[lbo-talk] Alternet reviews Singer's latest (The Way We Eat) (and other responses)

[Gar Lipow]

On 5/25/06, Colin Brace <cb at lim.nl> wrote:
> On 5/25/06, ravi <gadfly at exitleft.org> wrote:
>
> > It is not some theoretical, unexamined
> > issue that we are discussing here. Large populations of human beings
> > have lived, quite healthy and long lives, on entirely vegetarian diets.
> > And they have come upon their diets through an evolutionary process, but
> > have no method or need to quantify and track components, today.
>
> Ravi,
>
> It is well-established (cf Guns, Germs, and Steel et al)  that
> agriculture emerged around 8000 BC (slightly later in the Americas).
> Before then, humans did the hunter-gatherer thing. Men hunted for
> animals and fished, Women collected nuts, berries, roots, weeds,
> insects, honey, etc.
>
> Hence, only the emergence of the agrarian lifestyle allowed for humans
> to adopt a more grain- and legume-oriented diet. This was a mere +/-
> four hundred generations ago (10000 yrs / 25 yrs). All the evidence I
> have ever heard of suggests that we have the same metabolism as did
> the hunter-gatherers. We have the same teeth (molars for crushing nuts
> and stuff), incisors for tearing flesh. We have the same digestive
> tract; halfway in length between a lion's (a carnivore) and a cow's (a
> ruminant).

It is worth remembering though that (excluding certain nations who
lived in the extreme North) about 75% of calories came from plant
sources, 25% from animal. Given that humans tend to concentrate on the
fatter meat sources (for just the reasons you mentioned - B12 and
essential fatty acid) those calories were probably mainly fat, and
thus 25% or less of protein.  So you are right that we are naturally
ominvores, but it should be emphasized that we are more
gatherer-hunters than hunter-gatherers. If you look at  our historical
same-species ancestors, pre-agriculture, meat was an essential part of
the diet but also the majority. (This is ampifying your point - don't
think I'm rebutting or trying to rebut anything you said). Also to
reinforce  your point about  b12

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/
Note that the above PRO-VEGAN link agrees with you and K about the
need for animal sources of B12 or supplementation. Note also that
there is apparently a genetic minority who can live healthy lives with

 inadequate B12 - but it is a tiny minority.