{"id":1036,"date":"2022-05-11T00:35:47","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T23:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nicholasidoko.com\/blog\/?p=1036"},"modified":"2024-08-12T13:05:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T12:05:22","slug":"are-humans-vegetarians-by-choice-or-compulsion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nicholasidoko.com\/blog\/are-humans-vegetarians-by-choice-or-compulsion\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Humans Vegetarians By Choice or Compulsion?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There is no more heated dispute in the realm of nutrition than that between meat-eaters and vegetarians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dispute is so heated that it makes one wonder if we were designed to be vegetarians from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people follow a vegetarian diet for health reasons<\/a>, while others are motivated by ethical considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, some meat-eaters don’t give a second thought to whether they should or shouldn’t consume meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, others will fight to the death for their right to eat animal flesh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to nutritional decisions, passions can run surprisingly high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food is a matter of survival, and we still need to defend our food sources deep down in our primate brains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we are less concerned with the meat industry’s ethics; this is not to say that they are unimportant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather, we are more concerned with the biology involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is divided into two parts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we must consider if humans are “built” to be vegetarians or if we developed to be so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we’ll consider which choice is the healthiest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Humans Carnivores or Herbivores?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the first question to answer, and it appears to be straightforward anatomically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don’t appear like carnivores<\/a>; our teeth aren’t strong enough to rend flesh, and our stomachs are excessively lengthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, are we herbivores<\/a>? No, our stomachs aren’t big enough, and our teeth aren’t quite right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We appear to be omnivores<\/a>, with bodies capable of handling meat and plant materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it’s not quite that straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s impossible to tell what an animal’s diet is only by looking at its teeth and gut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panda, with its deadly canines and bamboo diet, is a great example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, most creatures indeed have a gut that is tailored to their diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lions, for example, have massive, smooth-walled stomachs that can hold large amounts of meat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, microorganisms in the abdomens of many herbivores break down the tough elements of plant matter, creating huge plant-destroying factories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans prefer to think of ourselves as unique, and in many respects, we are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we are incredibly ordinary when it comes to internal tubing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The human intestine is remarkably similar to that of our closest cousins, monkeys, and apes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, if we want to work in harmony with our guts’ design, we should eat a diet that is at least similar to our cousins’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuts, fruits, leaves, insects, and the rare bite of meat are found in almost every monkey and ape’s diet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although you may have seen terrible footage of adult chimps killing and devouring baby ones<\/a>, this is a rare occurrence when compared to the amount of non-meat goods consumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can deduce from these facts that we are not necessarily vegetarians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that we have evolved to eat only the occasional nibble of meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read: How Do Spices Boost Health and Flavor in Meals?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meat-eating and Human Evolution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some evolutionary experts believe eating meat gave early humans an important advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meat is high in energy and protein, which may have aided in developing and maintaining the large cabling bundle between our ears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the expensive tissue hypothesis, we must save metabolic energy elsewhere to have a larger brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our intestines were shortened to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, having a shorter gut meant that our diet needed to be of higher quality to offer enough nutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The animal-based diet was introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s worth mentioning that this hypothesis isn’t universally accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some academics argue that planning and conducting a hunt aided language development, communication, and complex societies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, just because something has been done for millennia does not imply we must continue down the same route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern living is different; the possibilities on the dinner table are far more diverse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, our forefathers did not have access to tofu, and humans in a colder climate would have difficulty finding cashew nuts in their daily forage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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