Are Humans Natural Meat Eaters?
Sunday, May 24, 2009 at 7:00PM 
Let's take 5 minutes out of our lives and listen to what an obese cartoon pig on YouTube has to say about nutrition.
I'm done throwing logs on the fire on how much I dislike the vegan way of eating, so I'll disregard the talking pig’s pro-vegan message. Obviously the video was not made by an impartial source. The people at Bizzaro.com have a clear anti-fur, pro-tofu agenda, so it’s understandable they would create a video promoting vegan ideals. What really grinds my gears is that these propaganda-style videos are made to appeal to people who know very little about nutrition, which is fine except for when the information spouted is completely incorrect.
Before I start sounding arrogant (may be too late), I'll do the only thing I know how to do; pick the video apart so we can see how absurd the claims truly are.
The pig states that humans are not evolutionarily designed to eat meat for the following reasons: 1. Our teeth and jaws are rounded and are optimized for vegetation, 2. We fail to posses natural hunting skills (specifically night vision), and 3. Our digestive system lacks enzymes to digest animal products.
The first factoid can be dismissed by a very basic understanding of our dental structure. Human mouths contain incisors, canines and molar teeth in both jaws, as well as ridged molars. The jaw moves up and down like other carnivores, not in a rotary motion like most herbivores. This up and down motion indicates it's objective is to crush and tear. So, the video’s depiction of the caveman biting into a woolly mammoth is probably a little sensationalized to say the least. If you check out Barry Groves comparison betwen carnivores, herbivores and man you will see that we have far more in common with the carnivores than we do the herbivores, especially in regards to the digestive process.
The second claim, attacking early man’s hunting skills, is also a load of bull. It is true that humans don't have night vision or claws like the wolf, but we do have a large lopsided brain that makes us the smartest mammals in the animal kingdom. This single trait is invaluable, and allows man to out-smart creatures that are bigger, faster and stronger. It's well established from the most prestigious historical journals that Paleolithic and Mesolithic humans were heavy meat eaters, and hunted quite regularly.
"As a contrast, bone chemistry, especially stable isotope evidence, provides direct evidence of diets, and indicates, for the few limited studies, that Neanderthals were top-level carnivores. Two studies of Upper Palaeolithic modern humans in Europe have also indicated the significant importance of animal products in the diets, and similar evidence of the consumption of animal meat is also found in the later Mesolithic periods in Europe." –European Clinical Journal of Nutrition: Meat Consumption: Evolution and Progress
Mans survival, like other species that depend on hunting for survival, would have depended on the ability to create and maintain a strong group dynamic. Altruism, compassion, and cooperation would have been necessary for trading, sharing, and sexual pairing. Herbivores, which have much smaller brains, don't display this sophisticated social behavior.
The talking pig’s last factoid can be dismissed by looking at the human digestive system, specially our digestive enzymes. While we don't have cellulase (to break down plant fiber), we have plenty of pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, pancreatic juice, hydrochloric acid, and bile acids, which are all essential for digesting protein and fat. Most of these enzymes are absent or greatly diminished in herbivores.
Humans do have starch-digesting enzymes, just not in the quantities that we have for protein and fat. An enzyme, amylase, is secreted in our saliva to breakdown carbohydratres during mastication.
Lex Rooker, 5 year carnivore and good friend, postulates fruits role in human evolution:
"My guess is that in our natural environment we ate some fruits in the late summer/early fall which caused us to gain weight (similar to every other animal), to prepare us for the winter months when food is scarce. This would have been seasonal but it could be the carbs are important. Only time will tell if I develop any diet related problems, but so far all is well."
The video also touches on days old meat and bacteria. Once again let's listen to what Lex Rooker has to say on the subject:
"To avoid bacteria is to avoid life. Bacteria are everywhere, and for the most part we have a beneficial symbiotic relationship with them. Take away bacteria and our health suffers significantly. Just look at the huge market in pro-biotics. One of the best things you can do for your health is throw away the Lysol, Clorox, and other modern "antibacterial" nonsense. By the way, if you're worried about decay and bacteria you better not eat any cultured milk products (yogurt, kiefer, butter milk, sour milk, cheese of any kind), or fermented foods (wine, beer, pickles, cabbage, peppers, salsa, and a host of others).
