Meaty Facts | Teen Ink

Meaty Facts MAG

By Tyanna Church BRONZE, Fruita, Colorado
Tyanna Church BRONZE, Fruita, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Humans are physiologically, mentally, and physically made to eat meat. If you are a vegetarian, I hope you think twice before trying to change a meat eater’s mind about their steak dinner. These are just the facts – believe them or not. Humans, in general, are omnivores, and I can prove it.

Historically, humans have been natural meat eaters. Why do you think meat tastes so good to us? It’s because our species has evolved to eat it. According to National Geographic, “We have an improved ability to process cholesterol and fat.” Ninety-eight percent of the world eats meat, and it tastes good to most of us because chemicals are released in our brain that tell our body it’s good.

Switching to meat gave our ancestors an advantage. Researchers at the University of Southern California have found that when ancient humans began to consume meat 2.5 million years ago, they gained access to a new source of protein that helped produce larger brains and superior intelligence. Where would we be if we hadn’t discovered the first steak?

Secondly, humans are physiologically designed to eat meat. We need the protein, iron, and nutrients that only meat can provide. Without it, we face the risk of inadequate vitamin and mineral levels. As omnivores, our bodies are designed to process both meat and plant matter. According to TIME online, “a quarter-pound of meat stimulates almost twice as much gastric juices as does a quarter-pound of carbohydrates, and is correspondingly better for normal digestion.” We may not have teeth like a cat that can shear a deer, or an intestinal track that allows us to eat raw meat, but we have the single-chambered stomach common to carnivores and omnivores. Herbivores, on the other hand, have multiple stomach chambers. Humans find cellulose (the main component of plant tissue) totally indigestible, while we digest meat quickly and efficiently.

Lastly, people who choose not to eat meat do not reach their physical peak. UK Cohort hosted a study of 3,086 meat-eating women and 593 non-meat-eating women. The non-meat eaters had significantly lower levels of energy, protein, zinc, and fats than meat eaters. In the TV series “The Truth About Food,” professional athletes (both vegetarians and meat eaters) were studied as they changed their regular diet. The vegetarian athletes ate meat two times a day, while the meat-eating athletes consumed only carbs and vegetables. Colin Jackson, a former world-champion sprinter and hurdler, said that he felt “physically weaker” after not eating meat for a month.

Eating meat is what people are supposed to do. We as a species are smarter, healthier, stronger, and more developed since we began to eat meat. Why would you want to change that?



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This article has 66 comments.


SuperMickey said...
on Apr. 21 2010 at 3:41 pm
I love Chicken too!!! When i say Hillshire you say farm! HILLSHIRE! FARM! GO MEAT!!! (:

SuperMickey said...
on Apr. 21 2010 at 3:38 pm
Maybe you should be the one who does the research smart one. There is no possible way that the world could be 4.6 billion years old, because the sea is gradually getting more salt in it every year and if it was that old then we would have no ocena therefore, no water, therefore, no life. (:

on Apr. 21 2010 at 3:29 pm
Anne Powdris SILVER, --, New Jersey
6 articles 0 photos 35 comments
I completely disagree.
First of all, fake meat is NOT real meat. There is the word FAKE in front of it.
Secondly, the hormones and pesticides you speak of are not supposed to be in the meat. Blame it on the people who give it to the animals. Besides, people who are eating excessive amounts of meat are abusing what they have. The author of this article was simply stating that it is necessary for formation and development. Nowhere above did she mention that eating meats excessively is healthy.

on Apr. 21 2010 at 3:22 pm
Rosanna1120 SILVER, Cincinati, Ohio
8 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life isn't what we do on the first day of the week, but how we live it between Sundays" - Karen Kingsbury

so it is ok to eat meat because you think we were ment to!!!!! so i guess it is ok to take pot too because it is naturally on the earth. just because it is there or we were "meant" to do it does not mean that we should!!!! just because everyone turns 16 does not mean that every idiot out there should drive a car!!!!

on Apr. 21 2010 at 3:11 pm
magic-esi PLATINUM, Hyde Park, New York
27 articles 0 photos 231 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.&quot; <br /> &quot;Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.&quot;

