Painting of fruit and vegetables.

This photo of pigs in tiny crates on a factory farm is from a website by Farm Sanctuary. Farm Sanctuary is a vegetarian organization which takes care of animals, including pigs, and gives them a lot more space than factory farms, like the one where this photo was taken.

To learn a lot about Vegetarian issues, read the book, "The Food Revolution" by John Robbins.

1. What is the difference between a Vegetarian and a Vegan?

A Vegetarian doesn't eat animals.

A Vegan doesn't eat animals and dairy and eggs and honey, doesn't buy fur and leather and wool, and doesn't buy soap made with animal-fat.

Finding replacements for those products may sound difficult, but it isn't too difficult. Most supermarkets have soyburgers, soymilk and soy-ice cream-alternative. There are stores like pangeaveg.com which sell non-leather shoes, and stores like toms-of-maine.com which sell soaps only made with vegetable ingredients.

2. Does it take a long time to make Vegetarian meals?

No, it takes less time to make spaghetti without meatballs.

It takes less time to make vegetable soup from scratch than to make chicken soup from scratch.

3. Will I lose weight and save money?

No, you probably won't. Please read the information at factoryfarming.com and elsewhere, and if you decide you don't want animals to be killed for your dinner, become a Vegetarian. You'll probably weigh about the same and spend about the same on food, but you'll be contributing to less animal suffering.

4. What about vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin not in vegetables, and so Vegans should buy bread or soymilk which is fortified with vitamin B12. Check the label. It's easy to find bread or soymilk with added B12 when you look for it.

5. Do Vegan women breastfeed?

Yes, Vegan women breastfeed because breastmilk is best for babies. Veganism is about avoiding harm to animals, and breastfeeding helps, not harms. Vegan women who are unable to breastfeed use soy-formula.

6. How can a meat-eater get started as a Vegetarian?

Try it for a month and see how it goes. If you don't like it, you don't have to remain a Vegetarian. I recommend giving up meat for at least a few months before giving up dairy as well. That way you still have the convenience of buying pizza, cheese-sandwiches and ice cream.

You may find that soyburgers and soy-chicken-alternative are more convenient to prepare than hamburgers or chicken and that they taste fine. Even if you've never noticed soyburgers or soy-chicken at your supermarket, most supermarkets sell them, and so ask.

After you've tried being a Vegetarian for a while, you have the options of going back to meat-eating, staying just a Vegetarian, or becoming a Vegan.