I've recently read a book by John Robbins called "The Food Revolution---How your diet can help save your life and the world" . He makes a very strong argument for a vegetarian diet.  If anyone is looking for a way to improve their health and lower their risk of American diseases I would highly recommend it.  The risk of cancer and heart disease is greatly reduced by eliminating meat from one's diet and incorporating soy products.  He discusses the hormones and antibiotics in our meat supply.  There's also a lot of information on getting calcium into our systems and it's not from drinking milk.  How many women in this country know that the milk drinking countries have some of the highest levels of osteoporosis in the world?  I have been a vegetarian for quite a while and I now think vegetarian food is some of the best because you have to be so creative with spices and herbs and flavorings.

 John also examines other reasons for  a vegetarian diet, such as the environment, animal ethics, and world hunger.  I don't believe any truly caring person could read this book and continue to eat meat.  It's a real wake up call.  It's a very well researched book.  I am still looking up some of his sources.  One that I'm trying to look up is the claim that  there is a 70% reduction in risk of prostate cancer for men who consume soy milk daily.  Amazing, and that high dairy consumption increases risk by 70%.  There's a lot of info about colon cancer risk and breast cancer risk.  Anyway, I got so much out of this book and hope it is ok to recommend it here in this section.  He discusses a lot of different diets also.  It's a good read and will enlighten you to health risks of the good old American diet.

Dearest or anyone, I'm not sure this is the correct place to post this, but here goes.  Are any of you currently eating flaxseed.  I have discovered it and have recently added it as well as the Revival soy.  In researching it, I can't believe all the benefits it offers.  Sounds like the perfect food.  Any comments would be appreciated.  Wilma

I add a tablespoon of flax seed oil to my revival shake each morning but I've never actually eaten the seeds

Hspec, Thanks for your reply.  What I bought are both the milled and whole flaxseed.  I haven't tried the whole ones yet.  From what I've read, I'll probably grind them (in a coffee grinder), because they are more beneficial ground.  Also, whether milled or whole, it's the lignans in them that have a natural estrogen also.  I hope to learn even more about these little amazing seeds.  The list get longer when researching them about all the benefits.  I'm now putting them into my yogart, all my baked goods, etc.  Wilma

Oops, above reply was suppose to go to MichelleD.

I agree wholeheartedly---taking all of the meat from my diet, only eating occasional fish, and substituting soy, has been the most helpful thing I've found yet for my well-being and for peri-meno.   Have cut out cheese and most dairy also.

I'm a vegetarian but I eat dairy. I buy only organic dairy, however. I think the problem with dairy (and meat, of course) is all of the hormones injected into the animals. They all are given estrogen when young for growth. I'm wondering if women on a high-protein diet have less peri symptoms due to the hormones they are getting from meat?

Wordgirl---update---

You are right, with my recent discovery of a store with much more organic foods, I am eating more dairy.  Funny thing is---the milk and etc tastes just like when I was a kid!  Probably before they started messing around with all ouor foods and dairy (adding everything you mentioned).   It tasted like----real milk!  Amazing.

Hi Snowyday and everyone...

I love being a vegetarian!  :biggrin:  My husband, son and I went veg 12 years ago, and we eat so much healthier and feel better.  I'm also a fan of John Robbins, for he is responsible for our diet switch.  PBS did a special on his book, "Diet for a New America", and it made so much sense to me, healthwise and environmentally-wise.  About the time I saw this program, I also saw for the first time a Perdue chicken farm here in North Carolina... we had just moved here.  There were 52,000 baby chicks crammed into a tight space in a huge long building.  In a short time, the chicks would become full-grown adults on the chemical/antiobiotic feed provided by Perdue, and jammed feather to feather in the "chicken-house".  After seeing that, it took only a matter of seconds to decide to go vegetarian.  And, I've never regretted it!  Most of all, I feel secure my family and I aren't ingesting all those antiobiotics and chemicals.

There are so many good vegetarian cookbooks out there, and the variety of healthy, nutritious, delicious foods is more than one would expect.  Also, our PBS station gets a couple of great cooking shows on Sundays: "Regina's Vegetarian Table", and "Christina Cooks".  They are very inspiring and educational in nutrition.

Snowyday, I agree with you on a vegetarian diet lowering your risks of various cancers and diseases.  It seems that all I read regarding nutrition, you just can't go wrong with a meatless diet.  

RedFox