I had colon cancer almost 5 years ago and had my descending colon as well as the sigmoid section removed. The transverse colon is now connected to the rectum. So, I am missing an important part of my colon; the doctor told me it would not affect my health to be missing it. I actually have been fine since them with no problems and wonder what am I actually missing out on. The one thing that has changed is my pooop is smellier. Thoughts?
Lillian

What a great thread.

I just wanted to add some thoughts to what JS said about vegetarianism and self-esteem. I don't believe he was suggesting that all vegetarianism stems from low self-esteem. I read his remarks as referring to a subset of vegetarians, i.e., the tweens and teens.

In my own experience and that of many people I know, vegetarianism served as a convenient and socially acceptable means to limit caloric intake. I was a vegetarian from my early teens through my mid-twenties and anorexic for even longer. And, yes, both the anorexia and the accompanying meat avoidance grew from the fact that I considered myself somehow 'unworthy.'

There are all kinds of reasons why people choose to follow a vegetarian diet, but I would strongly urge parents of young women to ask themselves whether their daughter's new-found aversion to meat might not be a sign of something deeper. (And if it's not, hurrah!)

Too bad this website wasn't around back in my proselytizing vegetarian and vegan days!

First, to add to the veg*anism and self-esteem thread, I did have generally low self-esteem back in the days when I first became a vegetarian (at 15), but I don't think that contributed to my dietary change. I stopped eating meat basically because my best friend was doing it. Plus there was all the information I picked up in "health" class about how red meat (saturated fat!) is bad for you. Then when I went all the way to being vegan, I truly believed that lives of all animals were equal, and since I didn't *need* animal products to survive, I had no right to interfere in their lives.

Sixteen years later, enter iron-deficiency anemia and severe fatigue. I'd always maintained that if I were starving, I would eat whatever I needed to ensure my survival. So I started in on some clams and oysters, moved on to sardines and salmon, and, after reading so much on this and related websites regarding Paleo diets, have started in on grass-fed cow muscle and organs. Incidentally, I suffered not a single digestive upset from eating animal flesh after so many years' abstinence.

Regarding another topic of the thread, about whether the planet could sustain everyone eating a diet of meat and vegetables, I like the argument discussed by another blogger (I can't recall who, sadly) who said something along the lines of, "Even if everyone else can't eat this way, if I *can*, what is there to stop me?" The agro-industrial complex is partially driven by consumers. If people stopped eating junk food, the manufacturers would be driven out of business, there would no longer be the same outlet for corn and soy, and government might finally rethink the excessive crop subsidies. If people started eating more grass-fed animals, these food systems would expand, and a new equilibrium would be reached.

If other countries were actually allowed to reach whatever food/population equilibrium they are able to have with their own internal resources without the interference of other countries, then we'd start heading back towards an ecological balance. There are countries where people die from starvation malnutrition, in Africa, to take the most obvious example; however there are also countries where people die from malnutrition of over-nutrition. Think about how health care costs have increased over the past decades due to the poor health habits of overfed people in the United States. We all need to rebalance.

[...] To read the whole article click here: http://www.gnolls.org/1444/does-meat-rot-in-your-colon-no-what-does-beans-grains-and-vegetables/ [...]

We all must listen to our UNIQUE digestive systems....EVOLUTION is key to how our bodies work!!

I loved it - great info and entertaining, too! I posted it to my wall 🙂

Hey JS;

What do you think of Jon Barron's report about the Paleo Diet ?

http://www.jonbarron.org/weight-loss/paleo-diet-review-good-bad

Also what's your thought on the Weston A. Price Foundation Healthy guideline to eating?

http://www.westonaprice.org/abcs-of-nutrition/1950-comments-on-the-usda-dietary-guidelines

To follow Eric's comment, Jon Barron says the following in the article Eric referenced (http://www.jonbarron.org/weight-loss/paleo-diet-review-good-bad):

"To me, a much better indicator of what foods we are designed to eat is your digestive tract -- from your mouth to your anus. Animals that eat particular foods have digestive tracts designed to handle those foods. Carnivores have sharp teeth for ripping and tearing flesh, and short digestive tracts for quickly eliminating waste once digested in the stomach -- so it doesn't have time to putrefy in the intestines. (Meat putrefies.) Animals that eat plants have flat teeth for grinding and long digestive systems to allow time to extract nutrients from plant matter, which does not putrefy. Human digestive systems largely match Chimpanzees, who eat mostly fruits and nuts and termites, but will eat a small amount of monkey meat when they can get it. For more on this issue, you can check out my series examining the digestive system."

My personal objections to Mr. Barron's objections to the Paleo diet have to do with his seemingly flawed understanding of what Paleo has come to mean. He sets up the straw man argument that those advocating a Paleo diet do so upon a flawed ideological adherence to emulating and romanticizing the diet of those throughout the era. See:

" -Since most cave people cooked their meat, eating raw meat denies the foundation of the Paleo Diet -- i.e., eating what cavemen ate.
-On the other hand, if you do cook your meat, then you're doing something potentially unhealthy, which denies the premise of the Paleo Diet -- that if cavemen did it, it's good for you.
-And when did people first start marinating meat, which makes cooked meat healthier -- something that certainly started happening after the Paleolithic era?"

The premise is NOT "that if cavemen did it, it's good for you." Rather, our genes have developed to anticipate such a diet and lifestyle. This doesn't mean we should emulate the way our ancestors lived to a T, but rather make a conscious effort towards acknowledging how our straying from history may be impacting us in negative ways.

Personally, I read Mr. Barron's article as if he were trying to deconstruct the Paleo diet by "finding" logical inconsistencies behind the rationalization of adherence. It showed to me a general lack of understanding for what Paleo means... something that is still evolving in its own right.