Welcome to the wonderful world of the meat-free! 

I have been gradually eliminating meat from my diet for about a year 
now, starting with red meat. I am now a complete lacto-ovo vegetarian, 
and would be more than happy to share with you my views on the matter, 
as well as give you some good reasons to go vegetarian.

There are a few different kinds of vegetarians (people who do not eat
animal flesh) that I should introduce you to before we get into the
nitty gritty stuff. They are:

~ the PARTIAL vegetarian: these people have chosen to cut out some
                          forms of animal flesh, usually red meat.
                          They often will only eat chicken and fish,
                          or do not eat meat very often.

~ the LACTO-OVO vegearian: those, like myself, who do not eat any
                           meat but do eat dairy products and eggs.

~ the LACTO and OVO vegetarians: those who do not eat meat but do eat
                                 either dairy or eggs, respectively.

~ the VEGAN: people who do not consume animal products of any kind,
             be it meat, dairy, or eggs. This is the strictest form
             of vegetarianism. 

  Vegetarianism may seem to be a relatively new "hippie phase," but it
has been around for ages.  Many cultures other than our own eat a 
mainly vegetarian diet out of necessity, since meat is not readily
available to them and is quite expensive. It used to be thought by all
North Americans that meat was necessary for proper nutrition and 
development, but research and statistics have proved otherwise. We now
know that as well as promoting the killing of animal life, eating meat
can add to the risk of heart diease and some forms of cancer.

  This can certainly explain the high rates of death from these 
dieseases in North America; we as a continent consume more meat than
any other.  As you read this, acres of the rainforest are being torn 
down to make grazing pastures for future Big Macs.  Land that could
be used for growing grain to feed hungry people around the world is
being fed to cows who are going to be someone's dinner, while ruining 
the environment at the same time. Quite an accomplishment for an 
animal that had no say in the matter and who cannot protest the un-
fairness of life. Just who gave us the power to do this, anyway?

   "Behold, I have given you every herb yeilding seed, which is upon
the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of 
of a tree yielding seed- TO YOU IT SHALL BE FOR FOOD." Genesis 1:29

   Hmmmm...nothing there about eating the animals. God did say we have
dominion over them, which can be interpreted as the right to munch on
their muscle tissue, I suppose. But if we are to look after them and 
the environment, as God so nicely asked us to do, then we are a long 
way off, baby.

   Okay, so you're not into the religion stuff...that's fine too. Our
ancestors ate meat; good enough reason, right? We even have the 
equipment to do so, such as canine teeth and a stomach that can digest 
meat. May I point out that our ancestors also had small brains and
were trying their very best to adapt to new situations after coming
down from the trees? We were all originally vegetarians, you see; we
only started eating meat out of necessity for survival. 

  Well, we certainly did survive - and we evolved as well. One would
hope that our barbaric tendancies could be outgrown, as our brains
got bigger and we could become more creative with our eating patterns.
It seems a shame to me that many North Americans still routinely have
meat and potatoes, when there are so many other choices out there. I
have discovered so many different ethnic dishes since going veg that I
sometimes feel compelled to laugh when omnivores ask me, "what DO you
eat?" It also seems sad that we are at a stage where we KNOW what the
effects are, we KNOW what we are doing to our fellow animals, the
environment we live in, and ourselves, yet we continue to eat meat as
if it were going out of style. Which it seems, perhaps it is...

  What with the growing rate of vegetarianism among young people these
days, it seems to me that we are heading towards a more animal and
environmentally friendly age. The notion of the "four food groups" is
changing, as we realise how much extra and unneeded protein we obtain
from eating meat.  There are no nutrients found in meat not available
from other, more friendly sources. It may seem like a radical move to
become a vegetarian, and can be an extremely lonely and frustrating
experience at times. But it is ultimately a rewarding one, and the
happiness I get from not contributing to the meat industry outweighs
any of the downsides. It was a choice I never thought I could make,
since I grew up in a meat-oriented household...but one that I am very
content with.

  It was rather interesting for me to discover just how  not alone I 
really am in this endeavour. While checking out a list of famous vegetarians,

I was quite surprised to find Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and
Thomas Edison, among many others. They were certainly rebels of their
time, since people were not so aware of the health and environmental
effects of a meat diet back then.

  And now that we know? It is my own personal hope that people will
begin to see the cruelty-free options available to them and begin to
cut down on their meat intake. I ask not that the whole world become
vegeatrian; I only wish that people would really examine what is on 
their dinner plate and start to see the consequences of their actions.
Eliminating meat is an excellent way to lose weight, live longer, and
promote compassion in a seemingly cruel world.  One person can 
certainly make a difference, and any steps you take are much 
appreciated by your fellow creatures. Thank you for your time!