(A paper I wrote for english class)

"Can you really ask what reason Pythagoras had for abstaining from flesh? For my part I rather wonder both by what accident and in what state of soul or mind the first man did so, touched his mouth to gore and brought his lips to the flesh of a dead creature, he who set forth tables of dead, stale bodies and ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had a little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived. How could his eyes endure the slaughter when throats were slit and hides flayed and limbs torn from limb? How could his nose endure the stench? How was it that the pollution did not turn away his taste, which made contact with the sores of others and sucked juices and serums from mortal wounds?" ~Plutarch

Americans, almost as a rule, eat large quantities of meat. It's what's for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. The ethical arguement against slaughtering innocent beings doesn't seem to work anymore, no one cares. Yet there is something else still, another reason not to eat meat: there is evidence to suggest that human beings were not created as carvivores at all, but herbivores.

Many people argue that they eat meat for all the nutrients, wether or not they know it, that is a lie. Meat is actually not needed for a diet rich in all the nutrients we as humans need. There are no nutrients in meat that humans cannot get from a plant based diet, our bodies have no actual need for meat.
For example, there are many sources of protein besides meat. Protein is necessary for the building and repair of body tissues, it produces enzymes, hormones, and other substances the body uses. It regulates body processes, keeps the body healthy by resisting diseases, and prevents one from becoming easily fatigued. Oatmeal, potatoes, pasta, spinach, broccoli, beans, tofu, brown rice, lentils, whole wheat bread, peas, peanut butter, and nuts are only some of the foods from which you can get protein. Despite common belief, you don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. According to americanheart.org, "plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids."
Iron deficiency seems to be a be a problem because the richest sources of iron are red meat, liver, and egg yolk. However, dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer's yeast, and dried fruits are all good plant sources of Iron. Iron is important because it carries oxygen in the red blood cells to the muscles. It also gives blood its characteristic red color. Certain enzymes require iron, and iron is essential to produce energy.
Calcium does not seem to be a problem, in fact studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium than non-vegetarians do.Calcium is an essential nutriant our body needs every day, it helps build and maintain healthy teeth and bones. It also keeps your heart beating steadily and your blood, nerves and muscles working correctly. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products are good sources of calcium from plants.
Also zinc is needed for growth and development, it is essential for the proper function of cellular metabolism. Good plant sources of zinc include grains, nuts, and legumes.

Furthermore, although some historians and anthropologists say that man is historically omnivorous, parts of our body: teeth, jaws, and digestive system favors a fleshless diet. Swedish scientist Karl von Linne states, "Man's structure, external and internal, compared with that of animals, shows that fruit and succulent vegetables constitute his natural food"
Looking at humans and animals, humans compare much closer to herbivores than meat eaters. For example, meat eating animals have claws while herbivorous animals do not. Humans also lack claws, having only weak fingernails which are not usually used to kill meals. Meat eaters also have no skin pores and perspire through the tounge. Humans, like herbivores, perspire through skin pores. Humans have teeth made for grinding instead of tearing and stomach acid that is twenty times weaker that the stomach acid of a meat eater, being made for digesting fruit and vegetation. Meat eaters also have an intestinal tract that is only three times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly, humans and herbivores have intestinal tracts ten to twenty times their body length. Humans and herbivores have well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits, while meat eaters have acidic saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains.
Meat and seafood putrefies within four hours after consumption and the remnants cling to the walls of the stomach and intestines for three to four days or longer. Furthermore, the reaction of saliva in humans is more alkaline, whereas in the case of flesh-eating or preying animals, it is clearly acidic. The alkaline saliva does not act properly on meat.
"Clearly if humans were meant to eat meat we wouldn't have so many crucial ingestive/digestive similarities with animals that are herbivores." (Thomson, D) This begs the question "If humans weren't supposed to eat meat than why do they?" It is because they are conditioned to eat meat, because it is a comfort food, and is rather tasty.

Lastly, there is no doubt that meat is bad for you, the list of diseases associated with meat is extrordinarily long.
"Anaemia, appendicitis, arthritis, breast cancer, cancer of the colon, cancer of the prostate, constipation, diabates, gall stones, gout, high blood pressure, indigestion, obesity, piles, strokes and varicose veins are just some of the well known disorders which are more likely to affect meat eaters than vegetarians."(Coleman, V. 2003)
It is the fat in meat that does the most harm - making meat eating an even bigger health hazard than smoking - but the dangers cannot be avoided simply by not eating red meat. A truly healthy diet does not consist of meat at all. Recently more and more athletes have stopped eating meat including Chris Campbell (Olympic wrestling champion) and Andeas Cahling (Olympic gold medallist), this is becoming more common as many people realize the benefits of a plant- based diet.

Never has there been a better time to abstain from eating meat. As society grows more health concious, more and more people are choosing stop eating meat. As the earth warms around us, our resources dwindle, pollution and sickness rampage, society sees a way to help make life better.
"Recognize meat for what it really is: the antibiotic- and pesticide-laden corpse of a tortured animal." ~Ingrid Newkirk