Why do humans eat meat?

[hireshi]

How come human beings developed this huge fetish for meat? My parents say we need meat to survive. we are not meant to eat meat. Did you know that our digestive tract like other herbivores is four times longer than of a carnivore. if we were to eat meat it would rot along the way, since our intestines is so long and is not suitable to digest meat. Plus our saliva is of an alkaline nature whereas a carnivore is acidic. Our jaws and teeth are structured to eat plants, whereas a carnivore is made for meat.

This is also one of the main reasons humans doesn't live long. Because meat we buy in stores are stuffed full of drugs, hormones, bacteria, and other toxins which are not healthy for humans at all. It actually helps create anti-biotic resistant bacteria. And prolonged exposure to the toxins(ex. arsenic) that these animals are given, can result in cancer, dementia, and other brain problems. And that shortens our longevity, making the full life span of the human race to remain unknown.

 

[Big Casino]

Hmmm do you have a source for this it sounds a bit funny to me =/
Humans have been eating meat since day one and our species is still alive and better all these years later, doesnt sound bad to me. Burgers taste good as does bacon sausage and all the rest with it. Seems nowadays everythings bad for you, either way i dont care, i really cant see it harming me at all and if this information is true then meh, it tastes good so im not gonna stop.

 

[Ezio Auditore]

Humans usually eat meat because it is something we are used to. Every since the ice age when plants and other non-animal food was extremely rare we have eaten meat, because it was the only thing available to us to eat. Ever since then we have simply gotten used to it and over time it has become a natural thing. Meat is also good for those with iron deficiency who cannot take things such as pills which allow an iron intake. Meat is easy to get, and I must also disagree with what you have said about meat being filled with drugs and others things like that, it is very easy to get meat which isn't like that and you're likely to find that nowadays most companies do not put additives or other such things into their meat due to the fact that it has been known to be dangerous to humans.

Some companies also prefer to not even use preservatives in the hope that they are as healthy as possible for the human body. Also it's not really a fetish, calling it a fetish makes it seem as though we love it in a sexual way which in my opinion would just be wrong... So so wrong...

 

[hireshi]

Hmmm do you have a source for this it sounds a bit funny to me =/
Humans have been eating meat since day one and our species is still alive and better all these years later, doesnt sound bad to me. Burgers taste good as does bacon sausage and all the rest with it. Seems nowadays everythings bad for you, either way i dont care, i really cant see it harming me at all and if this information is true then meh, it tastes good so im always gonna continue.

How humans are not physically created to eat meat.
The natural human diet.

Click the links.

 

[Shu]

I'll be honest with you.. I love me some Bacon and BBQ and Steak.. Oh did I mention Roast Beef ... oh Grilled chicken with a little garlic marinade saturated along side loaded potatoes.

I honestly don't know why we love meat, but does it really matter? Seriously I am a huge fan of domesticated animals, but there are some that just were not meant for taming. I might sound like an ignorant pig right now, but here's how I'll relate it to you..

I've seen all the PETA B.S. and I know that they make their stand but sometimes even they gotta wonder what they are truly fighting for. I mean animals eat other animals, so aside from us being the highest on the food chain, I think literally we have a right to eat whatever the heck we want except ourselves.

Otherwise we would screw up the food chain and the life cycle would be over populated with certain animals, and that would be a bad thing. We have always been carnivores at heart, and to deny that is to be inhuman.

So till this day, I'm going to eat my Marmalade hens and 10 hour smoked marinaded steaks..

I don't believe in all the health jazz people throw out, unless of course I choke on a piece of meat. And that just sounded wrong, so I'm stopping now.

 

[hireshi]

Humans usually eat meat because it is something we are used to. Every since the ice age when plants and other non-animal food was extremely rare we have eaten meat, because it was the only thing available to us to eat. Ever since then we have simply gotten used to it and over time it has become a natural thing. Meat is also good for those with iron deficiency who cannot take things such as pills which allow an iron intake. Meat is easy to get, and I must also disagree with what you have said about meat being filled with drugs and others things like that, it is very easy to get meat which isn't like that and you're likely to find that nowadays most companies do not put additives or other such things into their meat due to the fact that it has been known to be dangerous to humans.

