A young woman with a profound love, compassion, and respect for animals sees her cat attacking a small bird. Her first reaction is to scream at the top of her lungs at her feline friend for killing this young animal. In the instant her cat jumps and runs away, she realizes what a hypocrite she is. At that moment, Jennifer became a vegetarian. Although the impetus wasn't to lose weight, Jennifer was overweight, unhealthy and unhappy. She saw a change to a vegetarian way of life as a first step to recovery. She tried many vegetarian diets but either the meals were unsatisfying or she actually gained weight using them. Eventually, Jennifer developed her own healthy vegetarian way of eating, which helped her shed fifty pounds. It also gave her an abundance of energy -- enough to run nine to twelve miles a day and take part in competitive sports. Over twenty five years later, Jennifer is as healthy, happy and full of energy as she was when she first developed the diet. And so are her children, who were raised from birth on the very same plan. Jennifer wrote this book (originally entitled, "Dieting the Santa Barbara Way") to share her compassionate and thoughtful approach. She also includes seventy five main course recipes, the very same recipes she and her family enjoy everyday.