On a $33 food budget, "there's nothing extra for indulgences." Standing in the checkout line, "holding my breath, wondering, am I going to have enough money for this, or do the walk of shame and put something back on the shelf -- that was an entirely new experience."

Maybe you want to go vegan to reduce your carbon footprint. Or because you need to reduce your cholesterol. You do it out of a moral choice or because you've decided salmonella and E.coli outbreaks and food recalls mean steak and eggs are now off the menu -- forever.

Why go meatless? A little mad cow and E.coli in tainted beef here, a little heart disease and cancer there. Americans may love their beef, but it does not love us back.