Some companies also prefer to not even use preservatives in the hope that they are as healthy as possible for the human body. Also it's not really a fetish, calling it a fetish makes it seem as though we love it in a sexual way which in my opinion would just be wrong... So so wrong...

What about the sicknesses the animals might have carried that are transferred into its body -- meat. You can't really heat away a disease.

@ Shu.

I eat meat as well, but I am also a believer. Like this bull that I've been reading and learning about would stick with me.

 

[Big Casino]

Thats why we dont eat diseased animals, the necessary tests are required before a product can be put up for retail. Cases such as the mad cow outbreak has changed the way in which the process of killing the animal to putting it on our shelf is carried out. If not thered be a lot of lawsuits and probadly sickly people.
Also the links are a bit iffy i thought, ones from a vegetarian website, so its no surprise they arent glorifying the consumption of meat. The other a herbal healing website...need i say more. Was it a link from a national health service i may have been more interested.

 

[Ezio Auditore]

I agree with Laguna, it seems the websites are biased and do not give an opposing argument, if it were an official site like the National Health Service it would be a lot. Also, you don't normally just "heat" a piece of meat, you normally put it at a high temperature and it's well known that high temperature can kill off most bacteria as it cannot survive the extreme heat and thus getting rid of the chances of disease being carried into the human. Also when digested it's likely the remaining bacteria would be so low in count that it would do no harm to us and eventually be flushed out of our system.

Ever since the break out of mad cow disease, food safety standards were raised considerably to the point that if there was any possible chance of human life being threatened by meat, then that meat would have no chance whatsoever at being put onto the shelf of a supermarket or butchers.

 

[Davey Gaga]

Those links have a real sense of bias in them, particularly surrounding the anatomy. The length of your intestines has no bearing on the type of food you can eat - indeed, the length simply increases the rate at which nutrients are absorbed and the efficiency thereof. We do have sharp teeth for tearing, which the first article seems to omit. The concentration of acid in the stomach may be an evolutionary measure for carnivores who must hunt for their meals (and must expend more energy/replenish at a faster rate than herbivores). Saliva mainly contains amylase, which breaks down starch only, and you'd have a hard time finding starch in any meat.

Where the first article says "we are not in the wild" - he's retarded. Yes we are. I don't like his firm "we are NOT meant to eat meat" statements - he is not God and did not personally plan the outcome of life, nor can he say for sure how omnivorous humans came to be. Conditioning is a psychological process, not a biological one, and you can't condition your genes to make a mouth suited to eating both plant and animal material. I remain unconvinced of these claims.

I'm also intrigued by the mention of humans having no claws. This is an akward one and my opinion is that we were not intended to be on-par with carnivores; if we had claws and nothing but sharp teeth, we'd use them to catch our prey. Instead, we use our minds and construct tools to do this - we avoid confrontation and competition with the carnivores themselves. I think our intelligence prevents us from having to develop claws.

The second link appears to be a vegetarianism website and I'd speculate further bias in the authors' intent.

This is also one of the main reasons humans doesn't live long. Because meat we buy in stores are stuffed full of drugs, hormones, bacteria, and other toxins which are not healthy for humans at all. It actually helps create anti-biotic resistant bacteria. And prolonged exposure to the toxins(ex. arsenic) that these animals are given, can result in cancer, dementia, and other brain problems. And that shortens our longevity, making the full life span of the human race to remain unknown.

70 years+ is a long time; moreso than any most herbivores who omit this 'infected' animal material. Our life span has increased over the years. Also, you're mainly thinking of processed meat - fresh meat, unprocessed and untreated cannot bring these effects. Finally, healthy, balanced meals are essential for us - why do you think that some vegetarions and/or vegans are malnourished? We can't get all of the necessary vitamins and minerals from plants alone - proteins would be my main example.

I think those sites are made of shit. :derek:

 

[Danjit]

I think naturally, humans are supposed to omnivores. Eating both plant and meat alike. We had teeth suited to both, afterall. But I believe that the 'fetish' and urge to eat meat hasn't developed, but has laid beneath human evolution for so many years.

