Christ is Risen- and so have my expectations

No, I'm not Greek Orthodox, I'm just lazy so sorry this post is happening a week after J's big day. On the other hand, V's (for Vegan!) big day is April 22nd, hope everyone can celebrate Vegan Day with some fruit, veggies, beans, and soy milk! I also highly recommend Super Protein Odwalla Bars, 16 grams of delicious vegan protein. A bit unfortunate that Odwalla is under the killer Coke umbrella but I've decided to pick my battle.s
2 weeks ago I went to a documentary called "A Delicate Balance" about how a vegetarian, vegan, or carnivorous lifestyle affects health. Although I love the new sexy PETA ad that the Superbowl refused to play, I'm pretty weary of vegetarian movies, pamphlets, etc as they tend to be heavy on the propaganda. I love animals, but that's not why I'm vegetarian...I'm more concerned with the earth and my health. Sorry if that offends but I gotta be straight up. ANYWAYS, this doc really impressed me because it wasn't pulling at viewer's heartstrings with 2 hours worth of sad looking, homogonized, half starved cows. Instead, it makes viewers think about the implications of what we put into our bodies on a daily basis.
Last year I reverted to vegetarianism after Lent because I didn't have a good reason not to. Sure, I felt healthier as a vegan, but it wasn't really enough to make me forgo yogurt and ice cream. While I'm still not 100% sold (sorry Andy and I destroyed your cheddar cheese chex mix last night, John), this movie made the most convincing argument to date for me to remain vegan...or at least try to when I'm sober.
As the daughter of a Type 1 diabetic (that's the kind you get when you're young, not because you're an obese American), I've witnessed the debilitating effects of this all too common disease. I've been vegetarian since 10th grade, and my mother swore off red meat about 2 years ago to lower her cholesterol (it worked, she doesn't need meds!), but my father refuses to change what he eats, often citing the need for a balanced diet because of his Diabetes. Let me make clear right away that I have no issue with meat eaters, watching people eat meat, buying meat at the store for my family...hell I even tried (read: failed) to grill a chicken at my summer solstice party last year. However, I have a huge issue with watching people eat themselves into unhealthy lifestyles. I'm not perfect; I helped myself to a lovely combo of a 30 rack of stones and Chex Mix last night and woke up this morning feeling a little heavier. However, I'd like to think my overall lifestyle reflects mostly healthy choices.
This documentary made me realize that dairy products are not always a healthy choice. Doctors did a study comparing Finnish children (Finland consumes the most amount of milk per person in the world) and Japanese children (a culture that tends to go light on the milk). The study found that Finnish kids were 36 times more likely to develop Type 1 Diabetes than Japanese kids...holy shit! Furthermore, a doctor at George Washington University- shout out DC- ran a study comparing 2 groups of Type 1 diabetics. One group ate a normal diet of dairy, meat, veggies, fruit, etc. The other group went vegan- something pops has always said is impossible. The study found that while Group 1's diabetes tended to get worse over time (typical), the vegans' diabetes remained controlled or got better. I always said that when I was pregnant I would stop being vegetarian to get my baby all the proper nutrients. I've now realized that this might not be the best option. We all remember the lawsuit against those crazies who let their newborn starve because they wanted it to be vegan. That shit is fucked up. However, given that Type 1 Diabetes tends to skip a generation and given that there seems to be a correlation between dairy and Diabetes, I'm really considering giving my kids soy products from the get-go. That's not that weird either if you think about all the lactose-intolerant people in the world. Point is, I want to do everything in my power to prevent my future bitties from the life changing effects of Diabetes. Thoughts?
Oh yeah, vegetarians live longer!