Scientific Evidence for Vegitarianism

There is overwhelming evidence suggesting that humans are not strict carnivores or even omnivores. More over, biblically speaking, we were vegetarians in the begining, and only allowed meats etc after the great flood (food was scarce!). In the Essene Gospel of Peace, Jesus spoke of a vegetarian diet. Milton Mills, M.D. published an excellent paper which covers the anatomy of eating. There is no question that humans are capable of eating meat. But that certainly doesn’t mean it’s ideal for us. 

Digestive Anatomy

• Teeth Structure: Humans have flat molars designed for grinding plants, unlike the sharp carnassials in carnivores that shear meat. Our canines are small and not specialized for tearing flesh.
• Jaw Movement: Humans have the ability to move their jaws side-to-side, which aids in grinding plant matter, a trait common in herbivores and absent in carnivores.
• Saliva Composition: Human saliva contains amylase, an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates (starch) found in plants. Carnivores lack this enzyme.

• Intestinal Length: Humans have a relatively long small intestine, which is characteristic of herbivores, allowing for the slow digestion and absorption of nutrients from plant-based foods. Carnivores have shorter intestines to quickly excrete decaying meat.
• Stomach Acidity: Human stomach acid is weaker than that of obligate carnivores, which need high acidity to rapidly digest raw meat and kill pathogens.
• Bile Production: True carnivores produce bile continuously to digest fat-heavy meals, whereas humans produce bile in smaller amounts suitable for mixed diets.
• Plant-Fiber Dependency: The human gut microbiome thrives on dietary fiber found only in plants, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) essential for immune and digestive health.
• Dysbiosis from Meat: High meat consumption alters the gut microbiota, leading to increased levels of harmful byproducts like TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide), linked to heart disease.
• Gut Transit Time: The slow digestion of plant matter in humans supports the fermentation of dietary fiber, unlike carnivores, whose rapid transit time minimizes putrefaction of decaying meat.
• Prebiotics in Plants: Plant-based foods contain prebiotics (like inulin and resistant starch), essential for feeding beneficial gut bacteria and improving immune function.
• Tongue Structure: Carnivores have rough tongues (like a cat’s) to scrape meat off bones. Human tongues are smooth, aiding in chewing and tasting plant matter.
• Stomach Volume: Carnivores have large stomachs to accommodate infrequent, high-protein meals, whereas humans eat smaller, frequent meals typical of herbivores.
• Thirst Mechanism: Carnivores lap water with their tongues, while humans sip water, similar to herbivores.

Nutritional Requirements

• Vitamin C: Humans must obtain vitamin C from their diet, primarily from fruits and vegetables. Carnivores synthesize their own vitamin C.
• Fiber: Dietary fiber, found only in plants, is essential for human digestive health, but carnivores do not require or digest fiber.
• Plant Nutrients: Humans thrive on a variety of plant-based nutrients, such as phytonutrients and antioxidants, which are absent in meat.
• Essential Fatty Acids: Carnivores rely on animal fats for energy. Humans can thrive on both plant and animal fats, and our bodies are well-adapted to store and use carbohydrates for energy.
• Vitamin B12: B12 is produced by bacteria, not animals, and was historically available through environmental exposure to bacteria on plants, in water, or from small amounts of non-plant foods like insects. Additionally, B12 supplementation is recommended for everyone over 50, not just vegans, undermining claims that high meat consumption is biologically necessary solely for this vitamin.
• Iron Anemia: 
  Vegetarians often worry about iron deficiency because non-heme iron, the type found in plant-based foods, is not as easily absorbed by the body as heme iron from animal products. However, vegetarians CAN meet their iron needs effectively. Here are some key points:
  • Ancestors: it is highly plausible that ancient humans didn’t worry about iron deficiency because their foods grew in organically rich and iron-abundant soils.  Further, ancient diets depended on foods grown near rivers, lakes, or volcanic regions, where soil is richer in iron and other minerals.
    
