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Can you live without meat?

This is something a vegan posted on IG. Although I do understand where she is coming from, but not everyone will live how she thinks people should live and I even told her that some meats are important for our diets and supply us with certain nutritions.

EmeraldJewel 7 Mar 21
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48 comments

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8

Probably. I could probably live without wine too. Probably both are a good idea. Probably won't do either one.

8

Scientifically proven that humans only evolved our higher cognitive brains because our ancestors ate meat. We only have wisdom teeth back from when we were plant eaters. We grew canines when we started eating meat. Human beings have a biological requirement to ingest protein. It builds muscles, tendons, and brain tissues among other things. Fact.

Believe it or not the same thing is true for Crows. they are said to have an increased intelligence because their diet is very varried ranging from meat, seeds, nuts ,grains ,vegetables and fruits.

We didn't grow canines when we started eating meat, we inherited them from the shared ancestor of all mammals that have canine teeth (and they've become much smaller in humans than in chimpanzees because we only use them to chew rather than also catch and kill prey). Secondly, we're still plant eaters - humans are omnivores and need nutrients from both meat and plants.

@Jnei I never said humans weren't omnivorous. Just that meat is required. All facts. And yes, we have canines from when our ancestors were primarily meat eaters.

@FortyTwo Lol eating meat did do it. Just because other species eat meat is not correlated. Science has proven meat is what made us grow a bigger brain to body ratio and aided in higher cognitive function.

@Meiliken But you did say "We only have wisdom teeth back from when we were plant eaters." I didn't suggest you'd said humans are not omnivorous, merely pointed out that we still require our plant material-adapted teeth. Nor did I deny the statement that meat is required is, as you say, "all facts".

Billions of people have gone without meat. We can easily survive without meat and some of the world's greatest people have been vegetarians. It has also been found that in hunter-gatherer societies meat was often a rarity and most of the time people subsisted on plant matter that was gathered.

8

I live without meat just fine, as do many others. It is not hard (otherwise I wouldn't do it!) and it's cheaper than buying meat (for me). All the nutrients the human body needs can be found in plant-based foods. Of course not everyone will or wants to have a vegan diet - that would be an unrealistic expectation. I encourage education about vegan or plant-based diets because everything I was ever told about protein and iron coming solely from meat is wrong. I was really surprised!

I was vegan for 5 years, full time veg for 10. Still do not eat meat - just fish. As I posted elsewhere on this thread - everyone is physiologically different. Personally, I cannot digest plant proteins well enough to use that as my sole source of protein, and I became severely hypoglycemic. But that is only me - I know a number of vegan ultra-marathoners and it works great for them. It does not for me, and although I am sad about it, it is what it is.

How do you get vitamin B12? Vegan diet cannot provide it. I guess you take supplements.

@AdriaBack Yes, I take a daily multivitamin that contains B12, but I did that before becoming vegan too.

@WizardBill Thanks for the link! That's really handy. I use nutritional yeast regularly and had no idea it's a source of B12.

@WizardBill Thank you for that. What most of forget is that over the millennia billions of people have subsisted without meat (and still do) and don't have a problem with B12.

@AdriaBack - B-12 doesn't naturally occur in any plant or animal based products. It comes from bacteria. The major natural sources of B-12 are untreated water, dirt & feces. The reason many animal products have B-12 is from the above 3 items, as well as supplements. Personally, I try to avoid cholera & other waterborne illnesses, & as a matter of principle, I actively avoid eating dirt & poop. An occasional supplement is all we need.

4

Isn't PETA the group that puts healthy dogs and cats to sleep? I know what PETA supposedly stands for. You might want to tell your friend to really look into PETA.

Hahaha! She isn’t my friend. She’s just someone I follow on Instagram because she’s an Episode author.

4

I can but I thought humans were omnivores? Vitamin B12( cobalamin) cannot be synthesised in the human body by itself and must be obtained from the outside. Thus making it a "vitamin". It is vital to human health and must be obtained.

Wikipedia has it,

No fungi, plants, or animals (including humans) are capable of producing vitamin B12. Only bacteria and archaea have the enzymes needed for its synthesis. Some substantial sources of B12 include animal products (shellfish, meat), fortified foods, and dietary supplements.

I will consider obtaining vitamin B12 from other sources, if need arises but I will not shame whoever choses otherwise.

No shame in eating meat.

Not all soil on this planet is fertile enough to grow crops.

Go to Mongolia, you can't grow much crops but the land will support enough grazing for livestock.
I think this applies to the Steppe and any other less fertile and dry area.
There, meat is not cruelty, meat is not luxury. Meat is suitable given the environment.

Yup fair enough. I've never really been into the meat shaming stuff. I think you lot do it for me anyway 🙂 While there are environments that are not suitable for an entirely plant based diet - most of us don't live there. As a rule of thumb humans generally try to settle in areas where resources are readily available

4

People like that are being hypocritical. What's the difference between eating meat and plants? You can see a face on animals and not on plants and we have emotions when it comes to that. There have been studies done that show that plants warn other plants in the area when they are being harmed. So we kill and eat plants just like we kill and eat animals. If you are in the vicinity of a hungry animal, they're going to try to eat your ass...and I don't mean in the kinky way. That's how this planet and ecosystem has been formed. That's the way it is. I am an animal lover too, and have been conflicted about this topic for a long time. I love ribs. I understand where they came from though. I am partial towards dogs because I have an emotional connection to most of them, unless they are trying to rip my arm off. So I'm also being hypocritical. I think I just understand the entirety of what's going on a little bit better than the hypocrite that doesn't even know they're killing living plants and smile as it's going down their throats to be digested in their stomach. Nutrition comes from nutritious living systems. Lab food is a different story. I don't know nearly as much about that. Is meat grown in a lab "alive"? You can't get nutrition from wood or rock. Either you get the nutrition that you need in nature, or you die. The end.

