I've heard Dr. Dean Ornish on the radio talking about taking people off diabetic, cholesterol and blood pressure meds by going vegan. Maybe you don't want to go that radical, but he wrote a book about the whole spectrum of healthful eating. In fact, it's called The Spectrum:

http://www.pmri.org/lifestyle_program.html

The thing I liked that he said was not to think about how you can replace what you like to eat with something that doesn't contain meat, but to find things you like and are good just the way they are. You are going into the growing season right now and the variety of fresh produce will be wonderful and tasty! Eat vegetables close to their whole form. Do soups and chilies. Use lots and lots of spices to make the food tasty and inviting. It's not just about eating vegan or veggie, but enjoying your food.

And by the way, my dad is one of those Atkin's diet success stories, who went off cholesterol medication by eating bacon and butter! I can't do Atkins because I get sick during the induction phase, but it works for him, which is just proof that there is no one right diet for every person. That's what Ornish's book is about.

Karen