Did you know that our bodies can not digest cellulose (the main "stuff" that plants are made of?

Question

My sister is a vegetarian which for her means eating more bread and candy, but she always tells me something like the human intestines were not designed for meat, or something like that.

But I just learned that mammals have created a relationship with bacteria that live in all of our guts ,who actually break down the cellulose into glucose (what we use for energy) for us! So if you think the human body was not designed to eat flesh how do you explain this.

why did I get a bad rating? I did not offend anyone or say that a vegatarine is wrong for there food choices?!

Answer 1

It is true that we have a hard time digesting cellulose, but that is good for us. It is called fiber: insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber pushes all the "mucus gunk" that clogs up our intestines (a total of 24 yards/288 feet! for small and large intestinal length), while soluble fiber keeps all the food moving through the intestines (which by the way travel up and down and across the midsection-not down in a spiral loop or anything like that).
The human body isn't designed, it evolves through time to better meet our needs. Our teeth were very large in the front with canine teeth to tear out flesh, but as we became domesticated and farmers, our teeth are now flat, the canine teeth are way smaller, and our molars are slowly disappearing from the new generation's teeth. Our intestines were at one time made for just meat, but we have again evolved to incorporate plants since becoming farmers.
A good reason to become vegetarian is not to say that the human body was not designed to eat flesh, it is that we are able to evolve and choose not to eat flesh. We can evolve to a place where animals do not have to be marketed and killed for us to sustain life. In fact, the more studies that are coming out on the American diet, the more a plant-based diet is looking healthier and healthier (for adults and kids). But a plant-based diet does not mean bread and candy, nor does it mean salads. It is a balanced diet of vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, and fruits that constitute a healthy plant-based diet. Your sister needs to eat broccoli, molasses, tahini (hummus has it), almonds, and greens (kale, collard, mustard) to get a protective store of calcium in her bones for the coming older years (and the calcium in these items are easily assimiulated into the bones of the body, because most already contain the Vitamin C to help the calcium). It is not only important to say that I am a vegetarian and won't eat animal flesh, but to also say that I eat a balanced plant-based diet to be healthy.

Answer 2

I am a vegetarian and I think your question is interesting. I'm sorry you got a bad rating. I don't know the answer.It could mean that humans have evolved to eat low-fiber plant foods, like beans, grains, nuts and fruits. Maybe try researching cellulose digestion in primates and see what you come up with. Anyway good question, sorry I could only speculate on an answer.

Answer 3

Cellulose is that called "fiber" in our diets. We get our glucose through carbs in the form of sugars and startches.

However, I could never understand the argument that humans are not "designed" to eat meat. Our stomachs is an acid producing organ who's purpose is to break down protien... which can be from an animal source... and apparently our bodies are able to derive nutrients from animal protien so the argument that "we are not designed to eat meat" is a fallacy.

Humans are omnivores.

Answer 4

If you would research your topic you would know that cellulose is fiber which helps our digestive system push stuff through our intestines.

Answer 5

hahahahaha. bread and candy. how true. you know, evolution is a funny thing. our ancestors may have been designed to eat twigs and berries but these days we're more attuned to mcnuggets and fries.