The Dangers of Not Eating Meat

angry vegan says:
Sat, 9th Jun 200712:12 pm 

You’re an idiot. You know nothing about the vegan lifestyle.

Nobody likes to be lectured – about drugs, politics, religious beliefs…so why single out vegans? I am one and have never lectured anyone and never would. I live the way that is right for me, each to their own

It is completely outrageous for you to imply a vegan diet killed this baby. Humans were meant to be vegans, if we were supposed to eat animals and animal products, we would have a system that could process that stuff, instead of that stuff making us sick. This couple’s ignorance killed their baby, not a vegan diet. Babies are safely reared on a vegan diet every day.

Gaz says:
Tue, 21st Aug 20076:13 am 

Are human beings anatomically more similar to natural carnivores or to natural herbivores? Let’s find out….

Intestinal tract length. Carnivorous animals have intestinal tracts that are 3-6x their body length, while herbivores have intestinal tracts 10-12x their body length. Human beings have the same intestinal tract ratio as herbivores.

Stomach acidity. Carnivores’ stomachs are 20x more acidic than the stomachs of herbivores. Human stomach acidity matches that of herbivores.

Saliva. The saliva of carnivores is acidic. The saliva of herbivores is alkaline, which helps pre-digest plant foods. Human saliva is alkaline.

Shape of intestines. Carnivore bowels are smooth, shaped like a pipe, so meat passes through quickly — they don’t have bumps or pockets. Herbivore bowels are bumpy and pouch-like with lots of pockets, like a windy mountain road, so plant foods pass through slowly for optimal nutrient absorption. Human bowels have the same characteristics as those of herbivores.

Fiber. Carnivores don’t require fiber to help move food through their short and smooth digestive tracts. Herbivores require dietary fiber to move food through their long and bumpy digestive tracts, to prevent the bowels from becoming clogged with rotting food. Humans have the same requirement as herbivores.

Cholesterol. Cholesterol is not a problem for a carnivore’s digestive system. A carnivore such as a cat can handle a high-cholesterol diet without negative health consequences. A human cannot. Humans have zero dietary need for cholesterol because our bodies manufacture all we need. Cholesterol is only found in animal foods, never in plant foods. A plant-based diet is by definition cholesterol-free.

Claws and teeth. Carnivores have claws, sharp front teeth capable of subduing prey, and no flat molars for chewing. Herbivores have no claws or sharp front teeth capable of subduing prey, but they have flat molars for chewing. Humans have the same characteristics as herbivores.

But aren’t humans anatomically suited to be omnivores?

Nope. We don’t anatomically match up with omnivorous animals anymore than we do with carnivorous ones. Omnivores are more similar to carnivores than they are to herbivores.

Feeder theory, which states that because humans can eat like omnivores, that we must therefore be omnivores. And this is of course false because mere behavior doesn’t indicate suitability. There are plenty of things we can do as a species that would threaten our survival if we all considered them suitable default behavior, such as shooting each other, lobbing hand grenades, or sending spam.

That said we have been evolving our bodies to consume and digest meat since the invention of hunting tools and fire. Take our appendix for example, a relic of our herbivore past, which is no longer used.

animals taste good says:
Wed, 24th Oct 20079:50 am 

If we were meant to be vegans we wouldnt have breast milk. Milk isnt vegan.

Herbivores dont eat meat, they arent attracted to meat. Humans are. Animals taste good.

If you were fed a vegan diet as an infant you would be fucking dead, just like that kid.

Have fun starving yourself.

Cheryl says:
Wed, 5th Mar 20088:39 pm 

"If we were meant to be vegans we wouldnt have breast milk. Milk isnt vegan."

Cows produce milk. And they are herbivores. Goats produce milk and they are herbivores. Humans produce milk and they are herbivores.

But a cow's milk proteins are meant to grow calves and have over a hundred amino acids.

Human milk is meant to grow human babies and has just over ten amino acids.

Many herbivores produce milk to get their offspring off to a good start prior to their independent foraging.

Also, dairy from other herbivores was apparently only recently introduced as a food for humans, about ten thousand years ago. And clearly, given all the zits and other problems it causes for humans, there has been no evolutionary adjustment to this toxic substance: http://notmilk.com

And meat is not appealing to those who have not been inculcated to eat it. Furthermore, I have been a vegan for decades and have yet to crave meat though I was sure I would, it just didn't happen.

Vegans can eat fruits, nuts, grains, vegetables, spices, herbs, grasses, etc. There is so much that we eat no one could possibly starve. In fact, starvation around the globe is again produced by meat-eaters. Did you know that it requires approximately 1/16th of an acre to feed a human practicing an herbivore diet and 50 times that amount to feed the average American meat-eater?

