To eat or not to eat meat, that is the question.
The answer is found in other animals. Look at those most similar to humans and see what they eat. And look at the ones most different from humans and see what THEY eat.
Take, for instance, the characteristics of carnivores versus plant-eating creatures.
Carnivores:
1. Have to hunt, so they have forward-facing eyes.
2. Eat lots of meat so they need sharp teeth to tear into it.
3. Have relatively small stomachs because meat is easy to digest.
Plant-eaters:
1. Have sideways-facing eyes to watch out for predators.
2. Possess flat molar-like teeth for grinding tough vegetation.
3. Possess larger stomachs to cull the nutrients from grass.
So is your stomach as big as a beach ball or closer to a softball? When you smile, do you see sharp or entirely blunt teeth? Are your eyes facing forward?
Humans are supposed to eat meat. If you wish not to because of personal reasons, more power to you. Just don't spread the gospel that abstaining from meat is healthy.
Are there studies showing vegetarianism as more healthy than eating meat? Yes. But that's almost certainly because restraining yourself from eating meat shows you have self-disclipline compared to the average person. And being more healthy than the average person is not exactly a big feat.
However, look at someone with the same self-discipline and allow them to eat meat, and that's another result altogether.
Of course, make sure you're eating high-quality meat that isn't full of preservatives. I get meat from Whole Foods and I can assure you the natural stuff really does taste better.
The answer is found in other animals. Look at those most similar to humans and see what they eat. And look at the ones most different from humans and see what THEY eat.
Take, for instance, the characteristics of carnivores versus plant-eating creatures.
Carnivores:
1. Have to hunt, so they have forward-facing eyes.
2. Eat lots of meat so they need sharp teeth to tear into it.
3. Have relatively small stomachs because meat is easy to digest.
Plant-eaters:
1. Have sideways-facing eyes to watch out for predators.
2. Possess flat molar-like teeth for grinding tough vegetation.
3. Possess larger stomachs to cull the nutrients from grass.
So is your stomach as big as a beach ball or closer to a softball? When you smile, do you see sharp or entirely blunt teeth? Are your eyes facing forward?
Humans are supposed to eat meat. If you wish not to because of personal reasons, more power to you. Just don't spread the gospel that abstaining from meat is healthy.
Are there studies showing vegetarianism as more healthy than eating meat? Yes. But that's almost certainly because restraining yourself from eating meat shows you have self-disclipline compared to the average person. And being more healthy than the average person is not exactly a big feat.
However, look at someone with the same self-discipline and allow them to eat meat, and that's another result altogether.
Of course, make sure you're eating high-quality meat that isn't full of preservatives. I get meat from Whole Foods and I can assure you the natural stuff really does taste better.
About the Author:
Nate Rifkin is a fearless author on fitness. You can read about his unusual book Your Marriage Is Making You Fat if you dare.
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