I was sitting in my brother's bedroom, leafing through his handouts from PETA, when I decided to go vegetarian for a week. It wasn't a decision I made lightly, but then, I rarely plan things more than 45 seconds in advance. My brother is a practicing vegan who gave up meat, dairy products and eggs more than two months ago. For him, it was a decision to help stop cruelty to animals.

For me, going vegetarian would be an experiment in living from a different perspective.

"Vegetarian" is a bit of a misleading term, as there are many different kinds of vegetarianism out there. A person that avoids red meat, poultry and fish is a traditional vegetarian, but there are other variations on this diet. A vegan will avoid all types of meat, in addition to any product that comes from an animal, including dairy and eggs. Lacto-vegetarians are people that will eat dairy products, but avoids eggs and meat. There are also semi-vegetarians, that mostly avoids red meat, but will occasionally have a bit of chicken and fish.

"Some people choose to be a vegan because of animal rights issues," said Dietary Director Rebecca Goodstein with Adventist Health in Hanford. "Others choose to be a vegetarian to aid in treatment of medical conditions. You can eat a very healthy diet regardless of your decision; however, the stricter the diet, the harder you must work to ensure that you get all the proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals that you need to maintain optimal health."

The first thing that struck me, a day or so into the experiment, was how simple it was to give up most meat products. As you sit there reading this, you are probably wondering, as I did, "How can I give up bacon? Sweet, succulent bacon?" But the answer is really quite simple. Regardless of how big a carnivore you are, meat is often just a small portion your daily diet, and one that can quickly be replaced with other foods.

"What changes on the food guide pyramid for vegetarians is not the number of servings in each food group, but how you get those servings," Goodstein said. "For protein, instead of animal meats, the protein will come from soy, meat substitutes, nuts and beans. Essential fatty acids will need to come from sources such as flax seed oil, canola or olive oil, or even walnuts. Again, the number of servings needed does not change whether you eat meat or not, just the choice of foods."

Dietitians recommend that people going on a vegetarian diet should continue to eat at least three servings of cereals and grains; four servings of fruit and vegetables; two servings of nuts, seeds and pulses; two servings of milk, cheese and eggs; and a small amount of vegetable oil and yeast extract fortified with vitamin B12.

"One thing that helped me when I started was finding ways of turning your favorite foods into vegetarian alternatives," local resident and five-year vegetarian Ross Taylor said. "Take something you love, then just change out the ingredients until it tastes pretty close to your favorite food again. This is really good if you are cooking for your family, too, because they might not even notice the difference."

The problems, then, come when you start looking for local places to eat at. While most grocery stores sell vegetarian alternatives and organic products to replace your everyday favorites, you'll quickly discover that most restaurants seldom offer more than a single option.

"You really get tired of eating veggie burgers," said Deputy Kings County Counsel David Hamilton, himself a vegetarian. "Usually, the garden burger is the only choice you have. There are no vegetarian restaurants in Tulare and Kings Counties. Another problem is that when you think you are eating vegetarian, you'll often find out that there is chicken stock in the rice, or something else in the soup. You really have to be vigilant and ask questions.

"A lot of people just don't understand what a vegetarian is. I've met several people that call themselves vegetarians, but they continue to eat chicken and fish."

The trick is to be careful about what you eat and from where. When fellow reporter Seth Nidever said that we should travel to his "go-to place for greasy American food," I was left eating KFC's mashed potatoes and gravy with a side of biscuits for lunch. It didn't even occur to me that there might be bits of chicken actually blended into the sauce itself.

"Eating in restaurants can be challenging," Goodstein said. "Sometimes vegetables may be cooked with bacon and sauces may have meat juices in them. When you are invited to a friend's house for dinner, they may not understand your new dietary restrictions and may cook recipes that you used to like -- but have hidden animal products in them."

Goodstein recommends being aware of products that contain gelatin, which may be made by boiling ligaments, bones, skin and other parts of animals to thicken food items like jams and jellies. Also, many cheeses are made with the enzyme rennet or rennin, which is taken from the lining of the stomach of a calf or other young animal and used to curdle the milk.

"Don't assume anything is vegetarian, even if they say it is," Hamilton said. "I will often talk to the cook to ask what goes into my food. And, sometimes if you do that, they will offer to make you a special batch, since they know you are serious about it. But, you have to read labels, you have to ask the waiters questions and you have to remain vigilant. It's a hassle, I'll tell you."

But the biggest question any potential vegetarian must ask themselves is why they want to do it. It is a different lifestyle, one where strict attention to detail is necessary to succeed. But for some, the good definitely outweighs the bad.

"There are a lot of different reasons to go vegetarian," Hamilton said. "For me, a lot of it was how the meat was being grown and religious reasons, but there's also health concerns, the ethics of killing animals, even environmental things to consider. I think it is important enough to put up with the hassle. I feel better about what I eat, and in general, I just feel better."

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Oct. 7, 2008)