  • Iron-Rich Plant-Based Foods
    • Tofu and Tempeh: Both are excellent sources of non-heme iron and protein.
    • Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, and beans are iron-rich staples.
    • Dark Leafy Greens: Spinach, kale, and Swiss chard provide significant iron.
    • Fortified Foods: Many cereals, plant milks, and breads are fortified with iron.
    • Seeds and Nuts: Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and almonds are good sources.
  • Maximizing Iron Absorption
    • Vitamin C: Consuming vitamin C-rich foods (like citrus, bell peppers, or tomatoes) with iron-rich meals enhances absorption significantly.
    • Avoid Inhibitors: Minimize consumption of tea, coffee, or calcium-rich foods during meals, as these can block iron absorption.
  • Pescatarian Option:  See final topic bottom of page

Behavior and Food Preferences

• Taste Preference: Humans are naturally drawn to sweet and savory flavors, often associated with fruits, grains, and vegetables. Carnivores are drawn primarily to the taste of raw meat.
• Eating raw meat: is appauling to most people, let alone tastes terrible without seasoning (herbs!), but eating raw vegitables and fruits is pefectly fine
• Tool Use: Unlike carnivores, humans lack physical adaptations (sharp claws or strong jaws) to hunt and kill prey without tools or technology.

True Carnivores / Omnivores vs Humans

• “Omnivore” does not mean an equal split of 50% plants and 50% animals. For example, chimpanzees are often cited as omnivores, yet 99% of their diet consists of plants, with the remainder primarily comprising termites rather than meat. If humans are classified as omnivores, the anatomical evidence suggests we align with this type of omnivore of our closest cousins—one that relies predominantly on plant-based foods. Simply stating that humans are omnivores because we “can” eat meat, is flawed logic. After all, we are also capable of consuming non-food items like cardboard, tree bark, heavy metals, heck even poisons, which clearly doesn’t make them suitable or beneficial for us.
  
   
• Real carnivors salivate about the idea of eating whole prey animals when they see them. Humans do not. We’re interested in eating the body parts only because they’ve been removed from the original animal and processed, and because we grew up eating them, making it seem perfectly normal.
• Carnivore Hunters: While carnivores take pleasure in killing animals and eating their raw flesh, any human who killed an animal with his or her bare hands and dug into the raw corpse would be considered deranged. Carnivorous animals are aroused by the scent of blood and the thrill of the chase. Sane humans are revolted by the sight of raw flesh and cannot tolerate hearing the screams of animals being ripped apart and killed. The bloody reality of eating animals is innately repulsive to us, more proof that we were not designed to eat meat.
• Ask yourself: When you see dead animals on the side of the road, are you tempted to stop for a snack? Does the sight of a dead bird make you salivate? Do you daydream about killing cows with your bare hands and eating them raw?
• Sweating vs. Panting: Humans cool their bodies through sweating, not panting, which aligns with herbivorous animals that need endurance for foraging rather than quick bursts of energy for hunting.
• Detoxification: Herbivores (and humans) have a well-developed liver and kidneys to detoxify plant-based compounds. Carnivores have specialized mechanisms to handle high levels of nitrogen and uric acid from protein-heavy diets, which humans lack.

