However, the two chief counters I recieved (one from graham [see comments of Deadpool] which I think has been dealt with, and one from a person I consider a good friend who I'm going to keep anonymous) consisted purely of bald, conclusory assertions with no citations to authority.
Below is a copy of the chat transcript from a couple days ago with my friend. He delivered his argument in a respectful manner, and thus it merits a respectful response which I have attempted to provide. This response deals more with reasons why humans are "designed" and supposed to eat meat, and that they did in fact eat meat, as opposed to reasons why vegetarian diets are unhealthy.
It's interesting, because I have yet to recieve any counter-argument telling me the "merits" of a vegetarian diet. I've only recieved opinions on why my article was not good, or why eating meat isn't necessary or is bad: again, nothing about the health of vegetarian diets.
Anyways, my friend has been a "raw vegan" for a while now and this is what he had to say:
im on the first paragraph where you get into the "meat" of it (pun intended) and you say our bodies arent designed for digesting solely grains, which i agree with. BUT, humans are not carnivores, it only takes one look at our jaw structure including teeth, as well as our intestinal tract. humans have longer intestines vs meat eaters and we dont have longer teeth meant for tear through flesh, furthermore we arent designed to hunt down animals, who do we have the most in common with in the animal kingdom? the apes. the apes are some of the strongest and smartest creatures (along with elephants) and many other docile animals. Cows and all other farm animals are inherently herbivores and it's through maintaining these natural diets that they remain completely healthy without disease. So what happens when you put them on an un-natural toxic diet such as feeding them flesh? They begin to manifest "human" like illnesses such as cancer, heart disease.. the list goes on. Years ago, domestic animals like cats and dogs never had cancer other diseases of the like, yet now they do because we treat them just how we treat ourselves... unfortunately.. I've only just read that first couple sentences, so, more to come :):)
These are probably some of the typical arguments a vegetarian diet enthusiast would put fourth. Here's a copy of my response:
"humans are not carnivores, it only takes one look at our jaw structure including teeth, as well as our intestinal tract."
I never said we are carnivores, we are omnivores. Also it's interesting to note that site is on a vegetarian resource.... and yet dispells the "unscientific myth" that man is only a plant eater.
The best part of the article is the conclusion, that "
humans are classic examples of omnivores in all relevant anatomical traits. There is no basis in anatomy or physiology for the assumption that humans are pre-adapted to the vegetarian diet. For that reason, the best arguments in support of a meat-free diet remain ecological, ethical, and health concerns."
"humans have longer intestines vs meat eaters and we dont have longer teeth meant for tear through flesh"
Again, we're not carnivores here. You can't compare us to something like a lion. Same thing with teeth; however, let me know if you've ever had trouble tearing meet or the flesh of a bone or eating a steak. Humans have teeth which can cut (incisors), pierce and tear (canines), and chew (molars). I know this is cooked, and it does make a difference, but not so much that such an argument would be all-telling.
Let's have a look at another species that you will almost certainly agree is nothing but carnivorous: the vulture (who we share more similarities with, to come). While they have a razor sharp beak, they have no teeth to chew with, and still are exclusively meet eaters. We don't need to look like a lion or a sabretooth tiger to be capable of ingesting meat. The fact that we ate it for the vast majority of the time that humans have been in existence isn't something that really can't be argued with. In fact, our ancestors even found ways to preserve meat without refrigeration. To argue that they didn't eat it just doesn't make sense!
"furthermore we arent designed to hunt down animals"
We have the ability to stand upright, something that virtually no other species has. this let's us run, jump, and throw at the same time. We figured out a way to adapt regardless of the fact that we don't resemble lions or sabretooth tigers.
But back to what i said about vultures. Humans weren't primarily hunters in the early day, but were scavengers, like vultures. What do vultures do? They don't kill zebras, they circle around until the lion's done the work and then they swoop in and reap the rewards. Humans did the same thing, until they figured out how to hunt. but, as i understand it, we were primarily scavengers.
"who do we have the most in common with in the animal kingdom? the apes. the apes are some of the strongest and smartest creatures (along with elephants) and many other docile animals."
You didn't make an argument here but i assume you were going somewhere with the fact that "what do monkies like, bananas!!!!"
The only problem is, the species that "we evolved from, chimpanzees, actually did eat meat. "Our closest relatives among the apes are the chimpanzees (i.e., anatomically, behaviorally, genetically, and evolutionarily), who frequently kill and eat other mammals (including other primates)." Same site as before.
This article discusses British primatologist Jane Goodall's observations.
"Cows and all other farm animals are inherently herbivores"
End of sentence. We have a completely different digestive system from that of cows. We're talking evolution [by natural selection] here, and guess what: cows aren't hunters (no sh*t!), and they only had the option to sit around chewing (expletive deleted) grass all day. so what did they do? Survival of the fittest; the ones who could digest grass lived, those who didn't peaced out.
"and it's through maintaining these natural diets that they remain completely healthy without disease. So what happens when you put them on an un-natural toxic diet such as feeding them flesh? They begin to manifest "human" like illnesses such as cancer, heart disease.. the list goes on."
Again, completely different digestive system. This is a logical fallacy. And there's nothing unnatural about eating meat... I think you may have meant "not exclusively plant."
"Years ago, domestic animals like cats and dogs never had cancer other diseases of the like, yet now they do because we treat them just how we treat ourselves..."
We treat them just like ourselves only in the sense that the average pet food is predominantly carbohydrates. The source is usually something like corn or rice. And this is the whole point of the raw feeding method which is much healthier for domesticated animals. Raw fed dogs have much, much healthier coats, teeth, and a longer life expectancy than those raised on the (expletive deleted) garbage we feed them today.
"unfortunately.. I've only just read that first couple sentences, so, more to come :):)"
Bring the heat, brother! Nothing wrong with a little spirited debate. I know that you are doing what you're doing because you think it's healthy, and I admire your aims. But that doesn't mean I can't completely disagree with the methodology.
***
I asked him how he could live without meat, and he said:
"i know i know meat. you mean the stuff that clogs your arteries right?"
"False. inflamation caused by carbohydrates clogs your arteries [not meat]."
"well now jordan that just goes against common sense."
Here's a study by Dr. Loren Cordain which discusses how "hunter-gatherer societies, who consume the majority of their energy from animal food, have been shown to be relatively free of the signs and symptoms of CVD."
***
I want to be clear: I have nothing but respect for this individual. They are a friend and I truly do admire their aims and know that they are doing what they believe is best, just like all vegetarians who do it for health reasons. But hey, some people still think Cheerios are a healthy, right?
1 comments:
See also, Fathead.
Post a Comment