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Nature is a miracle. I don't have to explain that to anyone. Our body is one as well; because it always strives for a healthy state of being, fights against intruders, heals wounds, clots bleeding, produces hormones, breaks down and forms.
In short: if we take good care of our body, the body is largely able to protect, maintain and heal itself. That "good care" has to do a lot with food.
It is worth taking a moment to consider what we - humans - eat NATURALLY .
Characteristics of the human body
In order to find, catch and eat food we need physiological characteristics; in other words, how do humans function in relation to their food.
Let's look at the external characteristics of a human being regarding:
Teeth
Jaw joint
Mouth/head ratio
Intestines
Claws and nails
Let's look at a typical carnivore (Simba the tiger a true meat eater), a typical omnivore (Blackie the dog an omnivore), a typical herbivore (Zeeb the zebra a plant eater) and… the HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS (Cheryl the human a what? what would I be?).
Simba: Carnivore
Blackie: Omnivore
Zeeb: Herbivore
Cheryl
TEETH
Simba's canines are long and pointed and shaped like a dagger (to be able to perform a kill in one go), the molars overlap so that they can be used as a grinding function (to remove meat from a bone).
The same applies to Blackie, although his "daggers" are not as long.
Zeeb has blunted canines, in some herbivores they are long to be able to protect themselves better, sometimes they are short and sometimes they are missing altogether. His molars do not overlap but fit together because he grinds his food.
Cheryl has short canines, not really sharp and her molars also overlap.
JAW
Simba and Blackie's jaw joint is located at the molars, this joint allows for an ideal pivot to open the mouth wide and be able to bite.
Zeeb and Cheryl's jaw joint is located above the molars so that more complex movements such as chewing are possible.
MOUTH/ HEAD RATIO
Simba and Blackie have similarities: the ratio of the mouth to the head is large because tigers and dogs have an interest in being able to bite and devour their prey.
The zebra and humans do not really need to bite and devour their prey quickly and therefore do not really benefit from such a large ratio. Although Zeeb does have a large mouth, he also has a large head and the ratio mouth/ head is rather small.
INTESTINES
The length of the small intestine in carnivores like Simba is about 3 to 6 times the body length. In omnivores like Blackie it is 4 to 6 times the body length. Herbivores like Zeeb have a small intestine that is 10 to 12 times the body length and humans have a small intestine that is 10 to 11 times the body length.
Meat: digests quickly. Plants: takes time to digest - just think of the indigestible fibers that have to pass through!
The short large intestine of Blackie and Simba is not equipped for complex functions, while the large intestine of Zeeb and Cheryl is much longer - sometimes with protrusions - and has a number of complex functions attached to it.
Meat starts to rot in our intestines after 24 hours. It takes humans about three days to digest one hamburger. Are you someone who eats meat regularly? How many pounds of rotting meat do you walk around with?
CLAWS AND NAILS
Look at your nails. Search the internet for an image of a zebra's nails. Now look at your cat or dog or find an image of that too. And a big cat? Like a leopard, tiger, jaguar?
What are the differences and similarities?
Processes and behavior
Processes and behavior
Stomach acidity
You may have heard of pH. That is the designation for acidity. A pH of 7 is neutral and everything below is acidic, everything above is alkaline (or "basic"). Of course, we are not going to switch to a biochemistry lesson, but the concept is important for the following:
Carnivores and omnivores have a pH of around 1 in the stomach: this is absolutely necessary for the breakdown of proteins in the meat and the neutralization of often associated bacteria that sometimes hang around carcasses.
Herbivores and humans have a pH of around 4 to 5.
Do you remember what kitchen salt is? Right. NaCl. The combination of a base (sodium) and an acid (chlorine) gives a salt!
Saliva and chewing
When Simba grabs and bites his prey, there are no enzymes in the mouth to chew… he swallows fairly quickly. The same goes for Blackie**. But not for Zeeb and Cheryl. We have to chew well before we can swallow our food. The breakdown of our food starts in the mouth!
Carnivores have a digestion period of a few hours. When humans eat a hamburger, it takes 3 days to completely digest it. After 24 hours, meat starts to rot in our intestines.
** Do you sometimes scold your dog for not chewing and swallowing almost immediately? Not really necessary… now you know.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is found in high doses in the liver of animals. Carnivores and omnivores can undo the toxicity (poisoning) of too much vitamin A in their own livers when they eat other animals. Herbivores and humans have livers that cannot do this and are at risk for hypervitaminosis - vitamin A poisoning.
Concentration of urine in the kidneys
A high concentration of urine in the kidneys indicates a large intake of proteins. By nature, this concentration is much higher in carnivores and omnivores than in herbivores and humans.
Perspiration
Do you ever sweat? Have you ever seen Blackie sweat? Does he also get those spots under his armpits? No, he doesn't. And our tongues don't hang down to the ground from panting after a sprint. Humans and herbivores sweat through glands in the skin; carnivores and omnivores through the tongue.
Finally, something about our behavior:
Finally, something about our behavior:
Are we hunters? What do you do when you get hungry? What do you do when you come across a half-eaten carcass? I know what Simba and Blackie would do.
Do you also love raw meat like Simba and Blackie? Do you also get so happy from the screams of animals being ripped open? Do you also sleep most of the day?
Do you also live as short a life as Simba and Blackie?
Conclusion?
Conclusion?
There is more than enough scientific evidence regarding external characteristics (physiology), processes and behavior that we have much more in common with herbivores than carnivores and/or omnivores (which are very similar to each other).
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