[LChoy]

Thoughts about the "natural diet"

That video was interesting and brought up a few ideas how we are meant to be plant either. However, our evolutionary advantage is our brain above all else. Early man hunted wooly mammoths for meat. This was going before there was organized culture of eating meat. Sure they also gathered fruits and nuts to compliment their diet, but early man had already mastered techniques like smoking and drying to preserve their hunt. Aboriginal tribes in North America and throughout the world all continue you to hunt before the introduction of modern technologies. The fact there isn't a group of individuals of any culture or country that are 100% vegetarian actual WEAKENS the theory that humans weren't meant to eat meat.
In addition between what natural and what's not. The majority of the fruits, vegetables, and grains were not naturally existing in nature before man learned how to artificially germinate and cross breed plants. Carrots, lettuce, bananas, spinach, corn to name a few are all inedible in their wild form.
From an evolution standpoint, let continue with the theory that man originated from Africa. From the geography, man's non meat food sources would be african grasses, leaves from trees, and fruits and nuts from the trees. This would explain how the earliest humans were smaller. However in order to keep evolving and get bigger in size, man's intelligence had to evolve to accommodate for hunting, otherwise, there was no way to man could survive unless it was constantly eating. True plant eaters are either very big grazers sometimes with multiple stomachs or smaller scavenger that feed on fruits and seeds. Organisms are size tend to be omnivores. Even chimps eat meat, not as their main source of food, but it has been documented that chimpanzees have hunted and ate meat (http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~stanford/chimphunt.html)

To Vegans, I admire their position and it is a noble cause, but like religion, this is a personal choice thing, not a biological cause. I do agree though that we consume too much meat and fat, and in some part, society has gotten away from its connection to their environments. African Tribesman and Aboriginals for example honour their hunt and kill and respect that the animal died so that they may live. I don't suggest that we pray to the gods when we buy a steak from Safeway, but as a middle ground, just being informed about where your food comes from, eating sustainable foods, and supporting local farmers are just a few things we can make a difference.