Nothing like a post about vegetarian or vegan diets to raise the hackles of the Forum!!! As a long-time vegetarian, it never ceases to amaze me how defensive carnivores get about this stuff. And please, don't tell me that it's because we veggie-types lord our diet choices over you. Many of my friends and co-workers are vegans or vegetarians, and I've never seen the kind of arrogance that many meat eaters assume we hold towards them. If any of you have experienced this, I apologize on their behalf- that kind of behavior is just plain bad manners; bad manners, by the way that are certainly shared by many meat eaters (sometimes, distressingly, including my better half)!
In response to Ruthenian's request, my sotry is actually pretty simple, and probably typical. I was raised in a traditional, meat-eating family- you know the type- chicken on Sundays, turkey every Xmas, and lots of flesh in between. I went vegetarian with my wife (yep, she was at one time too) in our mid-20s and that was that. She went back to meat after a bout with anemia while expecting our first kid (who, BTW, is a very strict vegetarian and very healthy as is her younger sis- they're both late teens). My wife is recently returning to a primarily vegetarian diet, even though I'm happy to cook anything she wants (I'm the family cook), so there was no pressure from me or the kids.
In order to preserve some sense of peace on the board, I won't go into the reasons why I, and my daughters, are vegetarian, but let's just say that it's not only about healthy eating. Although the latter is certainly a side benefit- my lipids are better than they were when I did eat meat, I've got more LBM than ever (thank you kindly, Bryan), and my endurance is excellent.
But at the risk of a flame war, I really do have to take the good Dr. to task. No, "strict vegetarianism" is
definitely compatible with human (and many other mammals', including primates') existence. Even if, by "strict" you mean veganism, there are plenty of vegans who are thriving physicially, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Certainly, the same holds true for vegetarians as well.
BTW, it's important to remember that one be a junk food addict and a vegetarian at the same time (MUCH harder if you're a vegan, because of all the hidden dairy products in candies and flavored chips and the like). You have to watch your diet whatever you do.
Hope this doesn't sound like a rant, it's not meant to! Heck, some of my best friends eat meat, just like I'm sure some of their best friends don't.