The following is a guest post by Duran Rivera, a freelance writer and artist who’s had multiple articles published at the well known NaturalNews.com and other various websites. You can read more of Duran’s work at DuranRivera.com
By the day, more people are becoming aware of the dangers of a traditional diet and have taken responsibility for their diets. They do so only to be told by well-intentioned peers and “people in the know” that abstaining from meat while being an athlete is not wise. The story has been told over and over again, “Humans are meat eaters- that’s what we do!” Well, we’re going to set these facts straight and put these myths to rest once and for all.
MYTH #1: YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH PROTEIN WITHOUT MEAT
This myth tops them all. Many believe that 1-gram of protein is needed per pound! Well, 5-8% of fruits calories are protein, vegetables and darker greens contain 20-50%, and sprouted seeds/nuts contain 10-25%. So, Lettuce gets 34%, while Broccoli and Spinach gets 45% and 49% respectfully. Beans range from 23-54%. Most people on a standard meat diet are actually protein deficient. Hemp seeds, macca powder, quinoa, flax, spirulina, greens and sprouts – all super foods – are high in protein.
MYTH #2: YOU CAN’T GAIN MUSCLE ON A VEGAN DIET
Wrong again. Actually, eating meats can slow down your metabolism because it takes lots of energy to digest. Vegetarians actually grow muscle mass at a faster rate with a diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Vegetarian body building means being creative with meals to ensure you have plenty of vitamins and minerals.
MYTH #3: HUMANS ARE DESIGNED TO EAT MEAT
False once again. We are more designed like herbivores than carnivores or omnivores. Our teeth, saliva, stomach acid, intestines are similar to plant eaters. Fossil records show that our ancestors were exclusively vegetarian. Primates are 95-99% vegetarian. Their main non-plant food is termites. B12 is missing from a vegetarian diet not because we need meat. Any food that gets dirty develops B12 from bacteria. Lack of B12 comes from our cleaner modern diet. We get our B12 from meat because it’s dirty. And our need for B12 is tiny, 3 micograms (not micrograms) a day- akin to four grains of rice in our lifetime. Our jaws are made to grind; carnivores are not. Our jaws have molars like herbivores; carnivores do not.
A QUICK COMPARISON:
Cats who are carnivores, compared to herbivores and humans: Cat: sharp, pointed front teeth to tear flesh. Herbivores/Humans: no sharp, pointed front teeth. Cat: no flat back molar teeth to grind food. Herbivores/Humans: has flat, back molar teeth to grind food. Cat: small salivary glands in the mouth (not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits). Herbivores/Humans: well-developed salivary glands, needed to pre-digest grains and fruits. Cat: acid saliva; no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains. Herbivores/Humans: alkaline saliva; much ptyalin to pre-digest grains. Cat: strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest tough animal muscle, bone, etc. Herbivore/Human: stomach acid 20 times weaker than that of meat-eaters. Cat: intestinal tract only 3 times body length, so rapidly decaying meat can pass out of body quickly. Herbivores/Humans: intestinal tract several times body length. (4)
The following graphs are courtesy of MichaelBlueJay.com:
The following graphs come courtesy of EarthSave Canada:
MYTH #4: EATING MEAT IS GOOD FOR YOU
The medical evidence is irrefutable and builds up by the day. Medical studies show that eating meat ends up contributing to heart disease, cancer, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, and other degenerative diseases. Dean Ornish, M.D. was the first person to prove that heart disease can be reversed, and he did so by feeding his patients a vegetarian diet. So if meat is so natural to people why does it kill us? Studies after studies have shown, that we are not designed to eat meat. We get sick when we do. (5)
In summary, what this all shows is that a vegetarian diet if done properly can provide the person with all kinds of health benefits. Despite the growing organic food market, vegetarian, vegan, and raw food diets are not given the proper credit they’re due in our “modern” society. In diets, whether you decide to eat meat or not, should be based more on conscious eating habits than compulsive or dogmatic views. What you are doing with your life and what you are eating are intertwined. There’s nothing more dangerous and offsetting to a person’s livelihood than myths and rumors. Correct well-rounded information should be a part of our final decision.
