The fastest way to get someone's panties in a bunch is to start a conversation about politics. Or be a Vegan.
I am a Vegan.
I am very proud of the choices I have made and that I make every single day, to avoid harm and pain for others.
Most of the people I come across feel we were born to eat meat (and for the most part, have not yet done real research on the subject) and also never tried a Plant based lifestyle. So to portray meat eating as something " better than" or "superior to" for health lifestyle and survival, without having been on both types of diets- means their agument doesn't really hold water. I have been on both and so have many of my friend's. The resounding consensus? They feel better morally and physically, being on a Plant based diet!
I am all about some science. I didn't used to care wether we were born to eat meat or not. I just knew you could live on plants, be more likely to keep disease and health problems at bay and harm none- so I was on board 100%. It wasn't until the last few years that I found a whole lot of research and science that says we truly do not need meat or dairy and the health benefits of a plant based diet are unparalelled.
With that, I began diving more and more into books and research about Human physiology, chemical makeup and the internal structure of our organs and even how our bodies process meat. I was excited to find that- from a scientific and physiological standpoint, we can flourish on veggies and that our bodies do not; 1) break down meat the way carnivores do 2) properly process fat and cholesterols from animal flesh 3) have claws, run at high rates of speed to catch prey, have decent night vision and the list goes on.
My main point here is that the argument that we were "born" to eat meat is truly a poor one and noone should use it seriously. If you want to say you eat meat because it tastes good to you, than that is a choice-own it. If you honestly feel no empathy or compassion about animals, own that too.
Hardly anything about our Chemical makeup says we are carnivorous. Our teeth, our saliva, our build, our digestive tract, our lack of ability to get to high speeds, our lack of protection from others like claws, horns and sharp fangs. Hey Mr. and Mrs. meat eater, do you ever see a cow, chicken, lamb, goat, pig or fish and just feel like going after it? Your wild, interal, carnivorous instincts just KICK IN and you go crazy and cannot control your hunger to tear them to bits and chase them into the sunset?
I have yet to meet a pet that doesn't have this paticular "chase and eat" issue and they are not wild animals, have not lived with a wild pack and yet their natural and carnivorous instincts are intact. Ours are not there, because they never were. We have never seen a bunny or a bird and started to drool. If you have had this issue, than I feel bad that you are such a a societal outcast and need such serious and immediate help.
Have you ever smelled a fresh peach, cut up watermelon, a juicy pear? Those will definitely make you drool! "So will a nice juicy steak cookin' on the barbie, wrapped in bacon!", that's because it is loaded with seasonings and is being cooked. Cooked. Cooked. Did I mention cooked? If you started to cut up a cow, your mouth wouldn't water-except to puke maybe. You know that watering under your tongue thing? Ugh. the worst! Things that we crave naturally, that come from unadulterated foods that need no processing- that is what we are meant for. Things that grow and produce in nature, that we can pull open with our muscular hands, crack open with our wide and somewhat strong teeth, much like that of a seed,nut or fruit rind.
But we have Canines. Sure, but they are itty bitty and I wouldn't exactly go bragging about them. They are much shorter than, say, a Lion's because they are meant for cracking nuts, seeds and peircing fruit flesh- not another animal.
This could go on and on, so let me leave you with one last, spicy detail about our insides. A Carnivore, like a Lion (because he seems to be everyone's favorite example), has a short digestive tract. This is to shorten digestion time so that he doesn't absorb the unecessary and high amounts of fat and cholesterol. He gets what he needs and it's gone. Then he hunts again. Our stomach acids are signifigantly weaker and far less capable of breaking down meat than a Carnovire's as well as having completely opposite saliva profiles- Carnivore's have acidic saliva, to break down acidic meats. Humans have a more alkaline saliva that is necessary for grain breakdown.
PS. Heart disease comes from over consumption of animal products, #1 killer in this Country- so not only are we looking at eating disorders and gluttony (tossed that one in for the nice Christian folks) but disease, from eating animals.
It should also come as no surprise that disease in the Human body thrives when it is acidic. Acidic foods? Dairy and Meat (processed junk too like sugar). Alkaline, balancing foods? Fruits, nuts, grains and seeds.
Other good articles on the subject:
http://prime.peta.org/2009/10/yes-its-true-humans-arent-meant-to-eat-meat
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
http://freefromharm.org/photo-galleries/9-reasons-your-canine-teeth-dont-make-you-a-meat-eater/
I am a Vegan.
