Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and slaughter by-products. The reasons for choosing vegetarianism may be related to morality, religion, culture, ethics, aesthetics, environment, society, economy, politics, taste, or health.There are several variants of the diet, some of which also exclude eggs and/or some products produced from animal labor such as dairy products and honey. Veganism, for example, excludes all animal products from diet. By some strict definitions, animal products are not used for attire either, whether or not the production of clothing or items has involved the actual death of an animal (dairy, eggs, honey, wool, silk, down feathers, etc.) A generic term for both vegetarianism and veganism, as well as for similar diets, is "Plant-based diets".Vegetarian diets have been found to satisfy the nutritional needs for all stages of life, and large-scale studies have shown vegetarianism to increase longevity, improve health, and significantly lower risks of cancer and other diseases.

A lot of people think that meat is the only real source of protein. Therefore, these same people think that a vegetarian diet is unhealthy. This is far from true. If it were, why are vegetarians so healthy? Why do they have lower blood pressure and cholesterol? They look better, feel better, and in a lot of cases live longer!

Just last month, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta celebrated that the average cholesterol level in this country has fallen to 199, which is below (just barely) their stated target of 200. It's too bad the CDC is happy with a 199 average in this country, since at 199, people are still dropping like flies from heart disease.

even though this is a vegetarian cook book, meat-eaters who want to lower their calories and cholesterol intake will enjoy this book too as it has recipes in it for traditional meat-type meals and you won't miss the meat...great for families especially with picky eaters and for kids because the meals are healthy but what kids like

Children raised on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes grow up to be slimmer and healthier and even live longer than their meat-eating friends. It is much easier to build a nutritious diet from plant foods than from animal products, which contain saturated fat, cholesterol, and other substances that growing children can do without.