that human beings are not carnivores?  This is a controversial topic that drives meat eaters straight to the comfort of their steak tartare.  Sorry to burst your bubble, folks, but you might want to rethink your love affair with the cow!  Of course, we might have been carnivores at one point in our evolutionary history when we walked on all fours, but we have come a long way, baby. I know there is some rolling of the eyes going on out there, but humor me, and read on!

 

Scientifically speaking, there is a great deal of evidence to say that humans are actually omnivores, capable of digesting both meat and plants, but this classification is a bit misleading because while it is true that humans did, at one time, consume both plant- and animal-based foods, scientific studies done on the stomach contents of bog people have shown that their diets were more plant-based than formerly thought. Bog people subsisted on mostly seeds, nuts, and berries. These findings have caused scientists to rethink their assumptions about our ancestors' nutritional choices.

 

As I will begin to show you in a moment, the human body is no longer wired to crave uncooked meats, and it is not capable of digesting them. That should indicate that we have evolved away from carnivore status and are continuing to move to a place where we will  survive primarily as herbivores.  Some experts make credible arguments that we are already herbivores. Obviously, this is sure to raise the blood pressure of some carnivores (of course the saturated fats in their diets will have helped with this). In fact, if you're one of those thinking that you would like to delete this e-zine right about now and stop receiving this rubbish in the future, well then, my point is made. The controversy around the subject can bring out the McNasty in many!  However, if you will keep an open mind, perhaps you will be swayed by some of the information I am about to share with you, evidence that has me convinced that humans have already evolved into herbivores.
 

For starters, human beings are born with a little nuisance of an organ called the appendix. Today, it has no function; in fact, when it becomes infected and must be removed, we notice no difference in our day-to-day lives. In earlier ages, the appendix allowed humans to digest and process raw meat.  Since the organ no longer works in any way, we presently cannot eat raw meat, nor do we even want to!  For this reason alone, we cannot accurately consider ourselves carnivores; carnivores are supposed to crave and consume only raw meat...really raw meat...live, squirming meat really excites them. Me, not so much.

 

An argument I read ages ago puts things in perspective.  Imagine a crib, and in that crib we place a toddler.  We then drop in an apple and a fluffy white bunny.  The toddler will instinctively move to eat the apple and play with the bunny.  Next, let's place a lion cub into another crib. Drop in an apple and a fluffy white bunny. What's the lion cub going to do? You've got that right: it will instinctively move to play with the apple and eat the bunny!  So there's a fundamental difference, wouldn't you say? (I have the sneaking suspicion that my in-box is going to be jammed tomorrow!)

 

Here is another important point: animal fat is saturated fat.  The human body cannot process saturated fats, cooked or otherwise. The human body cannot break saturated fats down to create energy nor can it eliminate them fast enough. Consequently, it stores them in the arteries. The result is clogged arteries and cholesterol levels that will eventually kill millions of us.  Now, let's look at that lion again. He eats raw meat exclusively and does not suffer from high cholesterol or clogged arteries, ever!

 

Let us continue by looking further at the equipment that comes standard with the human body. The intestinal tract provides a fascinating context to help us digest what some scientists are theorizing. In humans, the small and large intestines combined  measure about four times a person's height.The approximately 27 feet of twisting, turning intestines are lined with tiny pockets. Why is the human intestine so designed?  
 

 Simply put, a long stay in the digestive system allows plant-based foods to be relieved of all of their nutrients. Unfortunately, waste from meat stagnating for hours in the intestines begins putrefying, and resultant substances containing fat and cholesterol are deposited into those pockets, causing all sorts of problems. A carnivore's intestinal tract, on the other hand, is only about twice as long as its body.  It is fairly straight and pipe-like, thereby allowing fats and cholesterol to pass through and out before they begin putrefying. So, if you think about it, our intestines might be trying to tell us something-maybe that we are designed to process plant-based foods, because we're obviously not so efficient with the animal-based stuff?