It's by belief that evolving to experience so many emotions, to have abstract thought, etc, and becoming HUMAN as opposed to animal has interrupted the natural course of life. Humans would once have hunted together in groups to catch prey and feed their families. Now we can just kill a cow and eat that quite easily. So I doubt that this urge to eat meat has just developed. It has probably always been there, but masked with supermarkets, the process of BUYING food with money, etc.

Technically, vegetarians are the ones who defy nature by refusing to eat meat, which has always been part of our natural diet. BUT I do sympathise with them, being a huge animal lover myself. But I never could stick to a vegetarian diet (nor do I eat a lot of meat).

But that's my theory anyway. We're meant to eat meat and the huge love for it that humans have is a reflection on our innate instinct to hunt and eat other animals.

Plus meat eaters get more iron in their blood and are less likely to be anaemic (however it's spelt) and stuff like that.

 

[Vladislak]

Why do humans eat meat?
Because it's delicious!

But in all seriousness, there are benefits to eating meat, it's not like they're devoid of nutrients.

This is just a guess, but it could be just considered an act of dominance. If we can eat all these animals then we feel superior to them. I haven't looked all that deep into cannibalistic societies, but I know enough to say that it's sometimes considered an act of dominance as well.

In addition, by eating an animal we're technically eating an animal's diet as well. If a lamb eats his food and gains nutrients from it, and then we come along and eat the lamb, then you could say we ate what the lamb ate, it's a shortcut to getting the nutrients a lamb would get from it's diet.

 

[hireshi]

Those links have a real sense of bias in them, particularly surrounding the anatomy. The length of your intestines has no bearing on the type of food you can eat - indeed, the length simply increases the rate at which nutrients are absorbed and the efficiency thereof. We do have sharp teeth for tearing, which the first article seems to omit. The concentration of acid in the stomach may be an evolutionary measure for carnivores who must hunt for their meals (and must expend more energy/replenish at a faster rate than herbivores). Saliva mainly contains amylase, which breaks down starch only, and you'd have a hard time finding starch in any meat.

Where the first article says "we are not in the wild" - he's retarded. Yes we are. I don't like his firm "we are NOT meant to eat meat" statements - he is not God and did not personally plan the outcome of life, nor can he say for sure how omnivorous humans came to be. Conditioning is a psychological process, not a biological one, and you can't condition your genes to make a mouth suited to eating both plant and animal material. I remain unconvinced of these claims.

I'm also intrigued by the mention of humans having no claws. This is an akward one and my opinion is that we were not intended to be on-par with carnivores; if we had claws and nothing but sharp teeth, we'd use them to catch our prey. Instead, we use our minds and construct tools to do this - we avoid confrontation and competition with the carnivores themselves. I think our intelligence prevents us from having to develop claws.

The second link appears to be a vegetarianism website and I'd speculate further bias in the authors' intent.
70 years+ is a long time; moreso than any most herbivores who omit this 'infected' animal material. Our life span has increased over the years. Also, you're mainly thinking of processed meat - fresh meat, unprocessed and untreated cannot bring these effects. Finally, healthy, balanced meals are essential for us - why do you think that some vegetarions and/or vegans are malnourished? We can't get all of the necessary vitamins and minerals from plants alone - proteins would be my main example.

I think those sites are made of shit. :derek:

Humans have always been carnivores, and we were not meant to eat meat in nature. It's just that the fact we've been eating meat since our ancestors left Africa for the first time thousands of years ago, so we feel we need meat. Its tasty and its cheap. But what are the out come of it? In most cases we overeat and become fat, which we are not really supposed to be.. Lol.

Also you say we have sharp teeth for eating which I find to be more 'bias' than those sites. A cheetah has sharp teeth, tigers, alligators, etc. You compare our teeth to theirs? Our teeth are flat, not sharp.

Tiger, your average flesh eaters. In other words --sharp teeth.
Look a lot like ours, huh?