I am very proud of the choices I have made and that I make every single day, to avoid harm and pain for others.
Most of the people I come across feel we were born to eat meat (and for the most part, have not yet done real research on the subject) and also never tried a Plant based lifestyle. So to portray meat eating as something " better than" or "superior to" for health lifestyle and survival, without having been on both types of diets- means their agument doesn't really hold water. I have been on both and so have many of my friend's. The resounding consensus? They feel better morally and physically, being on a Plant based diet!
I am all about some science. I didn't used to care wether we were born to eat meat or not. I just knew you could live on plants, be more likely to keep disease and health problems at bay and harm none- so I was on board 100%. It wasn't until the last few years that I found a whole lot of research and science that says we truly do not need meat or dairy and the health benefits of a plant based diet are unparalelled.
With that, I began diving more and more into books and research about Human physiology, chemical makeup and the internal structure of our organs and even how our bodies process meat. I was excited to find that- from a scientific and physiological standpoint, we can flourish on veggies and that our bodies do not; 1) break down meat the way carnivores do 2) properly process fat and cholesterols from animal flesh 3) have claws, run at high rates of speed to catch prey, have decent night vision and the list goes on.
My main point here is that the argument that we were "born" to eat meat is truly a poor one and noone should use it seriously. If you want to say you eat meat because it tastes good to you, than that is a choice-own it. If you honestly feel no empathy or compassion about animals, own that too.
Hardly anything about our Chemical makeup says we are carnivorous. Our teeth, our saliva, our build, our digestive tract, our lack of ability to get to high speeds, our lack of protection from others like claws, horns and sharp fangs. Hey Mr. and Mrs. meat eater, do you ever see a cow, chicken, lamb, goat, pig or fish and just feel like going after it? Your wild, interal, carnivorous instincts just KICK IN and you go crazy and cannot control your hunger to tear them to bits and chase them into the sunset?
I have yet to meet a pet that doesn't have this paticular "chase and eat" issue and they are not wild animals, have not lived with a wild pack and yet their natural and carnivorous instincts are intact. Ours are not there, because they never were. We have never seen a bunny or a bird and started to drool. If you have had this issue, than I feel bad that you are such a a societal outcast and need such serious and immediate help.
Have you ever smelled a fresh peach, cut up watermelon, a juicy pear? Those will definitely make you drool! "So will a nice juicy steak cookin' on the barbie, wrapped in bacon!", that's because it is loaded with seasonings and is being cooked. Cooked. Cooked. Did I mention cooked? If you started to cut up a cow, your mouth wouldn't water-except to puke maybe. You know that watering under your tongue thing? Ugh. the worst! Things that we crave naturally, that come from unadulterated foods that need no processing- that is what we are meant for. Things that grow and produce in nature, that we can pull open with our muscular hands, crack open with our wide and somewhat strong teeth, much like that of a seed,nut or fruit rind.
But we have Canines. Sure, but they are itty bitty and I wouldn't exactly go bragging about them. They are much shorter than, say, a Lion's because they are meant for cracking nuts, seeds and peircing fruit flesh- not another animal.
This could go on and on, so let me leave you with one last, spicy detail about our insides. A Carnivore, like a Lion (because he seems to be everyone's favorite example), has a short digestive tract. This is to shorten digestion time so that he doesn't absorb the unecessary and high amounts of fat and cholesterol. He gets what he needs and it's gone. Then he hunts again. Our stomach acids are signifigantly weaker and far less capable of breaking down meat than a Carnovire's as well as having completely opposite saliva profiles- Carnivore's have acidic saliva, to break down acidic meats. Humans have a more alkaline saliva that is necessary for grain breakdown.
PS. Heart disease comes from over consumption of animal products, #1 killer in this Country- so not only are we looking at eating disorders and gluttony (tossed that one in for the nice Christian folks) but disease, from eating animals.
It should also come as no surprise that disease in the Human body thrives when it is acidic. Acidic foods? Dairy and Meat (processed junk too like sugar). Alkaline, balancing foods? Fruits, nuts, grains and seeds.
Other good articles on the subject:
http://prime.peta.org/2009/10/yes-its-true-humans-arent-meant-to-eat-meat
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
http://freefromharm.org/photo-galleries/9-reasons-your-canine-teeth-dont-make-you-a-meat-eater/
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