Hi Angela,

I think not eating meat can be both healthy and unhealthy depending on your approach.

A vegetarian who focuses on packaged, sodium heavy, overly-processed foods, that just happen to be void of meat as well as usable nutrients, then it can be one of the worst things one can do for themselves.

Over the years I've seen folks "go vegetarian" and totally dismiss the fundamental needs of a healthy, well balanced diet. Sometimes there's a huge learning curve involved in becoming a vegetarian.

A vegetarian who focuses on natural, well balanced, nutrient rich, whole foods, can be an extremely healthy choice along with helping manage or overcome symptoms of disease.

At home, we don't bring in the non-vegetarian items. We eat gourmet and multi-cultural, so our selections seems pretty endless. While we're visiting family and friends, however, we're usually accommodate, but every now and then we come across a situation where our host[s] haevn't prepared a vegan meal or even made arrangements for our vegetarian lifestyles, so we graciously eat what we're offered in order to not insult our hosts. Fortunately, the majority of our travels, our hosts have been gracious enough to make arrangements or have been open to having us create a gourmet vegetarian feast or entree for everyone present. That's when it becomes really fun!!!

Hope this helps and answers your questions. Let me know! and thanks for your post.

I "almost" don't eat meat. Lol..if there is such a thing. The only meat that I still eat is Turkey and of course seafood if you consider that meat.

My goal is to give up turkey by January 1, 2012. I agree with Jason as well. Just the fact that I don't eat pork and red meat (or chicken/eggs) alone does not make my diet "healthier" than the next person if I don't eat healthy in other areas.

However, I do think that the steriods that are put in meat today help to contribute to a lot of our commom sicknesses and ailments that eating a meat-free diet can lesson your risk of getting. My kids don't eat pork or beef but there's no chance of me getting them to give up chicken! lol

Angela,

I haven't eaten pork in over 10 years. I stopped eating beef about 9 years ago. I stopped eating chicken about 2 years ago and will give up turkey by the end of this year. Now seafood...I LOVE seafood! I'm from Maryland and it's hard to imagine a life that doesn't include eating blue crabs!