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.


Amyyy said...
on Feb. 13 2009 at 1:58 am
vegetarians are important too! people can eat whatever- vegetables or meat! There's no such thing as 2.5 million years ago. The world is only about 8,000 years old! How's that for your science or history teacher!!!!

meaty!! said...
on Feb. 2 2009 at 9:48 pm
its all about dat meat!! Meat all day.

JackJackson said...
on Jan. 30 2009 at 3:13 am
I LOVE CHICKEN!

muju45 said...
on Jan. 22 2009 at 5:41 pm
Nope. The human stomach churns for the digestion of VEGITABLES, not meat. The acids may work on meat and we may have canines but it's probably for shearing vegis. Anyways, humans hunted meat and ate it raw in ancient times. They didn't cage them up and make their life miserable. And people who say "In the bible it says animals have no souls. They are on the earth for a reason and that is food", screw it. Not everyone believes in that line, even if we are cristian. Animals are ALIVE! What crap! "They have no soul". Anyways, the way people cook meat makes it unhealthy. Raw meat would be healthy but no one eats that. And also my question: if eating pig isn't cruel, then why is a shark eating a part of someone considered evil?

nainabobana said...
on Jan. 21 2009 at 8:59 pm
I really think meat is a great thing for our body. If you dont like it or dont want to eat it thats okay just as long as you know the risk you're putting your self at. And dont get mad at people who do eat it just the same as we dont get mad at you for only eating veggies.

on Jan. 21 2009 at 5:27 pm
god put animals for a food source and animals have the ability to multiply for a reason. yes we do endanger them but thats a whole nother story. animals was put on this earth for a reason. its not like there just there. and in the bible they have no souls so we arent killing anything!! they are just a food source. buti do believe that animal cruelity is worng but thats a whole nother reason. and u veggie ppl out there, meat has vitamins that ur body needs so ur just bcomimg TOO healthy.. no matter wut u say its a fact

on Jan. 6 2009 at 4:00 am
FYI, pork, for instance, is FULL of HARMFUL parasites. FYI, though human teeth are made for meat eating and vegetable eating, our stomachs are made to digest ONLY vegetables. And, FYI, I personaly HATE the taste of meat. I literally feel like barfing as soon as the thing touches my mouth. And I prefer to have animals alive and well, maybe in a petting zoo, rather than in my stomach.

SloopyMcCoy said...
on Dec. 20 2008 at 11:54 pm
Well, isn't it something that we've evloved enough to realize that killing is WRONG? Meat eating is wrong... we are eating our distant cousins when we eat animals... cannibalisum? My life as a vegitarian will be (average) 7 years longer than if I were a meat eater. Also, I live in the country. I am not a big-city kid. I am a vegitarian. Now that our ancestors have eaten meat enough for us to evolve so amazingly, we now know enough to subsitute other foods for meat. We can be healthy without meat. Meat eating is just cruel.

on Dec. 19 2008 at 6:12 pm
i like meat you veggies do not understand that meat was put on this planet for a reason. it is a food source that the human race has survived on since the beginning. animal cruelty is a whole other issue. meat is food

Tyler H. said...
on Dec. 9 2008 at 2:17 pm
Ok listen. I sorta agree with Rinalia, because we eat vegies and meats, but some people do eat raw meat but thats them I prefer cooked meat myself though. It doesn't matter if your vegitarian or a meat eater we are all the same creatures.

on Dec. 8 2008 at 10:22 pm
Ok...

I have a book to suggest for all of you:

Omnivore's Dilemma...

In the opinion section I have submitted my letter that I wrote in response to this book about the corruption of the food industry. The vegitatian, organic, and meat eating industries all have serious issues.

It is called

America's Wicked Obsession:

The True Facts behind the food industry

Sorry this may seem like a bit of an advertisement but this letter really talks about a lot of your points...See what you're really eating...

olii said...
on Dec. 4 2008 at 6:19 am
Well done. You did not stop short of proving your point and you backed it up with ethos, pathos, and logos. You are a very astounding writer who expresses your opinions all too well, and I hope to see more of your work. And by the way, interesting choice of a topic. What a way to attract readers!



Sincerely,

Olivia

Emilee R said...
on Dec. 3 2008 at 11:57 pm
I think that we should go Veggie.

I am a vegitiarian myself.

Vegitartian love longer than meat eaters.

