Why do some vegers say it's "not natural" to eat meat?

Question

It's not natural to eat plexi-glass. Eating things that give us the nutrients we need is totally natural. It's the exact singular point of eating!!

Before somebody says our teeth can't cut through hide and all that silliness please realize we know you can't eat beans without cooking them first either. Also, please don't single out any particular kind of meat in your answer because the people who the question is referring to don't do that either.

I want to understand this.

So why is it "not natural" to eat meat?

34B---I'm sorry if the canines are missing in your mirror.

Seed & usual---thanks but you didn't answer the question I asked.

Tart-Reading without comprehension is useless. You are choosing to take a particular kind of meat (factory farmed) to task when I said in my question that the people I'm referring to are speaking about meat in general. Factory farming of meat is no less natural than the commercial farming of produce either. Crueler? Yes. But that's not the question I'm asking.

Also, I didn't say it was unnatural to not eat meat either. Again the comprehension thing.

The rest of your answer is an irrelevant grouping of tangents.

Ashley---it's your fault for stripping me of my title. I thought I told you to go "brush your bunny"!

beebs--all life begins to rot as soon as it dies, vegetables and fruits included. "Opposable" thumbs.

Also, many animals use tools to deal with their prey. Birds use twigs to poke at tree trunk holes for bugs. Otters smash shellfish against rocks to get at the meat inside. Using tools is natural too.

Personally, I believe humans are animals thus everything we do is natural. We are a part of nature.

mys---I have no hatred for vegers. I hate hypocrisy. I've seen forms of your answer many times and respect your opinion.

The basis of your assertions is that humans aren't carnivores. I agree. I didn't say anything to the contrary.

I think Dark Wolf has covered the rest for you.

BTW--I think you're new here. Don't presume to know why questions are asked. You are clueless as to my motivation.

mys fit---your idea of a carnivore is opinion. no animal eats the shells of the clams or oysters. Monkeys eat the meat from beetles without eating the shells. Just because we have the tools and the intellect to prepare our meat the way we want it doesn't change being a carnivore. You're stretching it now.

Mys---so what you are saying is that because an otter cracks open shellfish on a rock, it is unnatural for them to eat shellfish? C'mon.

Hey Veg!

teeth---just because we don't have to tear through raw flesh doesn't mean we can't. As DarkWolf said, I can eat raw steak whereas the middle is not cooked at all without any dental issues whatsoever. Raw fish is not difficult.

The digestive tract may have some eveidence for some meats.

Most developed countries can't eat raw meat because of the storage factors.

We will have to agree to disagree I think.

veg--also, your presumption that our ancestors only ate meat during hard times doesn't make it any less natural.

mys---a carnivore eats meat. That's all. In it's original form is NOT necessary.

mys--you've proved nothing except to yourself.

mys----here is the definition of carnivore, noting that it's quite clear more than just carnivores eat meat, we are omnivores.

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=carnivore

Please link me to your definition of carnivore.

jason--you didn't answer my question. Go post your question in the forum.

MYS--BTW since you got confused, the otter and shellfish, monkeys and beetles, was in response to you saying that unless we tear right into a fish, scales and all while eating it raw, it isn't carnivorous.

Ring a bell?

mys--I'll check back later for the link to YOUR definition of carnivore.

veg---I know. I hope I didn't offend or anything. There was no animosity in my words :-)

mys---link please.

Answer 1

Good afternoon, Snowy Me. There are several reasons.

While many meaters point to incisors as proof that we were meant to eat meat, it seems a little disingenuous to suggest that they are meant to tear through flesh, since they can't do that until it's been tenderized and cooked.

Also, there is a lot of evidence that points to our digestive tracts being too long to properly digest meat, they are not short like other omnivores.

Then there is the fact that most cultures cannot eat raw meat without becoming ill.

All of that being said, my personal view (which is shared by many) is that humans were originally herbivores, then evolved the ability to digest meat in times of hardships. That is a survival trait that is no longer necessary for the developed world.

EDIT: True, it doesn't make it less natural. I was just suggesting that it was unnatural at one time, but now we have the ability. Just one more note: I gave most of the arguments I did not because I am a staunch supporter of the "meat is unnatural" cause, but just to show the other side of the coin. I don't have sufficient data/scientific background to tell anyone what our species was "meant" to do, I can only say that the way meat is produced now is one of the most unnatural things on the planet.

Answer 2

Human beings have both kind if teeth, we have sharper canines for meat and we have molars for vegetables, we also have a mix between monocular and binocular vision, meaning we can be herbavores, carnivores and omnivores. However vertain kinds of meat, such as beef, are harder for humans to digest. So it is "natural" to eat certain meat, but not as much as we do overall as a culture. I think most vegetarians are just against the fact of how the animals are raised and killed, as apposed to a long time ago when eating meat was a more rare occasion and they had to go hunt, keeping the population down. Also not eating meat or any animal products helps the enviroment

= ]

Answer 3

When I see a little bunny hopping through the bushes the last thing my instincts tell me to do is pounce on it sink my teeth into it's cute little fuzzy bunny butt.

There have been many great points made here.
I can't believe you haven't seen the links I've posted before regarding this topic, but I'll post the info again, just for fun:
http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg3.htm
http://www.all-creatures.org/mhvs/nl-2003-wi-meat.html
The information there is very compelling to me. When I sit and think about them it makes sense to me that we are meant to get our nutrients from plant foods. Because we are such advanced creatures we are, fortunately, able to survive on animal flesh if we need to, but clearly, knowing what we do about what happens to our health when we eat a lot of meat and other animal products, we are not meant to live on them for extended periods of time. Not without repercussions anyway. It also seems very barbaric and primitive to me. Even if there was a time that we had to rely on animals to survive, we have advanced far beyond needing to do that. To continue to eat animals and to even have turned it into such a gross and cruel industry goes against what I think an advanced society should be.

