I realize this post stated that “people who call themselves vegetarians” have a wide variety of diets, but would appreciate it if any attempt to actually define vegetarianism didn’t confuse the issue. The definition is clear: no meat or fish. That some long to call themselves vegetarian because they have restricted their animal-eating in some other way doesn’t change the definition. I don’t criticize their choices; I very occasionally (a few times a year) eat meat, and therefore don’t claim the word, though I’ll explain my choices if someone asks. I don’t see it as a badge of honor, so it doesn’t matter. It would be helpful if food writers, especially the meat eaters, would hew to the simple and accepted definition.

In the one hand, it’s a clear explanation of vegan and vegetarian preferences and patterns.

On the other hand, it’s a very cautious view of well-established eating patterns that have consistently been shown to help people develop fewer chronic diseases and maintain a healthier weight than our present Western pattern.

Today’s comments in the SF Chronicle are much more critical.

What I like about what you’re doing is hosting kitchen nutrition discussions. Getting people to ask the right questions is the surest way to one or many good answers.
JL

PS: Regarding the consumption of soy (safely practiced by millions of Asians for thousands of years). Most soy on the planet is eaten by livestock animals. Hence, nobody consumes more soy than meat eaters.

Our species survived millions of years before we domesticated the cow. Moreover, most people in the world do not drink milk. It is not a necessity, and it is not a nutritional hazard to omit it.

I recently wrote an article on my experience since giving up the meat products and how my life has changed. I thought this might be of interest to you and the commenters on this blog: http://www.shar-on-nutrition.com/?p=450

Feel free to leave a comment or question!

Thanks a lot. I love the clarity of your book _What to Eat_. I generally do not start my posts with sychophantic statements, but I should thank you for your book. Anyway, I appreciate the bluntness and thoroughness of this post. I have been reading _101 Reasons Why I Am A Vegetarian_ by Pamela Mitchell and I have had some conflicted reactions to some of her reasons. I have been an omnivore who eats very little meat (about once every three days or so) for about the past six months. I am a very ardent lover of all animals (human and non-human animals alike) and I have given myself many a guilt trips over my consumption of meat. I have not shied away from investigating many of the cruel horrors of factory farming (I’ve read Gail Eisnitz’ _Slaughterhouse_, _Fast Food Nation_, etc. and watched scores of renegade videos on youtube taken inside of slaughterhouses and factory farms) and I have continued to eat meat in some degree for quite some time. One snag that I’ve always run into is worrying that I will waste away and die from lack of protein and lack of essential vitamins. I appreciate your candid, concise, and clear post on vegetarianism and what is required to be a healthy vegetarian. I have been taking flax seed supplements and garlic and now I need to find a Vitamin B12 supplement. I think that I am ready to make the jump and become a full vegetarian. Of course, you have pointed out that being a vegetarian is of varying levels (two types of vegetarian as well as being a vegan). I have Buddhist friends who are vegans, but I do not have the discipline to be a full vegan. I am, however, ready to be a vegetarian who eats no meat (including fish) but does consume some dairy products in the form of organic milk, cheese, and some eggs. I would like to be a full vegan because of all the pain that I feel for dairy cows and egg-laying hens trapped in “battery cages.” I’m not ready to make the full jump to vegan yet. Perhaps I will in the future. For now I will try to buy organic and free-range (although I know that free-range doesn’t mean very much). I had already mostly cut out fast food and hamburger (mostly due to _Fast Food Nation_ and _Slaughterhouse_) and I need to be sure to take your adivce (and Michael Pollan’s) and try to eat as many minimally or non-processed foods as possible. My lovely bride and me are eagerly awaiting the birth of our first child (we find out tomorrow if our miracle baby is a daughter or a son) and I would like to set a dietary example for our child. My bride is an omnivore and I will not impose vegetarianism on our child, although I do seek to be a vegetarian example for our child. Last night, my bride asked me in bed: “What if our child grows up to hate animals?” My reply was based on the natural inclination of children, especially teenagers, to rebel and that, if our child grew up to hate animals that hopefully they would mature and age out of that hatred. It would be a blessing if our child(ren) were more mindfull of the origins of their food than the average child of the U.S.A. is in regards to their food. Anyway, this is kind of rambling, but also a fairly important post. I’m now making public my vegetarianism. Again, thanks for this post and thanks for your books and your excellent blog. Keep fighting the good fight, for the health of us all.