The Idea Of Cutting Meat Out Of Our Diet May Not Be A Healthier Option
Scientists’ best guess to humans’ biological disposition before they evolved into being rational animals would be that they were omnivores, and their best evidence would be the human teeth. Humans have biting/tearing/ripping incisors and canines like carnivores and chewing molars like herbivores. Animals with such diverse teeth tend to be omnivores. Chemically, we lack cellulases or cellulosic symbionts that many herbivores have, and we have lots of proteases that carnivores do. But we do have sucrases that let us digest fruits. Humans require vitamin B12 to thrive, which can only come from animal sources or certain. We also require vitamin C, which is present in citrus fruits and organ meat, the latter being our evolutionary ancestor's main source. Lastly, our closest evolutionary relatives, the chimpanzees, are omnivores. Scientists have also proven that our access to meat and protein enabled our brains to evolve to the way it is today. It is true that we humans needed meat to be as complex and rational as we are today, but since we have moved past the stage of hunting, we do not have to rely on meat to survive.
The first vegetarians can be traced back to 2000BC when Hinduism first came about. Hindus believe in reincarnation in the sense that when a human being dies, they can be reborn into another human being or another animal. So, it would be wrong to eat animals if they could have been another human being — your friend that passed away. In 500BC, Pythagoras was also a vegetarian because he believed that both people and animals had souls, so if a human being was to eat another animal, they would be eating another soul. I am sure it can be seen how wrong that is on so many levels. A form of vegetarianism has arisen in the last century, and it is known as veganism — a meat-free diet. Most vegans believe in the love your neighbor foundation most religions form their beliefs on. They do not stop at loving their fellow human being, but also loving other animals, and will not sacrifice them as food when they can be sustained on a cruelty-free, healthy option. I recently watched a YouTube video on vegans and meat eaters coming together to find a common ground, and there was this significant question this lady, a vegan, named Aubrey Davis asked the meat eaters, “What are you putting in your body”? Her compelling answer came right after, “death, carcass, pain, suffering, fear. ” She is right that these meat eaters are feeding off the fear of these animals, ignoring their pain, and stealing their lives to satisfy selfish wants. Meat eating has now become a want because the need for food can be satisfied without spilling the blood of these innocent animals that caused us no harm, so every time we kill another being we should feel just as bad as taking another human life.
Apart from being ethical and sparing one more animal, veganism has some excellent health benefits. According to Healthline, a vegan diet is richer in certain nutrients like potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins. It also provides more fiber, antioxidants, and beneficial plant compounds which keeps one’s skin healthier and easily allows one to lose excess weight. A vegan diet also helps to lower blood sugar and increase kidney function. Diabetes is something that a large percentage of the population is facing, and a vegan diet would be the best way to combat this. The World Health Organization tells us that certain cancers can be prevented with a better diet including legumes, fruits, and vegetables. It is advisable to move to the vegan side because this is what their diet consists of. Lastly, eating fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fibers is linked to a lower risk of heart diseases.
There are many more health benefits of veganism than the ones stated above. Many people do not consider veganism as an option because it is said that eating healthy is more expensive and not as exciting as meat inclusive diet. The people at the Harvard School of Public Health have crunched the numbers and it is official: the healthiest diets cost just $1. 50 more than unhealthy diets. Vegans urge the meat eaters to spend that $1. 50 more to save the animals from this pain they go through daily as they are being pumped with all sorts of chemicals while being selectively bred and modified and suffering all these various health issues to keep up with the ever-growing demand for meat and dairy products. This constant need for meat not only harms the animals but we also harm our health with the spike in production levels from animal agriculture which is the single greatest cause of climate change on the planet. They urge us to join the 5% in their battle of morality and a safe, less polluted world.