 

To put some teeth into the argument, we should compare some of them! The carnivore's teeth are long and pointed for piercing and tearing flesh. They are the opposite of the human's 20 molars, flat-edged for grinding plant-based foods.  Additionally, herbivores have eight incisors that are used for biting into fruits and vegetables. The least prominent human teeth are the four canines. Like our little pinkies, the canines will continue to become smaller and smaller.  Were you ever to come across someone with a really good set of canines (who's not in the cast of True Blood), you had better wonder about his evolutionary status and then think about running!

 

Continuing to look to our bodies for evidence of our evolutionary status, we move to the story told by saliva.  Our saliva is alkaline to help us digest carbohydrates, or plant-based foods. The saliva of a carnivore is acidic.  I wrote about the dangers of having an acidic body in an earlier e-zine, and you might want to check it out here (Alkaline or Acidic?).  The gist of the article is that an acidic body is not a healthy body. Consuming plant-based foods will return the body to a healthy alkaline state.

 

Now let's look at some of our other organs.  Carnivore's kidneys and livers are larger than ours, proportionally speaking, making it possible for them to handle excessive organic waste from animals.  Their livers secrete more bile, allowing them to break down the raw, high-fat meats. Our bodies can't do this.  In fact, we have to cook our meat completely to prevent getting sick from it. The bacteria alone in cooked meat has been wreaking havoc in our intestines; I can't imagine what raw meat would do to us...well I guess I can, but I would rather not.  Meat makes us sick, period. Vegetables make us healthy, period. 

 

Now let's make a comparison with our nonhuman counterparts, the primates.  Primates are omnivores because they are able to consume both plant and animal products. But the amount of animal foods they instinctively consume accounts for only one percent of their total caloric intake. One percent! Most humans get 50 percent of their daily calories from animal products.  

 

So, I believe the health problems in this country arise from the fact that Americans are eating like carnivores, consuming animal protein daily-not monthly or even bimonthly! Just think about it, most people I know have an animal protein with almost every meal of the day! Think about your average day-how much have you had so far today?  (Once again, I am not speaking about fish!)

 

Lastly, let me explain other reasons that you should limit your intake of  meat-especially red meat. Eating too many animal proteins can congest your organs and cells.  Eating too much red meat puts a strain your kidneys: that's why carnivores' kidneys are so much larger than ours.  People who face kidney failure and other kidney issues should absolutely restrict their intake of animal proteins; the rest of us should take heed!  Again, excessive animal proteins make our tissues acidic. This can give rise to issues with arthritis, osteoporosis and degenerative bone disease.  How many people do you know who suffer from one or more of these health issues?  All of them?

 

Red meat contains more toxins than any other food offered for consumption in this country.  If it's not organic, you can be sure the animal has been plied with pesticides, sulfa drugs, hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, and other toxins necessary to get the fatted calf to market. Since all of these toxins are stored in the animal's fat-fat that we can't process when we eat these animals-we basically agree to carry their toxins with us, forever, in loving memory of that  fantastic steak dinner! 

 

Lastly, you might not know that meats, grains and juices are zapped during the  process of irradiation, with radiation equal to that emitted in 10 to 70 million chest x-rays. This process is meant to kill or prevent microorganisms from growing. The FDA has allowed this since 1990, even though the process destroys 95% of vitamin A, 86%of vitamin B, and 70% of vitamin C.  It also reduces essential fatty acids, flora (for more info on flora, check out "Friendly or Deadly?") and necessary enzymes in our foods.  Therefore, avoid foods marked with a "Radura" label. If the whole product was not irradiated, you have to look for the fine print that tells you which ingredients were "treated with irradiation."  Reading glasses-don't leave home without  'em.

 

Well, that's the skinny on what I think about classifying humans as carnivores. I just think that too many arguments can be made for team herbivore! I know that we should eat food that brings us life and health. Sorry, but I think we should avoid foods that deplete us of good health!  If you eat healthy whole foods, greens, grains, legumes, and small amounts of fresh water fish (organic), your body will reward you with health, and you will suddenly find you don't have to fight the big fight!

 

Choose life!