Letter: Try a meatless Fourth of July this year

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

For this year's Fourth of July gatherings, here are some excellent reasons for barbecuing veggie burgers and soy hot dogs rather than animal body parts:

• Not sweating nasty E. coli and salmonella bugs, if temperature is too low.

• Not sweating cancer-causing compounds, if temperature is too high.

• Focusing on fireworks safety rather than food safety.

• Giving your body a holiday from saturated fat, cholesterol and hormones.

• Avoiding the animal-cruelty and environmental-devastation guilt trips.

• Sharing a holiday with your strange but lovable veggie friends.

• Celebrating a day of independence from the meat industry.

Sal Lester

Salt Lake City