Our ancestors ate most of their meat in some state of decay. And no matter how "fresh" the kill, they ate their food off the ground using dirty rocks and sticks as their plates and cutlery. You and I are here which is a testament to the fact that we humans are robust enough to handle this "filthy" environment and indeed thrive in it. It is modern advertising, in their attempt to sell us products that we don't need, and are actually destructive to us and our environment that has given us "germ phobia.”
I certainly believe in bacteria and viruses and know that they are the cause of some deadly diseases. What I've come to understand is that often it is the modern processing (canning, the feeding of grain to grass eaters, etc.) that creates the environment for the nasties to thrive and multiply. The every day bacteria that cause the normal decay and breakdown of dead tissue either has little effect on our health, or more often than not, are beneficial."
There you have it. Yes, we are predominantly carnivores that can subsist as omnivores for survival, but just because we can survive on vegetables, fruit and meat, does not mean that we thrive on such a diet. To avoid hunger and to achieve great health I would suggest that we focus on fatty meat for the mainstay of the diet, followed by no or a minimal amount of monkey foods.
Barry Groves, one of the only sane low-carb diet gurus out there, sums up the whole conversation well:
"The totality of evidence demonstrates that the human digestive tract is extremely inefficient when coping with foods of vegetable origin. With no bacteria and no enzymes capable of breaking down the cell walls to release the small amounts of nutrients inside, we can only eat many of these foods after they have been cooked. As Nature must have intended that all foods should be eaten raw, they cannot have formed a significant part of our diet during our evolution."
*A gigantic thanks to Nikki Roddy, my brilliant sister, for editing this post!
Danny Roddy
More evidence of early mans carnivorism:
Plants and animals have contrasting isotopic ratios, so when these are eaten they leave different signatures in a Neanderthal's bones. And because the bones grow slowly, the signature represents a 10 to 20-year average of the individual's diet, not just their last meal. The researchers "calibrated" the analyses by comparing the Neanderthal bone ratios with those from contemporaneous animals at the top (bears) and bottom (bison) of the animal food chain. The ratios showed that the Neanderthals were top-level predators, getting about 90% of their protein from meat. Previous research shows this sometimes included cannibalism. The rest of the protein would have come from nuts and grains. Fred Smith, another member of the scientific team, from Northern Illinois University, US, said: "For several decades, archaeologists have debated the importance of meat in the Neanderthal diet, but this question never has been answered unequivocally. "Our findings provide conclusive proof that European Neanderthals were top-level carnivores who lived on a diet of mainly hunted animal meat."
Common Misconceptions, Getting Started 
Reader Comments (37)
what about the "china study"? extensive research really seems to show a link between consumption of animal proteins and the emergence of diseases (cancer, diabetes, ...).
http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100385
Thanks for reading chigio321!
This is where epidemiology comes in. Like I have shown in my previous posts, there are many heavy meat eaters that do not suffer from any of the diseases you listed. It wasn't until the native people adopted a carbohydrate centric diet that they fell victim to diseases of civilization.
Campbell's work started in the Philippines when he noticed that children from the wealthiest meat eating families had the most liver cancer. As we know, correlation doesn't equal causation, but Campbell being infinitely smarter than us thinks it does. When wealthy third world families adopt western-style heavy protein diets, they also adopt a diet rich in flower or sugar... so which is to blame? The protein which we have been eating for millions of years? Or the brand new sugars and flours?
Thank you for this blog! I base my diet mostly on vegetables and fruit because I happen to like them but I like to have my meat once in a while as well. I am so fed up with the fanatic vegans sending me pseudo-scientific data on why the meat will kill me that I was ready to drop my computer out of the balcony at some point. Thanks to you there is a page that shows how unnatural and ridiculous vegan propaganda can be. Vegetables are healthy, that's been known for centuries but it doesn't make animal products evil. It's the balance of the diet that matters, not the presence of meat in it.
Thanks, you cheered my day:)
Thanks for reading Emily!
I'm always glad to cheer up someones day :)
You missed a unique trait that separates humans from all other species: cooking. This enables us to extract more nutrition by making food more digestible. It is a dietary niche available to no other species.
