its not the "no meat" part of being a veg-head that gets you; its when you simply drop meat components without replacing them with other protein sources. you also need to make certain that you're eating plenty of fresh/frozen veggies and carbs that aren't just drenched in fat. meat protein is only really different from beans, nuts and rice in that meat contains complete protein, saturated fats, cholesterol and taurine. and complete proteins are synthesized by the body from incomplete proteins anyways.
although i've always been a big fan of teriyaki steaks, i recently went pesco-vegetarian with a "2 meats a week" limit as a way of controlling my weight. i have to say that i've never felt healthier, more alert, and less prone to violent blood-sugar swings. i'm also beginning to feel full after smaller portion sizes and i'm snacking less because i'm eating more complete meals. limiting my meat intake really works for me because it forces me to pay better attention to what i eat and why i eat it. it also encourages me to make better choices about non-meaty but unhealthy foods.
by deciding that i'm not going to eat a hamburger for lunch, i also don't feel as compelled to get frenchfries or a milkshake to go with it. by planning my dinner around a non-meat protein source, i can also take vitamin content into consideration. i've always been a bit neurotic about handling raw meat; since most cookbooks emphasize meat as a main component of an entree, that's always discouraged me from cooking for myself and encouraged me to eat out a lot. but now that i own vegetarian cookbooks, i have a good selection of healthy recipes that i feel comfortable preparing and can prepare fairly quickly. all of this enables me to closely control the amount of saturated fats, chloesterol, sodium and empty calories that i ingest.
just dropping meat from your diet isn't healthy. you have to replace it with healthier alternatives. this is why its so hard to go vegetarian without the support of the people sharing your meals. living off the "potatoes" portion of a "meat and potatoes" diet isn't that much better for you than just living off the "meat" section. yes, you still benefit the animals who would have otherwise died for your meals, but ultimately our diets need to keep us healthy. for most of us, that means low-fat, low-sodium, high-fiber: all readily supplied by a vegetable-rich diet.
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