Are humans supposed to eat meat?

[osan]

Are we suppose to eat meat? My thoughts are that we are really suppose to eat fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. and meat should be eaten only as a last resort/survival kind of thing. I don't think I'm going to stop eating meat anytime soon, but I'd like to hear some thoughts on this topic. Thanks.

Just as is the case with nearly everything else in life, one size does not fit all. As far as I can see, there is no such thing as "should eat X" or "should not eat Y", generally speaking. We are each one of us different. We have canine teeth, a strong indicator that meat is at least an acceptable component of our diets, as is the fact that we have a rather long gut, something you don't find in too many vegetarian species.

All that aside, human beings are, AFAICS, omnivores. We can eat just about anything. Some people do not like meat - some get sick on it. Those people, therefore, should not eat it. Others love it and eat it with no problems. It is a great protein source, as well as for many other essential nutrients.

You should eat what tastes good to you and does not make you sick. Anyone who will tell you otherwise doesn't have a clue about what they are saying Consider salt: many people, doctors included will tell you not to eat any salt. If I gave up salt I would die. I eat it right out of the shaker - my body craves it and I obey. My BP is a consistent 128/60 and my heart seems to be in excellent shape. I will be 52 in Feb. Other people, eating no salt and in their 20s are ready to keel over. There are no standard answers for us, short of a few of the extremes like cyanide and phosgene. Not too many people survive those.

As I wrote above, our anatomy is highly suggestive of an omnivorous character. It is my belief that one should obey the body's command. The exceptions to this reside with the highly processed foods. For example, cola appears to be strongly addictive in that it produces very strong cravings in some people. In such cases it is my opinion that one should avoid consuming crap like that.

As to feeling disconnected from your food: go out and kill something and eat it. I believe that every human being who chooses to eat meat should do this at least once in their lives. IMO it is the apex of hypocrisy and in some cases cowardice to go an entire lifetime paying others to do the dirty work of taking lives for you. You should know the feeling of killing that which you eat. It is a sobering experience and helps keep one mindful of the sanctity of life - ALL life - and to be ever so grateful for one's own life as well. But that is just my worthless opinion on the matter. To each I bid do as you will, of course.

 

[SimpleName]

I hate the back and forth on foods and diets. At some point, I just throw up my arms in disgust and eat whatever I want. A lot of people say fish are good. Contaminated, horrible tasting (and smelling) fish. Nevermind. How about chicken? Well, sure it is good. But it has to be baked and adding any sauce or dressing makes it counterproductive. Dry meat...ugh! And then people act like red meat is the absolute devil, though it often tastes heavenly. So, I have to give it up? Vegetables. Vegetables are the key to health they'll insist. That would be fine if they weren't stale and dull. And again, adding sauce or dressing is counterproductive.

So basically, I'm down to fruit and nuts. Eating fruit in any large portion makes the roof of my mouth feel rather strange, especially my favorites, apples. And nuts...again, dull. So after weighing all these options, factoring in disease, taking into consideration that everybody says to do something different, I say SCREW IT! I'll just eat whatever I'm in the mood for. If I die at 60, so be it. Whatever. The world probably won't be that great at that point anyway.

 

[SelfTaught]

I hate the back and forth on foods and diets. At some point, I just throw up my arms in disgust and eat whatever I want. A lot of people say fish are good. Contaminated, horrible tasting (and smelling) fish. Nevermind. How about chicken? Well, sure it is good. But it has to be baked and adding any sauce or dressing makes it counterproductive. Dry meat...ugh! And then people act like red meat is the absolute devil, though it often tastes heavenly. So, I have to give it up? Vegetables. Vegetables are the key to health they'll insist. That would be fine if they weren't stale and dull. And again, adding sauce or dressing is counterproductive.

So basically, I'm down to fruit and nuts. Eating fruit in any large portion makes the roof of my mouth feel rather strange, especially my favorites, apples. And nuts...again, dull. So after weighing all these options, factoring in disease, taking into consideration that everybody says to do something different, I say SCREW IT! I'll just eat whatever I'm in the mood for. If I die at 60, so be it. Whatever. The world probably won't be that great at that point anyway.

You don't have to cut out all sauces and dressings. Just downsize the amount you use.

Vegetables and chicken don't have to be bland. How about the most basic chicken noodle soup which combines chicken, carrots, celery, and onion? Add a few other things and it can be delicious.

 

[dr. hfn]

we're omnivores....which is an evolutionary advantage...just look at our teeth (multipurpose)....

 

[Toureg89]

I'm really disconnected from the food I eat, as I have never hunted, killed, skinned, and done all the other necessary steps to get an animal to where it is ready to be consumed. Today I started watching Food Inc. and I paused it to ask this question to the forum: Are we suppose to eat meat? My thoughts are that we are really suppose to eat fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. and meat should be eaten only as a last resort/survival kind of thing. I don't think I'm going to stop eating meat anytime soon, but I'd like to hear some thoughts on this topic. Thanks.

it is meat that allowed humans to evolve into the complexly smart apes we are now.

actually i was beat to it:

While that might be true, there is also speculation that one of the reasons we evolved intellectually beyond primates was due to the fact that we eat meat, especially fish. Given the composition of our brains, I don't think that's too wild of a guess.

 

[Rancher]

I'm really disconnected from the food I eat, as I have never hunted, killed, skinned, and done all the other necessary steps to get an animal to where it is ready to be consumed. Today I started watching Food Inc. and I paused it to ask this question to the forum: Are we suppose to eat meat? My thoughts are that we are really suppose to eat fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. and meat should be eaten only as a last resort/survival kind of thing. I don't think I'm going to stop eating meat anytime soon, but I'd like to hear some thoughts on this topic. Thanks.

I didn't work my way to the top of the food chain to eat broccoli.

 

[Krugerrand]

I didn't work my way to the top of the food chain to eat broccoli.

George Bush (39) does not eat broccoli. :o

 

[Rael]

I think the fact that we DO eat it is evidence enough that we are "supposed" to eat meat. Whether it's better than other types of food is a different debate.

 

[youngbuck]

We are definitely meant to eat meat, including animal fats and animal products in general. Some of the top superfoods are animal products such as:

Bee Pollen
High Vitamin Butter
Cod Liver Oil
Glandular and Organ Extracts

Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/Guide-to-Superfoods.html

 

[orafi]

I love meats and saturated fats. I can binge on the fats. Yum!