Start of the blog

I have been a vegetarian for over 15 years--nearly half my life. I have studied nutrition, both at college and on my own, so I know a little, obviously, on how to be a 'hale and hearty' vegetarian. Recently, there have been people who look and me and say something along the lines of "I can't believe you're a vegetarian--you look so healthy!" It seems that there are people out there who are vegetarian but don't know how to do it in the most nutritionally sound way, or who want to change their dietary habits but are afraid that the vegetarian way might not give them what they need. Therefore, my goal will be to give practical information, recipes, and other useful tips to get the most out of a plant-based diet.

Here are some useful notes:

1) I am a chemist by trade, not in any way a professional nutritionist, so what I write is not a substitute for the advice of a certified dietician. However, if I don't post the source of my information, that detail will always be available upon request so you, the reader, will know the accuracy of the data herein.

2) I am predominantly ovo-lacto vegetarian who has occasional vegan weeks. That means that I do eat milk and eggs, but not every day. My brand of vegetarianism involves no dead animals, so no poultry or sea creatures.

3) While my intention is to not force a certain diet on anyone, occasionally some fairly strident opinions may come through. If you take offense, remember that we are all civil creatures here, and kindly make your comments accordingly.

With that, here's to starting 2010 on a healthy stomach!