[teamommy]

I am not either one strictly. I am close to vegan. I have fish, eggs, or turkey once in a great while. If I had more risk factors for cancer or heart disease, I'd probably limit those even more than I do.

I was vegetarian as a young adult once I was out on my own, because cooking and eating meat just grossed me out. Even growing up I was not a big red meat eater or milk drinker. Once having kids and nursing them, the thought of consuming milk from a cow concerned me even more, though I still ate cheese and yogurt. A few years ago, I became convinced that animal proteins and fats, and especially dairy, should have a very minimal place in the diet for the best long-term health. That along with factory farming practices and other nutritional considerations did not leave many doubts in my mind. If wanting to be scientific about it, the vast majority of the nutritional evidence is squarely on the side of animal products comprising a very limited part of a healthy diet in the society we live in (perhaps not zero for every person--hopefully it's okay to say that here--but very limited). On a personal level, I feel much better this way, feel good about having less of an environmental imprint, and do not have any trouble maintaining optimal weight when I avoid animal foods and most oils.