But whatever,

loko mono said...
on Dec. 1 2008 at 2:08 pm
i like MEATTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on Nov. 24 2008 at 1:45 am
Wowza, this is incredibly hypocritical, no offense, but really. You're telling me not to push my personal choice of vegetarianism on people, yet you are telling me that my decision is downright inhuman. Did you know we vegetarians live, on average, seven years longer than omnivores? Did you know that we're saving the environment by choosing not to eat meat? If you're going on the theory of evolution, you're saying we've evolved to eat those we have evolved from. I don't think so. This piece, strong and opinionated as it is, is incredibly biased and extremely offensive to a vegetarian such as myself.

Vegetarian and PROUD, thank you very much, ma'am!

jessica said...
on Nov. 17 2008 at 4:37 am
I think its great that you took all the time to research, but some of the studies are very biased. Also, meat IS bad for your health. And bad for the environment. And why- since humans are so evolved- must we treat animals worse than even cavemen did? These days we are technologically advanced far enough to survive without the consumption of meat. It can be done in a healthy manner. Hunting can hardly be justified. Did you know that deer and other game animals are introduced to an area just so some hicks can take its life? Yes, populations are artificially increased just for the purpose of the bloodsport. I know how animals are killed. What makes a difference if they are killed by some old man or by a machine. The animals still loses its life needlessly. Maybe you should open your mind and think about the lives of the animals on a factory farm. It's just horrible how they are treated. Why, you ask? Why would I want to change that? Because it's needless, wasteful, and wrong. And you know it.

veggietalez1 said...
on Nov. 8 2008 at 10:55 pm
to the author reply- just so you know not all of the vegetarians are in "big cities" i spent 5 years of my life growing up on a farm and now live in a rural area- im vegetarian- your extremely stereotypical- if you grew up around animals like i did you should know that animals should be valued just as much as humans

on Oct. 26 2008 at 11:38 pm
Hm. Well, I do not like how a lot of people supply meat to stores and stuff. Slaughter houses, and the such. Still, it is natural for humans to eat meat. The animal cruelty issue should be taken up with the government, but that doesn't mean you have to give up meat. That's one argument down. Yes, people can thrive on veges and fruits. That's fine. Still, eating meat does offer a good balance in our diets, provides many more needed proteins, and does help our body develop pretty well. 'Souls'. I saw that brought up once. o.o Well, that's a personal belief. Still, if you believe in souls and religion, then please know that the bible and other religious texts (probably) state that god made animals for man to raise, and to eat. lol. Souls, in my opinion, is not even a physical thing, just something that represents tha fact that a creature has a conscience and is alive. As for people who just think killing animals for food is upsetting and morally wrong, well. Morally, it's not wrong. Butchering animals the way some corporations due, as I said before, is something that should be taken up to the government and the FDA. That is morally wrong. But hunting, the way the author described it in his response, isn't a bad thing It does balance nature out, it's the way of things. And it isn't to cruel. If it's upsetting to you, then that's your personal reason, not a reason for others to choose to be vegetarians. Skinne, we've adapted to being able to eat meat. We can't eat it raw, but we can eat it. We aren't built for just veges either, from what I can figure. After all, humans can and do eat meat. lol, and we don't rely more on fruits and veges necissarily. I do respect all vegetarians, and I think that vegetarianism is fine. I do agree that it can be very healthy, that animal cruelty is very wrong, and that killing animals for food is a very sad thing sometimes. Still, I do agree that many vegetarians could be open-minded.

on Oct. 22 2008 at 11:48 pm
Its true that we have to cook something before eating meat, skinne, but that is only because if we do we can get really sick that is the only reason for that. And we may be able to get protein from different sources but usually the vegetarian is not educated enough and only eats what they think will give them enough protein when they are only getting the same kind and not all the different types. There are 14 different kinds and whereas any meat will provide the necessary amount a pice of carrot or an apple is guaranteed to not deliver the needed amount and there are only a few foods other than meat that can provide this. That is why being someone who eats meat is healthier. The vegetarion isnt getting enough nutrients and body slowly eats itself alive and you get weight loss at an unhealthy cost.

jaspereliot said...
on Oct. 21 2008 at 6:56 pm
This is an interesting perspective but I think if you compare longevity of meat-eaters to vegetarians, you'll find that those who limit their consumption of meat (or eliminate it altogether) live the longest. That said, it is absolutely TRUE that just because you eat a vegetarian diet does NOT mean that you are getting proper nutrition. With the lack of certain foods that vegetarians don't eat, there are often vitamin and nutritional deficiencies (e.g., B12, iron, and zinc, among others). There's an interesting article that covers vegetarian vitamins and nutritional requirements on the website: www.vegetarianvitaminsguide.com I hope you and your vegetarian readers can find some benefit from it!