...Sorry smitty5168, but your facts are wrong!
(In my teaching days I used to lecture on this sh*t so I'm a bit clued up).
Animals designed to eat meat have different teeth to those intended to eat vegetables, grains etc. Also, the digestive tract of meat eaters is shorter to allow the rapid digestion and evacuation of putrefying meat.
Although some historians and anthropologists say that man is historically omnivorous, our anatomical equipment teeth, jaws, and digestive system favours a fleshless diet. The American Dietetic Association notes that ?most of mankind for most of human history has lived on vegetarian or near-vegetarian diets.? As the human animal has grain crushing teeth and a long intestine we can deduce that we should not be eating meat, even though the human body has adapted for its digestion, albeit not efficiently hence the health problems of meat eaters.
It is also a myth and an outdated assumption that vegetarians are malnourished. There are no vitamins in a carnivore's diet that cannot be obtained from a varied and balanced vegetarian diet.
Meat-eaters: have claws
Herbivores: no claws
Humans: no claws
Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue
Herbivores: perspire through skin pores
Humans: perspire through skin pores
Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding
Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding
Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding
Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly
Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.
Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.
Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat
Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater
Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater
Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.
Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits
Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits
Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains
A popular statement that meat eaters make is; ?In the wild, animals kill other animals for food. It?s nature!? First of all, we are not in the wild. Secondly, we can easily live without eating meat and killing, not to mention we?d be healthier. And finally, as already shown, we weren?t meant to eat meat. Meat and seafood putrefies within 4 hours after consumption and the remnants cling to the walls of the stomach and intestines for 3-4 days or longer than if a person is constipated. Furthermore, the reaction of saliva in humans is more alkaline, whereas in the case of flesh-eating or preying animals, it is clearly acidic. The alkaline saliva does not act properly on meat.
The final point on how we as humans were not meant to eat meat is this. All omnivorous and carnivorous animals eat their meat raw. When a lion kills a herbivore for food, it tears right into the stomach area to eat the organs that are filled with blood (nutrients). While eating the stomach, liver, intestine, etc., the lion laps the blood in the process of eating the dead animals flesh. Even bears that are omnivores eat salmon raw. However, eating raw or bloody meat disgust us as humans. Therefore, we must cook it and season it to buffer the taste of flesh.
If a deer is burned in a forest fire, a carnivorous animal will NOT eat its flesh. Even circus lions have to be feed raw meat so that they will not starve to death. If humans were truly meant to eat meat, then we would eat all of our meat raw and bloody. The thought of eating such meat makes one?s stomach turn. This is my point on how we as humans are conditioned to believe that animal flesh is good for us and that we were meant to consume it for survival and health purposes. If we are true carnivores or omnivores, cooking our meat and seasoning it with salt, ketchup, or tabasco sauce will disguise the flavour and we as humans would refuse to eat our meat in this form.
(Courtesy of Atma Jyoti Ashram)
Just because we can eat meat doesn't mean we should. It is a moral issue as well as a biological one. We have no right to exploit animals for ANY reason.
To return to the original poster, my reason for raising vegetarianism was to suggest that while it is commendable to do what we can to alleviate animal suffering, it is hypocritical to raise money for this cause while continuing to eat meat.
It is also hypocritical to feel nauseated at the thought of eating a dog or cat while in reality it is no different to eating a pig or a chicken. Eating a filet mignon also known as Chateaubriand steak is still eating the Psoas major, a long fusiform muscle situated on the side of the lumbar region of the vertebral column and brim of the lesser pelvis of a dead steer or heifer. I fail to understand how one's digestive juices can get all fired up at this thought.
The health facts are even more startling:
Those who eat flesh are far more likely to contract cancer than those following a vegetarian diet.
The risk of contracting breast cancer is 3.8 times greater for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week; 2.8 times greater for women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week; and 3.25 greater for women who eat butter and cheese 2 to 4 times a week as compared to once a week.
The risk of fatal ovarian cancer is three times greater for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week as compared with less than once a week.
The risk of fatal prostate cancer is 3.6 times greater for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily as compared with sparingly or not at all.
Heart attack is the most common cause of death in the U.S., killing one person every 45 seconds. The male meat-eater's risk of death from heart attack is 50%. The risk to men who eat no meat is 15%. Reducing one's consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10% reduces the risk of heart attack by 10%. Completely eliminating these products from one's diet reduces the risk of heart attack by 90%.
The average cholesterol consumption of a meat-centered diet is 210 milligrams per day. The chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol is 210 milligrams daily is greater than 50%.
In the U.S. alone, 660,000 animals are killed for meat every hour. A surprising quantity of meat is consumed by the meat-eater. The average per capita consumption of meat in the U.S., Canada and Australia is 200 pounds per year! The average American consumes in a 72-year lifetime approximately 11 cattle, 3 lambs and sheep, 23 hogs, 45 turkeys, 1,100 chickens and 862 pounds of fish! Bon appetite!
People who come in contact with slaughterhouses cannot help but be affected by what they see and hear. Those living nearby must daily experience the screams of terror and anger of the animals led to slaughter. Those working inside must also see and participate in the crimes of mayhem and murder. Most who choose this line of work are not on the job for long.
Of all occupations in the U.S., slaughterhouse worker has the highest turnover rate.
Finally, I have never seen the attraction to having lumps of dead animal carcass which are several days or weeks old on my dinner plate, no matter what cooking method or sauce is used to disguise the repulsive smell and taste. I love animals so I don't eat them!
themagician
