WE WERE MEANT TO EAT MEAT

WE WERE MEANT TO EAT MEAT

After years of advocating veganism, one of the arguments that I hear the most is “We were meant to eat meat.”

Looking closely at our bodies and how we function, we can see we were meant to be herbivores, not carnivores.

First, look at our teeth. We have mostly flat teeth meant for grinding, not ripping skin and flesh. Our teeth are small and soft. We have only two pointed teeth and those are incisors, meant for plant food. When you look at a true carnivore’s teeth, like a wolf or a lion, they have all pointed teeth.  Their teeth are meant to rip through skin and raw flesh. Humans are unable to do that. We have to skin flesh first and cook it. Despite what you see on TV, we do not have the teeth that can rip through skin. Our jaws move side to side, while true carnivore jaws clamp down. We are unable to easily tear through fur and skin. We need to cut pieces of flesh off with tools like knives. If humans could only eat animal flesh with our teeth and no instruments, we would all be vegan.

True carnivores have claws that can tear through skin with one stroke. Our nails are soft and without using tools we cannot rip through flesh or fur.

Our stomachs do not have strong acids to dissolve flesh like true carnivores. The acid in our stomachs is weak, meant to dissolve plants. Carnivores have shorter intestines, while ours are longer. We need high fiber diets to keep our intestines functioning properly.  High cholesterol isn’t a problem true carnivores have. Yet, humans suffer from high cholesterol by consuming meat and dairy products. High cholesterol isn’t a problem on a plant based diet either.

If we were meant to eat animal flesh, we would not be getting so many diseases from it. Cancer, obesity, diabetes, are not part of nature. If we were eating the diet nature intended for us, these diseases would hardly exist. They are an epidemic in our society today and studies trace them back to flesh eating. Animal flesh and dairy products have a high acid content. This high acid eats away at our bones. Studies have shown countries with low meat and dairy consumption have lower rates of osteoporosis.

We were born to be peaceful, non-violent creatures. It is very hard for humans to handle violence. Many vets returning from war, come home with PTSD. We don’t like conflict, and the meat, dairy, egg industry takes advantage of that. By pushing their products on us, society has accepted it as the norm. People just follow others, because to be different creates conflict.

Our decision to eat animal flesh was inherited from our parents. We did not make the choice, but we can change. Any vegan will tell you, the only regret they have is that they didn’t start sooner. Going vegan and leaving the violence behind, lifts a great weight off your shoulders.