Many people believe a vegetarian diet to be the best. When we think about it, it's true that cows and lamb, the most common sources of red meat, take up much needed farm land. It is also true our habits in raising these stock animals, including antibiotics in their daily diet, force feeding them in some cases and in the case of veal leaving new born calves in small confined cages so they are unable to walk or develop muscle, are unhealthy and in some cases cruel to the animal.

These are some of the ideas behind becoming a vegetarian. But what about those people who desire and in fact need red meat in their diet?

Dr. D'Adamo is famous for his books on different blood types and how we may use our blood type (O, A,B, and A/B) to help us understand what kind of diet works for our bodies. It is true some people need red meat Clearly, this information is not meant to substitute for a qualified doctor's advice, nor should you try this if you have any kind of condition which indicates the need for a certain kind of diet, but if you are in good health and want to experiment more fully with food this may work for you.

. How can you tell if you belong in this category if you do not know your blood type? It's simple.

Try going a few days with no red meat, none at all. Measure your energy levels at the end four days. If you feel no difference, try going for a week. If at the end of the week you feel yourself dropping in energy, you sense a lack of strength behind your normal daily activities it is possible you need red meat. Try eating a piece of red meat with your next meal ( if you have been vegetarian for a longer period of time, you need to re-introduce meat in a more slow and consistent fashion). If you begin to notice a surge of energy after eating the meat, it is possible you are in the crowd of folks who need red meat. Our need for red meat changes, particularly in women, as we age. Additionally, some protein complements (rice and beans for example) work better than others in supplementing a red meat diet with protein.

If we are to eat red meat, we need to chose red meat that is as "clean" (no antibiotics, no force feeding methods) and organic as possible. If we continually request of our meat suppliers they treat the animals with respect and care, and use no artificial substances in food or medicine for those beasts, we will come a long way towards cleaning up the red meat supply at the same time as we feed ourselves the food we need for our body type.