Evolutionary Evidence

• Fossil Record: Early human ancestors, like Australopithecines, relied heavily on plant-based diets, as evidenced by their dental and skeletal structures.
• Cultural Practices: Most human diets throughout history have been predominantly plant-based, with animal products serving as supplements rather than staples.
• Evolved to Eat Meat: The idea that a switch to meat-eating is what sparked early humans’ brain development has no more evidence to support it than the competing theories
• Caveman Diet Debunked: Humans developed the ability to digest starchy foods up to 800,000 years ago—thanks to the AMY1 gene. This suggests that carbohydrates played a key role in human evolution Link
• Prehistoric Dental Calculus: Analysis of fossilized dental plaque shows starch granules and plant residues, confirming a significant plant-based diet even in early humans.
• Meat as a Survival Food: Archeological evidence suggests meat was consumed opportunistically during times of scarcity, not as a primary food source.
• Stable Isotope Analysis: Studies of ancient human bones reveal a diet heavy in plants, with meat contributing only during specific periods.
• Hunter-Gatherer Misconception: While hunting was part of early human survival, gathering plant foods provided the bulk of daily caloric intake due to reliability and abundance.
• Cooking Advantage: Cooking plant foods (e.g., tubers and grains) predates regular meat cooking and played a crucial role in early human dietary shifts.

Canine Teeth

• Canines are not exclusive to carnivores. They are a multi-functional adaptation found across many species.
• True carnivores, like lions, have sharp, specialized teeth designed for slicing meat (carnassials), whereas primates’ canines do not exhibit the same slicing specialization.
• Other herbavor creatures have cainines, including horses

Canines in Primates

• • Primates with Canines: Our closes relatives, Primates, are vegiterians (aside from occasional insects).
  • Defense: Canines in primates are often used as tools for self-defense or displays of dominance, rather than for eating meat.
  • Mating Displays: In species like gorillas, large canines are a result of sexual selection, used to intimidate rivals and attract mates.
  • Occasional Utility: Canines can also help with tearing tough plant material, such as bark or fibrous fruit, rather than being exclusively for processing meat.

Poor Adaptation to Raw Meat

• Pathogen Susceptibility: Humans are highly susceptible to foodborne illnesses from raw meat, unlike carnivores whose digestive systems can handle bacteria and parasites in raw flesh.
• Cooking Dependency: Humans rely on cooking meat to make it safe and digestible, unlike true carnivores, which consume it raw.

Lack of Physical Adaptations for Hunting and Meat Consumption

• No Claws: Humans lack sharp claws necessary for capturing and holding prey.
• Weak Bite Force: Compared to carnivores like lions or wolves, humans have a relatively weak bite force and jaw musculature, unsuitable for tearing through raw meat or hides.
• No Night Vision: Many carnivores are nocturnal hunters with excellent night vision. Humans have poor night vision, favoring daytime activities that align with foraging for plants.

Evidence from Evolution

• Fossil Record: Early human ancestors, like Australopithecus, primarily ate plants, as suggested by their dental wear patterns and isotope analysis of their bones.
• Tool Use: The reliance on tools and fire to process meat suggests that humans were not naturally equipped for hunting or eating meat raw.
• Gut Microbiome: Humans have gut bacteria specialized for fermenting and breaking down plant fibers, similar to herbivores and omnivores, not carnivores.
• Brain Development: The idea that a switch to meat-eating is what sparked early humans’ brain development has no more evidence to support it than the competing theories (such as that it was a switch to cooked foods that did the trick), and certainly doesn’t square with what comparative anatomy tells us (Too bad that meat-eating didn’t provide the same benefit to carnivores like wolves and lions, huh? They’re still stuck with those smaller brains.)
• Science journal Nature: A compelling study with good evidence that meat wasn’t essential to our evolution. “Meat, it turns out, probably didn’t make us smart, after all.”

Behavioral Traits

• Food Preferences: Humans are naturally drawn to the taste of sweet fruits and the variety of flavors in plant-based foods. Carnivores are driven by an instinct to consume raw flesh.
• Social Foraging: Early human societies thrived on gathering plant foods as staples, with meat being a supplemental and often celebratory food source.
• Sleep: We sleep about the same amount of time as other herbivores, and less than carnivores and true omnivores.
• Cooking as a Requirement: Unlike true carnivores, humans need fire or tools to process meat. This suggests meat consumption is not an innate behavior but a learned survival strategy.
• Instincts vs. Conditioning: When given a choice, children often prefer fruits and vegetables over raw meat, indicating a natural preference for plant-based foods.
• Aversion to Death: Many humans feel a natural discomfort or guilt witnessing the slaughter of animals, a reaction absent in true carnivores.
• Children’s Natural Preferences: When given unprocessed food options, children instinctively gravitate toward fruits and vegetables rather than raw meat.

