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People used to think vegetarians were tree-hugging freaks. But times have changed; now more and more people are embracing vegetarianism as a healthy, ethical and ecologically sound alternative diet -- and the rest of us are getting used to dinner guests who balk at bacon cheeseburgers. Here's a quick guide to vegetarian resources on the 'Net, as well as some avenues for further culinary exploration.

The Web offers an enormous number of vegetarian resources; some of the best include the Vegetarian Times' site Virtual Vegetarian, the link collection Very Vegetarian

(let's hear it for alliteration!), and a guide for both newcomers and veggie veterans, Veggies Anonymous. For some excellent collections of meat-free recipes, try Vegetarian Kitchen, Vegetarian Recipes and Great Vegetarian Recipes.

Veganism

Want to take the next step? There's always veganism--cutting all animal products (including milk and eggs) out of your diet. First, check out the Vegan Shopping List. If you find yourself nodding and saying, "Rolled oats, mmm...brown rice...arrowroot..." then veganism is for you. If so, you'll find a number of vegan resources on the Web, including The Vegan News, the Vegan Foods and Recipes and the comprehensive Vegan Outreach site. Lanshark's Vegan Page offers resources from health guidelines to theoretical arguments in favor of veganism. Tempted to make fun of vegans for being wimps? You'd best take a look at Vegan Bikers, where motorcycles and not taking advantage of our position on the food chain are equally important aspects of life.

For those of you who think vegan's not enough, you might want to try frutarianism -- in other words, eating nothing but fruits and berries. The Fruitarian Universal Network (FUN) site is an excellent resource; it offers recipes, answers to Frequently Asked Questions and much more. We can't vouch for the healthiness of this diet, though; even vegans advise you to make sure you get enough protein and watch out for tooth damage from eating too many citrus fruits. Still curious about the most extreme lifestyle choice you've ever heard of? (If that's not true, keep it to yourself.) Take a look at Fruitarian.com or the Fruitarian Network.

-- Guest Columnist Brian Kennedy is the producer of the Entertainment channel.