Living in a world where there is so much inequality and opposing views, we should not let something as simple as food separate us. It is too late because the war of veganism and carnivores/omnivores has been set in motion, and here is what I have to say about it. As much as being a vegan seems cruelty free and environmentally friendly, they do not follow the very foundation of the gospel they preach. In a world filled with love and the will to fight for another animal, vegans should be equally invested in fighting for their fellow humans’ rights and keeping the climate change to a minimal while using encouraging and positive messages when trying to sway people’s opinions. Animal agriculture might be a leading cause of climate change, but deforestation due to farming methods follows closely behind as second on this list. Vegans fail to mention that they have a big hand in climate change just as much as the meat eaters do. Furthermore, the idea that cattle (and other domesticated animals) are bad for the environment has also been skewed.
In Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production, Nicolette Hahn Niman claims that cattle are and have been an essential part of the agricultural process; they “build carbon-sequestering soils to mitigate climate change, enhance biodiversity, help prevent desertification, and provide invaluable nutrition. ” Hanh Niman further dispels myths about beef affecting our bodies in negative ways and argues for small-scale sustainable farming that should include animals. I do agree with vegans on the way animals are brutally killed because they could be killed in a more respectful and traditional way rather than being treated as objects, but one thing they have to understand is that those with power and money get to decide what is ethically correct nowadays because capitalism, a system that mobilizes the mass production of animals to sustain large urban populations, is dominant. Profit making is the only thing that comes to mind when these animals are violently harmed. Vegans do not eat meat because of the way animals are killed, but should we not stop eating quinoa because of the conditions the quinoa farmers live in. If vegans care so much about the lives of these animals, they should also be focused on the very troubling issues that minorities face all around the world. Humans need to fight for humans first before they can fight for other animals. We have to win the war against human cruelty before trying to win the war against animal cruelty. I have also heard several arguments of veganism producing enough food for the world’s population, and this is a false argument because it is a fact that there is currently enough food to feed the world’s population, and the problem is food distribution and not food production.
Saying no to meat today does not mean that our genes and our history do not continue to give it a loud and rousing yes. Meat is known as the most accessible food to man in all seasons, and even the tribal population like the Inuit’s and the New Zealand Mowry can attest to this. These tribal populations have such diverse cultures, but one thing that is common to them is their consumption of meat. They are also known to be healthier than our current population consisting of both vegans, vegetarians, carnivores, and omnivores. They lacked heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, and many more diseases we have today. This tells us that the cause of today’s health problems is not due to our consumption of meat, which has various health benefits, it is due to the amount of heavily processed food we consume. The meat free diet is not as healthy as it seems especially if the vegan in question consumes commercially made vegan food which is also highly processed and contains high amount of fat, and if not taken in moderation just like meat can lead to an excessive intake of calories. The idea of cutting meat out of our diet might seem like the healthier option, but in reality, it is not. A meat free diet lacks certain nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 important for energy metabolism and synthesis. Vegans are aware of this, and they have to take supplements to make sure of a fully functional body system. The meat eaters have to look back and ask themselves if vegans are they truly healthy if they need to take these supplements to achieve a nutrient dense diet, whereas the meat eaters consume foods rich in all the nutrients we need as long as it is consumed in appropriate proportions.
Lastly, PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), the largest animal rights group in the world, has done a subpar job in promoting their agenda. They have run ads that are fatphobic, classist, exotify women of color, and compare eating meat to lynching among other things. PETA once went on a global campaign against KFC, and used dead, bikini-clad women next to a sign that said, “KFC Scalds Chicks to Death. ” The use of these vulgar signs and ads to prevent animal cruelty just moves people further away from the vegan/vegetarian movement because it is believed that is the kind of movement they pursue. They need to promote their views and opinions in less aggressive ways, so people can understand their points of view, and make the decision of whether or not they want to give meat up. What most people fail to understand is that eating meat is an identity to most people, and it helps them physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is irresponsible for the people promoting veganism to downplay a way of life. One can be healthy and live a better nutrient dense life as a meat eater. The simple truth is that the universe does not care whether we eat meat or not, fail or pass, cry or smile, live or die.
So, vegans should stick with being vegans if they believe in their way of life, and meat eaters should stick with their more nutrient dense diet if they please because life is about making decisions you are comfortable with. Meat eaters should stand strong and not let the use of rhetoric of the vegans persuade them to do otherwise.
