Should humans eat meat?

• Episkey wrote on 2012-02-27 23:06
  [FONT=Tahoma]This is a concept on of my classes talked about and I was interested in some of our member’s opinions on this. Feel free to not answer the questions directly; they are more of a guideline. [/FONT]
  
  [FONT=Tahoma]In this purpose, meat is defined as animal flesh that is used as food. That includes fish, as well.[/FONT]
  
  [FONT=Tahoma]Do you believe that it is necessary for humans to eat meat? If not, why do you choose to eat meat? (People who eat meat)[/FONT]
  
  [FONT=Tahoma]What was your motivation for not eating anymore meat? What do you believe are the benefits of not eating meat? (People who do not eat meat)[/FONT]
  
  [FONT=Tahoma]If you have a diet that limits the type of meat you eat, such as a [/FONT][FONT=Calibri]pescetarian,[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma] feel free to model your answer however you like. Both sets of questions could honestly apply.[/FONT]
  
  [FONT=Tahoma]I'll write my own personal opinion later, sorry. But I'm off to class.~[/FONT] :thumb:
• Elena wrote on 2012-02-27 23:09
  Animals kill other animals for food. I don't see how we need to be any different. Of course, if someone doesn't want to eat other animals, I certainly would not go out of my way to force them.
  
  I don't know much of the specifics, but I think the only real problem is how some of the animals are treated.
• Jana wrote on 2012-02-27 23:12

  Quote from Episkey;788763:

  
  [FONT=Tahoma]Do you believe that it is necessary for humans to eat meat? If not, why do you choose to eat meat? (People who eat meat)[/FONT]
  

  
  
  While it isn't absolutely necessary for humans to eat meat, it is what we're designed to eat. We have omnivorous teeth, so we don't need to live off of it alone, but meat has a lot of important health-stuff in it. While we can get them from other sources, meat is the most readily available.
  
  Also, it's delicious.
• Cynic wrote on 2012-02-27 23:14
  I see no reasons why humans can't eat meat. But if a person instead chooses to substitute meat with an equally beneficial food item, then why not? It's their body.
  
  My only issue with the whole meat thing is how the animals are killed and treated before they are killed. There's no reason why they need to be treated as such when they benefit humans in such a way. The whole "ohh it's too costly" or "ohh they're a lesser species" thing is just a convenient excuse for laziness. It doesn't really take much effort or even money to give them a semi-decent life before they're killed. It also provides a much better end-product of meat, making better treatment beneficial to humans.
  
  A lot of people seem to assume this means pampering the hell out of animals, when instead I actually mean providing decent living conditions (a bit more space + no living in pounds of feces and piss) and then killing them in a decent manner.
  
  Though that will never really happen, because most humans are too lazy and/or arrogant to care. I personally won't stop eating meat just because of it, but I will try and buy products from places that treat their animals better as-well as go out of my way to help ensure the better treatment of said animals whenever I can.
• EndlessDreams wrote on 2012-02-27 23:37
  Humans need the proteins from eating meat. Seafood is a good source of iodine, which is important for thyroid levels. I don't really see much reason to worry about how animals are treated before they are slaughtered. All I care about is the food prices and quality. I don't exactly have that much money to care.
  
  Only those people who have money, and pretty well off actually give a damn about "humane" treatment of animals. "Humane" treatment of animals doesn't mean the meat quality is necessary better. Then again, these people are probably the same idiots who spread rumors that anything not labeled "organic" is supposedly bad for you.
  
  Sure, vegetarians can get the missing proteins/vitamins/etc. elsewhere, but many vegetarians aren't so educated, which leads to deficiency to certain proteins/vitamins. I don't understand why some vegetarians eat seafood, but not meat though...
• Cynic wrote on 2012-02-27 23:41

  Quote from EndlessDreams;788794:

  Humans need the proteins from eating meat. Seafood is a good source of iodine, which is important for thyroid levels. I don't really see much reason to worry about how animals are treated before they are slaughtered. All I care about is the food prices and quality.
  
  Only those people who have money, and pretty well off actually give a damn about "humane" treatment of animals. "Humane" treatment of animals doesn't mean the meat quality is necessary better. Then again, these people are probably the same idiots who spread rumors that anything not labeled "organic" is supposedly bad for you.
  
  Sure, vegetarians can get the missing proteins/vitamins/etc. elsewhere, but many vegetarians aren't so educated, which leads to deficiency to certain proteins/vitamins. I don't understand why some vegetarians eat seafood, but not meat though...

  
  
  Those are just hypocrites who want to save the cute looking animals like sheep and cows but don't care for the non-cute ones. Or they're just really stupid.
  
  Non-organic food also isn't bad for you, but organic still can be better for you.
  
