Wrong. The main component of plant tissue is cellulose. Now, most herbivores have a variety of specialized digestive organs capable of breaking down cellulose. Take rabbits, for example. They have an enlarged cecum, a sac attached to the intestines, where they store food until their intestinal bacteria have time to do their stuff. Digestion in such cases takes place by a process of fermentation--bacteria actually "eat" the cellulose and the rabbit consumes what results, namely bacteria dung. We humans don't work that way. In fact, we find cellulose totally indigestible. Humans are omnivores. We are equipped to eat both plants and meat. There are herbivores that eat plants better than we do, and there are carnivores that eat meat better than we do. But humans are not better equipped to eat one or the other.
Fair enough. Just trying to explain a viewpoint, whether I agree with it or not... I'm not sure what you're getting at by categorizing all vegetarians into one profile. For some vegetarians, it's the matter of whether we really need to eat flesh to survive. Others consider the conditions of slaughterhouses and farms that value net output over the concerns of human or animal health. I'm sure they'd reconcile their views if they're stranded on a desert island, but if it's possible within their current means, they'd rather abstain. Off topic, do you have a source other than the Straight Dope for turkeys undergoing parthenogenesis? I've gotten blank stares from it....
Ah! My source is revealed! Yup, it was off-topic, but I felt like sharing. Here's some nifty info about turkey parthenogensis from the Dept. of Animal Sciences at Oregon State University. and poultryscience.org has some info about it. (yeah, I Googled it.)
Ya wanna know what really makes me sick to my gut? Think about how much money, manpower, and backing that PETA has. Think about all the efforts they go to... all the money they spend... ... and then think about how that could be applied to save dying children of the world. I find it disgusting that PETA freaks will spend all that money and all that time trying to save a chicken when they could be saving a little girl. Talk about a bunch of stupid, misguided people...
Ya wanna know what really makes me sick to my gut? Think about how much money, manpower, and backing that RNC has. Think about all the efforts they go to... all the money they spend... ... and then think about how that could be applied to save dying children of the world. I find it disgusting that RNC freaks will spend all that money and all that time trying to save an idiot when they could be saving a little girl. Talk about a bunch of stupid, misguided people....
I probably eat meat at every meal. But a couple months ago I was given the following book that made me wonder a little. It provides some pretty convincing evidence of a direct link between meat-intake and cancer. I may just start to cut back a little on meat now, haven't decided yet. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...bs_b_2_2/104-8839866-5772734?v=glance&s=books The China Study : The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health (Hardcover) Book Description This exhaustive presentation of the findings from the China Study conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Referred to as the "Grand Prix of epidemiology" by The New York Times, this study examines more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in 65 counties, representing 2,500 counties across rural China and Taiwan. While revealing that proper nutrition can have a dramatic effect on reducing and reversing these ailments as well as obesity, this text calls into question the practices of many of the current dietary programs, such as the Atkins diet, that enjoy widespread popularity in the West. The impact of the politics of nutrition and the efforts of special interest groups on the creation and dissemination of public information on nutrition are also discussed.
So basically you agree with everything I said. I stated that humans aren't well-equiped to eat meat - you agree I stated that humans should eat more veggies - you didn't comment I stated that humans eat both meat and veggies - you agree You also argue that we don't eat veggies as well as many herbivoires - I never claimed we did And yes, humans are better equiped to eat veggies than meat. Or should I say, humans can handle vegetables better than meat? Please eat only vegetables for a day, then eat only meat for a day. Take a crap and then you tell me, which one you are better 'equiped' to handle.
not trying to be an ass, but did you read any of the posts and sourced links that Hayes put up? And no, we don't eat meat with some veggies, we eat starches and processed crap with some meat.
No I don't. I said that there are carnivores that eat meat better than we do, but that doesn't mean we aren't well-equiped to eat meat. Yup - I agree with you on these. Humans should eat more veggies. And we do eat both meat and veggies. I don't see how the 'take a crap' test is a decent benchmark, though.
Romans 14 (NIV) 1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
So are you sick when you spend time or money posting on a bbs or watching rockets games? Do charities like toys for tots disgust you because they should be saving children's lives instead of making children happy? Just because their political agenda isn't in line with yours isn't a reason to be disgusted with them. Unlike 95% of people in this world, they at least have the resolve to go out and try to make some difference.
I'm dusgusted to hear people insinuate or even directly state that animal lives are just as important as humans. hey look! We've come back to the original topic!
not trying to be an ass, but did you read Hayes posts? did you read mine? Hayes argues that humans can eat meat, which i agree. he never claimed we were very well-equiped to eat meat. did you bother reading wnes' posts? if you are going to claim humans are very well-equiped to eat meat, please say so. I will respond in kind.
You guys do realize that we have evolved within a timespan of 50,000 years to eat and digest cooked meats and vegetables... Eating raw beef or pork now is potentially more dangerous than before. Plus there are signs that meat cooked above certain temperatures releases carcinogens directly related to several mainstream cancers. Anyways... I believe humans are omnivores for the fact that children and pregnant women can not sustain a healthy vegan diet without serious complications. The average adult is blessed with the option of choosing either or both. Choice, after all, is what seperates us from the animals...
Is it really? That means vegetarian/vegan couples are incapable of having healthy babies? I seriously doubt the truthfulness of this assertion. Then again, we haven't heard any vegetarian/vegan on this board rebuff it.
