All good questions, but I have one also. What made you decide to go vegetarian and how strict are you going to be? Just no red meats, no animal flesh or no animal products at all? There are different levels of vegetarianism, so I was just curious.
As for going dairy-free, you do get more than enough calcium from both green veggies and, believe it or not, most grains. Grains like millet, amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa (all readily available at places like whole foods and most are cooked like rice or couscous and are delish!) have vitamins people don't realize, like calcium, iron and lots of vitamins. I don't eat wheat either, so I use things like millet and buckwheat all the time, they're easy to prepare and really yummy. I love cooked millet with fresh dill and steamed baby carrots, it's soooo good. And I have a recipe that uses buckwheat, onions, carrots, celery, etc that tastes just like stuffing. I'll make a big batch and freeze it in baggies for easy reheating when I need a yummy meal in a hurry. And there are pastas made from grain flour from quinoa, etc that you can use, too. The dairy council, a multi-billion dollar business, goes to great lengths to convince people that cow's milk products are the best source of calcium. Certainly not for human beings. You can absorb some calcium from milk, but it's a type of calcium that is too coarse for our bodies to fully absorb, which is why Vitamin D is usually added, but that doesn't compensate for milk's other shortcomings. When you think about it, cows get THEIR calcium from the grass they eat, so you are getting it via milk once removed from the original source. Cows only naturally produce milk to help turn a skinny calf into a fat cow as quickly as possible as a natural defense against predators. The more quickly offspring can grow, the less vulnerable they are, so it's a function of evolution for them. For us, drinking cow's milk is pretty ridiculous, it would be much more healthy and natural to drink milk and eat dairy derived from closer relatives like Chimpanzees, but people would probably think you were nuts to suggest it. Nor would you want to feed a human mother's breast milk to a different animal. (And in answer to your question, I DO eat a lot of broccoli, I absolutely love it. I also love green beans, spinach and cauliflower. Those are my staple veggies.)
So, if you do enjoy veggies and eat a good variety of them plus some good grains, you'll be more than covered. Your body will actually absorb more calcium from those sources than they ever could from milk, etc.
As for the benefits of not eating meat, that's a tough one to answer simply. I do believe that certain blood types are more suited to digesting meat and seem to even thrive when eating more animal protein. My boyfriend is Type O and can eat chicken and lean beef all the time and he is super healthy and fit. When he tried going veggie and using things like soy and legumes as alternate sources of protein, he felt horrible and discovered he doesn't digest soy well at all. I'm a Type A and I'm just the opposite. When I eat red meat and pork, I feel very bloated and sluggish. Chicken and fish seem to be ok for me, but I do best when eating more veggies, fruits and grains and keep the protein intake lower and from things like coldwater fish (warm water fish tends to be loaded with preservatives as soon as it's caught to make the transition to the markets.) I'm not saying everyone should follow a Blood Type diet, but myself and a bunch of friends and family have helped me to observe the guidelines in action. There is definitely validity to the theory that certain blood types are naturally suited to different diets.
But it is known for a fact that higher intakes of animal protein are linked to higher incidents of heart disease and cancer. There are lots of different theories out there as to why that is, and lots of people will even argue those facts. People on vegetarian diets seem, in my observation, to get a great variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes in their diets, and along with that comes really high fiber. Now that might be a key factor in why vegetarians tend to have lower cholesterol and lower incidents of the diseases I mentioned. Fiber really cleans you out and I think thats a huge advantage of a veggie diet.
Personally, I do eat fish and chicken, just no red meat or pork, and I supplement mys diet with soy protein shakes. I actually do that more as a treat, because I like them, than a need for more protein. And I do sometimes cook up a skillet of sauteed veggies in garlic and throw in a couple of eggs. I've been a total vegan before, once for about 3 years, but I've just preferred a wider range in my own diet in the last few years. I don't eat meat daily, though, and try to stick with coldwater fish for the added Omega fatty acid benefit.
Nutrition and diet is so personal and what works for one person might not work for a thousand others. Take into account your own lifestyle, personal food preferences and longterm goals for health. I'm not sure if I know of a website regarding this, but I'll put on the thinking cap and see what I can come up with.
I hope that helped some! Happy Holidays!