P.S. I also hate the term "vegers".

EDIT: You may not share my sympathies, but do we share "logic"? What about the logic that was presented in those links? How come no one ever wants to address those points?

EDIT: The points in my links are pretty basic, ME, and common knowledge. You can't just dismiss something as propoganda and ignore what's being said. These aren't biased studies; they're lists of attributes. Can you seriously tell me that those things aren't compelling, even if you throw out any that you think can't be proven and are just "propoganda"? You can't just ignore our physiology.

Answer 4

Instincts...to get all your vitamins and nutrients to maintain good health doesn't mean you can't PICK which food sources they come from. We have the ability to choose now.......we may have not had that abilty to pick and choose when we HAD to hunt for our food yes. We do have the ability to pick and choose now though....so therefore we should adjust our thinking a bit of what's natural and whats not.

It's also natural for most men to want to go have sex alot in order to procreate and continue thier genes by doing so. That's is an all natural thing/instict like. BUT most men...most men have adjusted their thinking to go with the times..yes...............it has now become natural to wait it out to have children. The instinct is still there..think condoms....but most men have adjusted that instinct to go with the times. People should also think about doing the same with their food choices....is all I'm saying. You don't have to hunt for it anymore....you can get ALL your vitamins and nutrients from plant sources so...so what's the reason for still staying in caveman type times? That's why I consider eating meat no longer a natural thing......not that it may not have been at one time or another.....but since most people buy their meat at the grocery store...is it still a natural thing? Not to me.

That was meant with total respect....very good question too. You were very nice...most aren't around here. Thanx.

Answer 5

One huge objection is to the way meat is now produced. Animals are bred by the millions (sometimes billions), mutilated, crammed in cages and sheds, fed hormones and antibiotics and denied everything that makes them an individual being. So there is something VERY unnatural about what is done to provide people meat these days. It's the same with milk--the cows are pumped up wtih hormones, which get into the milk, which people drink.

There really are no "nutrients" in meat that you cannot get from vegetarian sources. And one of the big nutrients we need, fiber, is completely absent in animal products. Our digestive tracts are very long, as opposed to the carnivore's short digestive tract. Our stomach acid is far weaker than that of a carnivore. Our jaws can move side to side, as well as up and down, where as a carnivores can only move up and down.

If you want to eat the stuff, fine. But leave us alone. I doubt you want to "understand" us at all; you just want to keep hassling us until we say, My gosh, you're absolutely right, and go back to eating dead animals' flesh. Well, don't hold your breath.

Answer 6

Well I know it was natural many many years ago as a survival method and we as humans have since evolved with the enzyme to support digesting meat.

Lifestyle choice I suppose.
I was raised somewhat vegie and appreciate as an adult, but I hated it as a young teen.

I personally cannot stand to see an animal killed but still prefer my meat in a package from the store when I do eat it.

edit- if you wanted to "understand" this than why are you insulting and ranting!!

Answer 7

I'm a vegan and I don't argue that eating meat isn't natural, or that veganism is natural.

I don't doubt that we evolved eating meat to a greater or lesser degree.

But now it's a question of choice, not nature. Just as we don't need to live in caves any more, or kill animals to use their skins as clothing, so we don't NEED to kill animals (or have them killed on our behalf) for food any more.

Somebody will post pointing out to me that it isn't a choice for everyone in the world, and they will be right.

Answer 8

For me, it was a simple realization that we, as humans, are better suited for gathering from the garden than we are for hunting, killing (without the use of tools) and consuming an animal. With our imposable thumbs, we are better designed for picking fruits and veggies than for chasing down wild creatures. Granted, DRIED beans have to be cooked first, but if you picked them fresh, they could be eaten raw, as can most fruits and vegetables. I dont believe our two, tiny little "canine" incisor teeth are meant to be ripping the flesh of animals, nor do I think our digestive system is equiped to digest decaying animal flesh without effort. As for the "nutrients" we get from meat, we only get them when the animal has been fed food that is "enriched" with the nutrients humans need-they don't produce B12, iron, and other stores of vitamins naturally, any more than humans do-its added to their feed. You can get all of the protein, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from a plant based diet, so whats the point of meat? Meat is only as good as the flavorings, spices, and condiments used on it anyway. Very few people would enjoy a piece of meat or poultry just boiled without seasoning. If those same seasonings can be put on something "natural" such as a mushroom, and cooked to have a taste similar to meat, then why sacrafice and animal just for the sake of it? I always think that if people had to hunt, butcher, kill, and preserve their own meat, there would be more vegetarians in the world. Most people eat it only because its so readily available, and its what they were raised on. It was only after I became a grown up that I realized I was capable of making my own food choices, and I choose not to eat dead animals. My body thanks me for the choice. I do believe you ARE WHAT YOU EAT, and I don't envision myself as rotting cow.....I think the gift of milk from cows, and eggs from chickens is enough of a sacrafice on their part-no need for them to bleed and die just to satisfy my greedy appetite. You lose the taste for meat once you give it up...and it sure does make your digestive system function better.

Answer 9

Human beings eat anything that we've found tastes good to us. We don't get the nutrients we need from cake, but I'd still say it's natural to eat it because it tastes good. The same thing goes for meat, if it tastes good to us it's natural for us to want to eat it.

Answer 10

I get the feeling you're not looking for an answer. I think no matter what I put here, you're going to insist that it's wrong.

If a lion kills an animal and its it raw, will it get sick? No. Does it sound desirable to you, to kill an animal with your hands and teeth, and then eat it right then and there? I think our lives have changed to allow a meat centered diet, but I don't think humans were meant to depend on it.