I suppose it could be said that my upbringing predisposed me to vegetarianism. I grew up in "The cheese state." Cows were everywhere. I grew up on the peninsula in a very small town of about 1000 people. I lived in a log cabin, played in the woods, and led a pretty natural life. My mom was paranoid about raising her kids correctly. She breast fed me till I was two. My baby food was all homemade stuff, usually pureed or strained vegetables from our organic garden. We were discouraged from eating a lot of meat. One chicken breast was split three ways between my two sisters and I for dinner. We were never forced to drink milk. I generally went along with whatever my mom served but I drew the line at zucchini!

When I was 12, I read a book promoting veganism/plant based nutrition. It left a lasting impression on me. I decided that I would become a vegetarian when I was an adult. I saw no reason to make the change immediately because I did not feel that my health was in any danger at the tender age of 12. However sometime during my 16th year I came across an article discussing how the decisions that we make when we're younger regarding our lifestyle affect the quality of our lives later in life. I made the decision to move towards a more plant based diet immediately. I was suffering from severe migraines at the time so I thought that it couldn't hurt.

I decided at 16 to move away from processed foods and make the switch to a mostly vegan eating pattern. I say mostly because I do not believe that it is possible to be completely vegan in this life due to the construct of our society. My mom was very supportive which is not typical when a teen makes this announcement. She gladly bought me non-dairy milks, blocks of tofu, whole grain breads, and helped me find books on vegetarian cooking. She tried my cooking creations no matter how weird the ingredients (ex seaweed). I wreaked havoc in her kitchen but she understood as long as I cleaned up after myself! Once she even bought one of every vegetable in the store. Not a month passes that she doesn't complement me on my healthy lifestyle. I have been very lucky to have her support.

I am indebted to the internet resources and the wealth of cookbooks that are available in this country to those aspiring to eat lower on the food chain. My health did improve noticeably. Since altering my eating pattern I feel fatigued less, I've had a reduction in the intensity and frequency of my headaches, and I've learned valuable information about nutrition/health in the process. A little bit of green on your plate does a lot of good.

As far as my transition to meatless eating I have to say that it has been a never ending process towards better cooking on my part. I take my vitamins everyday along with a spoonful of flax seed oil. I am 110% healthy. Some of my favorite veggie foods are rice dream, Luna bars, Amy's organic frozen entrees, Ezekiel 4:9 bread, stir-fried tempeh and tofu, vegetable sushi, lentil soup, and of course peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I even like zucchini now.

I plan on raising veggie kids as well. I have spent hours researching how to feed them. Hopefully by the time I have children the world will be more tolerant than the one I experienced. I am sure my kids will fare better on mashed lentils and bite size veggies than the kids that subsist on chicken nuggets and Fruit Loops. I've even already ordered two pins from vegetarianbaby.com that say "I'm a super healthy vegan kid no meat, dairy, or eggs for me please!"

--Kristin is a frequent contributor to vegetarianteen.com and the winner of our first with the slogan "My lunch never had a central nervous system." Read what Kristin ate today, and be sure not to miss her article entitled Dealing With Being Different.