I used to be a carnivore (albeit lightly), until I met my lovely wife, Sylvie, who didn't really convince me to become a vegetarian just like her, but whose example I wanted to follow, and whose stories of the meat industry (pried by my own curiosity and not as an attempt by her to proselytize) didn't take long to change my habits.

I'm not vegan, as I do eat fish and animal byproducts (eggs, cheese, milk, etc). Nor am I some vegamaniac. I'm not going to try to convert anyone here, and I certainly don't wish to debate vegetarianism, since I did it for personal and selfish reasons. I did it for health and not for political reasons.

Anyhow, after reading this, I'm so glad I became a vegetarian, and have been for close to three years now. This is a link to a blog post, and I highly recommend you don't click on it if you're faint of heart.

This might be disturbing to some of you:

Boing Boing: Big factory pig farms are some of America's worst polluters

But Michel, what about Hebrew National? They have to answer to a higher source.

Right on, Michel! I call myself an on-again, off-again vegetarian. I'm getting ready to be on-again, once again. I hope to stay there. When I eat a vegetarian diet, I have loads more energy. When I don't, I feel sluggish and have loads more pounds.

There are many horror stories in the meat industry. They are disturbing. I need to just get back on the veggie wagon and stay there. I'm not going to debate it, either; I'll just say that it has always been the healthiest choice for me.

Right on Michel!

I've been a vegetarian now for over 22 years. When I did switch my diet I got sick because I cut out meat cold turkey. That was a bad move and almost had a nervous breakdown because I was in college at the time and you know how college kids eat.

Any all my four kids are raised as vegetarians. From mothers breast milk they went to soy milk and we had less 'baby sicknesses' and they are 3 years ahead in school of what their ages indicate.

I use a B12 supplement (methylcobalamin is better then cyanocobalamin as far as I understand) and enjoy good health.

Also a vegetarian's bathroom smells better than a meat eater any day. Talk about benefits.

-Ray L.

Do you have proof of this?

And this is coming from a guy who calls himself "tater."

(Love Ron White! You should get his recent DVD. It's freakin' hilarious!)

Comes down to, "Are you a 'Jules' person, or a 'Vincent' person?"

Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.

Vincent: Yeah but bacon tastes goood. Pork chops taste goood.

Jules: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy ...

Vincent: How 'bout a dog?...

Jules: I don't eat dog either.

Vincent: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?

Jules: I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy, but they definitely dirty. But, dog's got personality; personality goes a long way.

Vincent: Ahh, so by that rational, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?

Jules: Well, we'd have to be talking one charming ... pig.

Agree re vegetarian lifestyle is a lot better; I have been trying to become more vegetarian this past 2 years, since learning about the big difference it makes, from Tony Robbins' materials. (see the ton of great threads on it at his forum).

One of the forum posters there suggested the "juice fountain", juicer, which I got, which is terrific (forgot the maker, brietart?) ... got from amazon.com, a lot better than the juiceman..

drinking awful tasting concoctions of:

- beet root
- dandelion leaves
- broccoli
- garlic
- ginger
- carrots
- wheatgrass

etc has been the *best* thing I could ever do for my health; my triglycerides and LDL dropped by nearly 30% in 6 months and I have
boundless energy now, which is great. only hassle is the time to wash
the veggies and cleanup the juicer, though a small price to pay.

I've bought almost all the books on juicing out there; once you learn
the difference that it makes, you'll never eat (much!) meat again...

it's like having 3 pots of coffee, without the bad effects, every day.. for tons of energy. plus the drnatura.com stuff for colon cleansing etc is
also healthful, though I don't have the stomach to do colonics, apparently
that's important too, and with a history of colon cancer in my family, probably something I'll do when I get up the nerve. Anyways, TMI but agree re VEGETARIAN diet, and JUICING, (read sandra cabot's books), the
"elixir of life" stuff, is terrific.

ken

now I gotta go get one of those $5 shakes... Pulp Fiction's one of my favorite movies... I actually tried fries w/mayo after seeing it, at the royal hawaiian hotel's pool bar, and they're great! ... other great movies are Casino, Kill Bill, almost all of quentin's movies etc.. and lemee get some bacon and barbecued scallops to go with it, and lobster.. nah just kidding.. almost. Gotta go all veggie, though it's tough, it's the best health decision to make, I know this.

I must say that as I get older, that cholesterol number becomes more important. My number as a carnivore a few years ago was almost 300! After a couple months as a vegetarian--and I've never indulged in wheat grass or those other awful concoctions--it was in the lower 150 range. I am still kicking myself for falling off the wagon.

By the end of the month, I'm going veggie again. 'Nuff said!