Its also been proved that humans can live to be over a 110 years old. There's even claims that there is a 130 year old woman in Kazhakstan (spelled wrong, I know.) and she claims to not have been dieting on meat.

 

[M1ghty Mous3]

I think naturally, humans are supposed to omnivores. Eating both plant and meat alike. We had teeth suited to both, afterall. But I believe that the 'fetish' and urge to eat meat hasn't developed, but has laid beneath human evolution for so many years.

It's by belief that evolving to experience so many emotions, to have abstract thought, etc, and becoming HUMAN as opposed to animal has interrupted the natural course of life. Humans would once have hunted together in groups to catch prey and feed their families. Now we can just kill a cow and eat that quite easily. So I doubt that this urge to eat meat has just developed. It has probably always been there, but masked with supermarkets, the process of BUYING food with money, etc.

Technically, vegetarians are the ones who defy nature by refusing to eat meat, which has always been part of our natural diet. BUT I do sympathise with them, being a huge animal lover myself. But I never could stick to a vegetarian diet (nor do I eat a lot of meat).

But that's my theory anyway. We're meant to eat meat and the huge love for it that humans have is a reflection on our innate instinct to hunt and eat other animals.

Plus meat eaters get more iron in their blood and are less likely to be anaemic (however it's spelt) and stuff like that.

Humans are Omnivores, indeed. The picture of the teeth doesnt really prove anything. Humans have fangs so they can tear the meat up. They have flat teeth near the back for mashing it as well as vegetables and fruits. The front teeth are mainly fro breaking it down. The rest of the teeth compress and flatten it so it can be swallowed.

Even before the ice-age humans were eating vegetables and meat. We were planters most of human history. The only reason (i think) humans developed the such liking for meat is the ice-age.

 

[Davey Gaga]

It's just that the fact we've been eating meat since our ancestors left Africa for the first time thousands of years ago, so we feel we need meat.

Proof/link to study?

Its tasty and its cheap. But what are the out come of it? In most cases we overeat and become fat, which we are not really supposed to be.. Lol.

Eating meat alone does not make you fat: obesity is the resulting factor of sedentary lifestyles, excessive food consumption, genetic predispositions andn such like. Also, getting fat on food alone would be more a result from consuming more unhealthy foods than simply meat.

Also you say we have sharp teeth for eating which I find to be more 'bias' than those sites. A cheetah has sharp teeth, tigers, alligators, etc. You compare our teeth to theirs? Our teeth are flat, not sharp.

What a ridiculous image - no set of teeth looks like that.

This is a far more accurate picture, particularly in the depiction of the canines and premolars. I won't argue that our teeth resemble that of a cheetah - we have flat teeth AS WELL AS sharp(er) teeth and it's because we eat BOTH plant and animal material - as I said, you can't condition your genes to make these teeth, so it's down to more than conditioning.

Its also been proved that humans can live to be over a 110 years old. There's even claims that there is a 130 year old woman in Kazhakstan (spelled wrong, I know.) and she claims to not have been dieting on meat.

You can't say that eating meat alone reduces your life expectancy - that's a ridiculous assumption.

 

[Lunatic Pandora]

The above picture seems to ignore the fact that we do have teeth made for piercing. We have teeth for cutting, piercing and grinding food. Of course when comparing our fangs with those of a tiger we obviously look herbivores

We need meat as much as we need vegetables, and water and fruits and chocolate (just kidding ). Lack of protein can lead to a lot of nasty damages in our bodies, in a way that people that follow a vegetarian diet have to replace the protein they don't get from meat with other (less tasty in my opinion XD) sources, like gluten or soy meat. Honestly, I wouldn't like to live 130 years with protein deficiency. Humans are omnivores, meaning they eat meat and vegetables alike. Our GI tract is intended for both. We have around 8 meters of bowel so we can absorb starch and other difficult, long carbohydrates as well.

And yeah, I like meat.

 

[Big Casino]

Humans have always been carnivores, and we were not meant to eat meat in nature. It's just that the fact we've been eating meat since our ancestors left Africa for the first time thousands of years ago, so we feel we need meat.