The Herbivore Awareness Project http://allinharmony.org

the truth says:
Thu, 13th Nov 20088:55 am 

Its funny how you speak of cows and goats producing milk and comparing them to humans. These animals produce milk more times in a year than humans do. Dogs produce milk only when they have puppies, which is similar to a humans, and yet dogs will eat beef and chicken.

Suck that for your milk producing, wanna be human-vegan statement.

Also, we do have two sharp teeth in the front of our mouths. Hmm, cows don't have any sharp teeth. Someone stated on this page that humans have NO sharp teeth? Did your vegan diet mother file down your teeth so you could assume that? Or did you go against God's will in getting them removed yourself.

Also, the only people that get sick when eating meat are vegans. I have eaten meat my entire life and yet I can run faster and work harder than most vegans. Protein provides extraordinary fuel to human in daily lives. It is the main nutrient we need to be physically competitive.

I bet you that Micheal Phelps isn't a vegan. Show me a vegan that has won any oplympic gold. They cant because their bodies aren't used to do anything but getting into other people's lives.

Hey I bet most reporters and photographers are vegans. And I also bet that most "lazy jobs" are functioned by vegans too.

You vegans make me sick and its NOT the meat.

We are meant to be omnivores just like vegans are ment to be locked up.

Clarification says:
Fri, 28th Nov 200812:09 pm 

“Its funny how you speak of cows and goats producing milk and comparing them to humans. These animals produce milk more times in a year than humans do.”

All they said was that cow milk is for baby cows, which im guessing that it is since it is COW milk. Obviously God or Evolution did not mean for cow milk to be for humans since humans do not produce the same kind of milk.

“Dogs produce milk only when they have puppies, which is similar to a humans, and yet dogs will eat beef and chicken.”

When moms of dif. species lactate is irrelevant to what their diet is.

“Also, we do have two sharp teeth in the front of our mouths. Hmm, cows don’t have any sharp teeth. Someone stated on this page that humans have NO sharp teeth?”

This could be something that points to omnivores however frugivore Gorilla’s also eat almost completely vegan diets, while having giant canines. These teeth are used for defense in apes so I suppose that this is similar in humans. (See “The Comparative Anatomy of Eating”, by Milton R. Mills, MD)

“Also, the only people that get sick when eating meat are vegans. I have eaten meat my entire life and yet I can run faster and work harder than most vegans. Protein provides extraordinary fuel to human in daily lives. It is the main nutrient we need to be physically competitive.”

Many other foods have protein. Besides animal protein actually depletes calcium (along with caffeine) because it has an acidifying effect on muscles and calcium is used to neutralize it. So plant protein actually is better in this respect.

Food for thought here, the Spartan warriors in battle actually ate pretty much exclusively lentils, they were also incredible badasses and could definitely work harder than you. (For more that are more athletic than you see, http://ezinearticles.com/?Vegetarian-Athletes—10-Olympic-Champions&id=1401638)

“I bet you that Micheal Phelps isn’t a vegan. Show me a vegan that has won any oplympic gold. They cant because their bodies aren’t used to do anything but getting into other people’s lives.”

I found an article about the top ten vegan athletes (Above). Gold medalists were Edwin Moses, Al Oerter, Carl Lewis, Leroy Burrell and others (these are ones from the list with gold medals)

The other comments are nothing so I will not respond.

Some conclusions that can be made are that, while we can consume meat, that doesn’t mean that we are meant to eat it (Cows are force fed other cows yet remain herbivores). Certainly it doesn’t mean that it is healthy to do so even though it is possible. More evidence than not points to humans being plant eaters naturally, however possible it is consume meat to survive (though humans are not naturally hunters).

Whether you believe in vegan ideas or not one cannot deny that athletic ability is not diminished at all by a vegetarian diet, many vegans actually have more energy than omnivores.

Another thinking point, is that animal protein is not all that it is cracked up to be. Besides depleting calcium, human’s best source of energy is fruits (we are similar to frugivore apes!) second is probably plant proteins/sugars.

Just try to search for facts and stop making fun of others because their beliefs differ (that’s exactly what you accuse vegans of doing)

Thinking Person says:
Thu, 15th Jan 20092:07 am 

Ok- first of all, let us all just agree that any vegan who is so brainwashed by their devotion to eating vegan that they consider their own breast milk unsuitable for their child (because they want their child to be a vegan too) is a horribly ignorant person who is effectively starving their child. Regardless of whether humans were or were not ‘meant’ to eat meat or drink cow milk, if there is anything we were meant to consume, it is human breast milk. Not only does it provide all that fancy nutrition for kids, but it also provides antibodies and other cool immune system stuff for them that even a good vegan substitute (which would not be soy milk and apple juice) could not provide. Unless the child is actually allergic to breast milk it is just without a doubt better for the child to drink breast milk than to drink anything else. If anyone disagrees with that, I sincerely hope that they do not reproduce. I think it is fair to be disgusted at the couple who let their baby starve because of their extremist views on the vegan diet, and what turned out to be their deadly determination to make their kid a vegan from birth. Personally, I’m very happy to know they are locked up, but I’m a bit unforgiving when it comes to ignorance that kills babies.

