0
$\begingroup$

I know humans can cook and prepare almost anything, but are humans specifically adapted to eat meat?

One of my doubts humans are not particularly well adapted to eat meat because they lack canine teeth. I read more reasons for this here.

What does an evolutionary biologist have to say on this matter? Perhaps evolutionary biology is the field related to this?

Some links supporting my doubt:

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
10
  • $\begingroup$ Please correct my question edit it for something wrong and put related tags $\endgroup$
    – munish
    Feb 12, 2016 at 3:20
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Human beings, or any living creatures, are not designed to do anything. There is no "design" in evolution, merely the accumulation of changes in gene frequencies. $\endgroup$
    – MattDMo
    Feb 12, 2016 at 3:22
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ And of course humans have canines - just look in a mirror. I'm not likely to trust anything published on "celestialhealing.net"... $\endgroup$
    – MattDMo
    Feb 12, 2016 at 3:22
  • $\begingroup$ what about the lost tail bone that we have, i think i used the design as the wrong word . but if you say the accumulation of changes in gene frequencies what accumulation of changes in gene frequencies so far we have been got up to from thousand of years back to us humans.are we vegetarins or carnivores or both.I know we can cook and eat anything $\endgroup$
    – munish
    Feb 12, 2016 at 3:34
  • $\begingroup$ have you googled any of that questions? $\endgroup$
    – aaaaa says reinstate Monica
    Feb 12, 2016 at 3:34

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1
$\begingroup$

@Munish: I will rebut that page, even if Mr. Blomstrom has begun to do so.

  1. Carnivores don't swallow food whole. That's why they have other teeth rather than just four large fangs.
  2. Birds have no teeth. There are many birds of prey that eat other animals, and there are birds that are nut/seed/fruit eaters.
  3. Stomach acid: we have an extremely strong acid in our stomach, that if it weren't for a mucous layer protecting us, we would have a dissolved stomach. Average pH of stomach acid is about 1 to 3.5 - that's very acidic.
  4. Our intestinal tract is intermediate. Well suited for both, not just one. More importantly we lack the enzymes that can break down cellulose in plants. If we were strict herbivores, wouldn't it make sense to have the enzymes necessary?
  5. We are probably the best hunters on earth. We have been able to hunt and kill almost any animal wanted and allowed. We have highly developed brains that allowed us to invent firearms and send men to the moon. People around the world rely on fishing for their dinner, and hunt deer legally for food. Hunting is just not that economical for most people.
  6. To say that were weren't designed to process flesh is absurd. I ate beef the last two evenings. Safe food handling is the contributing factor in "meat illness", unless the person eating has a GI disorder.
  7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1262767/ : This is one journal that concluded there was no evident relationship between excess protein intake and renal function.

That is a vegan website, and should stimulate skepticism considering they have a bias. The point I'm trying to show isn't that we are made to eat meat, but rather choose for yourself. Gain the information you need and make the choice based on the lifestyle you would enjoy more.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
9
  • $\begingroup$ we can't eat raw meat like other animals do.i don't if our stomach will favour that , it won't taste good either but we can eat raw veggies and it tastes good. though there are some people who eat raw meat on live TV shows it seems favourable to their stomach $\endgroup$
    – munish
    Feb 12, 2016 at 4:37
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @munish: Humans certainly can eat raw meat, as attested by e.g. innumerable sushi bars. Likewise, there are a good number of vegetables that can't be eaten unless cooked or otherwise processed, and others, like potatos, that are much better cooked. There are also far more plants than animals that are actively poisonous when eaten. It is also quite possible to get food poisoning from improperly-processed plant foods. Indeed, from news accounts this seems more common than meat-related food poisoning. $\endgroup$
    – jamesqf
    Feb 12, 2016 at 5:04
  • $\begingroup$ Humans(aghoris) will do anything even eat discarded dead human bodies raw.Thats survival to save money, or may be religion $\endgroup$
    – munish
    Feb 12, 2016 at 7:03
  • $\begingroup$ @jamesqf Great response, well said. munish there is also a dish called steak tartare which is raw meat. We can eat raw meat, but with all of the possible pathogens, it is advised to properly cook it first. Many wild animals who eat raw flesh also can have a higher chance of parasitism, so it does come with negatives. $\endgroup$
    – MG_MD
    Feb 12, 2016 at 16:52
  • $\begingroup$ @MG_MD you are right that is a vegan website so they are vouching for that, but i am not sure about this, do you have to say anything or those guys are wrong/manipulative.is this some sort of consipracy theory?the video and arguments seems legitimate. $\endgroup$
    – munish
    Feb 12, 2016 at 18:30

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .