Are humans herbivorous, carnivorous or omnivorous?

[bekisman]

I did try being a veggie for three years, but went back to occasional meat eating, just wondered, what exactly are we ? Found this blog, which I found interesting;

Are humans herbivorous, carnivorous or omnivorous?


First, to say humans are ‘originally 100% vegetarian’ is patently wrong, because there is no valid case to suggest this. Also, to say humans are completely meat eaters is also wrong, because there is no strong case for this either. Most studies suggest we are omnivorous. We tend to eat what is available. Higher order animals such as mammals may or may not be exclusive meat-eaters. Carnivores are those who meat only. Herbivores are those who eat plants only. However, we have different kinds, like mostly fruit eaters (frugivores), and those who eat seeds (gramnivores), and those who eat insects (insectivores), etc. We are not strictly herbivores nor are we strictly carnivores. And interestingly, we tend to be all the above making us omnivores.


Are we strictly vegetarian?


We can eat fruits, and only certain leaves, but cannot eat grass (like herbivores do). Our intestine is not designed to eat grass and digest it. Try doing that and you will be dead. Any human, who is left alone in a jungle, desert, snow-capped mountains, or grasslands, will survive through meat-eating, but not through vegetarian food. Look at any herbivore’s teeth and look at human’s teeth. We have remnants of canines which none of the herbivore’s have.

Almost all plant-eating animals have fermenting vats where the food is stored for a while where bacteria works on it. Animals like cows and buffaloes ruminate. Humans have no such mechanism to suggest we are strictly vegetarian.


What are we?


Are we meat-eaters then? Most vegetarians tend to dismiss this because they try to find similarities between a hard-core game hunting carnivore like a lion or a cheetah to show how we don’t have the same capabilities. It’s a wrong comparison. There are many carnivores in nature who do not necessarily hunt the way lions or cheetahs hunt. Killing rats, squirrels, rabbits, hares, and other small animals does not require the same skill as that of a lion hunting a gazelle. A man, even now, can kill a squirrel, dry the meat and digest it.


Most of the settlements (prior to agriculture) are also near water sources- and tend to suggest that man was eating fish, toads, and other water borne animals, and they were also a major source of our protein. All settlements in cold climates relied heavily on eating meat.


Our closest relatives are apes from who we departed six to seven million years ago. That’s when we moved from the tree tops to the grasslands. What was human eating after he moved to the grasslands?Most evolutionists tend to agree that humans were omnivorous, that while being fruit and leaf eaters, humans relied heavily on small game hunting.


Our food patterns changed heavily once agriculture and domestication started (around 12,000 years ago). That’s when we started to grow grain and also rear animals for consumption (goat, sheep, hen, etc). Fishing was always another source of food. Some populations were primarily based on fish. If we look at the present human population, it is heavily meat eating (and it is not based on our ability to cook, but our ability to grow animals as an industry). Except for few cultures or nations such as India, the world is primarily meat eating.

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http://sujaiblog.blogspot.com/2007/0...at-eaters.html

[northener]

I believe foxes are omnivores.........


I'd put us down as omnivores.
If you accept Evolutionary theory, then we are descended from apes. At least one major member of the ape family (chimpanzee) has been recorded hunting and killing other primates as well as small animals.

[landy]

omnivores.........in my opinion

[annemarie482]

i'd say if your hungry enough......anything goes!

[Gronnuck]

It's Easter I'm cholobivorous

[annemarie482]

It's Easter I'm cholobivorous

cholob? lol you gave me a right giggle lol

[Phill]

Where does beeryvore fit in?

Which of course I am, 'cept sometimes I go Wineyvore, then again Whiskyvore.......jeez, I'm so mixed up!!

[Margaret M.]

The blogger is talking rubbish. The greater the consumption of animal products, the sicker humans become. Meat and dairy are the main culprits for a host of diseases including heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes. Populations in countries that consumed little or no animal products had extremely low incidents of these types of illnesses. Once they converted to the Western diet, the diseases came right along with it. The healthiest diet for humans is a whole food, plant based diet -- it can even reverse cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

If you have any doubt, read The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist who has spent 50 years doing the research. He used to be a dairy farmer who thought animal-protein was the way to go until his research showed that cancer tumours could be turned on and off by raising or lowering the intake of animal protein.

This video presentation by him is kind lengthy but well worth the watch.
http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/0...cer-video.html

[Blarney]

Where does beeryvore fit in?

Which of course I am, 'cept sometimes I go Wineyvore, then again Whiskyvore.......jeez, I'm so mixed up!!

Don't mix your drinks, that's certainly not good for you!!

[Commore]

This is a very good post and does raise some interesting points as to what exactly, we "as homosapiens" really are, and our ability to choose what we'd like to think we are.
In my opinion, it all comes down to "preference" or "mood" or what our bodies dictate we need in our diet,

Take mine for example (not literally), my moods dictate what I eat, sometimes I cannot get enough sugar usually in the form of chocolate, (carbohydrates) other times I crave meat, (protein) any meat as long as it is of good quality,
then I have my fruity fads, usually bananas, full of potassium and obviously my body is running on low on potassium.

The human body needs a certain amount, but no more of certain things, as aforementioned for example, therefore, in answer to your post the human body is all three, to a certain degree.

[donnick]

i am a carnivore for sure i love my meat and would happily sit down to a dinner of purely just meat it totally agree with my gut and i am satisfied with that yummy

[brandy]

i think its just common sense to say we are omnivors... we are basically scavengers who will eat anything we can to survive.. i dont hold with the veggies ideas of meat is poison.. as we obviously have the ability to eat it .. and canines. meat is not bad for you on the whole.. but its like anything else .. in moderation.. sorry to offend any delicate sensibilities to the carnivors or vegivors *G* i eat both meat and veg.. i love veg and i love meat...
in fact i have a bag of greens im thinking about boiling up for my lunch.. and a pork roast ill be making for easter tea... yummmm

[ShelleyCowie]

Im a "whateversinthehouseovour"

[Shabbychic]

Nowadays, there seem to be a lot of junkivores out there, who end up as fattivores.

[brandy]

ewww we ate at mcdonalds yesterday... even though it was super salty, i knew i was basicaly poisioning my body...i couldnt help myslef... i still ate it and it was soooooo good in a bad kinda not real food way!

[Vistravi]

I'd say we are omnivores. We can surrive on both diets vegetarian or meat eater but we do need both as vegetarians will often find that they may have to take supplements especilly if they are absoultly no animal products at all. There is only so much that plants can give you.

We're omnivores but we have the choice to not be.

[John Little]

"ewww we ate at mcdonalds"

try Big Mac with red wine..... just lush.

[ShelleyCowie]

Nowadays, there seem to be a lot of junkivores out there, who end up as fattivores.

I was reading that whilst eating a cake lol.

[ducati]

but we do need both as vegetarians will often find that they may have to take supplements especilly if they are absoultly no animal products at all. There is only so much that plants can give you.

With respect Vis. that is a myth. I am 6 ft, weight 18 stone (2501bs) and have never taken a suppliment in my chuff.

[Phill]

With respect Vis. that is a myth. I am 6 ft, weight 18 stone (2501bs) and have never taken a suppliment in my chuff.

Yer dinnea wanna be puttin' them up yer chuff, do no bliddy good there!