Going vegetarian is easy. Grocery stores are always stocked with colorful vegetables and plenty of other vegan foods. Almost all grocery stores now carry delicious faux meat products, too - from veggie burgers and veggie hot dogs to vegetarian chicken nuggets, ribs, steak strips, and more. With all these great products available, it's easier than ever to whip up delicious meat-free meals at home. Going out to eat couldn't be easier too! With more and more people becoming vegetarian these days, most restaurants now offer great-tasting, healthy vegetarian selections.

Vegetarian foods can be classified into several different types:

1.Traditional foods that have always been vegetarian (Cereals/grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.)

2.Soy products including Tofu and Tempeh are common protein sources.

3.Textured vegetable protein (TVP), made from defatted soy flour, is often included in chili and burger recipes in place of ground meat.

4.Meat analogues, which mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of meat and are often used in recipes that traditionally contained meat. Vegans may also use analogues for eggs and dairy products.

5.Food usually regarded as suitable for all types of the vegetarian cuisine usually include:

6.Cereals/grains: maize, corn, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, rye, triticale, buckwheat, fonio, quinoa; derived products such as flour (dough, bread, pasta, baked goods) (assuming they have been made without dairy products, such as butter-crust bread).

7.Vegetables (fresh or pickled) and mushrooms (though some strict Indian vegetarians do not eat mushrooms); derived products such as vegetable fats and oils

8.Fruit (fresh or dried)

9.Legumes: beans (including soybeans and soy products such as tempeh, tofu, soy milk, and TVP), chickpeas, peas, lentils, peanuts)

10.Tree nuts and seeds

11.Spices and herbs

Food suitable for several types of the vegetarian cuisine:

Six Tips To Make The Transition

1.Make vegetarian versions of your favorite meals.

2.Explore thousands of delicious vegetarian recipes.

3.Try some tasty faux meats and dairy alternatives.

4.Sample vegetarian microwaveable meals and convenience foods.

5.Search online for the best vegetarian-friendly restaurants in your area.

6.Explore the amazing variety of meat-free ethnic

Cruelty To Animals

Animals on factory farms are treated like meat, milk, and egg machines. Chickens have their sensitive beaks seared off with a hot blade, and male cattle and pigs are castrated without any painkillers. All farmed chickens, turkeys, and pigs spend their brief lives in dark and crowded warehouses, many of them so cramped that they can't even turn around or spread a single wing. They are mired in their own waste, and the stench of ammonia fills the air. Animals raised for food are bred and drugged to grow as large as possible as quickly as possible many are so heavy that they become crippled under their own weight and die within inches of their water supply.

Animals on factory farms do not see the sun or get a breath of fresh air until they are prodded and crammed onto trucks for a nightmarish ride to the slaughterhouse, often through weather extremes and always without food or water. Many die during transport, and others are too sick or weak to walk off the truck after they reach the slaughterhouse. The animals who survive this hellish ordeal are hung upside-down and their throats are slit, often while they're completely conscious. Many are still alive while they are skinned, hacked into pieces, or scalded in the defeathering tanks.

Vegetarian Stars

Alicia Silverstone notes how much better vegetarian diets are for your health: "Since I've gone vegetarian, my body has never felt better and my taste buds have been opened up to a whole new world. It's one of the most rewarding choices I've ever made and I invite you to join me in living a healthy, cruelty-free lifestyle." Indeed, studies show that a vegetarian diet promotes a healthy heart and that helps stars maintain a youthful vigor and boundless stamina while on stage, in the studio, and on the field.

Sir Paul McCartney sums it all up: "If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you could do. It's staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty."