watching him, where most even Olympians, when we have our first 5-10 fights, there’s nobody in the stadium, we don’t have the same sort of audience.

“I think that’s the main thing — he’s a rookie who is getting true professional exposure.”

Paul’s brash style though is not to everyone’s liking. Press conferences promoting Friday’s fight against Tyson in Texas were invariably laced with profanities, while Paul appeared for an open workout on Tuesday wearing a bizarre feather head-dress in the form of a rooster.

“Jake Paul is a strange one, but I like what he’s doing for boxing,” British fight promoter Eddie Hearn said in a 2022 interview.

“He’s putting the work in and he’s not terrible. But it’ll be a pleasant day when someone chins him.”

Research from the Journal of Consumer Psychology reveals an interesting concept called the “Dieter’s Paradox”.

It turns out that many people on diets believe adding

a healthy food choice — like a side salad —to an unhealthy meal, like pizza, helps them consume fewer calories overall.

But here’s the surprising truth: Combining healthy and unhealthy foods can actually lead to eating more calories than you realise! This can contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss.

So, next time you’re balancing a meal, remember: Simply adding something healthy doesn’t make the whole meal lighter on calories.

Falling victim to a myth

I’ve fallen victim to this mentality myself.

How many times have I added a veggie and a salad to my already loaded plate thinking the extra fiber will surely cancel some calories? It somehow makes us feel better to consume healthier options as an afterthought to alleviate some of our guilt.

However, this can lead us to consume more calories overall. That’s why it’s wise to start with your veggies first!

The order of things

The order in which we eat our food items makes a difference.

Make it a habit to eat the veggies on your plate first, followed by your protein and whole grains.

You’re more likely to be too full for desert and junky carbs if the healthy choices precede them.

Another helpful tip to keep you from underestimating your calories is to put everything you eat on one plate.

This makes it easier to visualise what you plan to consume.

How quickly we forget what we ate just a few minutes ago — especially if we’re snacking at various times throughout the day!

Non-negotiable

It’s easier to monitor the quantity and quality of our food if we limit our food consumption to designated mealtimes only.

Don’t forget to make it a non-negotiable rule to avoid second portions no matter how tasty the food is.

This even includes second portions of any “healthy” selection.

Too much of a good thing is too much! Remember your Tetah’s rule: “Everything in moderation!” This is the kind of balance we should aim for.

It’s the most realistic and sustainable strategy we can follow on a long-term basis.

After all, true well-being comes from lifestyle changes we can stick with for the long term!

Food on my plate

Permit yourself not to finish your whole plate once you feel satisfied. This takes practice because we all grew up in the “clean your whole plate” era.

Our parents told us not to get up from the table ‘till we finished every morsel on our plates. 

I remember being told that there were starving people in the world so I should be grateful I had food on my plate.

It’s easy to feel as if eating everything on our plate could somehow help those who are less fortunate.

Of course, we should be grateful for the food and blessings we have. 

But once we’re satisfied, there’s no harm in saving the leftovers!

I know couples who split one entré when they eat at a specific restaurant because they know that portions are way too large for one person there.

The bottom line is this: Do we eat to live or live to eat? If we live to eat it will become very apparent in the way we plan our days and meals.

Are we waking up in the morning obsessing about what to eat, or are we engaging our minds in other life matters? We can tell where our day is headed by monitoring our thoughts. 

Granted there are some days that are easier than others depending on hormones and stress levels that contribute to emotional eating.

The challenge is to reign in those outside factors and remind ourselves that we do have more control than we realise.

Setting emotions aside 

Focusing on what’s on our plate is a simple way to avoid underestimating our total calorie intake.

By setting emotions aside and doing the maths, we can approach our eating habits from a practical, scientific perspective.

Knowing what we’re putting on our plates — and where it comes from — empowers us to make informed choices.

Instead of relying on advertisements that claim to knowwhat’s best for us, we can tune in to our own bodies, which never lie.

Knowing what we’re putting on our plates…empowers us to make informed choices Each of us is unique in how we process foods and by listening to our own bodies, we can learn what works best for us.

When we trust that process, we begin to appreciate and care for ourselves enough to make positive, lasting changes.

Fellow desperate dieter, you are not alone. 

Here’s to making better choices one day at a time, one plate at a time.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

LONDON — A collection of guitars and other musical equipment owned by influential rock guitarist Jeff Beck will go on sale in London in January, Christie's auctioneers announced on Friday.

Some of the 130 guitars, amps and "tools of the trade" used by Beck during his decades-spanning career are expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars) when they go under the hammer on January 22, it said.

They include the rock legend's 1954 "Oxblood" Gibson Les Paul, famously depicted on the cover of his seminal 1975 solo instrumental album "Blow By Blow" and used on several tracks.

It is estimated to fetch up to £500,000 ($634,000).

Beck, who rose to stardom with 1960s supergroup The Yardbirds and later enjoyed a prolific solo career, died in January last year aged 78.

His widow, Sandra Beck, said it was "a massive wrench" to part with the instruments but that they needed to be "shared, played and loved again".

"These guitars were his great love and after almost two years of his passing, it's time to part with them as Jeff wished," she said in a statement.

"I hope the future guitarists who acquire these items are able to move closer to the genius who played them."

The collection includes another Gibson Les Paul from 1958, dubbed the original "Yardburst" as it was bought in 1966 while Beck was in the seminal British rock group. It is valued at up to £60,000.

Meanwhile, a Fender Telecaster and Gibson hybrid crafted by world-renowned guitar designer Seymour Duncan specifically for Beck in 1973 is predicted to sell for as much as £150,000.

Highlights from the guitar haul will be on public view in Los Angeles on December 4-6.

The full collection will go on show for a week at Christie's London headquarters before the January 22 sale.

Christie's Amelia Walker said the auctioneers were "honoured to have been entrusted" with the sale of instruments belonging to a "rock pioneer whose influence on his peers was unmatched".

She added Beck's guitars had "shared his emotion and voice" with the world and the auction would "pay tribute to his enduring legacy".