Very well written article. I didn't know many of the things in here (though I did watch some of The Truth About Food) and I think this is a greatly written and structured article. I do happen to be a vegetarian and I know that meat-eaters are healthier, but I just don't like meat- it tastes disgusting to me. Great article though!

on Apr. 21 2010 at 10:26 am
Dandelion PLATINUM, Franklin, Massachusetts
20 articles 8 photos 173 comments
I say this with all due respect: I believe that the author is trying to say that an ancient human's only choice was to eat meat when things such as soybeans were not available. The article is only posing one side of the situation, so infuriated comments are bound to ensue, often unnecessarily.

on Apr. 21 2010 at 9:45 am
skywitch BRONZE, Salem, Massachusetts
1 article 2 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
~ A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it.~ Agent K<br /> Men In Black

I would just like to point out that almost everything that we eat was once alive or came form something that was alive. And sometimes when we harvest our food, we kill the plants that preduce it. Yes, plants are alive. The pasta that you had for dinner last night had wheat in it, wheat was once alive.

 


on Apr. 21 2010 at 9:37 am
skywitch BRONZE, Salem, Massachusetts
1 article 2 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
~ A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it.~ Agent K<br /> Men In Black

I agree with toxicmonkey, can't we all just get along?

UnbrokenJane said...
on Apr. 21 2010 at 9:07 am
UnbrokenJane, Martinez, Georgia
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments

The first sentence of your comment is irritating beyond all belief. Just because we are sentient doesn't me we can "choose" what our body needs to survive. Choosing to not eat meat may be acceptable today with man-made, nutrient enriched foods, but when our digestive systems were first developing, these sort of luxuries were not available. In nature, it is not only beneficial but necessary for survival to eat meat. Even with new sorts of food available today, it has still been proven that certain nutrients, like phosphorus, are more easily processed when aquired from meat. In foods like cereals, phosphorus is present in phytic acid, which needs to be hydrolized before the body can use it. Phosphorus in meat can be absorbed without being hydrolized, expending less energy.

Now think about what you said about "choosing" our own food. By that same logic, do you find canabalism to be acceptable? Eating isn't an issue left up to personal choice or preference. If someone preferred to eat only potato chips and ice cream for the rest of their life, their doctor, friends, or family would tell them they shouldn't because A) these things are bad for our bodies and B) they wouldn't be receiving the nutrients necessary for our bodies to work properly.

And since you mentioned starving children, I'll have you know that it's not the poverty of the country that is keeping these families from getting food. The governments that run these countries keep these people in poverty so that they can live in luxury. I know of several cases personally of people who sent money or food to third-world countries and the government either sent the food back, saying it wasn't "good enough," took the money for themselves, or sold that very same food on the streets for the same prices that the people living there cannot afford. So don't tell people to send money when it's not going to do any good.


on Apr. 21 2010 at 4:57 am
xAllegria BRONZE, Singapore, Other
1 article 2 photos 112 comments

Favorite Quote:
&Ccedil;a fait tellement du bien d&rsquo;aimer les gens qu&rsquo;on aime, que &ccedil;a finit par faire mal. Je sais pas comment on survit a &ccedil;a. Non franchement, je sais pas. LOL (laughing out loud) &reg;, Lola.

In all due respect, I don't agree. Firstly I found your opinion a little succint, and it lacks support in some parts... I mean, as most people stated meat isn't the only food that provides protein iron and nutrients. Secondly, you say it is the reason our 'species' has become smarter, healthier, stronger and more developed. I would agree with some of that, but it's not all true and definitely a minor cause. Also, the study seems a bit weird to me. 3000 meat-eaters against 600 non-meat-eaters? That's a bit unbalanced. Also, you mention that our species has 'evolved' specifically to eat meat. But this isn't all true, firstly because evolution is coincidence. It is actually because in prehistory, meat was pretty much a staple food (although the consomation levels were much lower) and so our system has a natural appreciation of it. Actually it is evolution, but not on purpose... if i make sense. Comparing our ancestors to people of today is not exactly right, I would say. Our brains will not expand because we take an larger portion of steak.