Feel we need meat? What is that meant to mean exactly? Id challenge you to find out who is healthier a vegetarian or someone who eats both?

Its tasty and its cheap. But what are the out come of it? In most cases we overeat and become fat, which we are not really supposed to be.. Lol.

Tasty and cheap you say? a steak costs more than a turnip or a bunch of carrots or lettuce? Not really that cheap.
Do not compare eating meat to having a bad diet thats just stupid.

Also you say we have sharp teeth for eating which I find to be more 'bias' than those sites. A cheetah has sharp teeth, tigers, alligators, etc. You compare our teeth to theirs? Our teeth are flat, not sharp.

Our teeth are sharp, yes not as sharp as a cheetas or a tigers but they are sharp none the less. Without sharp teeth we wouldnt be able to break apart our foods now would we?

Tiger, your average flesh eaters. In other words --sharp teeth.
Look a lot like ours, huh?

No because wer human not animals, wer completely different from them. Having teeth like that would hinder us more than it would help. Wer not animals we have thumbs and hands which aid us. A tiger without teeth and claws is a dead tiger.

Its also been proved that humans can live to be over a 110 years old. There's even claims that there is a 130 year old woman in Kazhakstan (spelled wrong, I know.) and she claims to not have been dieting on meat

Dieting on meat? She probadly ate what she could get, its not like she lived to be that age simply by not eatin meat. Thats just silly

 

[Prince Oberyn Martel]

How come human beings developed this huge fetish for meat? My parents say we need meat to survive. we are not meant to eat meat. Did you know that our digestive tract like other herbivores is four times longer than of a carnivore. if we were to eat meat it would rot along the way, since our intestines is so long and is not suitable to digest meat. Plus our saliva is of an alkaline nature whereas a carnivore is acidic. Our jaws and teeth are structured to eat plants, whereas a carnivore is made for meat.

This is also one of the main reasons humans doesn't live long. Because meat we buy in stores are stuffed full of drugs, hormones, bacteria, and other toxins which are not healthy for humans at all. It actually helps create anti-biotic resistant bacteria. And prolonged exposure to the toxins(ex. arsenic) that these animals are given, can result in cancer, dementia, and other brain problems. And that shortens our longevity, making the full life span of the human race to remain unknown.

Because meat is awesome. And we are meant to eat meat, we've just evolved to not be completely dependant on it.


and by your description, buy some decent meat and not cheap shit.

 

[Fusilli]

All of the CONVINCING nutrition books I have read have said pretty much what hireshi is saying. For me, the fact that plenty of people can survive without meat kind of proves that you don't need it. And the 'ohhh but meat is full of yummy protein' argument is pretty poor, you can get protein from plenty of other foods.. nuts, seeds, beans, soy...

The case could actually be extended to dairy as well... the whole purpose of milk is for new born babies to gain lots of weight. Humans are the only animals who drink milk as adults. The only reason we drink cow milk and not gorilla milk or whatever is because cows are easier to keep and more economically efficient for the people producing it. And since calves are a lot bigger than human babies, cow milk is designed to fatten them up even more and wasn't really designed for humans to be drinking it.

Well that's just what I've learnt anyway... I'm not a vegan/vegetarian, but probably would be if I was cooking for myself.

 

[Muninn]

How come human beings developed this huge fetish for meat? My parents say we need meat to survive. we are not meant to eat meat. Did you know that our digestive tract like other herbivores is four times longer than of a carnivore. if we were to eat meat it would rot along the way, since our intestines is so long and is not suitable to digest meat. Plus our saliva is of an alkaline nature whereas a carnivore is acidic. Our jaws and teeth are structured to eat plants, whereas a carnivore is made for meat.

This is also one of the main reasons humans doesn't live long. Because meat we buy in stores are stuffed full of drugs, hormones, bacteria, and other toxins which are not healthy for humans at all. It actually helps create anti-biotic resistant bacteria. And prolonged exposure to the toxins(ex. arsenic) that these animals are given, can result in cancer, dementia, and other brain problems. And that shortens our longevity, making the full life span of the human race to remain unknown.

Humans were meant to eat meat. Most of the other non-scientfic BS aside...A few points.