Couldn't have said it better brother. 😉

One cannot compare the environmental footprint of eating non-meat with meat. It is not even close. One documentary titled "Meet our Meat" links a ton of similar documentaries and statistics. The cattle and dairy groups have lobbied congress to ban inside investigations of their operations (sound familiar?). Eating is a sensuous endeavor. We all do it for maximum pleasure not best practices! This is one of the subjects that really polarizes people (along with religion, guns and immigration). It's mostly about emotion and seldom about reason.

@JackPedigo I know. I was talking about a different moral issue with it though. The person in that post doesn't mention the environment and specifically mentions animal rights. She actually links the organizations where 2 of 3 of them are mostly animal cruelty organizations.

@Piece2YourPuzzle When both my late partner and I became vegetarians (we were not together when it happened) it was for personal health reasons. Later I learned about the moral and environmental issues and it went to a different level. After my partner and I got married she also learned and became an even bigger, in-you-face person. Trouble was, she had a nice face and people listened. I have been on this site 6 months and this issues comes up often and the debate is always the same. Thanks for understanding.

4

I probably could live without meat, but I choose not to. By nature human beings are omnivors. and there is no reason to apologize for that.

3

yup. havnt eaten meat for over 30 years. Tbh when i walk past a butchers display it looks like something out of a horror film 🙂

My sister once visited us and asked if she could cook some chicken breasts. We said sure but when we came home from work it smelled as if something had died (it did). Cooking flesh smells the same whether it is pork or human. When it is food we have programed ourselves to think it smells good. When it is other burning flesh it is awful. Imagine a firefighter coming home from a big fire in which beings were burnt to a cooked steak or pork chop?.

@JackPedigo fair play to you. I don't allow it in the house. My father's partner was a Hindu brahmin so it was considered unclean. I kind of see it the same way

@JimmyM It's funny, we went to Viet Nam some time ago. Many are Buddhists and don't eat meat. We went to a temple and there were lots of food offerings inside and it was all vegetarian. However, the people now are big meat eaters.

3

I don't think I can. I love a good steak from time to time. I especially love BBQ

2

I probably could, but it wouldn't be much of a life.

2

I can but have no desire to do so. I have a wildly varied diet. I cooked vegetarian, vegan, paleo and keto depending on how I feel on that particular day.

2

I have for years now. My physicals keep improving. I never missed it

2

I lived with a vegan for about a year. I tried her diet, which she was amazingly good at making the yummy. But I grew weaker and weaker, to the point were one day she came home with the funniest assortment of meat and threw it on the counter saying, "This diet is not for you." I went back to my carnivourous ways and EVERYTHING improved....haha....she was one of those that 'got away'. She was awesome, but she had a college opportunity that I couldn't let her pass up. She wanted me to come with her, but I think you have to be single to appreciate college life.

2

I was a vegan for some years, vegetarian for more. I now eat seafood and some dairy/eggs. Because I must. My heart still wishes I didn't contribute to factory farming, but my physiology requires I consume some animal protein. Everyone is different and you must listen to your body/physiology to find what works best for you. As for the above statement referencing PETA - I will never support PETA again. Here's why:
[huffingtonpost.co.uk]
[huffingtonpost.ca]
[nytimes.com]
And that is just for starters.
Anyway.... Sorry for getting off-topic.

2

We are all built of the same building blocks (mostly) and as long as there enough feedstock from other building blocks having the essential components coming through our mouth, does it really matter?. Would find veganism difficult as I was born into a meat handling business.

2

Yes we will live without meat if we have to. I will make dishes containing meat but I'm not going to order meat when I dine out-prefer seafood always. Just made beef stroganoff with mushrooms.

1

There is no way I could go with out meat. If all animals died but humans I would probably become a cannibal.

Lol

1

I already joined PETA, People Eating Tasty Animals. You can live without meat but, to get all the amino acids that a developing brain requires a child has to eat huge quanities of certain foods, that is why some places consider feeding children a vegan diet child abuse.

1

Sometimes I eat at Taco Bell but I don't think they use real meat

1

of course, I can but my living still involves many deaths. if you lose the wolf you kill the grass.

1

I would like to do without and like veggies better than the meat but i eat as little meat as possible.

1

I went Vegan back in my college years. Even with supplements, I developed anemia and stopped having my period. My seizures got much worse, and I started stuttering. I didn't get better until I started eating red meat again.

These years, besides the increasing number of Autistic children needing speech therapy, I see a lot of kids born to Vegan birth mother's. Turns out that children of Vegans tend to have a L-carnitine Deficiency, which is linked with both low IQ and language deficits.

We get L-carnitine mostly from red meat. I try to buy Organic, Free Range meat so the animals had a decent quality of life.

1

If you call that living...

When my late partner and I became vegetarian we closed some doors. However, we found many other doors waiting to be opened. One is unaware of the food sources that exist until one starts to step out of boxes.

1

I do and it's super easy. It's just like living without God actually. Don't need it.

I recently saw a documentary about body builders who were vegetarian. They was often as strong or even stronger than their meat eating counterparts. I read a newspaper article about a guy who was billed as the world's strongest man. He was of average size and a life-long vegetarian. He would bend quarters between his thumb and forefinger. When he hit 100 he apologized he could only bend nickels. He was 105 and got hit by a truck crossing the street! I also read an article (Smithsonian) about Roman Gladiators. Their diet was mainly beans and barley.

1

Nope It covers my bones ,!

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