are you a vegetarian?

Humans are not designed to be vegetarians. If they were they would be able to chew their cud like a cow and have bigger grinding teeth. Our nearest relative is chimpanzees who eat a lot of fruit, some leaves, insects and some meat. They are onmivores just like us. You can eat strictly vegetables if you want but you need a source of vitamin B12 and iron otherwise you will sicken. As far as the Indian vegetarians and Jains, their food is not clean due to few pesticides and they accidentally ingest insects and insect parts in regular small quantities. When the come to "clean" places like North America they develop nutritional deficiencies. Chimps and humans have ominovore all purpose teeth, not all big flat grinding ones live herbivores, and not all sharp ripping ones like carnivores. They also have the medium sized intestines of an omnivore, not huge like a herbivore and not short like a carnivore. We also have binocular vision with out eyes place in the front of the face like carnivore hunters so that they can keep prey in front of them in sight, and not at the sides like herbivore prey who have to look forwards to see where they are running, and backwards to see where the hunter is that is chasing them. Physiologically then we survive on an omnivore diet. We should take a tip from our nearest cousin and eat more fruit and insects. I realize that vegans take food to a fanatical level, and propagandize how healthy they are, but many sickly vegans suffer long term health problems that are caused by the very diet they are expecting to one day miraculously cure them. I have no problem if you decide to go no meat, that is your choice, but please stop trying to proselytize others if you do so. Like the statement about the human instestine being designed for veg food is just wrong.

I hadn't heard that about the intestine, that's very interesting.

I'm not trying to convert anyone.

Soy is not good for everyone and as you age contibutes to low thyroid function.

There are many different sources of protein - soya, nuts,cheese, and lately there is Quorn which is very high in protein and made from some sort of mushroom.

Yes, I have heard that vegetarians live longer, I don't know if it's true. It may be that vegetarians are generally more careful about what they eat in general.

I would find it extremely difficult to be vegan, and I can't see any point from my point of view. The reason I am a vegetarian is that I don't want to eat animals, I don't mind drinking their milk or eating eggs.

It really is a personal choice. All I am sure of is it's right for me. You mentioning about it being hard to stop eating meat when you are used to it - it's the same the other way round. I would find it very difficult to eat meat now!

It is true that many people eat meat to get protein, but there are so many alternative protein sources becoming available now, so in many parts of the world eating meat is no longer necessary. It is good that you don't each much meat.

When you start being a vegetarian, you do sometimes get meat cravings, but I found the cure for that was bacon flavoured crisps! Also it is difficult if you are surrounded by meat-eaters.

Vegetarians do seem to be more healthy in general.