We Weren't Designed To Eat Meat, Here Is Proof

I have been vegetarian for most of my adult life and vegan for the last two or three years. I don't want to force my point of view down anyone's throat (even if they're omnivores) but I would like to say that I feel a lot better since I gave up dairy food and eggs.

It's not just about the morality of eating animals or animal products. I have an objection to the way they are farmed and treated, for their sakes. And an objection to all the chemicals and hormones that are stuffed into them and, via them, into the human population.

My experience would suggest that if anyone can reduce their intake of meat, dairy products and eggs there is a strong probability they will find their health and sense of well-being improves.

The reason that most people have approximately ten pounds of putrid, undigested, red meat in their guts is because our intestines are designed to process meat. Meat eaters have a very short digestive tract so the meat won't spoil in their guts. Our bodies have developed canine teeth in a vain attempt to help out but the rest of our bodies are not designed for the meat. sorry.

I apologize for getting gross here but it is a fact.

Originally posted by Danger Girl
Will we be healthier if we stop?

My husband and I were vegetarians for about 3 years and were NOT healthy. Even though I did all the right things to make sure we got plenty of protein and vitamins, we were lethargic and got sick a lot. So, my answer to your question would be "no".

True carnivores (and omnivores) salivate about the idea of eating whole prey animals when they see them. Humans do not.

Probably because it has been many years since we have done that. But, last night, as I held raw, organic buffalo in my hands, making patties for the BBQ, I even commented to my husband how GOOD it smelled! And as previously mentioned, many people look at an animal and think ... "Mmmmm... Dinner." Maybe not the whole animal, but we've been conditioned for hundreds of years to eat just parts of it. On the BBQ.

Compare our physiology to meat eaters and herbivores:

Where's the column for Omnivores? Also, where's the column for multiple stomach chambers? :

The Vegetarian Resource Group

Our closest relatives among the apes are the chimpanzees (i.e., anatomically, behaviorally, genetically, and evolutionarily), who frequently kill and eat other mammals (including other primates).
...
As far back as it can be traced, clearly the archeological record indicates an omnivorous diet for humans that included meat. Our ancestry is among the hunter/gatherers from the beginning. Once domestication of food sources began, it included both animals and plants.
...
Humans are classic examples of omnivores in all relevant anatomical traits. There is no basis in anatomy or physiology for the assumption that humans are pre-adapted to the vegetarian diet. For that reason, the best arguments in support of a meat-free diet remain ecological, ethical, and health concerns.

Now, I have no problem whatsoever with people choosing to be a vegetarian, a frugivore, a gramnivore, a folivore, an insectivore, a vegan or a carnivore. What they put into their body is their concern. But I do not believe they have the moral duty or obligation to tell me which of those that I should be.

Animal Freedom

In scientific circles it was always assumed that the first people ate meat, says paleontologist John de Vos from the Naturalis museum in Leiden, the Netherlands. But two years ago, sound scientific evidence for this claim was found.

In fossil remains of the Australopithecus Africanus, the predecessor of man, researchers found carbon compounds that relate directly to meat consumption. This puts an end to all the stories that prehistoric man lived off fruits and vegetables.

Eating meat is a natural condition of man. The first human tools were knives to scrape the meat off bones.

SYNOPSIS OF THE PRIMARY EVIDENCE (CONCLUSIONS)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humans can be regarded as natural omnivores, so long as one uses the common definition of the term: a natural diet that includes significant amounts of both plant and animal foods. (Humans might not qualify as omnivores if one uses the definition of omnivore as advocated by D.J. Chivers and associates, and discussed in earlier sections herein.)
To use terms that are linked to gut morphology, humans are either faunivores [meat-eaters] or frugivores with specific (evolutionary) adaptations for the consumption of animal foods. This, of course, means that humans are not natural vegetarians. A short summary of some of the evidence supporting this follows (the material below was discussed in depth in earlier sections of this paper).

www.beyondveg.com...

While the OP is correct, he has come to a wrong conclusion.

We were not originally designed as meat eaters, this is true. However, after the flood, something changed and God said that we were to eat meat.

Originally posted by sir_chancealot
While the OP is correct, he has come to a wrong conclusion.

We were not originally designed as meat eaters, this is true. However, after the flood, something changed and God said that we were to eat meat.

I suppose he is also powerful enough to change our bodies too? Why didn't he? Why do we still have stomachs and intestines designed for meat eaters?

God allowed Adam and Eve to eat plants and herbs, a privilege he granted also to the animals (Gen. 1:29-30). And humans and animals enjoyed a peaceful and friendly relationship in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:19-20).

www.christianitytoday.com...



[edit on 15-6-2008 by Danger Girl]

Originally posted by sir_chancealot
While the OP is correct, he has come to a wrong conclusion.

We were not originally designed as meat eaters, this is true. However, after the flood, something changed and God said that we were to eat meat.

wait wait what? Why are we bringing religion into this?

first "designed" to not eat meat, now "god" tells us we can eat meat after this fictional character gets homicidal and floods the planet?

ok, lets keep this strictly scientific, and not theological.
Where we are now: omnivores.
What were we ages ago? Hunters and farmers. We were hunters and gatherers. We ate both plants and animals. Our teeth show us this. So, ages ago... Ding! We were still omnivores! Our methods of eating our food have changed. Our diet, however, has not.

god, or otherwise.



[edit on 15-6-2008 by Chiiru]

why in every thread does someone always find a way to bring up the bible?

Originally posted by Matt.Trakker
why in every thread does someone always find a way to bring up the bible?

It is ok. Some people lead their lives according to their faith and that is fine. It is freedom of speah and it should be welcomed, just as your comment against it is welcomed, as long as it stays on topic.