  Both sides have a lot of idiots, with only few really being level-headed and educated about the whole thing.
• Bakuryu wrote on 2012-02-27 23:57
  Human physiology matches that of a herbivore, not carnivore, not omnivorous. (Google Human herbivore, or something, Steve Pavlina, an amazing man, puts it simply, so google for that one, I won't bother explaining - And before someone tries to be a smartass and yells "canine teeth", all mammals have those, on herbivores they are more flattened than with carnivores, they are mostly used to bite on hard fruit, like apples. )
  
  A lot of common diseases would be non existent among humans if no one ate meat.
  
  Humans have been eating meat for a long time, because whenever the primitive man realized they can hunt an animal, cook it, and eat it. It was a great idea, more food for everyone, considering no farming technology had been invented yet, any food was great. And that has remained throughout the ages.
  Another fact, is that every single carnivore, is able to just hunt down some animal, and eat it raw. We can't, obviously, you'll get some serious stomach ache, because we don't have the stomach acidity for such a thing, not to mention chewing on the raw meat is going to be quite difficult for you.
  
  P.S: I'm Vegan, and lack of protein/vitamins, etc, are not a problem if you just google around for vegans recipes and stuff and educate yourself.
  
  edit: Here it is: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/are-humans-carnivores-or-herbivores-2/
  (which, by the way, like the slogan suggests, the site is highly recommended for any intelligent person looking to improve oneself.)
  Oh, and about protein : http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/the-great-protein-myth/
• Cucurbita wrote on 2012-02-28 00:01
  Gross, not eating meat? I don't know why any sane person would want to do that to themselves.
  
  Get in my mouth, animals.
• EndlessDreams wrote on 2012-02-28 00:12

  Quote from Cynic;788797:

  
  Non-organic food also isn't bad for you, but organic still can be better for you.
  
  Both sides have a lot of idiots, with only few really being level-headed and educated about the whole thing.

  
  
  I don't think a person can be classified as an idiot if the person follows the regular meat-vegetable diet that majority of the world goes by.
  
  "Organic" food is the same as "non-organic" food except when it comes to prices. Keep in mind that "Organic" is quite different from the actual organic term that Organic Chemistry uses. Technically, all food are organic because they contain Carbon and Hydrogen atoms. The term "Organic" the food industry and media uses actually has little meaning except for the fact to justify price raises.
  
  You cannot tell the difference between "Organic" and "Non-organic" food if it were laying side by side.
  
  

  Quote from Bakuryu;788816:

  
  A lot of common diseases would be non existent among humans if no one ate meat.
  

  
  
  Don't know about that. A lot of people seem to suffer from hypothyroidism at later ages because they not getting a lot of iodine.
• Blassreiter wrote on 2012-02-28 00:21
  If I had a choice I would eat more veggies than meat. But American market says otherwise. The average price of a bowl of salad in NYC is like $6 and it's only the bowl of salad while a Big Mac meal (includes fries/drinks which makes you full unlike the small bowl of $6 salad) costs like $7 give or take. American market is promoting meat consumption and demoting vegetable consumption. {I find this as an ulterior motive; in other words it is easier to get fat and harder to go on a diet. Thus smart entrepreneurs make it easier(cheaper in cost) to get fatter(i.e. more fattening foods primarily meat included) while they make it harder(more expensive for a lesser amount) to keep a slim figure(i.e. a small box of fruits costs more than a Happy Meal). This psychology is sly, since it is easier to get fat you should sell fattening foods at a lower price and healtier foods at a higher price. This is because many people would want(demand) healthy foods and since they have a higher price and you need more of it to see effects you as the seller will make a crapload of profit.
  
  tl;dr Meat is cheaper to go with...
• TA wrote on 2012-02-28 00:26
  Hell yes we should.
  
  We are omnivores. We didn't climb to the top of the fucking foodchain to eat carrots, as Ron White said: http://comedians.jokes.com/ron-white/videos/ron-white---vegetarians/
• Chillax wrote on 2012-02-28 00:29
  A meal is not a meal without meat.
• Second wrote on 2012-02-28 00:31
  If you don't want to eat that cute cow, you can have test-tube meat, coming soon to a fast food chain near you.
• Arsik wrote on 2012-02-28 01:13
  Meat's too delicious to give up. I know for a fact that if I was forced to become a vegan (since that's the kind of vegetarian you're talking about), I would probably end up chasing after one of the local cows with a fork and knife eventually.
  
  Also, if people stopped eating meat, I'd most likely lose my job, being an apprentice meat cutter and all. D:
• Phunkie wrote on 2012-02-28 01:35
  Of course.
  
  All other carnivores do it. Nothing wrong with it. :)