Being vegan doesn't mean you don't enjoy food so you only eat salads or side dishes, or that you prefer bland, boring meals.

It doesn't mean that you preach to everyone who eats animal products in your presence.

It means that you choose not to eat animal products and that you worry more about what you can and will eat rather than what you cannot eat.

Why Don't You Eat Meat, Dairy, Eggs, or other Animal Products?

Maybe you do it solely for health reasons so you can prevent heart disease, curb your diabetes, or lose weight. Your doctor might have advised you to start a plant-based diet, or maybe a friend recommended you to a great book like The China Study, and now you're searching for a more natural, holistic way to rid yourself of chronic illness.

Maybe you do it completely because you love animals and refuse to support the animal agriculture industry in which animals are systematically brutalized in order to provide meat and dairy for the wealthiest nations. Maybe you simply don't believe in eating other creatures.

Or perhaps you are an environmentalist and you realize that humans are eating Earth dry of natural animals and have since started mass producing farm animals, which pollutes and destroys our water, soil, and air.

And maybe you're just curious about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and want to see if you can fit it into your own world. We don't want to judge you or make you feel inadequate. We believe that any and all animal products that you remove from your diet will make a difference.

Most of us grew up eating and enjoying meat, fish, milk, eggs, and cheese, and have made the personal decision to change our lives.

You are not alone in your choice not to eat meat.

I stopped eating meat in 1993, but I still ate seafood, eggs, and dairy until 2007 when I decided to give it all up.

I still remember how it feels...

• I missed cheese tremendously at first
• I worried about getting enough plant protein and other nutrients
• I worried about committing to "never eating ___ again"
• I puzzled about how to respond to naysayers and teasers
• I distressed about accidentally eating an animal product and what it said about me
• And as a "veteran" now, I still want more information, recipes, menus, and resources, so I continue to do research to learn and grow myself so I can help you better.

People may ask you how you get your protein, or if your bones are fragile because you don't eat the calcium from dairy products, and instead of feeling defensive and alone, you have us to help guide you to a caring, understanding response to those vegan FAQs.

On our site, you will find...

• A focus on local, seasonal, organic, whole plant foods with a healthy macrobiotic diet twist. You will find some pages on meat-free, dairy-free junk food and fake meats and cheeses, but we stick mostly to real food.

• Tips on ditching the meat and dairy and making the switch; becoming vegan.

• My guidelines for following an appropriate vegan food pyramid, and thoughts on what works with the USDA new food guide pyramid.

• How a plant-based diet positively impacts your health, the environment, the economy, and farm animals worldwide!

• Reviews of my favorite cookbooks, documentaries, and books.

• The best recipes all from my own brain: some veganized from old non-vegan favorites, and some improved from other cookbooks and websites. Plus, a forum where you can find other readers' recipes and share your own.

• Easy-to-follow, simple, and delicious vegetarian meal plans, menu ideas, and more!

We welcome you to participate by asking and answering questions, learn, grow, and enjoy. Please pick one (or both!) ways to stay in touch...

#1. Subscribe to my Mini-Blog RSS feed. This RSS feed is a small blog about veganism, which will also let you know when we make new webpages or update older ones.

#2. Sign up for our free monthly newsletter...

• Join now and you instantly receive a free 5-page weight loss guide
• Try the nutritional spotlight of the month
• Learn about great products to make your meat-free life easier
• Read answers to other subscribers' FAQs

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