In 1968, I decided to stop eating meat, along with many of my friends. Our reasons were spiritual and humane. What gave us the right, we asked, to slaughter and eat other sentient beings?

And we are still asking that.

The other reason I went vegetarian was that I always hated meat. As a child, I would either hide the fat and gristle under my napkin (until my older brother would gleefully point it out to anyone at the table) or I would feed it to my dog, who would strategically place herself by my feet.

When I was about 6 years old, we ate one of my pet ducks at Thanksgiving, although I found out after the fact. And at another Thanksgiving, a visiting uncle brought us a "treat," something, I was told, along the lines of tuna fish. Later, I was told it was canned rattlesnake meat.

Two decades later, my brother bought land in central Pennsylvania and began raising sheep for slaughter. He would bring wrapped-up lamb parts to me, urging me to eat because, "You need your protein."

And he wasn't the only person worried about protein. When I was pregnant, my midwife was terribly concerned I wasn't going to get enough grams and had me religiously record my intake.

Now that I'm in my second half-century, these memories have given way to a growing focus on eating for health. The statistics are in, and they're worth paying attention to because Americans are literally eating themselves to an early grave:

• Our taste for animal flesh is causing large numbers of deaths from heart disease and cancer to a host of other illnesses, such as Type II diabetes. According to the American Dietetic Association, those eating balanced vegetarian diets have lower rates of Type II diabetes, which is increasing at an alarming rate, particularly among our nation's children.

• A common condition among my massage clients and yoga students is high blood pressure. Recent studies by the American Heart Association support a major benefit to blood pressure from consuming vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy, as well as limiting salt and alcohol intake and maintaining a healthy body weight.

• An acquaintance of mine from Wildomar recently told me: "Health professionals emphasize to men in our 50s and 60s to stop eating meat to reduce the chance of heart attack. Wouldn't it be great if they gave us that information when we're 20 or 30!"

• According to an Oxford study, vegetarians have 30 percent less risk of heart disease than non-vegetarians.

• According to the same study, those who eat neither meat nor dairy have a 57 percent less risk of heart disease than people eating a diet rich in animal fats.

• And, surprisingly, cardiovascular disease claims more women's lives than the next seven causes of death combined, nearly 500,000 a year.

• A population study conducted by Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health found that "animal fat was positively associated with the risk of colon cancer."

• The American Cancer Society's Web site states that "a diet mostly from animal sources" is a risk factor for colon and rectal cancer - the fourth- and second-largest killers from cancer in the United States.

• Being a woman who has recently had her first bone scan, I am particularly interested in this next statistic: The average bone loss of a 65-year-old American vegetarian is 18 percent, while the average bone loss of a 65-year-old meat-eating American is 35 percent.

• The vegpledge at www.Earthsave.org states: By eating a diet centered on plant-based foods we can reduce saturated fat and cholesterol in our diet; create a healthier planet by eating foods that use a fraction of the resources and create far less pollution than animal foods; and reduce the demand for products that cause the routine inhumane treatment of animals.

And that's why, along with 5.7 million other U.S. adults, 2004 will be another meatless year for me.

For information, contact www.themeatrix.com for an Eat Well Guide.

Wendy Hammarstrom, a massage therapist and yoga instructor, writes a monthly column about complementary health-care issues. Call her at 677-5962 or send e-mail to Innerworks1@aol.com.