The Anatomy of Eating

One of the most controversial and curious subjects in modern nutrition is the place of animal protein in a healthy diet. The evidence has been building over the past twenty years that our reliance of meat and dairy foods are a mistake. Most epidemiological studies indicate that excessive consumption of meat and dairy is a primary factor in most degenerative disease. These studies, coupled with the fact that the economic and environmental damage of the modern meat and dairy industry far outweighs its social and nutritional value, do not seem to shake the public belief that animal fats and protein are essential for a healthy diet. That more and more people reject these foods on ethical grounds related to the animal abuse sets the stage for a food fight of epic proportions.

There is a certain romance in visions of the past. The idea of following tradition has a powerful pull. The problem with traditions is that while they may be interesting and informative they often do not present solutions to problems in the present or even reflect the truth of the past. Many traditions make sense and some don’t. If your ancestors used to poke their finger in their eye every day, would you not feel obliged to follow that action simply because it was tradition? I respect my ancestors but also know that they did many things and had many ideas I do not wish to replicate.

The anatomy of eating

In this video you can study body pscychology.

One of the most interesting arguments supporting the eating of meat is that we are omnivorous. I would never argue with that. Early humans ate a varied diet that probably included insects, small game, fruits and plants. There are many things that I 'can' do that I choose not to. There are many things I have done that I don’t wish to do again. Isn’t that how we learn?

A carnivore is an animal that has a diet mainly or exclusively of animal meat. This meat can be obtained through either hunting and killing or scavenging the left-overs from what other animals kill.The academic arguments continue regarding the dietary details of our evolution but certain compelling facts emerge that challenge our cultural mythologies.

The most accurate indications of early diet are to be found in our own mouth and intestinal tract. This is where the history of any animal’s dietary past is reflected most dramatically. Indications of the earliest human remains show that man was never a true carnivore. In fact, meat (other than insects) was probably a rather small part of dietary consumption. The proofs of this lie in both human structure and function.

Starting with the most obvious, our so-called canine teeth don’t qualify us as carnivores. They are placed back toward the outer corners of the mouth. They are not long enough, large enough or strong enough to grip, hold and tear flesh. They most certainly are teeth designed for holding food. There is no evidence in the fossil record that we have ever had the sharp, developed teeth to tear meat, or the jaw joints to hold or grind bones with any effectiveness - let alone the claws that are essential tools for the capture and kill. Most people can barely open plastic packets with their fingernails, let alone puncture the hide of an animal.

The issue of cheeks often brings a laugh. Carnivores don’t have cheeks. They don’t need them. You don’t keep meat in your mouth; you only have cheeks when you keep food in your mouth to aid digestion and to masticate. Humans have digestive enzymes to digest complex carbohydrates (not needed for carnivores); we do not develop these capacities unless they fit our existence. The same indications exist in the human intestinal tract.

Carnivores have very short intestines with fairly smooth walls. Meat fiber is not beneficial to intestinal health in any animal, so when the surface nutrients are released from meat the intestines need to be flushed. Herbivores and humans have a longer (two to three times as long) more complex digestive tract that holds vegetable fibre for significantly more time to achieve maximum efficiency and support the growth of beneficial microorganisms. All of these features take us back over a hundred thousand years, far before the development of tools or practical use of fire.

In good health