Vegetarian Diet Issues
Acknowledgement:
This article on vegetarian issues are based upon copyright materials from
the outstanding health website Mercola.com
©Copyright 2003 Dr. Joseph Mercola. We recommend this website.
The author of this article is Stephen Byrnes:
see References
Vegetarian References:
Numbers in brackets refer to vegetarian references. See References
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The Human Body is Not Designed for
Meat Consumption
Some vegetarian groups claim that since
humans possess grinding teeth like herbivorous animals and longer intestines
than carnivorous animals, this proves the human body is better suited
for vegetarianism (61). This argument fails to note several human physiological
features which clearly indicate a design for animal product consumption.
First and foremost is our stomach's production
of hydrochloric acid, something not found in herbivores. HCL activates
protein-splitting enzymes. Further, the human pancreas manufactures a
full range of digestive enzymes to handle a wide variety of foods, both
animal and vegetable.
While humans may have longer intestines
than animal carnivores, they are not as long as herbivores; nor do we
possess multiple stomachs like many herbivores, nor do we chew cud. Our
physiology definitely indicates a mixed feeder, or an omnivore, much the
same as our relatives, the mountain gorilla and chimpanzee (who have been
observed eating small animals and, in some cases, other primates) [62].
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