Why do vegans who claim that humans are naturally herbivorous conveniently ignore the fact that.....?

Question

Why do vegans who claim that humans are naturally herbivorous conveniently ignore the fact that.....?

Answer 1

You apparently haven't looked at linseed oil and flax seed. Read on, oh meat eater.



DHA is found in SEAWEED. You still need to do some reading.



As for EPA, wikipedia says: "The human body can (and in case of a purely vegetarian diet often must, unless the aforementioned algae or supplements derived from them are consumed) also convert alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) to EPA, but this is much less efficient than the resorption of EPA from food containing it, and ALA is itself an essential fatty acid, an appropriate supply of which must be ensured." Eicospentaenoic Acid article, Wikipedia. www.wikipedia.com



You are so wrong. You can be vegetarian and have a healthy diet.

Answer 2

You do realize that fish don't make omega 3 fatty acids on their own, right? They have to eat it. They get it from algae. Algae contains fully-formed omega-3's. Hope that helps.

Answer 3

their just high quality. It doesn't change the fact that you can just get it from somewhere else.

Answer 4

DHA can be found in certain algae and grasses. Fish get their omega-3 from algae and seaweed. Cows used to get omega-3 from their grass diets of old. But since most are now raised in CAFOs, they are fed cheap grain which lacks this nutrient. So even meat-eaters are often deficient.



There are vegan DHA supplements out there just as there are fish oil supplements for necrovores, so I'm not sure why you're saying highest quality o3 is derived from animal sources when clearly there are high quality omega 3s from plant sources as well.



"Vegetarian sources of DHA are expensive."

-So are non-vegetarian sources of DHA. What's your point?

Answer 5

You can get omega 3 fatty acids from plant sources such as nuts and flax seed.



Although there is a lot of hype about Omega 3 fatty acids lately, they are not an essential nutrient. It's just another food fad.



I don't necessarily believe humans are "naturally herbivorous" but I do believe if the majority of humankind stopped eating animals we would reach a more highly evolved state. I don't see why some people find it necessary to attack other people's beliefs. I don't believe in astrology but you won't find me in the astrology forum telling everybody how stupid they are. It's just a mean spirited thing to do.

Answer 6

Indeed, Vegans should not force others to follow their lifestyle. But neither should those who do consume meat and dairy products challenge the belief of Vegans, and this includes telling them they aren't getting the right nutrients. A vegan can be healthy, but they too can be unhealthy. The one major difference between unhealthy vegans and non vegans is that vegans often cannot afford the expensive alternatives so they perhaps may go without some certain nutrients. Unhealthy non vegans may also lack vitamins and may have consumed too many meat products, which are in fact more unhealthy than non at all. The problem isn't with what meat itself contains, but the way it is produced and served to customers, which is what makes it high in fats, etc.



Above all else though, I believe that people should learn to understand the reasons for Vegans being as passionate as they are. They aren't all irritating, and they aren't all pretentious. Most are passionate, but this is because they strongly believe in the cause BECAUSE of what they have witnessed. The same way that many humans would speak out for child safety and climate change.



Fish oil is high in Omega 3, but it is not the only source. Over the years we have adapted to require certain levels of intake, and this is where Omega 3 is beneficial to many as it is a quick as easy source of it. Although, as I said, it is not the only source and flax seed is extremely high in it.



Over all, an extremely healthy and well prepared Vegan life style is healthier than the average meat eater's life style. This is purely because the majority of non animal sources products are NOT artificial or pumped with chemicals, which is one major down side to sourcing your nutrients from animal derived products.



I am not here to argue about who is morally correct, I am just stating some health facts.



At the end of the day, it is probably best never to argue the toss with a vegan. Eating meat does not upset you, where as eating meat does upset vegans. So while you may think that you are right, or want to put them in their place, the best thing to do is simply accept what they have to say and tell them that it is each to their own. It is the same thing as someone who thinks its okay to murder children, and someone who does not. I doubt it would hurt the guy who supports murder to be told that someone does not agree, where as the murderer confronting those who believe in equal life for all, is inevitably going to bring upset.



