How often is it that meat eaters come onto the Vegetarian section pretending their choice is healthy?!

Humans are omnivores whether you believe it or not. There is more non-veg*n scientific evidence out there that supports this than there is "veg*n science" that says otherwise. Being a veg*n is commendable if you are doing it for your own ethical reasons but you are only hurting the cause if you are being preachy and making absurd claims with no scientific backup. I ask you the same question, show us scientific proof of humans being herbivorous animals from a non-vegan or vegetarian author.

Archeological Record

As far back as it can be traced, clearly the archeological record indicates an omnivorous diet for humans that included meat. Our ancestry is among the hunter/gatherers from the beginning. Once domestication of food sources began, it included both animals and plants.

Cell Types

Relative number and distribution of cell types, as well as structural specializations, are more important than overall length of the intestine to determining a typical diet. Dogs are typical carnivores, but their intestinal characteristics have more in common with omnivores. Wolves eat quite a lot of plant material.

Fermenting Vats

Nearly all plant eaters have fermenting vats (enlarged chambers where foods sits and microbes attack it). Ruminants like cattle and deer have forward sacs derived from remodeled esophagus and stomach. Horses, rhinos, and colobine monkeys have posterior, hindgut sacs. Humans have no such specializations.

Jaws

Although evidence on the structure and function of human hands and jaws, behavior, and evolutionary history also either support an omnivorous diet or fail to support strict vegetarianism, the best evidence comes from our teeth.

The short canines in humans are a functional consequence of the enlarged cranium and associated reduction of the size of the jaws. In primates, canines function as both defense weapons and visual threat devices. Interestingly, the primates with the largest canines (gorillas and gelada baboons) both have basically vegetarian diets. In archeological sites, broken human molars are most often confused with broken premolars and molars of pigs, a classic omnivore. On the other hand, some herbivores have well-developed incisors that are often mistaken for those of human teeth when found in archeological excavations.

Salivary Glands

These indicate we could be omnivores. Saliva and urine data vary, depending on diet, not taxonomic group.

Intestines

Intestinal absorption is a surface area, not linear problem. Dogs (which are carnivores) have intestinal specializations more characteristic of omnivores than carnivores such as cats. The relative number of crypts and cell types is a better indication of diet than simple length. We are intermediate between the two groups.

B12

There are no fruits, vegetables or grains, not even strictly organic ones, that are proven sources of vitamin B12. B12 is essential to human diets very low B12 intakes can cause anaemia and nervous system damage. Vitamin B12 is not reliably available from modern unfortified plant foods in the amounts required for optimal health, so take no chances: use fortified foods or supplements and make sure you get at least 3 micrograms per day.

Its vegetarians like you that make the vegetarian comunity look bad. Sorry...There is nothing wrong with being vegetarian or vegan, but stop being so preachy.

a healthy omnivore (yes...I said healthy! Just saw my doctor a few days ago, and im in perfect health and I do eat a diet rich in meat as well as plants and grains)

Idiot. Meat is healthy too, if you make sure you are eating the right stuff, in the right amounts.

Also, we are omnivores who can survive without meat. Deal with it.

A vegetarian with a brain.

I believe humans wernt designed to eat meat.

This website has good information that explains it.

http://www.healthy-soul.com/herbivores.h…

Slow down there, cowboy. Humans are omnivores.

vegan

You can rant all week, but the scientific data says humans are omnivores. Species classifications are well established by the science community, whether you agree or not.

If humans were meant to live on plants, plants would contain B12. They don't. A B12 deficiency can cause serious damage to your nervous system AND put you more at risk for heart attacks.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vita…

You're not doing the veg*n community any good by making such foolish arguments. More and more vegans are starting to realize the diet argument is failing veganism. There's simply no proof that cutting ALL animal products out of your diet makes you more healthy than an omni.

From a vegan nutritionist site: "How the Health Argument Fails Veganism"

http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/11/how-th…

If you are gonna make a stand in the name of vegetarianism please take the time to research it fully and use credible sources that are objective, not biased, and from people that take the time to proof read their articles. I am glad you are researching but you are giving fuel to anyone who takes the time to read what you post. In the chart it lists the small intestine as being aprox 11 times the length of the body. Our small intestine usually ranges from 12-16 feet. This being 2-3 times the length of the body.

Much of the information is correct but primates aren't soley vegetarian meaning they will eat meat although it is not the diet of choice. We eat what we need to sustain life.

For me, the high fiber low residue diet of the vegetarian diet is one of the biggest points, I do not want colon cancer, arteriosclerosis, or many other things associated with certain meats in the diet, and am not disciplined enough to only eat the "good" meats so I cut them all out completely.
I am a vegetarian because I choose to be, not because of anything I was meant or not meant to do. There is evidence to support both sides of this meant to debate so unless you are gonna fully research the information and present both sides and then an opinion, your goal of persuasiveness is never gonna get the recognition you want it to.

Thank you for the links, some of the information was informative, although as a whole, leaves skepticism reasoned behind the above information. Its a shame how something as small as bias can ruin a good argument.

Vegetarian- the real kind- I do not eat animals.

According to science, we are Omnivores. We can and do eat meat. We do NOT lack the enzymes to digest it. Our digestive tracts are not as long as herbivorous and not as short as carnivores. They are in-between. Thus our classification as Omnivores. Humans have been eating meat for Hundreds of Thousands of years. The only place there is a debate about this is here in this section. The rest of the world accepts the truth that we are Omnivores.