As no other species cooks its food, it becomes difficult to make comparisons with the digestive systems of other species.
Check out this new book, "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human", by Richard Wrangham.
I stumbled upon your blog while researching "are humans natural meat eaters" on google. I must say that it is very interesting blog and I will be coming back. Lately, I've been doing research on veganism after seeing the movie food Inc. (check it out). It is a movie about the American food industry and all of the corruption and abuse it entails. Although I knew about the mistreatment of animals I'm the food industry, I never stopped eating meat ( I don't know why. I guess I was too meat hungry) but after seeing this documentary I thought to myself enough is enough. I became a vegan for about two days and this was enough time to let me know that humans could absolutely not be completely satisfied, or survive on, just vegitables alone. I must say that I didn't feel well all through those two days and had to constantly eat every hour to rid myself of the feeling of being dizzy. I was weak and unsatisfied. I was going to attempt veganism again before seeing this article for I thought I had given up too easily. For health reasons I wanted to know if humans are natural meat eaters or not before picking up veganism again for I did not want to become ill, this is how I came across your article.
I stopped veganism after two days not only because I was feeling ill but also because I was in an area other than my home where I had no other option than to eat meat. At this point it was about survival. Now I am home and have the option to go vegan again but I honestly don't think I'm going to. Anyone questioning whether it's natural to eat meet or not, go completely vegan for about a week and tell me your not feeling like your dying.
Cheers
P.S.: worried about animal cruelty ( animals including us humans)? buy organic, make sure your meat was happy before he/she died ( not trying to be funny)
Thanks for reading Allie,
My vegan experience was extremely similar to yours, except I kept on with it for a year...
I saw Food Inc. a couple weeks ago and I really liked it. Animals need to die so we can eat a healthy diet. Just like grass needs to die so a cow can eat a healthy diet. All in all, no matter what you eat, SOMETHING needs to die so you can eat it. It's audacious for any one to muse over whether a plants life is more or less important than a cows.
Some of the big business aspects of Food Inc. are disturbing. Do your part by supporting grass-fed farmers like US Wellness Meats or Slanker's Texas Grass Fed. They have great products and you will be doing your part to help the farmers.
Thanks for responding.
I don't disagree with creatures being killed for the survival of others, that is natural, it is natures way. I disagree with how animals are being mistreated and feed before they die. It is natural for a cow to live her/his life on a farm, free roaming, being feed on grass, then being killed so that we can be feed. I disagree with a cow that is feed corn, tortured most of it's life, living in a feed lot with it's manuer, etc, then killed mercilessly. There is a lack of respect here.
Let's not go into details though, I can go on and on lol
But I'm a very nature oriented person, I see myself no greater than the cow that is on my plate for I feel that I'm just another animal in the forest. I'm always so paranoid about my meat, thanks for giving me those brands. It would be great if you could make a blog with a list of meats that are grass feed, happy, etc.
Peace
Also I often wonder about the definition of what is living. What is truly living? Plants are alive as well, who is to say that they are less valuable. I get it I've thougt of it before.
Sry! One more!
And being vegan probably effected me so harshly after only two days because I'm not the average height and weight of an average person. I am very tall and weigh quite a bit.
Allie,
If you look on the side of the home page you'll see a section that says "quality meat". Those the are the brands that I would recommend if you're looking to get grass-fed meat.
Like you, I'm not into animal cruelty, so make sure if you believe in such things, to not support them. Buy your meat from farmers markets or online sources. Hell, I talk to Ted Slanker, or Slanker's Texas Grass-Fed, on the phone when I'm placing my order. It doesn't get much more personal than that.
If you have health issues, forget about animal rights for a second and focus on your health.
Sorry I missed your comment Verimius, thanks for reading.
I just picked up "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human" at Barnes & Noble and I can't wait to dig into it. Thank you for the recommendation!
Hey Danny! I guess I could tell you this in person but I wanted to support your page. This is really great and I'm happy I looked it up finally. You know I agree with your view and I know it's shared by a variety of people. It's good to know that you're helping people realize that you can indeed get energy from your food again! Everything is so over-processed and simplified that our bodies are getting weaker and our species is getting overly concerned with "saving the cows". I don't agree with animal cruelty either and I'm going to look into your list of happy meat suppliers. ;] Keep up the good work!
