Are Humans Really Omnivores?
When the issues of diet and eating healthy arise there are a lot of people that will adamantly argue that humans are omnivores - creatures that are meant to be eating both meat and plants as opposed to herbivores which are animals that exclusively eat plants or have a very small portion of their diet (less than 5%) that consists of meat or other substances. Humans have been eating meat for thousands of years but does that mean it’s something we should be eating and is it a natural part of our diet or something we’ve developed through our own means? There are arguments for both sides but when it really comes down to it humans have a clear natural diet and it really isn’t meant to include meat.
One of the biggest reasons that people believe humans are meant to eat meat is because we’ve “always” eaten meat and that just isn’t the case. There’s actually a great deal of evidence that shows that early humans weren’t hunters of any kind and didn’t develop the instincts or necessary evolvements to hunt - the only reason we were ever viewed as “predators” was because of our learned abilities to defend ourselves against other animals. On top of that humans are unique because we have the ability to make choices based on reason rather than instinct - this is what separates us from our animal counterparts. With very few exceptions, animals rely entirely on their instincts to know what to eat, what to drink, where to live, how to hide, how to reproduce, and so forth which is why it’s obvious to them what is food and what isn’t but because humans can make choices independent of our instinct and can practice learned behavior it’s easy for us to learn that certain things (like meat, candy, processed corn and so forth) are food when really they aren’t.
A lot of people also believe the idea that simply because a human can eat meat means that they should. This is a very strange way of thinking because humans really aren’t designed to eat meat at all - none of our body’s natural attributes support it, and while we’re capable of digesting meat it doesn’t mean that we’re meant to be eating it. We’re capable of digesting cardboard and glue as well but those aren’t things you want to eat regardless of whether or not you can.
The fact of the matter is that humans actually don’t possess any of the traits that true omnivores do that allow them to digest meat. The “canine” teeth we have are only canine by name and bear little resemblance to the sharp and long fangs that carnivores have to rip and tear meat. We also have an extremely lengthy digestive tract which works for herbivores because plants can move through our system at a much slower pace as opposed to meat that has to be quickly pushed through the digestive process of a carnivore because of how quickly it rots compared to a plant. Herbivores also don’t have claws, perspire through their skin, and have flat molars in the back of their mouths which are used to grind food. Their stomach acid is weaker (because plants are easier to digest than meat) and they have an alkaline saliva with certain enzymes that are used to predigest plant based foods along with salivary glands that serve the same purpose. Carnivores on the other hand, have claws, cool themselves through the tongue, have no molars to grind food with, have extremely strong stomach acid as well as acidic saliva. These are all necessary functions to be able to digest meat and humans have none of them.
If you take a look at the normal characteristics of humans, the way we eat (with our hands and fingers) the way we drink (by suction like all other herbivores, as opposed to lapping water with our tongues) and our inherent nature when it comes to food it’s pretty obvious that meat is not part of our natural diet. True carnivores and omnivores have an instinct when it comes to eating meat. They enjoy the hunt, the thrill of the chase, pouncing on an animal and even tearing it to shreds. Most humans don’t do well at the mere sight of blood and would be sickened listening to an animal being killed and even more disturbed if they had to tear it to pieces with their own teeth. Humans don’t have the same instincts about meat that carnivores and omnivores do. We don’t salivate at the sight of roadkill or a dead bird in our backyard where as any cat or true predator will be thrilled to find such a thing. However what human would turn down a bowl of ripe grapes or a strawberry plucked right off the vine. These foods are naturally appealing to us and our nimble fingers and grinding teeth make us perfectly suited to eat them. Try and get a cat to eat a banana and see how suited they are to fruit and then boil a plate of chicken or beef and see how good it looks without any seasonings or sauce put on it. The choices are pretty obvious here.
Furthermore humans are designed to eat fruit and vegetables and certainly don’t possess the trains or abilities to eat meat. Carnivores are naturally suited to running after prey. They are built for speed, precision, and the ability to respond quickly with their sharp reflexes. Their jaws and teeth are designed to allow them to ensnare and kill animals while their claws are meant to tear at flesh. They can run much faster than we can and can see much farther. They also don’t need to chew their food to digest and for the most part can barely chew at all. Watch a cat eat meat and you’ll get the idea pretty quickly. Humans however can’t run very fast (we’re much more suited to long distances) we have no special advantages that allow us to capture animals and without modern (or even ancient) tools and weapons we wouldn’t be able to catch animals at all. If you aren’t completely convinced of this then try and catch a rabbit or a squirrel with your bare hands. See how well that works out for you.
On top of all of the overwhelming characteristic evidence a big factor in the whole issue is that meat simply isn’t good for humans. Carnivores can handle an almost unlimited amount of cholesterol and various fats found in meat along with a high protein diet. Humans however simply can’t. Our arteries get clogged, the protein leeches calcium from our bones. After just a few months of eating a high meat diet we develop serious degenerative diseases, our digestion becomes sluggish and backed up, we lose energy and our ability to repair our bodies naturally. Meat simply isn’t good for us. A lot of people are convinced that we need meet to get the proper amounts of protein or b12 but this really isn’t the case and meat is actually a deficient source of protein compared to many dark, leafy vegetables that our bodies are naturally designed to make use of.
So as you can see, when it really comes down to it there just isn’t any evidence to support a meat based diet and continuing to eat one is extremely harmful to your health. Consider all these facts and make an effort to consume less or no meat at all and you’ll be far healthier and living more naturally.