Sorry this entry doesn't contain any recipes, but I wanted to share some information I learned, just in the interest of encouraging people to eat more vegetarian and vegan meals.
Bones are made from the stuff that your muscles don't like - the junk that your muscles throw out!
Here's an interesting article about diet and bone health. In case you don't want to read it (I don't blame you, it's pretty long) it basically says that calcium isn't as big of a deal as the meat and dairy industries want you to think it is. Not that it isn't helpful, but fruits and vegetables are much more beneficial when it comes to maintaining bone density. In fact, countries where people eat less meat/dairy and do not take calcium supplements have much lower rates of bone fracture than we do in the US.
While animal protein and dairy contain calcium, these foods also make your blood more acidic. In an attempt to balance your blood's PH level, your body leeches the alkaline it needs (in the form of calcium) from your bones to neutralize the acid. So, basically, "it's like taking one step forward and two steps back." Eating fruits and vegetables is an effective way to balance your blood's PH level, but if you eat animal protein, you need around five servings per day to maintain ideal blood alkalinity. If you take most or all of the meat/dairy out of the equation, every serving of fruit or veggies you eat goes towards enhancing your bone density (and your overall health), instead of first counter-acting the negative effects of meat.
Unfortunately, grains also lower your blood's PH - but at least it's to a lesser extent. Two servings of fruit/veggies can neutralize one serving of grains, whereas it takes three to neutralize one serving of animal protein.
The moral of the story is, our bodies will probably fall apart no matter what, but by cutting back on meat, fish, and dairy (or cutting it out completely), you might be less likely to need a titanium hip some day...or one of these.
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