So... basically, I'm not sure if I agree. Seems like you need to back up the facts a little more (:


on Feb. 7 2010 at 1:30 pm
alayapoetgirl BRONZE, St. Louis, Missouri
4 articles 0 photos 92 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is hard; but it&#039;s harder if you&#039;re stupid. -John Wayne

I agree with speechless<3. It is true that meats have so many harmful chemicals and toxins that meateaters eat. Now why is the newer is growing so fast

speechless<3 said...
on Jan. 16 2010 at 1:02 pm
I am a proud lifelong vegetarian and have to respectfully disagree with your article. I am amazingly physically fit and get plenty of the proper nutrition I need. "we need the protein, iron, and nutrients that only meat can provide." Yeah, meat isn't the only thing that provides those nutrients. Ever heard of veggie meat? Also known as fake or soy meat? Often times it has less fat and MORE protein than real meat.
You also failed to mention the various unhealthy hormones and pesticides found in meat, as well as the cost of eating meat.
Plus, research has found that vegetarians live on average 7 years longer than meat-eaters. SEVEN YEARS! So while carnivores are drowning in their own cholesterol, I'll go on living. I think being vegetarian definately has its perks.
http ://teenink .com /opinion/social_issues_civics/article/131052/The-Veggie-Truth/

speechless<3 said...
on Jan. 16 2010 at 12:58 pm
The meaty facts? Try the veggie truth:
http ://teenink .com /opinion/social_issues_civics/article/131052/The-Veggie-Truth/

sprinkshine said...
on Jan. 16 2010 at 3:22 am
Doesn't mean you need to eat a big steak to get protein.

[PotMonkey] said...
on Dec. 17 2009 at 10:17 am
Actually i have evidence to prove your whole article wronge. humans are naturally herbivores. We have not always eaten meat. and i dont feel like posting all the reasons i know this on here but read this article http ://michaelbluejay .com /veg/natural.html
educate yourself...
i have been studying vegetarianism since i was little.
and there is numorous amounts of evidence and research that proves that a vegetarian diet is healthier for you. and of coarse you are going to try to make up excuses for yourself and try to prove me wrong... but its true.... if you really want more information email me at amber_houston_05@hotmail .com
and i will send you a paper i wrote about vegetarianism... you might learn a few things.

on Nov. 20 2009 at 11:48 am
kindyxkandy BRONZE, Richmond, Virginia
3 articles 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;You have to suck before you get to success. It&#039;s about the journey.&quot;

Animals were on this earth long before humans were, just to let you know. If anything, we were put on this earth for them to eat us. Humans are animals, does that mean we have no souls? Animals feel pain, just like you. Some even have highly developed emotions. They were NOT put on this earth as meat, and if you think so, I think you need a serious reality check. Next time your chewing on your steak, think about how an innocent animal was killed brutally for it. Think about the pain and suffering it went through. Just think about it, and your steak might not taste as good as it did before.

KellyR GOLD said...
on Nov. 18 2009 at 2:22 pm
KellyR GOLD, Richmond, Virginia
14 articles 0 photos 258 comments

Favorite Quote:
We don&#039;t read and write poetry because it&#039;s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

God put animals on this earth just so we could eat them? Then why exactly did they put us on this planet? Also we can reproduce but does that mean i run around with a fork and knife eating my nieghbors babies? no. Also I think it is really impolite to call vegeterians "you Veggie People" You eat meat, should i refer to you as a Masochistic Bloodthirsty meat person? No. And also there is no such thing as bieng too healthy, while your laying on your death bed choking down a steak and us "Veggie People" are still perfectly healthy I hope you might be thinking about your life choices.

earthgil said...
on Jul. 21 2009 at 1:24 am
i totally agree with you muju45, animals are alive!! and just because the bible says it, doesnt mean we have to eat them. and just cuz we r omnivores, doesnt mean we have to eat anything we dont want to.

Sharky said...
on Feb. 16 2009 at 7:31 pm
Amyyy, well the earth is 4.6 BILLION years old, not 8,000! Do some research before you post false info.

toxicmonkey said...
on Feb. 13 2009 at 3:52 pm
ppl- whatever the reason we started to eat meat, we are now sentient creatures who can choose for themselves their own food! meat-eaters, leave the vegeterians alone! vegeterians, stop telling everone what to do! for some families in the world, meat is a luxery, as is any food, so stop yelling each other into doing what you want them to do and donate some money to feed starving children!