Just all be happy and respect each others choices.

Answer 7

ignorant question

Answer 8

I don't know about the rest of humanity, but I'm unnaturally herbivorous. I've been possessed by a cow.



But seriously, I choose to be a vegetarian because science and the food industry today can supply me the nutrition I need without eating meat. Historically, though, meat was man's best bet, and for some people it still is.



Vegans and vegetarian's who claim that mankind could always survive without meat are probably a little too complacent with their food options. When all the world stops starving to death, then we can worry about telling them what to eat.



Sorry to be so ranty, it just bugs me when people rag on other's food choices, for either end of the spectrum.

Answer 9

Why ride bicycles when apples taste great?





The two are unrelated.

Answer 10

omega 3 is usually derived from fish... but they dont even produce it, they get it from eating algea, like spirulina. flax and hemp seeds are also amazing sources of omegas and amino acids as well as protein.

Answer 11

I think you may have been conned by the snake-oil (fish-oil) salesmen - hook, line and sinker.



I have a very hard time believing all this omega-3 hype. I have concluded that it's one of two possible scenarios.



A) Omega-3 fatty acids are not quite as "essential" as they have been touted to be,

or

B) Omega-3 fatty acids are much more widespread (and of good quality) in non-animal sources than the fish-oil salesmen would have us believe.



And I've reached this conclusion because of personal experience and observation. Omega-3s are a relatively recent discovery, compared to most other nutrients, so nobody (outside of the boffins) had ever heard of them when I became a vegetarian 34 years ago. (And this ALA-DHA-EPA thing is even more recent.) The main veg*n sources of omega-3s are usually cited as walnuts, flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds and seaweed. Until a couple of years ago, I'd rarely even seen any flax seeds, except in a few brands of bread. (We once had a bottle of linseed oil, which was used for treating wooden things such as cricket bats, and we were told it was poisonous to take internally.) I'd never heard of chia until about the same time. I have never seen any hemp seeds in Australia (it's probably to do with the negative association with drugs, that it's either completely unavailable or very hard to find) and I've only seen (imported) hemp milk in one shop. I haven't eaten seaweed all that often - perhaps just a few times per year as sushi-wrapping. And walnuts are one of my least favourite nuts, because I often find them a little bitter. So, if omega-3s are as "essential" as they are claimed to be, where have I been getting mine from for the last 34 years? I certainly don't take any supplements. If it's true what they say about omega-3s being essential for brain and nerve function, then please explain why my brain and nerves still function perfectly. And why my mother's brain and nerves still work fine - and she's been a vegetarian since about 1941 (that's nearly 70 years). Surely, if, as you claim, "vegetarian diets are deficient in DHA and EPA", then shouldn't there be some kind of corresponding symptoms of deficiency in my mother and myself after such a long time with a "deficient" diet? Omega-3 schmomega-3! Next you'll probably bring up the new kid on the snake-oil block, co-enzyme Q10.



EDIT: You didn't answer my question though. If I've had very little omega-3 (and virtually no DHA or EPA, according to your estimates) for over 3 decades, then why am I not in poor health? Surely, if it's that "essential", there would have to be symptoms of a "deficiency". No such symptoms exist, so therefore you need to do a complete rethink.



You people can give me as many thumbs-down as you like, but it doesn't change the facts. I am living proof (as is my mother, and several other long-term veg*ns on this forum) that current theories (and they are only theories) about omega-3 fatty acids being "essential" and somehow "superior" from animal sources, are wrong.



EDIT 2: That's 3 thumbs-down each so far to me and Um... It reminds me of that movie quote "You can't handle the truth!"... Look, either Um..., my mother, several other long-term vegetarians and vegans who are regulars in this forum, and myself are either living proof that omega-3s are not "essential" to a human diet, or we're living proof that omega-3s are very widely available from plant sources. You cannot argue that it's impossible or too expensive to get omega-3s, including DHA, from non-animal sources - it just doesn't hold water. I'm not rich, but if I wanted to (I don't really want to, because it's completely unnecessary) I could easily afford the $10 or whatever it is for a bottle of linseed oil in the supermarket, or perhaps double that for something else in the health food shop. The reason I don't want to - and which you can't seem to handle the truth of - is that, despite having a very minuscule intake of omega-3s for over 3 decades, I DO NOT HAVE A DEFICIENCY. OMEGA-3 HAS BEEN GREATLY OVERRATED. Open your eyes!

