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Why humans are naturally herbivorous
Posted By Sarin on Aug 26, 2012     RSS Feeds     Latest Hinduism news
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Do you know that humans are naturally herbivorous?  
In today's world, more than 90% of the world population is non-vegan. So, I guess this topic will be disliked by many of us even when you will find all the contents and facts shown in this blog as convincing. However, the real truth remains that we are naturally herbivorous and have been created by gods to eat vegetarian food.

Vegetarian food-Best for humans
  
To start, let me show some of the comparative differences between different groups of human beings.
Humans are biologically herbivores
  Carnivores Omnivores Herbivores Humans
Facial muscles Reduced to allow wide mouth gape Reduced Well-developed Well-developed
Jaw type Angle not expanded Angle not expanded Expanded angle Expanded angle
Jaw joint location On same plane as molar teeth On same plane as molar teeth Above the plane of the molars Above the plane of the molars
Jaw motion Shearing; minimal side-to-side motion Shearing; minimal side-to-side motion No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
Major jaw muscles Temporalis Temporalis Masseter and ptergoids Masseter and pterygoids
Mouth opening vs. head size Large Large Small Small
Teeth: Incisors Short and pointed Short and pointed Broad, flattened and spade-shaped Broad, flattened and spade-shaped
Teeth: Canines Long, sharp, and curved Long, sharp and curved Dull and short or long (for defense), or none Short and blunted
Teeth: Molars Sharp, jagged and blade-shaped Sharp blades and/or flattened Flattened with cusps vs. complex surface Flattened with nodular cusps
Chewing None; swallows food whole Swallows food whole and/or simple crushing Extensive chewing necessary Extensive chewing necessary
Saliva No digestive enzymes No digestive enzymes Carbohydrate digesting enzymes Carbohydrate digesting enzymes
Stomach type Simple Simple Simple or multiple chambers Simple
Stomach acidity with food in stomach≤ pH 1≤ pH 1 pH 4-5 pH 4-5
Length of small intestine 3-6 times body length 4-6 times body length 10-12+ times body length 10-11 times body length
Colon Simple, short, and smooth Simple, short, and smooth Long, complex; may be sacculated Long, sacculated
Liver Can detoxify vitamin A Can detoxify vitamin A Cannot detoxify vitamin A Cannot detoxify vitamin A
Kidney Extremely concentrated urine Extremely concentrated urine Moderately concentrated urine Moderately concentrated urine
Nails Sharp claws Sharp claws Flattened nails or blunt hooves Flattened nails
From The Comparative Anatomy of Eating , by Milton R. Mills, M.D.

A fair look at the above tabular data shows that humans are naturally optimized for eating plant foods. We're very similar to herbivores animals, and severly different from omnivores and carnivores.
Although this topic perfectly suits Vedas and other Indian religious texts which is against non-vegetarianism with lord Krishna being the supreme example giving his love and care to animals, other religious group may find it objectionable since their religion doesn’t state  against non-vegetarianism. For such blind followers, let us add some more facts:
  
Lord Krishna loved all creation of this universe
  
Historians claims of ancient human hunting animal is most likely to be false
Many historians claim that earlier humans hunted and ate animals. However modern research has made a staggering claim that our early ancestors doesn’t have digestive system fit enough to digest raw meat and hence, must have probably feeded on plants and fruits for their food.  Moreover, human body system is not designed to like raw meat and cannot taste meat without cooking. So, from the above perspective, scientists have declared that the whole mankind was vegetarian millions of year ago. Moreover, Humans were not well equipped and intelligent enough to trap animals or hunt animal. So, since they lacked the basic hinting instinct, their possibility of being an omnivore is very slim.  Actually, Humans were always herbivorous and humans ate meat only in circumstances where it was absolutely necessary or when they were left with no other choice (Ex. Humans living in non-irrigated areas like deserts or snowy mountains where vegetation’s is not possible).  
  
Some of the best food for humans
  
Our supposed ancestors were vegetarians
Our so-called "canine teeth" are "canine" for namesake only.  Other plant consumers like gorillas,chimpanzees hippos, and horses) also have "canines" teeth. Chimpanzees, who are totally veg, have huge canines compared to humans. Canine’s teeth were gifted to herbivores for defensive purposes and not for eating meat.  Below is the list of all our supposed ancestors and their primary food.
Howler monkeys - Leaf eaters
Marmosets - gum eaters
Sportive lemurs - Leaf eaters
Gelada baboons- Leaf eaters
Black-and-white colobuses - Leaf eaters
Gelada - grass eater
Mantled guereza- Leaf eaters
Chimps- Leafs, roots and fruits and occasionally termites (1% due to survival instinct).
Our ancestors eating plants and fruits
  
Human body is not fit for meat consumption
Our bodies are not suitable for consuming meat and capability of eating meat was given only for survival instinct. Note that we are not able to eat raw meat and prefer to eat meat only when it is deliciously cooked and are soft enough o chew.  Cats are capable of eating plant foods but cats are carnivores and are not listed as omnivores just because of their capability to eating veg food too. Our teeth, saliva, stomach acid, and intestines are very similar to other plant consumers, and severly dissimilar to omnivores and carnivores.  
  
