Are humans designed to eat meat?
Posted by ohmyraw! | 12 comments
Being an anthropology student (and also a vegan) the question “Are humans designed to eat meat” has always been a particularly intriguing question for me.
It’s also really important to know this stuff because it stops a lot of people – in their tracks – from embracing diet high in plant food (the key for radiant health!).
A person came right up to me last month, almost dismayed, saying,“Can you honestly tell me that humans aren’t designed to eat meat? We’ve eaten meat since our early days as prehistoric humans!”
Here’s what I said:
“It’s not that I think eating meat is inherently wrong – I don’t.
Yes, there are tremendous problems with the scale of animal cruelty present today, but I don’t think that eating a cow or chicken you tended to with loving care is inherently bad or wrong.
And I won’t deny that – without a doubt – humans ate meat in our early days. We did!
What I find important is how much. How much meat did humans really eat?”
Most likely early humans ate very, very little meat.
In fact, their main subsistence was likely lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds (a mostly raw diet coincidentally).
Meat was something to be enjoyed on occasion. Why do you think there was such a great celebration over that successful hunt? (That probably happened every couple months at best).
I recently picked up a paleo diet cookbook (where we are supposed to eat like our early ancestral humans did) and I was astounded by recipe after recipe of different meat dishes!
Where’s the truth in that?
Now – just because we ate small amounts of meat in our early days – does this mean that humans are “designed” to eat meat in the same way a carnivore is?
I still say a resounding NO.
Anthropologists suspect that, in truth, humans are herbivores by design.
Why? The digestive tract of a true carnivore, say a tiger, is about 3 times the length of the animal. Do you know how long that of a human’s is? About 10-12 times the length of the human. A carnivore – like a tiger – eats and digests a piece of meat in less than 1 day (because the meat is rapidly decaying).
The same piece of meat takes us (humans) double to triple that amount of time (2-3 days!) to digest that same piece of meat.
Have you looked at your teeth lately? Do they compare to that of a tiger?
NO.
How about your jaw? Not much compared to the chomping power on a tiger is it? The teeth and jaws on a tiger are clearly designed to tear and rip apart flesh, whereas ours…not so much.
Our closest living ancestors, the great apes, are almost always herbivores, with very few exceptions.
So: Humans do not need meat to live healthy, vibrant lives!
But – you say – what if I LOVE meat?
Then you love meat!
For my clients who simply can’t live without meat, I suggest enjoying a small piece (like that of a side dish or smaller) of meat every once and awhile – bought from a reputable, grain fed, local source. And load the remaining 75% (or more) of your plate with some delicious raw, vegan recipes (that I coincidentally teach about in my classes).
As for eating meat (or other animal products) every day, three times a day? No thank you.
This meat stays in our guts for an extended amount of time (mingling at body temperature no less) causing constipation and oxidization within your digestive tract (among other ailments).
Done in excess over the span of a lifetime, it takes a great toll on the body (colon cancer, a most popular cancer, has a high correlation to meat consumption levels and very low levels of fibre – go figure) – and it’s very hard on the environment too.
So tell me about your thoughts on our human design – did I convince you? Do you enjoy meat every once and awhile?
© 2012, ohmyraw!. All rights reserved.
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Hello Sarah! Thanks for bringing this subject up. That’s a question we vegan have to frequently debate. I think you make many good, compelling points. I am convinced too that the human body is designed for a plant based diet. As for eating meat, never ever for the rest of my life. To me exploiting, abusing or killing another being is unnecessary and morally wrong, when we have all the resources we need to achieve vibrant health by eating a whole, plant based diet, and wisely taking a few supplements that, by the way, would greatly benefit everybody.
When people say to me, ” but I love my meat”, I say, “Yes, I know, I used to love meat too, and eggs, and dairy. But the fact to the matter is that they will most likely impact ypur health in one way or the other, and don’t forget that we tend to love what we’re used to. The taste buds an the cravings change with the food you consume. Before you know it, you start loving this tofu, this kale and avocado salad, this sunflower pate. Lemon, coriander, coconut become your best friends. Yes, the vegan lifestyle fits me perfectly. I get to eat great tasting and healthy food, I do my part for the environment, and I can truly say that I love the animals and care for all of them. So much joy and satisfaction!
