Ever eat a cheeseless pizza or dunk a cookie into a glass of soymilk? For about one out of every 100 people, avoiding all animal products -- meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products -- is second nature.

They're vegan (VEE-gun) -- vegetarians who go a few steps farther than the rest. In fact, most vegans also steer clear of honey, and some avoid refined sugar (much of it is whitened with bone char).

What motivates people to go to such extremes?

Vegans are typically motivated by convictions about ecology, world hunger and animal rights. Any use of animals that exploits them or contributes to suffering is off-limits, and that extends to clothing and cosmetics, too. Vegans don't wear leather, wool or silk and they avoid makeup, shampoo and other household products made with animal ingredients or tested on animals.

Health reasons may be motivating factors, too, though they usually aren't the driving force.

Vegans (and vegetarians) are less likely than nonvegetarians to be overweight, and they have lower rates of coronary artery disease. They have lower blood cholesterol levels and lower rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.

It's not hard to understand why. If you don't eat meat and cheese, you consume a lot less saturated fat and cholesterol.

Vegans don't eat ice cream or most commercial cakes and cookies (they contain eggs). Rule out mayo-laden sandwiches, milk chocolate and butter. Vegans avoid margarine made with casein (a milk protein) and pie crusts that contain milk solids.

I've spent enough time with vegans to know another advantage: When you eat out as a vegan, you eat more healthful foods. Vegans eat more bulky, low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. They get more fiber, less fat and more of the beneficial phytochemicals found in foods of plant origin.

Instead of burgers and steaks, vegans gravitate toward Chinese restaurants where they fill up on hot and sour soup and big plates of vegetable stir-fry with steamed rice. Or they go for Indian or Ethiopian food -- heavy on vegetables and beans.

Even if you're not a vegan, you could benefit from eating more vegan foods. Some great vegan products:

* Veggie meat substitutes. I discussed these in a previous column, but it's worth repeating: Veggie burger patties, meatless hot dogs and cold cuts, sausages and bacon, and meatless burger crumbles that look like ground beef can be found in mainstream supermarkets and are far more healthful than their meat counterparts. They taste great, too.

* Soymilk and rice milk. Fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D, they're better for your health than cow's milk. During the holidays, look for one of my favorite products: Silk brand eggnog made with soymilk. It's delicious, and you can feel OK about drinking a large glass of it.

* Egg replacer. Find Ener-G Egg Replacer in natural foods stores. Packed in a 1-pound box, the white powdery mixture of vegetable starches, mixed with a few tablespoons of water, can be used in place of whole eggs in almost any recipe.

Perhaps the most important lesson we could learn from vegans is their thoughtfulness toward food. Vegans mindfully consider everything they eat. They study the fine print on food labels and pepper restaurant wait staff with questions.

Many people consider a vegan lifestyle too extreme, but adopting a more thoughtful approach to what goes on your plate can be a giant first step toward a healthier diet.