To Chiiru,

our teeth are not designed to eat meat. Someone has mislead you on this.

Did you know that Orangutans sometimes cherish meat? They eat it kinda like a treat only sometimes.

Lately there was an appalling story about a 12-year old child that had the body of an 80-year old. It had been raised on a vegan diet by it's ignorant parents.

I think that the meat comes into the picture as a natural part of human growth in the sense that it contains a lot of nutrients, vitamins and fats that young humans need to grow strong bones and in general a healthy system.
However, I think it would be worth looking into if once you stop growing you could change your diet to something more vegetarian. I bet you could.

Some research done some years ago also hinted that the different races of the world have bodies more fit to deal with the local types of flora and animal food.
Basicly our internal system has hardly changed since we were hunter gatherers.

Having said that... eat what you want, it's your body anyways and it's you that has to deal with overweight/blood clogging/diabetes etc.
Just pay attention to what the different types of food does to you, both physically and mentally. Then you've come a long way.

yeh it wasnt a dig. Just an observation really

lets see, canines to rip, molars to chew (both meat and plants)... front teeth to cut.
Our teeth are not made distinctly for one type of food, or the other. its a combination.

Where am I misled? Please, inform me.

[edit on 15-6-2008 by Chiiru]

As a humongous supporter of PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals) all I have to ask is...Designed by who, or what?

www.mtd.com...

(Website used to be called peta.org, but the nice people at the other peta sued them to change it. And we all know how screwed up the judicial system is.)

Whoever designed us gave us superior brains, agility, and a taste for meat, fruits and vegatables. All for survival!

You think the designer gave us these animals just to keep warm with their furs, and just disregard the meat? I don't think the designer wanted us to be wasteful.

The designer gave us a balance, not all meat, not all fruits, not all vegatables.

"Go Peter, kill and eat." One of my favorite passages in the bible!

Originally posted by Chiiru
lets see, canines to rip, Where am I misled? Please, inform me.

[edit on 15-6-2008 by Chiiru]

You are fooling yourself if you think these are anything but ornamental.
compare your teeth to say a German Shepard and then think about it.

This is just blatantly false.

Humans are opportunistic omnivores. It's right there clear as day in our naturally evolved paleolithic diet. Paleolithic humans preferred land or marine animals, only getting protein from plant sources if animal sources were not plentiful.

We are not evolved to eat grains. Grain foods are a product of tooling (grinding stones) which did not appear until the late paleolithic to early mesolithic. Serious health problems occur if grains account for much more than 50% of a persons daily caloric intake.

Meat is vital in a natural human diet. We should have an omega-3/6 ratio as close to 1:1 as possible. You get such a ratio by eating meat, particularly by eating brains. B12 is another issue already pointed out... our bodies best utilize B12 through the breakdown of meat.

Vegetarian propaganda is so easily dismantled it should be taken as a true indicator of just how these deficiencies affect the human mind.

[edit on 15-6-2008 by apc]

Originally posted by Danger Girl

Originally posted by Chiiru
lets see, canines to rip, Where am I misled? Please, inform me.

[edit on 15-6-2008 by Chiiru]

You are fooling yourself if you think these are anything but ornamental.

compare your teeth to say a German Shepard and then think about it.

Lady,are you missing what I've been saying the past few posts?
Dogs are carnivores, not omnivores. Yes, they do eat grass, on occasion, however, it is for digestion aid, and their teeth don't show it. They live off of meat. We live on meat and plants. Hence how our teeth are laid out.

My dog loves carrots. Sometimes I envy him his immunity to religious nonsense.

Any reasonably intelligent person knows humans were originally domesticated by either dogs or crows. Maybe both.

Originally posted by Double_Nought_Spy
My dog loves carrots. Sometimes I envy him his immunity to religious nonsense.

Any reasonably intelligent person knows humans were originally domesticated by either dogs or crows. Maybe both.

there are always exceptions. one of my cats eats asparagus and peas, for crying out loud! lol.

that would explain why this crow is outside my house.

gotta go, my owner wants to go on a walk.

[edit on 15-6-2008 by Chiiru]

reply to post by Danger Girl


True carnivores (and omnivores) salivate about the idea of eating whole prey animals when they see them. Humans do not.


That is because your definition of true carnivores/omnivores are animals. We are not as primitive as them. Therefore we have standards. We wouldn't have the animals anus and buttocks as a starter as most carnivores do.

And humans do not have claws because we never needed them. We ate only fruit when we were tree dwellers. When we became bipedal we invented tools designed to cut and stab. We made blades so as to be like the wolf,lion,bear,etc. Knives are our claws just as planes are like our wings and binoculars give us sight like a bird of prey.

We saw what nature had given these creatures. We saw what we needed to conquer these creatures.

"We weren't designed to eat meat" but we can and do. I do not eat 5 fruit and veg a day, unless 5 fries counts. I fry my steaks in butter and serve them with 3 fried eggs with a portion of fries. Its a good hearty meal. Better than a salad or grass.

Originally posted by Danger Girl
Our bodies have developed canine teeth in a vain attempt to help out but the rest of our bodies are not designed for the meat. sorry.

Once again, you have no idea how evolution works. You just sounded intensely ignorant. Again.

Once again, you've completely ignored that in a vegan diet, you would be intensely Vitamin B-12 deficient. It would be extremely unhealthy. That is why vegans must go on unnatural man-made supplements to remain anywhere in the realm of healthiness. APC addressed this and the omega 3/6 ratio problem well.

And again, you've completely ignored the fact that many animals are natural omnivores.

Sorry, as much as you'd like reality to fit what you want, it won't. Even if you remain intentionally ignorant to the universe, the universe won't care.

Nor will we.