Vegetarians (non-vegan), can you explain the merits of your diet over veganism?

I have been vegetarian for over 20 years. I get as close to being a vegan as I can but do consume some dairy. I am not sure that, for me, I can get my daily protein (which I am religious about making sure I do) without some small amount of dairy. So for me, the vegetarian lifestyle ensures healthy eating. I would be vegan if I thought I could do reasonably. Being vegan is very healthy and a goal, but much harder to do in a healthy way than just being vegetarian. This explains my journey if interested a href="http://www.xomba.com/becoming_vegetarian_having_successful_journey" rel="nofollow"http://www.xomba.com/becoming_vegetarian…/a