Well, it's not just for crazy hippies and Tibetan hermits anymore, folks! Vegetarian cooking has come a long way from the days of "nuts and bolts and leaves", as my mother used to call it. With today's accent on health, fitness and good-tasting food, a vegetarian diet makes a lot of sense!

Why low-fat? Lots of reasons. First of all, a gram of fat contains 9 calories; a gram of protein or of carbohydrate only contains 4 calories. So if you're eating less fat, you're likely eating fewer calories. Also, high fat consumption has been strongly linked to coronary artery disease (cholesterol problems, atherosclerosis, even heart attacks) and several types of cancer. Cut the fat, and you reduce the likelihood of developing these problems!

But why vegetarian? Well, animal products contain high amounts of saturated fats, which are by far the worst ones at promoting coronary artery disease. They are also the only dietary source of cholesterol. And besides which, it takes a lot of resources (grain, water, etc.) to raise a pound of beef; it takes a lot fewer resources to raise a pound of wheat. (I promise not to bring up any animal rights issues here -- discussions on the topic can get pretty heated...)

I'm giving you access to my favorite fat-free vegetarian recipe archive, a listing of all the recipes posted on the FatFree mailing list. To subscribe to the list, send mail to "fatfree-request@fatfree.com". In the subject line, place the word "SUBSCRIBE". The FatFree list is for serious discussion of a fat-free vegetarian diet and healthy lifestyle. It includes recipes, discussion, and lots of helpful support for folks who are trying to modify their lifestyle in the manner described by Drs. Ornish and MacDougall.

If the link to the Fatfree archives is down, or if you'd like to get some idea of what we eat here at the Senie household, I'll try to remember to add our recipes to the dinner list on occasion. Here are a few more veggie pages that I've come across that I think are definitely worthwhile: