Fast Food Nation

[starvingeyes]

I've never understand where people got the idea that animals = food ...

while the other answers to this question have been nice and all, sorry, you're all wrong. where did people get the idea that animals = food?

<i>other</i> animals, that's where.

when my cat heads out into the wild and stalks, catches and kills a mouse or a bird, he doesn't think "gee, i wonder how this bird feels about all this". he tortures it for about a half hour and then he digs in. when the hungy cougar or the <a href ="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/09/1065601960673.html" target ="new" class ="postlink">bear</a> sees the human, they don't think "wow, i wonder if this guy is screaming because my mauling him hurts?" before they gobble 'em up.

animals eat other animals. it's part of nature.

The whole humans are "meant" to eat meat is a load of crap

our bodies are designed to eat meat. our digestive systems are designed to break it down, our teeth are designed to tear it and chew. we are omivorous beings. it's part of our genetics.

just because it's how things always were, doesn't make it right

well, what makes it wrong? and, if i may pick nits, what makes it wrong for humans to kill and eat cows, but not cougars to kill and eat humans, or bunny rabbits, or whatever they decide to munch on that day?

[Lando]

What is classified as slow food? and normal paced food?

Thanks,

[wanan]

We also need protein to survive and meat is a great source of that. I realize there are alternate ways to get protein nowadays, but there was not in the past.

[Joey]

Actually our teeth aren't designed for it .. you really think your teeth are capable of ripping and tearing flesh from an animal? No. Our canine teeth can not physically tear into the flesh of a cow. At least most humans can't, I don't know if any of you are freaks of nature though.

Cougars, lions etc are carnivores, they need meat to survive .. you can't take a lion out of the wild and feed it vegetables and expect it to be able to survive, it won't. Cats for example need a specific nutrient called Taurine (sp) found in meat otherwise they can become very ill .. dogs on the other hand can survive without meat and cats can too with the proper nutrients .. I know many a vegan cat/dog.

Humans do not NEED meat to survive .. if a human stops eating meat they will not wither away and become ill and die. There is nothing in meat we need that we can't obtain from other sources. Therefore, saying a human is MEANT to eat meat is false.

It's pretty clear why I think it's wrong, that's self explanatory .. watch the meet your meat video link I provided or view some raw footage of a slaughterhouse and that should help you understand where I'm coming from as well.

As for cougars eating bunny rabbits or whatever ... you're comparing a courgar to a human being. A cougar does not have the thought process to stop and think "hey is this cruel" .. they base their diet on pure instinct and survival. A human can stop and think and make decisions on other aspects other then their need for FOOD. A cougar does not inflict abuse/torture/shocks/burns etc to their prey, they hunt, they catch, they "play" with it and they eat it.

"Aren’t humans natural carnivores? Isn’t eating meat natural? It’s been going on for thousands of years. Aren’t our bodies designed for it?

Actually, human bodies are better suited to a vegetarian diet. Carnivorous animals have long, curved fangs, claws, and a short digestive tract. Humans have flat, flexible nails, and our so-called "canine" teeth are minuscule compared to those of carnivores or even compared to vegetarian primates like gorillas and orangutans. Our tiny canine teeth are better suited to biting into fruits than tearing through tough hides. We have flat molars and a long digestive tract suited to a diet of vegetables, fruits, and grain."

"Animals kill other animals for food, so why shouldn’t we?

Most of the animals who kill for food could not survive if they didn’t. That is not the case for us. Many other animals are vegetarians, including some of our closest primate relatives. Why don’t we look to them as our example instead of to carnivores?"

[Joey]

We also need protein to survive and meat is a great source of that. I realize there are alternate ways to get protein nowadays, but there was not in the past.

I'm sorry, that's just plain silly .. it's not like meat was the only source of protein back in the day. Green vegetables, peanut butter, beans, nuts etc etc are all main sources for protein and iron. Those things all existed then too. Besides, those things are all readily available now .. so what's the reason NOW? Why is meat the focal point of a meal these days?

Plants and vegetables have always been around, ever since life first existed on this planet.

I mean I guess understand why cavemen had to kill animals for food .. hopefully we've progressed a little since then.

[Bandalero]

Reno .. I can wash the shit off of my vegetables You can't exactly "wash" your meat or disinfect what's in your milk and cheese

OKAY...I'M RELOADED!!!

well you see, shit is smeared all over the land while your veggie is still a seed. and as it grows it feeds on the shit itself during it's cycle. therefore, the plant, it's fruit and even the seeds themselves are made out of shit.

[Joey]

pffft eat shit

[Bandalero]

i love it how Joey and everyone else is having a good persuasive talk, and meand joey are like you eat shit! EWWW!

[happening fish]

Omega 3's are critical to brain growth and other functions and they are found only in salmon. Go ahead, start explaining

[Joey]

Funny .. I've never ever eaten Salmon and my brain is functioning fine. Meat is not a necessity, it's not a hard concept here. No one has died from not consuming meat or salmon.

It's simple what I'm trying to get at: Meat is not a necessity. Like other things in life, it's a choice. You can choose to eat meat, or not to eat meat. Meat is not a requirement for survival. Studies have shown that statistically vegetarians not only live longer, but they're healthier. Meat is unhealthy for you. There's not much to explain here.

[happening fish]

but it is obviously something that is of great value to your body

[Joey]

Apparently not since I'm healthy and functioning just fine .. having never eaten fish or salmon in the 24 years I've been alive. Interesting .. I typed Omega 3 into my search engine and it brought up listings of all these vitamin stores where you can buy capsules

There's always an alternative If I needed this that badly my nutritionist would have mentioned it I'm sure considering I spent nearly an hour discussing which vitamins I need to make sure I'm getting and going over all the natural vitamins and alternatives with her.

Go here: http://www.icelandhealth.com/maximum.ht ... e=overture
You can buy some quality Omega 3 capsules from Iceland

It brought up a bunch of listings where you can get Omega 3 supplements/vitamins etc. I guess that's my explanation

[Bandalero]

popping pills or eating meat, which one sounds better?

carnivore it is!

[Joey]

I'd rather take a vitamin everyday then ingest the carcass of a dead animal ..

[Bandalero]

but...but.....it's seasoned, and cooked, and so damn good!

[Joey]

Matter of opinion .. the smell of meat makes me sick .. when I first became vegetarian I couldn't even eat the fake meat because it tasted and resembled real meat so much it made me gag and puke .. physically I wouldn't be able to eat meat anymore. It took me months to be able to stomach the fake meats .. Milk makes me sick .. cheese makes me sick .. you may think this stuff is good .. I find it disgusting .. then again I also researched just what is in the stuff you're eating which most people don't bother with.

This is something that means a lot to me and something I take very seriously .. others may be able to joke about this and have no concept or understanding of where I'm coming from but I would like to be taken seriously .. the jokes are getting old.

[Bandalero]

hey....are you calling me old?

[Dr. Hobo]

Omega 3's are critical to brain growth and other functions and they are found only in salmon. Go ahead, start explaining

hindu's dont eat meat.
some who follow the religion wont eat after dark for fear of accidently ingesting a bug... etc etc

theres plenty of hindu folk w/ fully functioning bodies and brains.

your turn

[Reyna]

My relatives have a cow and she's a real sweety. Nonetheless, I adore my rare steak As for the animals = food connection, um, since humans have ALWAYS eaten animals, and it's not a cultural thing since it's entirely global, I'd say that it's probably instinctual since we are animals that are designed to have meat as part of our diet... just like the many other omnivorous/carnivorous animals in creation

Actually, the human digestive system has more in common with herbivores than it does with carnivores. The only thing that human's do have in common with carnivores are the teeth.

As for humans being meant to eat meat, yes, that is true. It is part of human nature. However, many people who go vegetarian do it no because they don't believe humans were meant to eat meat, but because they do not agree with the cruelty in which it is now done, with factory farming.

We do not have to go along with human nature in the first place. It is also human nature, as an animal instinct, to have sex when you feel like it. However, this is a part of our animal instincts which we learn to control in order for our society to function the way it does. our meat eating instinct is quite similar.

It is also true humans do not need meat to survive. Hell, we don't need ANY animal products at all. The only nutrient that can not be reached through a plant-based diet is Vitamin B12, which is available to vegans through fortifications or vitamins.

[Lando]

Meat is unhealthy for you.

Oh yeah and no one answered my other question... I really do want to know the classifications for the specific speeds of food.