What are the health benefits of a vegan (strict vegetarian) diet? Where can I go to learn about vegan recipes?

I would like to find a place where I can learn from others about preparing vegan meals. There are no vegan (or even vegetarian) restaurants where I live.

I haven't been able to find others who are trying to eat healthier, vegan (or even vegetarian) meals in my area.

I have been trying to read about various vegan and vegetarian recipes at the library, but I really need to learn from others one-on-one, if possible.

I found a web site for vegetarians, but could learn so much faster and easier if I were able to get together with other people trying to eat healthier vegan meals:(http://www.VegSource.com)

vegan and healthier are not correlated. in fact vegans suffer from a wide variety of anaemias, including iron and B12 deficiency: regardless of what 'they' say, plant sources are not good sources for B12. also much of the protein found in plant based foods are incomplete amino acids--animal products are the best source for complete protein. vegans can suffer from loss of muscle mass and bone mass--these are unhealthy conditions brought on by malnutrition.

i used to be vegan for a year and through stressful situations only did my body realize that this was the wrong choice.

you can be healthier, lose weight, etc. if you adapt more vegetables into your diet (instead of less meat). this is how i became more healthy.

if i were you i'd avoid all substitutes of meat, like tofu burgers, dogs, etc. as they are loaded with preservatives and other additives and are not healthy.

however, if you wish to incorporate more vegan food into your diet, then that's fine, but i don't suggest ever going vegan fully. i lost a lot of bone mass and muscle mass. concentrate on upping your vegetable servings to about 10 a day and you'll see more results than you ever could from omitting meat.

don't eat dairy, that's bad for everyone.

good cuisines that are relatively vegan are indian, buddhist, thai... you could also just experiment for yourself. hummus is a good thing to have because then you can eat more vegetables if you have hummus (it'll make them taste better). baba ghanouj, which is middle eastern (like hummus is), is a dip made of egg plant. it's good too.

i still advise against going vegan as i've learned from my own personal experiences, but incorporating nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and squash into your diet is very beneficial. the benefits of a vegetarian diet come from the INCLUSION of these foods NOT the exclusion of meat.

good luck on your quest to health. :o)

The health benefits are peace of mind, knowing that you, at least, are not contributing to the mindless cruelty that puts defenceless animals into untold, and unnecessary suffering. As well as peace of mind, you don't have all the meat hanging around your gut for years after (really, it does!). You can also gain ALL the vitamins/minerals/proteins etc that you need from vegetables/nuts/seeds etc. You don't say where you live - but I find it really sad that you cannot find ANY vegetarians/vegans in your area? Have you tried putting a notice in your local shop window/newspaper? How about directing people to the PETA website -www.peta.org - I reckon there might be a few more vegans after watching a couple of their videos??! Failing that - have you got a Buddhist Centre near you ........... wow! A whole community of vegetarians/vegans!!!! I wish you well.

many people benefit from a vegan diet.i recommend going to this web site www.AdventistBookCenter.com there are some great cookbooks to choose from.maybe Cooking With the Micheff Sisters OR Cooking Entrees With the Micheff Sisters i know they are great! or call the 800 number it is 1-800-765-6955 i hope this was a help.good luck.