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Are humans natural meat-eaters? Or is switching to a plant-based eating plan safe to do? What are human beings supposed to eat naturally?
How humans digest meat. The argument against meat. Reasons why we should eat meat. Read this next. Are Skittles Vegan? Are we herbivores, then? We are, it seems, omnivores; our bodies can handle both meat and plant matter pretty well. The panda — with killer canines and a bamboo diet — is an excellent example. That being said, it is true that most creatures have a gut suited to the diet that they consume. Lions, for instance, have huge, smooth-walled stomachs for holding hunks of animal.
Many herbivores, meanwhile, have massive, plant-destroying factories in their abdomens, where bacteria smash apart the tough constituents of plant matter. We humans like to think of ourselves as special, and, in many ways, you could argue that we are. But when it comes to our internal tubing, we are monumentally average. Rather boringly, the human gut is very similar to that of our closest relatives: monkeys and apes.
Eating meat, according to some evolutionary scientists, gave early humans a vital head start. Meat is packed with energy and protein that may have helped us to develop and nurture the over-sized bundle of cabling between our ears. The expensive tissue hypothesis states that to have a larger brain, we need to save metabolic energy elsewhere. To do this, our guts were shortened. But this brought another issue: having a shorter gut meant that our diet had to be of a higher quality to provide enough nutrients.
Enter the animal-based diet. It is worth noting that this theory is not roundly supported. Some researchers believe that hunting prey contributed to our bipedal stance, and that planning and conducting a hunt could have assisted the development of language, communication, and complex societies.
Modern life is different; the options that lie on the dinner table are much more varied. Our forebears did not have access to tofu, for instance, and a human living in colder climes would struggle to find cashew nuts on her daily forage. Humans have evolved to be omnivorous, eating both animals and plants for survival.
In general, humans can eat seeds, fruits, vegetables, roots, and many other plant parts. The outermost layer of every plant cell is the cell wall, which is made of fiber-like compounds like cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignins. Yet, our bodies produce all of the enzymes , such as protease and lipase, necessary for the breakdown and absorption of meat 7.
The more calorie-dense the diet like that of any carnivore , the less time and microbial help needed for digestion and absorption — hence the shorter gut in carnivores 8. Thus, herbivores need to eat larger quantities of these foods to meet their daily calorie needs, and their digestive systems have to work harder to extract nutrients — hence the longer gut in herbivores.
Being omnivores, humans are capable of eating and digesting both meat and plants, so the length of your gut falls somewhere in between 9 , This is why people who follow a diet that excludes all animal products are advised to take vitamin B12 supplements.
Other nutrients, such as creatine, vitamin D3, and omega-3 fatty acids like docosahexaenoic acid DHA , are also missing in a plant-based diet. Plus, studies reveal that vegans and vegetarians have lower blood levels of omega-3s like eicosapentaenoic acid EPA and DHA — so omega-3 supplements made from algae are usually recommended 14 , 15 , 16 , Lacto-vegetarian diets that include dairy, ovo-vegetarian diets that include eggs, and pescatarian diets that include fish also provide these nutrients.
All the same, vegetarians and vegans may not get enough iron in their diets, as plant foods only offer this mineral in small amounts 18 , 19 , Keep in mind that vegan and vegetarian diets should be properly planned to avoid nutrient deficiencies.
Other nutrients that may be difficult to obtain on such diets include protein, iodine, zinc, and calcium 21 , 22 , 23 , Processed meats may be associated with a slightly increased risk of colorectal cancer — though other factors may also be at play — and too much meat intake is tied to an increased risk of death by any cause 25 , 26 , 27 , On the other hand, vegetarian and vegan diets have consistently been shown to protect against heart disease.
They may also help safeguard against cancer , though current research is mixed 29 , 30 , 31 ,
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