Becoming a Vegetarian - does it suit humans better?

by Webmaster, All4NaturalHealth.com

Ever considered becoming a vegetarian?

Why become a vegetarian? Well, why not?

I've always wondered - how 'wired up' exactly is the human make-up for meat consumption?


Physical aspects of humans

Do we have the necessary teeth to tear through animal hide and into the flesh? We don't.

Do we have the so-called 'correct' intestinal structure? Carnivores like cats have short and sharp intestines, which facilitate quick removal of digested meat from their bodies. Imagine a piece of animal flesh, left for a few days at room temperature on your kitchen table - it's going to putrefy!

Humans have long and winding intestines. Now imagine all that meat we eat, stuck inside for several days, at body temperature too - when the meat 'goes bad' in there, our bodies get poisoned by all the bacteria and toxins produced. Herbivores have long and winding intestines, to facilitate the digestion of large amounts of plant material.

Typically, the appendix plays an important role in the digestion of large amounts of plant foods. Humans also have an appendix, but it doesn't seem to have any function anymore. What does that tell you about the human body and its original diet? Yes. Chances are, humans were always vegetarian, for thousands of years, before we took to eating and liking meat.

In fact, our bodies don't exactly digest meat very well. There's a reason for all that indigestion, bloating, tiredness, chronic pain and diseases, etc.

To some people, these physical issues alone are enough for them to decide on becoming a vegetarian. Or, perhaps not so much becoming a vegetarian, as returning to vegetarianism.


The mental, emotional and psychological aspects of meat eating

When you see a chicken, a goat or a cow, what goes through your mind? What do you instinctively do?

Do you salivate and picture a delicious roasted chicken drumstick, medium rare steak or mutton stew crying out to you from your dinner table? Or do you simply cluck, moo or go "baaaah" at the animal? Probably the latter, I think.

On the flip side, when you see your chicken wing, pork chop or beef steak, do you draw the link in your mind to a beautiful rooster, an adorable piglet or a grazing cow? In my mind, most likely not, right?

When you watch the Discovery Channel, or take a walk somewhere in the wild, and see a kingfisher diving for its fish food, a leopard hunting its prey, a lion devouring a deer, a snake swallowing a lizard, or a crocodile snapping its jaws at its unsuspecting target, do you cringe, comment that it's so cruel, and can't bear to watch?

The truth is, humans are even worse, even crueler, than these carnivorous animals. They were made that way. That's their nature. Meat is their only food. They don't think, they don't choose; they act on instincts.

Humans, however, have a wide variety of food choices. And vegetarian diets have been clearly proven to have many advantages and health benefits. But we choose to eat meat. We choose to kill animals for food.

Can we justify all the mass murder of animals, as well as the resulting massive environmental damage caused by the animal food industry? Isn't the desire not to kill other living and moving creatures a good enough reason for us to walk the road of becoming a vegetarian?

Even worse, unlike animals, which only eat to satisfy their hunger (and that's it, they rest), humans are extremely greedy creatures. We eat and eat, eat and overeat until we become obese and die from the related serious illnesses. Thus, we are causing even more killing of innocent animals.

And it's not like there is not enough plant food left on our planet, and becoming a vegetarian would not be possible; on the contrary, there is plenty.

Do you realize that humans do not say "I'm going to have pig for dinner", or "Let's have some cow meat today", but we have instead come up with terms such as "pork", "mutton" and "beef"? This is called psychological numbing, where we attempt to divorce that piece of animal flesh on our plates with the idea of an actual beautiful living creature which had to be killed to become our food.

We want to think that that piece of food is just that - food, and not previously a living creature.

If you had to personally slaughter animals for food, would you do it? I know I wouldn't.Unless there is no other food left on Earth but animals.

My point is, if humans were designed (or evolved, or both) to be meat-eaters, much of the above should come very naturally and instinctively to us. There should be little or no guilt, no sadness, no hesitation. It should be like second nature to us. But it's not.

We are only deceiving ourselves, by pretending that the hesitation, guilt and sadness do not exist. We numb ourselves to them.

In my view, a human being is, mentally, emotionally and psychologically, more suited to becoming a vegetarian than being a meat-eater.


Man's origins - based on both religion and evolution

Personally, I believe in God; I also believe in evolution. That, however, is another discussion for another time and another place.

