As more and more Americans become concerned with their weight and health, they are turning toward a vegetarian diet. A well-balanced vegetarian diet, in concert with regular exercise, abstaining from smoking, and moderating alcohol and caffeine intake promotes good health and helps prevent chronic disease.

Vegetarian cooking, once considered a dull version of its meat-centered counterpart, need not be boring. With the array of produce, spices, herbs, plant-based oils, textured soy proteins and excellent recipes now so widely available, vegetarianism has truly come into its own.

If you are feeling adventurous, try the simple but tasty dinner menu included here.

The reasons for vegetarianism:

Vegetarians will tell you that the one question they are invariably asked: why did you become a vegetarian?

There are plenty of reasons of course, but the most common are

• Health: There are numerous health benefits associated with a vegetarian diet. Some are discussed below.
• Ethical beliefs: Many believe it is unethical to hunt or farm animals for the purpose of consumption.
• Religious beliefs: Many religions have prohibitions against consuming all or certain types of meat: for example, Hindus avoid beef and often other meat and fish; Muslims abstain from pork and shellfish; and Orthodox Jews also avoid pork and shellfish.
• Environmental reasons: Farming animals is more resource-intensive than producing plants such as grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables for direct consumption by humans.

Types of vegetarianism

• Vegans are strict vegetarians. Their diets exclude all animal products, i.e., meat, fish, poultry, milk, butter, cheese, eggs, and often honey. Some vegans restrict their intake to raw plant products only.
• Lacto-ovovegetarians exclude meat products, but include dairy products and eggs in their diets.
• Lactovegetarians do not eat meat products and eggs, but do consume dairy products.
• Semi-vegetarians exclude most meat products, but may include fish, shellfish, and often poultry in their diets.