Children who want to be vegetarians need to "fill in the blanks" of their low-protein diets by eating alternatives to red meat, fish and poultry, experts say. ...more

January 12, 2009

Residents of Phuket, Thailand, are celebrating the Vegetarian Festival, which calls on devotees to purify themselves as they take on the sins of the community. A vegetarian or vegan diet is eaten for up to 10 days as a rite of spiritual cleansing. Devotees whom the gods enter during the festival manifest supernatural powers and perform feats such as walking on hot coals to bring good luck to the community. The festival originated in 1825 when the community noticed that illness spreading through a traveling opera troupe disappeared after its members ate a vegetarian diet. ...more

October 5, 2008