Humans are similar to herbivores
Among animals, herbivores have the longest life span with humans life span certainly following in this group. It is well known facts that thousands of years ago, all vegan sages and spiritual gurus lived for more than hundred years. Many scientists have confirmed that life expectancy is directory proportional to eating meat Ex: The Maasai tribe in Kenya having a high wild meat diet have the worst life expectancy in this globe. Moreover, non-veg food is the cause of many human diseases.Our sleeping and gestation period is similar to other herbivores and drastically less than omnivores and carnivores.
  
Scientist of the century followed vegetarianism
  
Let us check some of our natural instinct to understand why we are naturally herbivorous:
1)Real omnivores or carnivores always think of hunting and eating whole prey while humans don't. We are just interested in eating the clean body parts because they look good, are well- processed and deliciousy cooked for easy consumption and digestion.
2)Real carnivores enjoys eating raw flesh after killing their prey, whereas most humans can't even imagine of blood.Butchers cut animals for livelihood and money while others do to fill their stomach..
3)Real Carnivorous like the scent of blood and thrill of chasing their prey whereas humans are terrified by the glimpse of raw flesh and cannot tolerate the screams of dying or butchered animals.
4) If Carnivorous animal find dead meat lying anywhere, it will immediately run to grab and coonsume that meat piece whereas if we see dead animals lying anywhere or accidently falling on our way, we will just change our way to find an alternate path to reach our destination..
      
Can you eat like this?
  5) Cats are obligate carnivores with taste buds exactly reflecting this by completely evolving their tongue sensors to respond to amino acids and sweet-tasting carbohydrates as well. Dogs are omnivores as they have evolved in human environment to retain both kinds of taste buds, those responding to amino acids and carbohydrates as well. But humans tongues responds only to sweet carbohydrates and doesn't realise the taste for amino acids thus making us a natural herbivores(plant eaters). Humans are called as omnivorous because of their intelligence to mix up meat with sauces and spices (barbecue, sweet and sour, marinara, etc.) to make a delicious and palatable cuisine.
6) Sight of a dead animal does not discharge water from our mouth. We can't think of killing cows and eat them raw with our bare hands. This shows that Humans lack both the physical and mental characteristics of being a carnivore with the instinct differing greatly from carnivores way of killing animals or the omnivore way of devouring raw carcasses of dead animals.
    
Our most primate ancestors eat meats. So, how we can be herbivorous and should not eat meat?
First of all, man evolving from chimpanzees or similar primates is not a full proof 100 % true concept. Evolution is just a theory based on evidences however there is a increasing possibility of it being untrue with new evidences coming up. Even if it is considered as true, let us take up some basic facts :
Primates eat meat rarely. Note the key word here is rarely. Chimpanzees are natural fruit-Plant eaters, and meat comprises only 1-3% of their diet and that too for survival instinct because of lack of availaibility of fruits. Still, their basic diet consists atleast 95-99% plants. Chimps' meat consumption is incomparable to that of humans. Chimpanzees eat only termites and not chickens or cattle. So, Comapring this analogy to humans, an adult human should eat only 8 grams of meat everyday. That's about 1/12th of a medium radish.
Chimpanzees main diet is fruits,leaves, stem, stalks etc
  
The fact that we can digest meat is enough for us to be non-vegeterain?
No wonder that human digestive system is not capable of digesting meat. But that does not mean we're supposed to, or consuming meat is natural to our digestive system. Our stomach can digest cardboard and paper too. But that doesn't mean we should start eating cardboard and paper.
Our Ancestors, Stone Age man used to hunt and eat animals? So, we were indeed not herbivorous?
Probably you have learnt in history that man evolved hunting animals and eating raw flesh but like i suggested above, this claims are just a theory and not an absolute truth nor proved by science. Well, the most likely truth is that group of inhabitants living in jungles (Adivasis) hunted and ate animals whereas other civilised ones survive on vegetation diet.
If you have more such questions then let me tell you many other non-vegetarians tried their best to prove that human’s falls under omnivorous category but their claims were refuted very easily by neutral biologist and scientists. Below is one of such link:
<https://ecologos.org/mcardle.htm>

According to Vedas, eating meat is no sin but abstaining meat brings greater rewards. So, it;s upto the individual to decide what they wanna eat and what they not but someone looking for spiritual awakening and good karma, would certainly abstain themselves from eating meat while others will try to debate and continue terming humans as omnivores to satisy their conscience of eating meat. These are just some facts and let thw wise people decide what they should eat and what they shouldn't. Juts to let you know as the world is getting advanced and literate day by day, populations of vegeterains are also on the rise.
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