Should you be eating a vegetarian diet, and/or are you wondering about the health benefits and long-term effects of a vegetarian diet?

I have struggled with these issues, and done plenty of research to help me in my decisions about what is healthy for me. I’ve studied plenty of opinions, from professionals to those who have tried various diets and have input based on experience (vegan, lacto-ovo, pescetarian, paleo diet, macrobiotic diets, eating raw, juicing, fasting, etc.). After all of this, I am still left somewhat confused, and so I can only assume some of you may be as well.

At the moment I currently eat a mostly vegetarian diet, with the inclusion of the occasional eggs and fish, and very little dairy. I emphasize fresh vegetables and fruits and some grains (the verdict is still out on this as well – don’t jsut rely on the ‘food pyramid’ you grew up with – it’s full of misinformation!). I rely on soy foods a lot, and I’m not sure even this is healthy, due to several factors including the growing popularity of soy which has led to genetic modification of most crops, and also because of the highly processed nature of most soy foods.

I don’t have all the answers; I’m not sure anyone does. Many, many people have strong opinions on this subject, and all any of can do is to do as much research as we can and form our own opinions, while remaining open to changing our minds. For instance, I’ve now found compelling evidence to suggest that meat is very good for us*, and I also know that the farming that goes on to produce more and more soy and grain products is not good for our environment. However, I needn’t get into the horrors of factory animal farming and the massive resources required to sustain it, let alone the abyssmal treatment of the animals involved. I cannot, at this time, bring myself to eat meat…mostly psychological.

This is not a simple subject, and I present here some avenues for you to do research on your own, and come to your own conclusions. Thanks, as always, for visiting, and here are some links which you may find helpful, and which represent various points of view on the matter:

GoVeg.com: Popular and thorough vegetarian site including many compelling reasons to consider vegetarianism

LivingFoods.com: Popular raw food diet site with intelligent information

The Vegetarian Myth: A compelling chapter from Lierre Keith’s (a former vegetarian) well-written book ‘The Vegetarian Myth’

Impact of Diet on Climate Change: An insightful article by Steve Pavlina on how our consumption of animal products affects our planet

BeyondVeg.com: Reports from veterans of vegetarian and raw-food diets, veganism, fruitarianism, and instinctive eating, plus new science from paleolithic diet research and clinical nutrition.

Man the Hunter:  Chapter from Michael & Mary Dan Eades’ ‘The Protein Power Life Plan’ – Source: eNotAlone

Thanks to all the people who have been willing to discuss this maturely with me. Please feel free to leave your own comments below.