Are humans carnivores, omnivores or herbivores? 10 reasons why we humans are not carnivores

Are we humans carnivores, omnivores, or herbivores? We eat meat. Here a schnitzel, there a steak. So you could assume that we humans are carnivores. But we also eat vegetables - ergo, we could assume that we are omnivores. However, many people eat a purely plant-based diet and are very healthy - so theoretically we don't have to eat meat at all. So what are we? My point here is not at all to philosophize about our current diet. I simply want to find out if we humans are morally and anatomically designed to eat meat. In my research, I came to a shockingly clear answer pretty quickly.

In this article, I would now like to present you with 10 reasons why we humans, from our entire being, tend not to be geared towards eating meat and other animal foods.

Here in advance a short Overview about the 10 arguments:

1. Response to animal suffering
2. Our Jaws & Teeth
3. Length of our intestine
4. Nature of our stomach
5. Meat consumption causes diseases
6. Smell of carrion disgusts us
7. Meat is actually tasteless
8. Without tools we can not hunt successfully
9. Baby reaction to apple & rabbit
10. Have to get creative to portray ourselves as carnivores

What are carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores by definition?

At this point, I would like to very briefly find clear definitions for the terms I discuss in this article. For this, it is important to know that we humans are also animals from a biological point of view. Following are the said definitions:

• Carnivore: Animals that mainly feed on meat. (e.g. lion or wolf)
• Omnivore: Animals that feed on both plant and animal food materials. (e.g.: bear or wild boar).
• Herbivore: Animals that mainly feed on (herbaceous) plants. (e.g.: gorillas, hippos or gorillas).

Tip: Feel free to also take a look at my post about the Similarities between humans and animals. Especially if you doubt that we, too, are actually animals.

10 reasons why we humans are not carnivores

Surely you've heard sayings like "We have always eaten meat"or "Man is a carnivore". Such justifications are of course rather fast dahingesagt and can be justified only with difficulty. Here are the promised 10 arguments, which speak absolutely against the fact that humans are carnivores.

1. natural reaction to animal suffering

When we see an injured animal - whether dog, deer, rabbit or owl - we humans do not suddenly become hungry. On the contrary, we feel compassion and think about how we can help. Would a carnivore really help with Compassion, mercy and Helpfulness react, if his potential meal is directly and defenselessly, yes as if on a silver platter, in front of him? With me it was even the Dominion film, which gives me the cruelty to animals in factory farming, and thus to distance myself from an approach that is as free of animal suffering as possible, vegan lifestyle has convinced.

2. our jaws & teeth

It is often claimed that we humans have "pointed canines" to better tear and chew meat. But this argument doesn't hold water - after all, hippos and gorillas have much larger canine teeth - and yet they prefer to be herbivores. So we have to look a little closer. A look at the actual fangs of carnivores from the wild fauna shows that these have more fangs, their jaws are also long and pointed and move up and down when chewing or biting. Herbivores, on the other hand, have predominantly grinding teeth, rather round, left- and right-moving jaws for grazing, grinding, and consuming plants. It is the same with us humans.

Good to know: Another indication that we humans tend to be herbivores is that, according to scientific studies, we choke on animal products (bones, bones, etc.) significantly more often than on plant foods.₁

3. length of our intestine

The Gut of a carnivore is very short, to digest and eliminate the food quickly. This prevents the body from absorbing toxins and other harmful components of the victim, or that its flesh rots in the body.

The human intestinal tract, on the other hand, is very longThe dietary fiber is the most important part of the diet in order to be able to absorb as many nutrients as possible from the plants and the long plant fibers before they are excreted. The intake of dietary fiber is also important for healthy bowel function - but this is found exclusively in plant foods. Another argument against the theory that humans are carnivores.

4. texture of our stomach

Real Carnivores have pretty big stomachs. Ein Wolf kann beispielsweise bis zu 9 Kilogramm Fleisch verspeisen.₂ Der menschliche Magen ist kleiner und kann nur geringere Mengen aufnehmen. Setzen wir unsere Magenbeschaffenheit ins Verhältnis zum Wolf, müssten wir alle in der Lage sein, etwa 100 Hamburger essen zu können.₃ Ich kenne nicht eine einzige Person, die das schafft. 😉

But our stomach also lacks the crucial Enzymesto be able to destroy the pollutants from rotting meat in the body. We humans therefore first had to (find) other ways, such as heating and cooking the meat, to kill the pollutants before they enter our stomachs.₄

Another indication that speaks for the fact that we humans are herbivores is the pH value of our stomachs. This is basically very acidic in carnivores and omnivores to decompose pieces of bone and other harder body parts. In humans, however, the pH value tends to be alkaline.₅

Herbivores sweat! Another anatomy-related argument against us humans being carnivores is our pores on our skin, through which our bodies cool down. Lions, wolves and other carnivores do not have pores. They pant to release excess body heat.

5. meat consumption leads to diseases

Our culture may have evolved to eat meat - but not our bodies. The most common cause of death in Germany is cardiovascular disease. The heart is supplied with less blood due to calcified arteries - as a result, heart attacks then occur more quickly. It has been proven that eating meat exacerbates the "clogging" of the arteries. Studies have also shown that vegans and vegetarians have a lower risk of common diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.₆

Also that Viruses such as BSE and Covid19 have arisen as a result of our "lust for meat" and subsequently predominantly affect the health of us humans, can certainly be seen as an argument in favor of humans as herbivores.