Thanks for reading Rachael,
As you well know, I love you. Your readership means the world to me. I couldn't agree with you more my dear.
Just stumbled on this blog a few minutes ago, and just let me say it's great. I am a hunter and love my venison. I eat just about every meal, and so far I'm a healthy person. I enjoy the hunt and figuring out where the game is going to be so I can make an ethical kill. I hate to wound and track an animal! I have eaten venison every day for 2 months now, and I haven't had any problems with my digestive tract. Seems the vegans just like to spread their lies because they are a bunch of fascists that want everyone to be like them. I would never push hunting on someone, so why must they push veganism on me? Fascists!
Thanks for commenting Dave,
We can't be too harsh on the vegans Dave. You would be a fascist if you too were suffering from so many nutritional deficiencies!
I would love to go hunting and make some venison pemmican, that sounds really good.
I just can't understand the rationale behind the vegan lifestyle. Ok, you are not using animals- good for you! But as soon as you try to infringe on my freedoms, you have a problem and I'm going to fight for my rights. There is one vegan anti-hunter in particular that I am personally hellbent to destroy mentally because of the horrible lies she spreads. She goes by many names, one of the most common is Caroline Terrel. Her real name is Sophia Nakuno. She has over 100 different accounts between different forums, blogs, myspace and youtube. Why must someone make so many names up? Because they are in fear of being found out and not having any friends. She comments on her own posts to make it seem like more people agree with her. It's really quite pathetic. But back on subject, can anyone please explain to me why most vegans want to push their views on others and make it law to eat veggies and not hunt? I understand you are against hunting an animal cruelty. But why make up lies about hunting and push views on everyone? Again, I don't push hunting on someone. If someone wants to get started hunting and they ask me a question, I'll answer it. But I WILL NOT go around making up lies about veganism and saying that everyone should hunt and eat meat! You have a CHOICE in what you eat and how you get that food. Don't let others tell you what to eat! That's criminal!
Anyways, Thanks again.
And again,
Any vegan who can answer the above question, please do using actual fact and not opinion supporting your cause.
Good thoughts Dave,
I have found that vegan eating is usually embraced by those who think that nothing has to be killed for their meals. The sad reality is that whole ecosystems are destroyed in the collection of wheat and other grains, so it's really a moot point.
As I've said before, something has to die so we can eat.
Here is a great post on the issue:
Thoughts on the Environmental Effects of Carnivory and Veganism
As I am pretty close to what you think, as being omnivors.Just a little scientific point,because I think if you want to beat this guys you should always use strict scientific facts who can be checked.Something they have a lot of problems with.Neanthertalers are not geneticaly linked to us Homo Sapiens, I say that in a study done in Germany.I presume that we modern man killed the last remaining humanoides species left on earth.All the others dissapeared well before including the vegan humanoides.Kind regards, Ivan.
Thanks for reading Ivan,
I have not heard that neanderthals are not linked to human evolution. Can you explain more?
After reading Catching Fire, which is a great book, it sounds like early man's ancestors evolved eating a vegetarian-like diet. It wasn't until meat was introduced that our guts became smaller and our brains got bigger.
Vegan humanoids? Do you mean vegetarian?
My recollection is that humans and neanderthals share a common ancestor, which makes us "cousins" rather than direct descendants.
I believe you're corrent Alex.
Apparently our common ancestor is homo heidelbergensis.
The Max Planck Institute did a studi in july 2006 and tested more then 70 Neanderthaler specimens and only found one where there was enough DNA, a 38000 year old bone fragment. They found a 99,5% match with Homo Sapiens. I saw that in NGC I think and there is an article on Wiki and others.When reading 99,5% it seems a lot but chimps do have a 98%.On the 3 billion base pairs of the human genome it still makes a big difference.Ivan.
The theory most scientist favor is the fact that several humanoides species lived at the same time on earth.Some of them more vegans like,and some omnivores.The only one who survived where the omnivores as I think they can adapt to everything,from eating plants to bugs, cadavers and other humans.Maybe we have eaten the other species and get rid of them? The last ones to go as we know are the Neandertalers.Ivan.
Thanks for the info Ivan!