For strict bible Christians, the following is mentioned in the book of Genesis: "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has seed in it. They will be yours for food...l give every green plant for food.' And it was so." - Genesis 1:29.

Nothing is mentioned there about animal-based foods, be it meat, dairy products, or eggs. (Personal note: different versions of the bible would word it differently, but I believe the gist is the same - plant foods.)

There are actually a number of people who have chosen the path of becoming a vegetarian solely based on biblical citation alone.

From the viewpoint of evolution, the evidence also suggests that, for thousands of years, humans did not eat meat. Our primate ancestors lived in trees and ate plant foods - fruits, nuts, leaves, etc.

It is said that milk only became a significant part of human diets about 12,000 years ago. Basically, from the perspective of evolution, human bodies are very poorly adapted (or evolved) to animal-based foods. The fact that we have greatly strayed (not just strayed, but greatly strayed) from our current ideal diet, plays a large part in the escalating rates of serious degenerative diseases today.

Becoming a vegetarian thus makes sense.

Along the same vein, humans are also not well adapted to eating potato chips, ice cream, refined foods, refined sugar, fried foods, fast food... this list could go on and on.

As also mentioned earlier, Man's bodily structure is more suited for becoming a vegetarian than for eating meat.


Conclusion

The way I see it, the human body was actually designed to consume a plant-based and largely raw diet. Man, however, discovered that cooked food tastes good, and also grew to like eating meat. Over time, resilient and adaptable as they are, our bodies began to accept the changes. However, this adaptation has only taken place to a limited extent - our disease rates testify that fact. The human body is clearly not optimized for meat-eating at all.

As for the human psyche, I am quite certain it is a lot more suitable for becoming a vegetarian than for eating animal flesh.

This, of course, is my opinion, and there are many people who would disagree. That is fine.

For me though, I know there are sufficient reasons, advantages and health benefits of becoming a vegetarian, and that is enough for me to choose to consume a largely plant-based diet.

If you don't want to give up meat and do not want to dive fully into becoming a vegetarian, then I urge you to consider at least cutting down the amount of animal-based foods which you eat. It will benefit everyone, including you.

Many will not agree that becoming a vegetarian is the best for humans. What are your thoughts on becoming a vegetarian?

Read More: More on Vegetarianism | Understanding Nutrition and its Importance | Nutrition Health Articles - Foods, Diets, Supplements, Nutrients and more | Information on some Herbs | Favorite Herbs, Herbals Formulas and Foods | Natural Health Supplements - What to Consider | Home Page | Site Search

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Being a vegetarian does not have to be difficult. In fact, it should be simple, healthful and fun. Meals can be delicious, too. Click here for a step-by-step guide to a vegetarian lifestyle, which will help you to make a simple transition to a healthier diet.

Also, if you wish to learn how to lose weight quickly and healthily with simple, cheap and easy vegetarian meal plans, click here.

And if you love Chinese food or wish to learn healthy, delicious, natural, gluten-free Chinese vegetarian recipes which you can easily prepare at home, click here.

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Vegetarian-related Pages

Introduction | What is a Vegetarian? | What Do Vegetarians Eat? | Different Types of Vegetarians | Pros & Cons | Why People Become Vegetarians - the reasons | Advantages of Vegetarian Diet Choices | Health Benefits of Vegetarian Diet Consumption | Vegetarian Diet Disadvantage - a discussion | Becoming a Vegetarian - does it suit humans better? | Being Vegetarian | Going Vegetarian Really isn't That Difficult | Challenges of Being a Vegetarian | How to Become a Vegetarian | Tips to Become Vegetarian | Nutrition Issues | Thoughts on Vegetarian Nutrition - is it adequate and complete? | Vegetarian Diet Health Concerns - are there nutritional deficiencies? | Vegetarian Protein - is there enough, and is it complete? | High Protein Vegetarian Diet - some thoughts | Planning a Diet | What's a Healthy Vegetarian Diet? | Achieving a Balanced Vegetarian Diet | Formulating a Vegetarian Diet Plan | Vegetarian Food Pyramid - details & discussion | Vegetarian Daily Diet - some ideas | A Right Diet for Vegetarians - are you on one? | More Information | Vegetarian Statistics and Studies | Vegetarian Quotes - for fun, information & inspiration | Vegetarian Websites, Books, Videos & Resources | List of some Famous Vegetarians



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