Thanks for the replies!

I thought though that colon cancer was caused by the very slow movement of animal protein through the digestive tract? Animal protein takes so long to digest, that it rots in there for days, becoming toxic. Vegetable matter, by contrast, moves quickly and doesn't have the chance to become so toxic.

I also thought that there was a correlation between the length of an animal's intestines (short for meat eaters and long for primarily vegetable eaters) and what it should be eating. Since we have very long intestines, we should be eating mostly vegtable matter.

I agree, you know, this concern will probably resolve itself once I reach my goal weight and increase the number of veggies in my diet.

Those arguments (food digestion speed, “rotting”, and intestine length) are propounded and spread by the literature of the Hare Krishna’s – a strongly vegetarian-oriented faith. This fact doesn’t make the arguments wrong in and of itself, but the actual scientific foundation for the arguments is lacking.

First, they assume that creatures are either plant eaters or flesh eaters. Humans, apes and many other animals are omnivores – we can and do eat both plants and animals.

Second, both plant and animal tissues are digested just fine in the intestines of omnivores (and rot rather nicely outside of it). Their use of the term “rot” is a scare-word, designed to elicit an emotional response, not a scientific one.

Third, meat doesn’t linger in the intestines for days nor become toxic any more than vegetable matter does. One can get food poisoning from contaminated vegetables as well as meats. The only “linger” exception occurs in those prone to constipation – and if you are getting enough fiber, the “lingering” disappears.

Obesity is a major threat – for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, etc. The question for me becomes one of the balancing of risks – even if meat bumps up the colon cancer risk, to me, the decline of the other risks does more to offset other risks. Interestingly, studies that have shown increased colon cancer for meat-eaters show little difference in mortality, suggesting that the meat-related cancers are more benign and treatable than other types.

Also, there is a quality of life issue here as well – getting and being thinner is improving my life in many ways. If it came down to it, I’d rather have 20 more good years than 30 more miserable ones.

I'm a vegetarian, and not a "Hare Krishna." Don't lump all vegetarians into some fruity cult.

There are many good reasons not to eat meat.

1. Eating meat means that you are cruel to animals. I wouldn't kick my dog, and for the very same reason, would not eat an animal (unless I had absolutely no alternative). But many people who like to think of themselves as kind are perfectly willing to have animals kept in crowded and inhumane conditions, then slaughtered, so that they can eat them.

2. Eating meat means that you are harming the planet and its people. It takes more than a 100 gallos of water to produce a pound of animal protein, and about 1/5 that to produce a pound of vegetable protein. It also takes more fuel, more pesticide, more fertilizer, more land. When the majority of the world's population is starving, it makes no sense to devote most of arable land to the production of grain that will be fed to animals that will -- very, very inefficiently -- go to feed a tiny fraction of the world's wealthiest and most privileged people. It's disgusting and morally wrong.

3. Eating meat is irrational. People who eat meat say "they're just animals," or "they can't speak," or "they can't think." So? The issue is, "Can they suffer?" When it comes to inflicting pain on another living being, the only considerations should be, 1. Can this being feel pain -- i.e., does it have a central nervous system? and 2. Can this pain possibly be avoided?

Many many people are vegetarians because they want to live a life that is as free of violence and cruelty as is possible. And yes, I understand that it is NOT possible to live COMPLETELY free from inflicting violence and cruelty on other living beings. And yes, I understand that there are OTHER ways of reducing the amount of violence and cruelty in the world, and that vegetarianism is not the only way. Please don't oversimplify what I am saying here. All I am saying is that vegetarianism is a rational, pragmatic (and not perfect) way to try to live in a humane and responsible way.