Health conscious people are concerned about their diet. Information about nutritional guidelines and healthy eating is easily found; the hard part is taking what we know and putting it into practice. A growing number of Americans are turning towards vegetarianism as a path of good health practices. The basic principle of being a vegetarian is giving up meat and fish and then generally replacing it with more fresh fruit, vegetables, and grains. The most common form is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means that you eat milk (lacto) and egg (ovo) products. The more extreme options cut out one or both of these types of products. When both are restricted it is called vegan.One factor in your decision may be money. It is true that the United States sells meat cheaper than most other places in the world, but it is still what people spend the most on in grocery stores. Another factor is time. If you choose to become a vegetarian you will most likely go to the supermarket more frequently because you will buy more fresh products at lower quantities to keep them from going bad. It will also take longer to prepare fresh food than if you were to just pop a frozen chimichanga in the microwave. The main issue however, is health. The American Dietetic Association said the following: “appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, are nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.” Planning is essential to vegetarianism. You need to think about the nutrients you are forgoing in taking meat out of your diet and make a plan to compensate for them. Some of the major deficiencies that can occur in vegetarianism are with iron, calcium, essential fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, and protein. You need to research what foods are rich in these nutrients so can alter your diet and maintain your health. You will also need to take a multivitamin because some of these nutrients are difficult to get good amounts of even when you do eat meat.Many diseases have been shown to be prevented or aided by eating more fruits and vegetables. The obvious side effect of this healthy lifestyle is to reduce obesity. Some factors relating to weight are genetic but diet and exercise play the biggest role in control of this disease. Another finding is that eating many fruits and vegetables helps prevent cancer. Dozens of plant foods have cancer fighting agents that could save your life someday. Other diseases affected are diabetes, strokes, and heart disease. There are surely other effects and benefits that we have not yet studied or do not fully understand.Other considerations such as culture, environmental concerns, or taste may also affect your decision but it is really a choice that is up to you. Vegetarianism is one option of healthy living, and as long as you find a good multivitamin and are careful with your nutritional needs, you will find it to be beneficial to your health.

I apologize to those who have been offended by my line of questions and answers. The YA section V & V is for questions and answers regarding V & V, not for the promotion of V & V exclusively though.

Let it be understood that I agree with your cause. I think your cause is noble. To give any negative connotation to your cause or beliefs has not and will not be my agenda.

So please, either answer the question/questions or just ignore it if it bothers you.
awwdree—just a vegetarian? You underestimate yourself
angua—-30 years? Keep up the good work!
evil—a case of changing a definition to make something difficult to attain more convenient. When someone invents a concept though, you can’t just go and change it for convenience sake. That’s weak. If you want to be a true vegan you can move to a temperate climate, grow your own food and do whatever you need to do to be a true vegan. If that’s what you really wish to do is be a true vegan.

Your argument is like saying I have $50M and I’m trying to be a billionaire, so I’ll call myself a billionaire because after all, I AM trying.

A true vegan is only one who follows what the creator of veganism defined it as. You can’t change someone’s idea for convenience sake and say it’s the same thing.
evil—I may have miscomprehended your answer……my apologies if that is the case.
black byrus—I’ve agreed with you on other posts but when you say this:

“”Because I walk on the road, which has dirt underneath, which probably has animal feces and animal corpses in it. Really, I’m not even vegetarian, because I was walking by McDonald’s a few days ago and accidentally breathed in and I think I got a couple of meat molecules in my mouth. Even my very computer is… well, I don’t know what all is in it, but I can only assume it must have SOMETHING non-vegan in it…”"

I can’t take your answer seriously. I’ve been making a simple point with absolutely no gray area whatsoever.
shelly—I applaud your vegetarianism but:

“But the definition of VEGAN has been only no meat, dairy, or milk. So someone who may use leather, or even eat honey, can fit this definiton.”

does not fit the defintion as coined by the creaotr of the concept of veganism and you will likely be chastised here by “vegans” who will tell you “you are Not a vegan” while at the same time they are not vegans either.
blackbyrus—”as far as is possible and practical”—to me this says as long as it’s convenient….If a person really wants to be a true vegan they can…..they would have to make more than superficial sacrifices but they could do it. But no one is willing to give up their cushy lives to become a true vegan. As soon as it becomes inconvenient, further sacrifice is considered “absurd”. Vegan-lite is the vegan of today. Deciding their own limits of sacrifice to qualify as a vegan as opposed to living their lives according to the definition of veganism’s creator. As time went by, the inconvenient portions of veganism were doctored to make it easier to qualify as a vegan. Thus today’s vegan is vegan-lite compared to it’s creator’s definition. There are no sacrifices anymore. The standard has been lowered like the standards are lowered in U.S. schools. To accomodate those who can’t pass the test.
blackbyrus–BTW I appreciate your ability to exchange ideas without condescension.

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He wants to have a meal with her and watch a movie on our tv with her. That movie is about Palestine, if that helps inspire a theme, but that’s not a necessary theme.

What would you recommend? Please explain techniques/ingredients that might not be readily familiar to a middle aged American.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies.

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