Health and Longevity

• Blue Zones: Around the world, there are “Blue Zones” which are regions where people live significantly longer and healthier lives, attributed to lifestyle factors like a plant-based diet, regular physical activity, strong social connections, and stress management.
• Disease Risk: Diets rich in animal protein and fat, with minimal plant-based foods, increase risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
• Fiber Dependency: Humans need dietary fiber, which is absent in meat, for healthy digestion and to prevent conditions like constipation and colon cancer.
• Chronic Diseases: Diets high in meat and low in plant-based foods are associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Conversely, plant-based diets are linked to improved health outcomes.
• Paste and Carbs: Don’t Make you Fat Link (American versions with sugar do).
• Life Span: Among animals, plant-eaters have the longest lifespans, and humans are certainly in that category (This was true even before modern medicine).
• Maasai Tribe: Consider also that the Maasai in Kenya, who still eat a diet high in wild hunted meats, have the worst life expectancy in the world
• Blue Zones: Populations in Blue Zones (areas with the longest-living people) consume predominantly plant-based diets. Examples include Okinawa (Japan), Ikaria (Greece), and Sardinia (Italy).
• Cholesterol Dependency: Unlike carnivores, humans produce all the cholesterol their bodies need internally. Excess dietary cholesterol from animal products contributes to cardiovascular diseases.
•  Meat Rationing in Wars: During periods of meat scarcity, such as World War II, populations consuming plant-based diets showed improved health outcomes, including lower rates of chronic diseases.
• Epigenetics: Studies suggest plant-based diets can influence gene expression positively, reducing risks of diseases like cancer and diabetes.
• Anti-Inflammatory Effects: Plant-based diets are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds, which reduce the risk of autoimmune disorders and chronic inflammation.
• Frailty in Aging: Plant-based diets help maintain muscle mass, bone density, and mobility in older adults compared to high-protein animal diets, which can promote osteoporosis and sarcopenia.
• Inflammation from Meat: High meat consumption increases levels of pro-inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP), contributing to chronic diseases.
• Oxidative Stress: Processed meats contain nitrites and heme iron, which can generate free radicals and oxidative stress, damaging cells and DNA.
• Chronic Diseases in Meat-Eating Cultures: High meat consumption is linked to the “diseases of affluence,” such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Nutritional Myths

• Protein Overemphasis: The belief that meat is the only or primary source of protein is a myth. Plant-based sources like lentils, beans, tofu, and quinoa provide all essential amino acids.
• Calcium and Bone Health: Contrary to popular belief, high meat and dairy consumption can lead to calcium leaching from bones, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
• Protein Myth: Studies confirm that most plant-based foods contain sufficient protein, and combining legumes, grains, and seeds ensures all essential amino acids are met.
• Calcium from Plants: Dark leafy greens, fortified plant milks, and almonds provide bioavailable calcium without the risks of dairy-related inflammation.
• Omega-3s from Plants: Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body converts into essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Does the unhealthfulness of meat mean it’s not natural?

The medical evidence is overwhelming: the more animal foods we consume, the higher the rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other degenerative diseases. This has been exhaustively demonstrated beyond any doubt. Dr. DeanOrnish showed that heart disease can be reversed by feeding patients a vegetarian diet. Similarly, Dr. John McDougall has extensively documented the overwhelming evidence linking animal foods to disease and has spent 25 years helping patients regain health through unprocessed vegan diets. Scientific journals consistently support this conclusion: more plants lead to better health, while more animal foods lead to more illness. As mentioned earlier, the Maasai inKenyamaintain a diet high in wild-hunted meats yet have some of the lowest life expectancy in the world.