Yes, it is so true about it being a transition. So true! Soon enough you’ll be salivating over a bunch of greens and just wondering what happened to my taste buds? Humans are so adaptable.
what did people eat on Alaska there was no fruites or veges and there was no transport like today
Thank you very much for this and your blog – I love it. My mother-in-law grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and to her meat is THE center piece of every meal. If you don’t eat meat you’re not getting enough protein.
When she visits (for too long), EVERY meal she is like a hawk watching my daughter trying to get her to eat more meat. I just want to scream. This woman has had a heart attack and hip replacement and yet sees no connection with her diet. Still pushes the meat and butter on everything.
She unfortunately stays with us for about 10 days when she visits and one visit I made no meals with meat for almost the whole time. I had to endure comments about how ‘I might want to’ give my daughter protein powder drinks to make sure she’s getting enough protein. Our daughter is rarely sick, a healthy weight, and does well in school. Omg.
So sorry for the negativity, but it is amazing how people will react when you don’t eat like them. (I did mention she had a HEART ATTACK two years ago?)
Thank you SO much for this blog!0
I’m so glad you are enjoying my site, Jenny.
Indeed dealing with family is a huge chapter in itself (I am working on one right now actually). Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle because there is so much “evidence” pointing towards the need for animal protein. Many people who do share the protein concern are coming from a place of true concern, since it is only in the more recent past that we’ve gotten so many new studies making question marks. Also, I recently heard someone say (and I’m sorry I can’t remember who) that vegetarians have been around long enough that we know they don’t fall over and die from protein deficiency!
As counter-intuitive as it may seem, one of the best tricks that I have found is to actually NOT talk about it. We are a culture of talking things to death (which I agree with to an extent) but, with topics and relationships that are so deeply set, it is sometimes best just to set clear boundaries and agree to not talk about the particularly inflammatory topics and you’ll both likely feel a freedom and mutual respect after the initial “awkward” phase of getting used to it. I wish you luck in forging this path with your mother.
A few things come up for me when reading about raw/ raw vegan nutrition, which I practiced for a little less than a year. When reviewing information based on blood type, and practicing with my own blood type and lifestyle, some body chemistry can digest meat better than others, some body chemistry can digest raw plant material better than others. Energetically, meat has a lower vibration than plants; and in my experience as the vibration of the individual becomes higher the desire for meat based meals lessens, as does the overall quantity of food with or without meat. When considering ayruvedic principles, there may be some types of meat that are more beneficial than others and there may also be types of plants that are more beneficial than others, and overall there is a desire to stay away form meat, again because of the vibration of it. Geographic location and time of year can influence what is best for each person. Tuning in to how we feel after each thing we eat and the amount of each thing we eat is important to determine what is the best diet for the individual. I feel healthier when I eat meat and mostly cooked foods, even though I would prefer to have a raw/raw vegan diet. Now that summer is approaching I will likely take less meat, incorporate some raw, and still keep some cooked foods to balance out the digestive fire. Given human diversity, it may take some time for everyone to reach the same stage of dietary evolution where we are all healthily eating fruits, nuts and veggies =)
Hi Lori, I think you have an interesting perspective – thank you for sharing! Great food for thought. I too believe in consuming some cooked veggies and grains during winter, because it is warming on cold winter nights (not meat for me though!). I do manage to sneak in a lot of raw too :-)
I agree what works for one does not necessarily work for all. I’d like to say though, that many “needs” often have deep emotional ties as well, which can masquerade as true “need”. Which is why, like you say, made gradually over time, I think everyone could be capable of successfully shifting to another diet (and be fully nourished by it).
Just as a sort-of unrelated note, moving forward with climate change, due to the environmental stress that meat puts on the environment, meat may not always even be an option, I’ve heard some predict. Certainly the planet could not support enough meat production for 7 billion people. More food for thought…
I really enjoy learning about the vibrational aspect of foods – very interesting!
Hi, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you
get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you protect against
it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much
lately it’s driving me insane so any support is very much appreciated.
Yes, absolutely. It was a huge problem for me before I installed the “Spam Free WordPress” plugin. Now I only get the occasional one every month or two but for the most part the plugin does a really great job. Hope this helps,
Sarah
It is useful to eat meat if you do heavy physical work. Otherwise it is completely unnecessary and possibly harmful. It is also necessary to avoid gluten, which is fatal to the human body. Fruits, nuts and veggies are the best :)
Actually, I’ve been a vegetarian from birth and do heavy physical work – somehow I’m still alive and well, and working hard! So I guess needing meat to do heavy physical work is a myth…..
Yes :-) Thank you for illuminating my point!