Tips
Deciding to go meatless
People have many reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet. If you think you'd like to learn more about life from the animals point of view you can visit a place like Farm Sanctuary.
Link
From their web site:
"After coming face to face with a rescued chicken, nuzzling up to a gentle cow and rubbing a grateful pig's belly, many Farm Sanctuary visitors are forever changed. In fact, a survey conducted during the 2007 tour season found that more than half of all visitors reported that they intended to make future changes in their diets based on their experience visiting our sanctuaries."
Learn more: Link
Shared by letitgo on 1/2/09
Glad you shared this. I was a vegetarian for many years and have been a vegan for the past year. Although when going out to eat, it takes a little more work to get food made without dairy and meat products, many restaurants are willing to try. It's more difficult when going to dinner at a friend or relative's home. In that case, I eat what I can and/or will bring a vegan dish to share. I find that many people (even teenagers) can't tell the difference!
This is a great link. I am really working my way to becoming a Vegetarian - not completely there, but getting closer each week. The more educated I become on this the more I realize that the hamburger I once loved was a living, breathing creature with thoughts and feelings. For me, I think the biggest reason for wanting to become a vegetarian is for compassion and not wanting to be a part of harming animals. I am also finding through my research and reading that a vegetarian diet done right is much healthier and can lead to a longer, healthier life. As stated, I am not completely there, but when I do buy meat, I shop at Whole Foods. I have spoken with their meat department and the process they use is a much more humane one - from the time the animal's life begins until it ends. Ultimately, the animal is still slaughtered and that just seems wrong no matter how you try to rationalize it - so I am really getting there, and probably only consume meat a couple of times a week in small amounts. My biggest challenge is my 16 year old son and getting him on the vegetarian bandwagon.