How long before meat is out of the system?

[tcarey]

I've been vegetarian now for about two months, and about a week ago I started having this generally lighter, less clogged/weighed down feeling. Could it be because the meat I've was eating before has finally left my system? How long would that normally take, on average?

[JarBax]

I am aware that little pieces of meat can get trapped in the colon - and stay there for a very long time. I have heard of colonic irrigation samples of long-time vegetarians containing pieces of meat. 'The Peace of a Meatless Diet' by Anthea Torr, confirms this:

"It seems so clear when we compare the physiology of humans to carnivorous animals, that we are not designed to eat meat. Dr Bernard Jensen, a leading authority and author on colon health, analysed some of the faecal matter that he removed from a patient’s colon and found that it was over 40 years old! Meat is fibreless and does not pass through our colon easily. It can get caught in the little pockets of our typically vegetarian colon, and there it stays rotting and causing havoc with our health. We don’t have a short smooth colon like carnivorous animals."

It aparently can take anything between 24 and 72 hours for food to pass through from start to finish. Your lighter feeling could be down to many things, depending on lifestyle and diet - now and before you stopped eating meat. It would be good to think it was due to a healthy, balanced diet!

[tcarey]

Hmm, that is very interesting Jarbax. Well, maybe the lighter feeling is more due to just me mentally feeling better about my improved eating habits!

Would eating foods higher in fiber help get as much meat out of there as possible? How about cleansing and/or fasting?