Not so long ago, there was a certain image associated with being vegetarian. It usually involved Birkenstocks, lentil loaf and an agenda.

It all started in 1961 in Jean Nidetch's living room in New York City. A few overweight friends met each week to talk and troubleshoot their way through a sensible but strict diet from the health department's obesity clinic.

The new link between meat consumption and heart disease, discovered by Dr. Stanley Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic, is just the latest evidence linking meat consumption to killer diseases that cripple, then kill, 1.3 million Americans annually. Hazen’s study showed that carnitine, an amino acid contained in all meat products, is a major factor in heart failure.

MULBERRY, Ark. — A small but growing number of farmers have been experimenting with an edible soybean as they look to capitalize on Americans' interest in adding non-meat proteins to their diets.

The first time I ate raw asparagus was during the '80s at an Italian restaurant in New York. Someone else must have pushed me to order it because until then the only asparagus I'd ever encountered was steamed and buttered, and I really liked it just that way. Raw asparagus? Must be bland and boring.

Power Road Dialysis, a joint dialysis treatment facility between DaVita Inc. and Southwest Kidney Institute, will officially open its doors for an open house Tuesday.

If the number of failed New Year’s resolutions are any indication, eating healthy in a fast-paced world still isn’t all that easy.

WASHINGTON — Your bosses want you to eat your broccoli, hit the treadmill and pledge you’ll never puff on a cigarette. But a new study raises doubts that workplace wellness programs save the company money.

This past Wednesday (Feb. 13) marked the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter, when Christians would abstain from meat and dairy products in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting before launching his ministry.

Working to get a meal is something dogs were born to do.

“I can sum up the Jodi Arias trial in one word: Boring! What’s worse is that they’re trying to make it scandalous (and making a lame attempt at making her seem like a victim) by talking about sex and religion, which only makes it more boring. Watch ‘Criminal Minds’ instead. It has better plot lines and better-looking people.”

LOS ANGELES — When Jay Mesinger heard about a study seeking golden retrievers to help fight canine cancer, he immediately signed up 2-year-old Louie.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dogs and cats can't brush, spit, gargle or floss on their own. So owners who want to avoid bad pet breath will need to lend a hand.

The words "fit" and "fat" differ by just one letter, but most people see little resemblance between the two. If you're fit you're obviously not fat, and if you're fat you couldn't possibly be fit.

This is your brain on sugar — for real. Scientists have used imaging tests to show for the first time that fructose, a sugar that saturates the American diet, can trigger brain changes that may lead to overeating.

The first rule of drinking on a diet is: Don't. Surely you've heard that Americans get way too many calories — and nutritionally empty calories at that — from alcohol.