[AKA_Monet]

I've been a vegetarian for almost 10 years now...

I have had to go back to eating dairy--such as yogurt and some egg product--like egg-beaters.

You have to know your biology and your genetic make-up to determine if you can handle a vegetarian or vegan diet.

There is something to be said about those free fatty acids found in some meat products--such as fish. And I would stay away from the chicken and other poultry for awhile until the farming industry cleans up the bird flu problem...

I mainly became a vegetarian because I really do not like the meat processing industry. Athough the agricultural industry isn't that much better, you do have options...

If anything, processed foods are a big culprits to the American diet. And even items labeled organic are processed in someway.

But the alternative is loss of production of food items...

It is a catch-22: safer disease free foods vs. high carb, high fat, high salt foods.

We have the best in agricultural and meat processing and the worst in health outcomes. Go figure...