--------------------

Point 1:

Herbivores' stomachs do not produce hydrochloric acid.

The production of hydrochloric acid is something that is found only in species that are Carnivores or Omnivores.

The human stomach produces hydrochloric acid.

------------------------

Point 2:

Physiologically, humans need Vitamin B12 in their diet. Vitamin B12 is not found in plants.

Vitamin B12 is found in animals.

-----------------------

Point 3:

There are eight essential amino acids humans need to survive (Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine). These 8 amino acids are necessary in order to build protein.

Soya and Quinoa are the only plants that contain all 8. All other plants lack several of the necessary amino acids to produce protein, and therefore a variety of specific plants must be eaten in combination for the human body to produce protein necessary for function.

Soya and Quinoa only grow in specific environments.

Meat, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, and fish contain all 8. Also, they contain several other amino acids (the 12 non-essential ones) that are also needed in smaller amounts.

At least one of these things, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and fish, are common in every environment where humans live and thrive.

Also, along these same lines, people have a low synthesis rate of the fatty acid DHA, and of Taurine, which suggests that early humans relied on animal foods to get these nutrients.

----------------------

Point 4:

According to the chemical makeup of teeth in African hominids 3 million years old, humans had a varied diet, including plants and animals.

------------------------

Point 5:

Herbivores have specialized colons, specialized teeth, and stomachs that have don't have the ability to digest large quantities of meat.

Humans do not have specialized colons.

Human teeth are not specialized toward being a herbivore.

Human stomachs have a generalized pH, meaning they are designed to better handle the difficult process of digesting meat.

-------------------

Conclusion:

Humans are omnivores.

Humans are physiologically designed to eat both plants and animals.

Although humans can survive by eating one and completely ignoring the other, they are supposed to have a balance of both in their diet.

Meat being pumped full of hormones and preservatives isn't the meat's fault, and doesn't mean that we aren't physiologically inclined to eat it. It just means that meat has been pumped full of hormones and preservatives.

By your logic we also shouldn't eat plants, because they are pumped with the same amount of hormones, preservatives and other chemicals that meats are, and in some cases even more.

It you're worried about all of that harmless stuff (the media sensationalizes a lot of this crap. Only a small portion of it is valid i.e. growth hormones in cows can have quite an affect on some people. Yao Ming is an example of this btw), then only eat organic.

----------------

Also, a genuine LOL to the claws thing.

Rabbits have claws, they are herbivores.

Also, also, our eyes are in the front of our head, not the side. OMG we eats meatz!

 

[Donald Trump]

Humans have always been carnivores, and we were not meant to eat meat in nature. It's just that the fact we've been eating meat since our ancestors left Africa for the first time thousands of years ago, so we feel we need meat. Its tasty and its cheap. But what are the out come of it? In most cases we overeat and become fat, which we are not really supposed to be.. Lol.

Also you say we have sharp teeth for eating which I find to be more 'bias' than those sites. A cheetah has sharp teeth, tigers, alligators, etc. You compare our teeth to theirs? Our teeth are flat, not sharp.

Tiger, your average flesh eaters. In other words --sharp teeth.
Look a lot like ours, huh?

Its also been proved that humans can live to be over a 110 years old. There's even claims that there is a 130 year old woman in Kazhakstan (spelled wrong, I know.) and she claims to not have been dieting on meat.

The difference between our teeth and the teeth of animals is irrelevant. Animals bite their prey to death, we kill it with tools, clubs and bows a long time ago, now if we were to hunt, we'd use guns. Our teeth are perfectly adapted to eating flesh rather than killing it.

One 130 women is not causation and effect, it's not even correlation, it's an outlier so can be discounted from the data set.

Humans are fat because of the conveience of being able to drive to KFC/Burger King and order whatever they want, not because it's meat that they're eating.

It's not as if there can be proof either way, there are vegatarians who lead perfectly healthy lives, and there are those who get sick because of their diets. To claim that humans are never supposed to eat meat is wrong. Humans were designed to be able to survive on whatever food that there is, whether it is meat or vegetable.