Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerplunk
I remember learning/hearing that our digestive systems lack the enzymes that many herbivorous have to efficiently break down the cellular walls of plants, making it harder to break down pure plants (although out teeth/saliva slightly make up for it).
Our bodies have evolved to help maximize calorie intake from many sources, and if some of the articles on the internet are to be believed, we have more meat-based processing systems (stomach geared more towards meat, intestines function the same as carnivores, we eat in meals rather that constant eating) than plant.
Not sure I would want to spend a good chunk of the day foraging and munching on veggies just to get my daily intake like monkeys and gorillas do.
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What's interesting is that when gorillas were fed human diets in zoos they were more prone to diseases and getting sick. When they switched back to their regular vegetarian diet they went back to the way they were.
Gorillas in zoos are usually fed food made of grains starches and sugars. These same gorillas ended up getting heart disease and suffered from obesity same as humans. Heart disease in gorillas in the wild is unheard of. When the zoo gorillas returned back to a vegetarian diet they lost weight and were healthier again.
Gorillas can produce all of their own protein while humans can only make most of their protein but not all. It doesn't mean you can't be a vegetarian, it means you have to eat a diet with nuts, seeds, beans etc. To get protein you can't make, essential vs non essential amino acids.
In my mind there's no question being a well rounded vegetarian is healthier, but few can do it.