Let's talk about becoming a vegetarian. First of all, let me tell you that I am a vegan so this is a subject that I'm passionate about. I know that being vegan seems extreme to many people so we can talk about becoming vegetarian but trust me the more you clean out your diet the better you will feel and vegan is an extremely clean way of eating. The vegetarian diet has become much more common and it is a trend that will certainly continue. Fortunately, the medical community is now supporting becoming vegetarian strongly and suggesting that people cut out the saturated fats and cholesterol ingested by eating meat.

There are many myths associated with becoming vegetarian. Many people think of vegetarians and imagine long-haired hippies eating granola in their VW bus. Well, let me assure you that there are vegetarians and vegans in every social class, every ethnicity and every religion. There are people who make this lifestyle change for health reasons, for ethical reasons, for religious reasons and even for environmental reasons. It is multi-faceted to say the least. I will tell you that I became vegan after learning about what really goes on in the factory farming industry in this country. It is nothing like what you would imagine it is and the cruelty is unspeakable and difficult to face. Of course people can eat meat and drink milk and not have to face the horrors, they are all tucked away behind closed doors, hidden from view. We call it 'beef' when in reality it is a dead cow; we call dead pigs 'ham'. It comes all cut and packaged so we don't have to face the reality and do it ourselves.

Unfortunately, in trying to reduce the bottom line there is no limit to what will be done to animals, forgetting that they are living, breathing creatures that feel pain and feel fear. It never ceases to amaze me how horrified a meat eating person will get when there is a report of an animal abuse case or find it disgusting that people in other countries eat cats & dogs. Why do people see a difference? Could it be that we just don't know what is done to the cows, pigs and chickens that are eaten or is it that somehow they don't appreciate that these are indeed living, feeling animals? Have we been conditioned to think of them as things instead of animals? There are many books and websites on the subject of factory farming. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power and I encourage you to learn more, that's what I did, and as a result I have not had an animal product in over 8 years. Becoming vegetarian or vegan was never a goal of mine, far from it, but once I learned the truth I simple would not have been able to eat meat and look at myself in the mirror.

I wouldn't eat animal products no matter what but it turns out that my ethical choice has also led me to feeling better physically than I ever have in my life. No one will ever be able to tell me that being a vegetarian or vegan is not the healthiest way to eat. I live it and I feel it! I have a family plagued with cardiac problems so my heredity is not good. Well, let me tell you, I am now the only one in my family who has not had an episode of some sort and not only that but also my cholesterol and blood pressure are extremely low.

Since becoming vegan, my energy level is so high and contrary to popular belief you do not need animal protein to build muscle. My workouts and results have not been the least bit compromised because of the change in my diet. Far from it, my muscular endurance is the highest it's ever been and since becoming vegan I have much more stamina to during my workouts.

I encourage you to learn more about becoming vegetarian (or even vegan).

Barry Lovelace is an internationally recognized personal trainer and fitness professional specializing in the training of athletes. Barry is the creator of the HOT selling volleyball training program Training For Volleyball. Find out more here.