But most vegans are not this ignorant, or at least don’t consider their own breast milk as a violation of the vegan diet for their child and so never run into the problem.

As for the argument over what humans are ‘meant’ to eat, I think it is a kind of silly argument to get worked up over. As far as evolution is concerned, our bodies clearly have an easier time processing plants, but we still can survive off of meat and animal products readily. Our primate ancestors eat both – especially if you count insects as meat, and we have clearly evolved to be able to handle both. That’s what evolution is: adaptation. We are no more “meant” to eat plants than meat, but if you go back far enough we are descended from creatures that mostly ate plants. The fact that our systems have become competent at digesting meat shows me that its pretty clear, somewhere along the line, we ended up adapting to take meat, possibly because other protein sources weren’t abundant enough. Being vegetarian or vegan is possibly healthier, but if you spend as much time watching your diet as you would have to to be vegan as an omnivore, you could probably come up with just as healthy a diet. If someone says I’m amoral to eat meat because killing animals is mean, then they should pick a fight with the life developed (ie feeding on other forms of life) rather than me, because it’s not worth the effort. I agree that free range and organic stuff is better and all, but please. let me eat my bacon.

Now, if you don’t believe in the whole evolution thing, I assume you are all about intelligent design or creationism, and are probably a member of one of the semetic/abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, christianity, Rasta, etc), and therefore you don’t even need to worry about any of this: The bible goes ahead and tells you what you should and shouldn’t eat, and an awful lot of it is meat. just as long as it chews its cud and doesn’t roll around in the dirt, you’re safe.

In conclusion: Vegans that look down on people with omnivorous diets and get all preachy are annoying and should stop, its just as obnoxious as pushing religion on someone (and P.S, eating an egg is not like eating an embryo, it’s like eating an EGG. The closest thing you can relate it to is like having oral sex. Embryos are in fertilized eggs, and most ppl dont eat those, they wait for chickens to come out) Omnivores, just let the vegans eat leaves, you’ll get more steak and bacon out of it. The only reasonable argument I’ve hear of why we should feel any moral obligation to be vegetarians or vegans is that it is more ecologically sustainable (cows eat a lot of plants before we eat them, if we just ate the plants straight, there would be a lot more food to go around), but for any sort of large movement, third world countries might stop starving but they may die from protein deficiencies unless you made sure every country had a very good supply of bean farms. As most vegans will tell you, while it is very possible to survive and be very healthy with a vegan diet, you do need to make sure you eat lots of protein rich plants and balance your diet, which illiterate, poor, and starving people might have trouble doing.

And no one try to tell me that tofurky or seitan tastes good. If you’re going to be a vegan, eat plants. Be proud. Stop encouraging people to make nasty immitations of meat-you don’t like meat anyway! If you do like meat, than eat meat! It’s not like it’s a hard drug or something. Smoking marijuana or cigarettes or drinking alcohol are much worse for you than eating meat in moderation. So chill out and don’t make any more vegan hot dogs (I shudder just thinking about them). Deal?

Another thinking per says:
Tue, 30th Mar 20103:41 pm 

I wish everyone one would just mind their own business. I ate meat for 40 years, and now I don't. I was vegan for 3 years, and now I'm not. End of story. I feel good. Carnivores, it's none of your damned business what I eat – although many of you try to make it yours. Vegetarians – same.

Why don't you all work together to get rid of factory farms – I think that's something we all can agree on.

Chill out says:
Thu, 10th Jun 20107:37 pm 

I just recently had a conversation with a vegan that thought they were "saving the world" or well "humanity" by being vegan. I find that statement hard to believe, my thoughts are that it's just a theory and there is no factual backing that states humans are supposed to be one or the other.

Alexander says:
Sat, 22nd Oct 20111:04 pm 

Ok so lets jus keep our woman preg so they produce milk and we can mass produce it when they can't produce it lets just starve them for a couple of days and eat that. People protesting against vegans are most likely jealous fat people with high cholesterol you are going to die anyway of a clot or some type of heart disease go ahead and eat what ever you like food is the governments way of making money from the sick and population control don't believe everything you hear i might be rambling but i got some points across. Why don't we just start cloning while where at it and eat humans same thing we all bleed and we all raise our families but you know what animals are more caring then some self-conscious human that thinks there better then animals. Animals are perfect we are not with our cars and flat screens and he has more then me all animals care about is there families not who has a better nest. get a freaking like and stop being freaking cannibals cause meat eaters might as well eat there own. So if aliens invaded Earth can we eat them to cause they don't speak our language.