Do you think humans are more like true carnivores or herbivores?

Question

By design physically and psychologically- which do we better compare to? Why?

I do know the term omnivore, but that wasn't my question. :)

Answer 1

Our digestive system is happier to work on veg food. In fact, 'Truth about food' show on 'Discovery Channel' discovered that veg food digests in about 23 hours from intake. That is the length of our biological clocks are as well.

The same show discovered that meat and other non-veg food took around 42 hours to digest.

In both the cases, the energy accrued by the body was fairly equal in terms of fat, carbs and calories. However, the time and energy spent in working on non-veg food was almost two times that of a veg food. The show named the veg food, 'Evolutionary diet'. Now, I have no clue what that name is supposed to mean.

In another episode, the same show discovered that having meant and such non-veg food increases the animalistic instincts in martial artists, without showing any differences in the power of the delivery of their kicks and punches and blows.

So, I would conclude that may be we are becoming herbivores while still retaining the omnivore capability. Perhaps to serve as a backup in the worst times.

Answer 2

Like Chimps and Bonobos, we're omnivores. Our digestive tract is shorter than a herbivores, and longer than a carnivores. We produce enzymes to digest both starches (amylase) and flesh (elastase), and it's perfectly possible to survive for months without access to one or the other. We are adaptable. What our teeth don't adapt to is a diet of heavy grinding or high sugar, so we sooo aren't herbivore only. Also, there are some ethnic groups that eat very little plant matter and survive just fine, with no cancer or heart disease,(Masai, Eskimo, Aborigine).

We evolved from a Homo Erectus type that was an endurance hunter that mostly ate meat. Veg doesn't supply the omega three oils needed for brain development.

So, a bit closer to carnivore than herbivore.

EJ, what a load of balls.

Even our closest relatives need to eat some meat. Humans actually digest raw meat better than cooked, although I wouldn't fancy it. And if you move into a new territory, you can always eat the animals. Without trial and error you won't know if the plants are poisonous.

Answer 3

Both, since we're omnivores... but I think we lean more to the herbivore side.

Look at our closest relatives, the primates. They eat mostly plant matter, but still eat insects. Also, we can only eat meat (safely) if it is cooked. That isn't natural... you don't see lions throwing gazelle onto a fire pit before they dig in. I think humans evolved more as gatherers and scavengers, eating mostly plants (maybe even bugs), and only eating meat rarely when found killed by other animals. We just aren't very good natural hunters. We don't have a lot of speed, fangs, claws, etc. to make the kill. It wasn't until we had tools that we were able to outwit our prey.

Also, plenty of people don't eat meat ever and are healthy (vegetarians). However, people that eat only meat are not very healthy and populations that survive mostly on meat, don't live very long (Inuit).

Answer 4

depends where the humans are staying.
That is the beauty of being omnivores. In deserts (cold or hot) they are more likely to be a carnivore while in the tropics or where vegetation is plenty based on the economics and resources available they tend to be herbivores or carnivores.
This is evolution and humans cant be easily compared to other creatures due to the various paths of evolution taken in different regions of this planet. Which family of animals drinks the milk of other mammals?

Answer 5

Clearly we are not true carnivores. True carnivores can and do survive on a diet of meat only. Humans cannot, nor are they particularly equipped to hunt and eat meat based only on our physiology. We don't have claws or fangs and we run far too great a risk of illness eating meat raw.

We are physiologically omnivores because we can and do digest foods from both plant and animal sources. We are different from other higher primates, though, because we have the ability to study nutrition and make choices that satisfy our requirements and because we can operate under a system of ethics. Humans can choose to be herbivores because we can and do thrive that way.

Answer 6

Since we are kind of different omnivores i would say on some cases we relate more to herbivores but on other cases we relate to carnivores we are in the middle and just like distant relatives the primates we have evolved. We have opposable thumbs to help us with some things predators can't use and we have some what sharp but barely sharp canines. We have adapted because the cavemen had eaten more vegetation along there many travels looking for food and a lot of the meat was most likely very fast but they ate anything they could and they had functioned on all types of foods but it all matters on opinion. Even animals related to us aren't fully herbivores because some animals actually eat others like certain species of ape do go hunting and sometimes will use tools. But because we only have a few canines but our teeth are still sharp i would say herbivore.

Answer 7

Humans are omnivores but if it had to come down to carnivore or herbivore, humans are more like herbivores...

Think about it this way: Humans can survive off of a purely plant based diet, without meat. HOWEVER, humans cannot survive off of a purely meat based diet, without plants. That is because a purely meat based diet is extremely low on carbohydrates and humans cannot survive off of fat and protein alone. True carnivores such as canines and felines can live off of a pure meat diet, without plants. But they cannot live off of plants. That's what makes a carnivore. And humans do not have canine teeth.

These are canine teeth:
http://www.solarnavigator.net/animal_kingdom/animal_images/cat_yawning_canine_teeth.jpg

These are human teeth:
http://www.auxetix.com/images/healthcare_image.jpg

They look nothing alike; they are not related.

Answer 8

Well, we are neither, why try to push our species to one or the other if we are omnivore ?

If you really must, we are nearer to herbivore. Humans can survive on vegetarian diets but not on meat-only diets.

When Narrayan says "Humans are on the top of the food chain that is why they are OMNIVORE"..where do chickens fit into this, they are omnivores, Are you also saying thy are also at the top of the food chain ??...your sentence contains no logic, just a wild assumption.

Answer 9

We are Omnivores, but If I had to pick between the other two, I'd say we are more like carnivores. Why? Not just because of our canine teeth, that's too easy. No, it's because humans are violent by nature, and we are known to kill for various reasons other than just for meat or survival. Humans are great hunters, and we get an adrenaline rush from hunting and killing prey. We have even domesticated our biggest carnivore competitors, (The Wolves), and turned them into our hunting/killing allies (Ex: Sheep Dogs, Hunting Dogs).

Some humans have modified and controlled their behavior by becoming vegetarians or vegans, but if it came down to survival of the fittest in the wilderness, those humans would die off rather quickly. It is the hunter gatherers who would survive because their killing/survival instinct is stronger.

Yes, I'd say we are more like carnivores for sure.

Answer 10

OMNIVORES IS THE WORD

we will eat just about anything

its what makes us so successful on an evolutionary scale

small mammals woud be the best comparison