Answer 12

"Omega 3's can be obtained from plant sources, but only in the form of ALA fatty acids"

This is false. But then you change it from we can only get it in ALA to "I was suggesting that vegetarian sources of DHA are not viable alternatives to animal-derived sources for most people."

Strikes me as you didn't realize that we can get DHA from plants - and oops, that kind of blew the whole attack. But as all good attackers do, they continue on as if they knew the information the whole time...

But, benefit of the doubt, let's say you did know that:





"the beneficial health effects of omega 3's are well-documented"

Beneficial health effects are quite different from a required nutrient (without which you have deficiencies). Blueberries have beneficial health effects, but that doesn't mean those who don't eat blueberries suffer from blueberry deficiency.



I'm 110% with Spiderman - 22+ years during which I ate walnuts perhaps 3x, never ate flax...couldn't get hemp in stores...never knew chia was anything more than what went with those pottery things...and somehow, despite it supposedly being a requirement, I have no deficiencies. (And - even if I ate walnuts/whatever - according to what you wrote, I would still be "DHA deficient" as I Never had Any DHA.)



And if it were a requirement, how did landlocked people get along for so many years? There were no fridges. People weren't Fed-Exing fish from the coast into the mountains. They weren't growing crops of flax and chia to make sure they had their supply of omega 3s. And yet they were still somehow getting omega 3s - or omega 3s are Not a "requirement".



As for fish oil being "cheap as hell" at what point does what we are leaving for our grandkids (or Not leaving for them) impact how we value the cost of something today?



Additionally, I find the herbivore/omnivore argument quite pointless - we didn't live in houses or drive cars or use computers...and we haven't always cooked our food. So whatever we were doesn't dictate what we are/can be. Thus I'm not replying based on the "vegans who claim..." part of your question as I don't claim either way. I just find your argument particularly weak and I'm tired of people feeling the need to attack vegans. What the hell do you care if someone is trying to live their lives in a manner that causes the least harm possible? Why do you feel that Everyone has to take part in killing just because you choose to?

Answer 13

Flaxseed oil and primrose oil. Find it in caplet form, just as good for you as egg omegas-- taste better than fish oils. Also, omega 3's need omega 6 (found mainly in plants, such as flax) to be completely healthy. Too much omega 3 without 6 isn't really good. 3' and 6's are both in flax--and I think 9's, also.

Answer 14

Humans and herbivores are alike because:



-They're stomach acid are 120 times weaker than carnivores

-They don't have claws

-They hare pores

-They're aren't so sharp and as for those canine teeth well horses have them and they are herbivores

-We have to chew our food as herbivores do

-Carbohydrate-digesting enzymes



I may be wrong in some areas but as you can see we match up more to the herbivore (plant eater) side.

Answer 15

lol and omega-6 is also derived from animal sources. you know.. the one that causes heart disease?

Answer 16

Fish oil might be cheap as hell but it's also nasty as hell.



I get flaxseed oil (16oz) for about 5.95, and the best part of it is...there's no fishy taste.

Answer 17

"conveniently" is the operative word here.. when you are trying to bolster an inherently wrong concept such as humans being herbivores, it is convenient to leave same crucial details especially when you are trying convince someone who may not know any better.. when you are trying to sell used car, you might want to conveniently leave out the fact that the engine might fall off...



lol flax seed oil and linseed oil.. I bet those hominids form where modern man evolved had a "health food" industry going even back then... with bottles and non gelatin capsules and boxes of flax and linseed oils and tofu and complete vitamin supplements etc etc... Not to mention synthesizing yeast flakes with b12.. they already knew back then...