Sources:
- http://www.nutritionresource.com/article.cfm?ID=AR00009
- http://www.wellsphere.com/wellpage/vegetarian-athletes-vs-meat-eating-athletes
- http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
- http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/030700pumeatinthehumandiet.htm
- http://www.earthsave.ca/articles/health/comparative.html
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Anyone can fabricate history to look like what they want it too, the truth is we are very much omnivores so that includes meat. Some of the truest words I have heard came from a Peruvian Shaman who was amazed at how “picky” we are about eating this not eating that when most of the population does not even dream of this luxury and will eat what ever they can get. So count your blessings to be such an elitist in the culinary world but please do not look down your nose at those of us who just aren’t so picky.
@Wade…sorry but there is an immeasurable amount of irony to your advisory that vegans are elitists. I don’t even need to qualify this, it is so profoundly self-righteous. The Peyote you ate must be toxic.
The thing we need is amino acids,we don’t need a third party(protein) to get amino acids,protein takes a lot of energy to break down.Eating live fresh vegetables and fruits give plenty of amino acids.Animal protein,fats,processed salt and sugar are highest on the list of causing cancer,non organic meats are much worse.(hormones,steroids,antibiotics,pesticides)
Hello Mitch
This is such an informative article that debunks very common myths. Eating meat is considered by many as a necessity. How wrong, indeed. My father started a vegetarian diet a few days ago and he feels much younger, energetic and rejuvenated. Great article Mitch.
Above all, animals have the equal right to live on this planet, just like humans. They know what is love and pain, sometimes better than humans.
The world doesn’t belong to humans. We share the world.
I recommend every one to watch a documentary called – The Earthlinks.
What about when a lion shreds a zebra with his jaws? Should we kill the lion? Or just try to educate it on eating grass all day? Most animals are killed for food.
Some good points, but #1 doesn’t discuss the VERY important topic of the bio availability of protein, #2 I’ve never heard of (just thought you’d put up a strawman, I assume), #3 has several missing source, ignores arguments by modern anthropologists, and is really, really skewed with those terrible tables, and #4 is just total bullshit – take everything in moderation, including your soy. Eating meat doesn’t cause cancer, you poor fools. Obesity and other related diseases stem from poor lifestyles. Is that too difficult for people to understand?
The commenter Wade put it well – “Anyone can fabricate history to look like what they want it too.”
Vegans: realize for a moment that the development of your digestive system, which allows you to eat many of our domestic veggie crops, came from meat eating AND realize that our teeth have evolved to accommodate this CRUCIAL part of our diet (http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/99legacy/6-14-1999a.html and http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo/homo_2.htm)
Realize that your intellect – your ABILITY to question how live, came from high protein diets FROM meat. Why not high protein from veggie sources? Because those werent available until now.
And most importantly, realize that you are really just making a moral argument. That’s fine. If you’d like, just tell yourself you’re more moral then the rest of us. Don’t be over zealous, though, and please be mindful of self righteousness.
We are omnivores. But go ahead – support GMOs, “fortified foods”, and quit eating meat.
And to the author, to help your clever writing convince disbelievers like me, use sources from reliable sources from educational institutions. I know reading 20-30 research articles is a burden, but you owe it to your readers.
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/omni.htm
“As far back as it can be traced, clearly the archeological record indicates an omnivorous diet for humans that included meat.”
“Relative number and distribution of cell types, as well as structural specializations, are more important than overall length of the intestine to determining a typical diet. Dogs are typical carnivores, but their intestinal characteristics have more in common with omnivores.”
Arguements can be made constantly on both sides with generalizations of slight evidence in certain areas. Too many assumptions are made without foresight or keeping an open mind in order to satisfy your own personal views. I met a doctor recently that knows more about health than any group of MD’s that claim to have done research on closed minimal groups of subjects. His name is Marc Langas; if you live near Tyler, TX, I suggest meeting him.
One thing I believe above anything else in health & nutrition, is the fact that no two humans are the same. We are all very different, with different bodies..why should the same diet work the same for everyone? It doesn’t. http://www.dadamo.com/
very informative. thanks for sharing. I am actually confused as to what is healthiest for all humans. i guess every BODY is different , and each individuals system reacts differently, but at the end of the day , we ARE all humans . I just stay away from all the “Frankenfoods” and all the pasteries, grains, sweets. I have always been underweight, and this is not helping with gaining any weight. I have a question though,, i am a female, and i stopped eating meat for a few months, and my mensturation started getting less and less. it seems we do need to eat meat. my accupuncturist advised me i should eat some meat. Are there any vegan women who dont experience this??