On the contrary, there is a lot to learn about being vegetarian and why healthy eating leads to a healthy environment for everybody. Here are some facts to chew on:

• There are more than three times as many heads of livestock on Earth than there are human beings-20 billion animals, with all the land use, water use and waste treatment problems associated with people.

• The EPA reports that energy-intensive U.S. factory farms generated 1.4 billion tons of animal waste in 1996, polluting American waterways more than all other industrial sources combined. One large livestock operation in Utah produces as much dookie per year as the entire city of Los Angeles.

• Raising livestock wastes tremendous amounts of water. You would save more water by not eating a pound of California beef than you would by not showering for an entire year, according to John Robbins, author of Food Revolution.

• You can't raise beef without land. According to a recent E Magazine article, "Because of deforestation to create grazing land, each vegetarian saves an acre of trees per year." It goes on to say, "Meat production has also been linked to severe erosion of billions of acres of once-productive farmland."

• Livestock agriculture has even contributed to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

• According to VegSource.com, "Eating less meat is the second most important positive environmental decision-second only to the choice of transportation-that a consumer can make."

The list of reasons to retreat from meat could go on and on and on. On top of numerous environmental concerns is a host of ethical, humanitarian, economic and dietary issues.

Many people want to do "what's right" when it comes to these issues, but are also concerned about eating right. Some fear that a vegetarian diet lacks protein and can make them weak or sick. While it is possible to eat an unhealthy, junk-food based vegetarian diet, getting protein through green vegetables, beans and nuts is incredibly simple. The truth is, going veggie can be tremendously healthy.

A recent Time magazine article called "Should We All Be Vegetarians?" reported just that, saying:

"[A] predominantly vegetarian diet may have beneficial effects for kidney and nerve function in diabetics, as well as for weight loss; that eating more fruits and vegetables can slow, perhaps reverse, age-related declines in brain function and in cognitive and motor performance…vegetarian seniors have a lower death rate and use less medication than meat-eating seniors…vegetarians have a healthier total intake of fats and cholesterol but a less healthy intake of fatty acids…"

Being a vegetarian does require a great deal of discipline and is definitely a personal choice. If you're interested in trying it out, you should definitely pace yourself. Try to have at least one meat-less meal a week, and then progress to eating more and more well-balanced vegetarian options. Before you know it, meat in your diet will be a thing of the past.

Ultimately, this is an individual decision that can go a long way. By abstaining from meat you can reduce water usage, fossil fuel usage, deforestation and so much more. These contributions to our environment can go a very long way. So before you take that next bite into your hamburger, think twice.

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