Movie Tip: One of meanwhile many effective vegan documentaries Is "What The Health." Be sure to watch the documentary to learn about the health reasons not to eat meat.

6. the smell of carrion disgusts us

Natural Carnivores get hungry at the sight of dead animals. For us humans, the hairs on the back of our necks tend to stand up because we feel disgust. A look at meat production in the Factory farming and the hunger is gone. Male Chicks are shredded, Pigs gassed and chickens dragged through the electric bath. Whichever way you turn it, it's a bloody and pretty creepy affair.

However, as long as we can prevent the mass death behind the closed doors of the slaughterhouses not see, we hold People us for real meat eaters who are at the top of the food chain stand. In the end, the meat is seasoned and packaged in plastic on the supermarket refrigerated shelf. There is nothing to remind us that these are the body parts of a sentient being.

We see the cow in the pasture and think it is cute. Then comes the slaughterhouse. We close our eyes and enjoy our beef fillet. Sounds strange? Then this is probably a good argument that we humans are not carnivores.

7. without herbs and spices meat is tasteless

Actually, meat tastes rather bland - yes, one would say "like nothing". Only herbs, spices and roasting ensure that we find it so delicious! Actually it needs there only one Vegetable mass (e.g. tofu) with the same herbs - and ready is the vegan meat substitute. The fact that meat is basically tasteless might therefore be another reason why we humans are not carnivores by nature.

8. Without tools, we find it difficult to hunt.

Carnivores are physically and mentally geared to hunt. The Meals of herbivores can not run away – da muss nichts gejagt werden. 😉

We humans have neither claws, nor large jaws that can bite, no exorbitant hunting instincts, hardly any camouflage, and even insignificant sprinting abilities. In addition, we cannot see anything in the dark. However, these abilities are what make a good hunter. Only our tools (Rifle, high seat, camouflage net, all-terrain vehicle, night vision, knife and fork) make us hunters and meat lovers. Without them, we would hardly be able to shoot a wild boar. We would probably rather run away screaming.

One more thing: Actually, we are the absolute opposite of a hunter. When we see pictures of shot animals and proudly grinning hunters, most people feel anger rather than joy.

9. reaction of a BAby to apple & rabbit

Let's play a little thought experiment to make it even clearer that we humans are herbivores, not carnivores. Imagine leaving a baby alone in a room with an apple and a rabbit. What would the baby do? Would it instinctively eat both? Or would it eat the apple and play with the rabbit? In all likelihood, the latter is the case.

We humans simply have a moral compass deep inside us that tells us what is right and what is wrong. It makes us say "cute" and not "yummy" when we see little rabbits or puppies. When an animal is hurt, we consider how to save it - not how to eat it. A lion doesn't have that moral compass - it eats the animal and gobbles it down.

10. we have to get creative to present ourselves as carnivores

It's incredible the crazy ideas people (including my former self, by the way) come up with to justify their meat consumption and portray themselves and all of humanity as carnivores. Here are a few examples:

• „Plants have feelings too!„
• „Soy destroys the rainforest? Only vegans eat that„
• „Vegans are hypocrites - they eat products that look like meat!„

These are typical vegan prejudicesthat people use when an unpleasant emotional state takes hold in their minds: the cognitive dissonance. We have two incompatible opinions in our thoughts and attitudes, such as "I love animals - but eat them".

That we have to totally bend over backwards to find a real reason to eat meat, aside from Taste, convenience, tradition and Habit clearly speaks against the theory of humans as carnivores. The facts make it clear that we are rather herbivores.

We humans are not carnivores, but rather herbivores

We are not carnivores. So there is even a lot to suggest that we are not even omnivores, but herbivores. But the discussion about this is not really necessary - since we do not need to eat animal foods to survive. On the contrary: the less meat we eat and the more balanced and wholesome a purely plant-based diet we eat, the more likely we are to live significantly longer.

We are just smart enough to develop weapons that make us better hunters. But too stupid to see that we are not hunters, nor do we need to be hunters.

Do you have any questions or do you think we humans are carnivores? Either way, I look forward to your comment!

Stay inquisitive,

PS.: By the way, the vegan way of life serves not only the welfare of animals, but also all people in our global society. To what extent one also vegan for people you can read in the linked article. Have fun!

References:
₁ Laura Dolkas, Christina Stanley, Alan M. Smith, et al. (2007): Deaths associated with choking in San Diego county, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17209932 [04/20/2021].

₂ Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag GmbH: Wölfe und Schalenwild (as of 07.05.2010), available at https://www.jagderleben.de/praxis/woelfe-schalenwild. [20.04.2021].

₃,₅ Vegan is unhealthy: ARE HUMANS REALLY MEAT EATERS?, YouTube, Jan. 10, 2019, web, Apr. 20, 2021 at 10:01 AM, in: http://y2u.be/SfiwLBCPw_U.

₄ ProVeg Germany: Are humans meat eaters by nature?, YouTube, 24.04.2009, Web, 20.04.2021 at 10:22, in: http://y2u.be/RB0lLlFxft8.

₆ Albert Schweitzer Foundation: Vegan healthy, available at https://albert-schweitzer-stiftung.de/themen/vegan-gesund. [20.04.2021].