Answer 18

That still doesn't justify Humans eating animals, even if it is healthy.

Answer 19

Meat-eaters: have claws



Herbivores: no claws



Humans: no claws







Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue



Herbivores: perspire through skin pores



Humans: perspire through skin pores







Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding



Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding



Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding







Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly



Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.



Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.







Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat



Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater



Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater







Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.



Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits



Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits







Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains



Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains



Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

Answer 20

yes, fish oil is cheap as hell aren't they - maybe you should watch End of The Line or read the new UN report on the state of the world's oceans through over fishing. The environmental damage wrought on the world by animal based diets is undeniable. Fishing seems to get off easy by the whole ridiculous 'Omega 3' argument. Here's an excerpt form Jonathan Safran Foers book EATING ANIMALS.



BYCATCH



"Perhaps the quintessential example of bullshit, bycatch refers to sea creatures caught by accident — except not really "by accident," since bycatch has been consciously built into contemporary fishing methods. Modern fishing tends to involve much technology and few fishers. This combination leads to massive catches with massive amounts of bycatch. Take shrimp, for example. The average shrimptrawling operation throws 80 to 90 percent of the sea animals it captures overboard, dead or dying, as bycatch. (Endangered species amount to much of this bycatch.) Shrimp account for only 2 percent of global seafood by weight, but shrimp trawling accounts for 33 percent of global bycatch. We tend not to think about this because we tend not to know about it. What if there were labeling on our food letting us know how many animals were killed to bring our desired animal to our plate? So, with trawled shrimp from Indonesia, for example, the label might read: 26 pounds of other sea animals were killed and tossed back into the ocean for every 1 pound of this shrimp.



Or take tuna. Among the other 145 species regularly killed — gratuitously — while killing tuna are: manta ray, devil ray, spotted skate, bignose shark, copper shark, Galapagos shark, sandbar shark, night shark, sand tiger shark, (great) white shark, hammerhead shark, spurdog fish, Cuban dogfish, bigeye thresher, mako, blue shark, wahoo, sailfish, bonito, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, longbill spearfi sh, white marlin, swordfish, lancet fish, grey triggerfish, needlefish, pomfret, blue runner,black ruff, dolphin fish, bigeye cigarfish, porcupine fish, rainbow runner, anchovy, grouper, flying fish, cod, common sea horse, Bermuda chub, opah, escolar, leerfish, tripletail, goosefish, monkfish, sunfish, Murray eel, pilotfish, black gemfish, stone bass, bluefish, cassava fish, red drum, greater amberjack, yellowtail, common sea bream, barracuda, puffer fish, loggerhead turtle, green turtle, leatherback turtle, hawksbill turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross, Audouin's gull, Balearic shearwater, black-browed albatross, great black-backed gull, great shearwater, great-winged petrel, grey petrel, herring gull, laughing gull, northern royal albatross, shy albatross, sooty shearwater, southern fulmar, Yelkouan shearwater, yellow-legged gull, minke whale, sei whale, fin whale, common dolphin, northern right whale, pilot whale, humpback whale, beaked whale, killer whale, harbor porpoise, sperm whale, striped dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, spinner dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, and goose-beaked whale.



Imagine being served a plate of sushi. But this plate also holds all of the animals that were killed for your serving of sushi. The plate might have to be five feet across."



Now tell me again -How cheap is fish????



@exsft - proves my point exactly -conveniently you continuously deny the environmentally destructive nature of eating animals -feel free to come back with all sorts of postulations on why vegans are wrong but you cannot deny the facts... (but you will!)

Answer 21

Humans biologically are omnivores! Period!

Answer 22

Because we are, The Bible states this clearly that humans were not to eat meant until after the flood.

Answer 23

I don't know, but I'm gonna have me a big ol' pulled pork sammich for dinner. Maybe a bigass t-bone. Juices dripping off my chin. Mmmmmmm mmmmm mmmmm good. The less meat them freaks eat the more for me.

Answer 24

vegans need to eat what they want and be happy but they should keep their opinions to their selves

instead of trying convert people

i respect you eating what you want so please respect what i eat ..