Discussions

Why did we start eating meat products ? Do we really need meat to survive ? My friend & I are discussing this topic . your thoughts

Meat is the only natural source of vitamin b12 for humans. Without it we will die. Having said that, with supplements one could survive without meat but make no mistake, we are meant to eat meat.

We started eating meat products way before we had any written records, so i do not think there is any way to say that we have been eating meat products for an exact time, but i would say as early as caveman or hunter gatherer days, so thousands of years ago.  
Do we need meat to survive, simply yes, complicated, no, but.  
Meat has protein, and other trace nutrients that we need to survive, so yes we need meat.  
No we don't need meat because in today's high tech society we can make little pills of vitamins and minerals that we need to live, so technically we do not even need food to live, we could subsist on glucose gel with liberal vitamin supplements.  
But i personally enjoy food, in all of its flavours and textures, which includes meat, fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. i want a well rounded diet which includes all of the food groups.  
If you or someone you know is a vegetarian/ vegan, or whatever new term there may be, good for you/ them. As long as the person choosing to live without a certain food is not trying to push it that everybody should live like them, or else!!!!  
You do you, I'll do me, we can all live in harmony.

JD said "Meat is the only natural source of vitamin b12 for humans. Without it we will die. Having said that, with supplements one could survive without meat but make no mistake, we are meant to eat meat. "

I'm 71 years old. Haven't eaten meat, fish or fowl since I was old enough to choose what I ate: I'm still here.

MDG said "    JD said "Meat is the only natural source of vitamin b12 for humans. Without it we will die. Having said that, with supplements one could survive without meat but make no mistake, we are meant to eat meat. " I'm 71 years old. Haven't eaten meat, fish or fowl since I was old enough to choose what I ate: I'm still here. "

The fact that your still here and not suffering from neurological issues and other health complications guaranteed to happen with B12 deficiency means only that youre aquiring enough out of modern fortified foods of the 20-21st century.

Evidence from paleontology shows that we have been eating meat before we even became anatomically modern humans.  
In fact it may be that eating cooked meat is what led to the formation of our current anatomy, specifically our weaker jaws and large brains.  
 
Cooked meat gives a much higher caloric return, providing the fuel to allow natural selection to favour individuals with larger(more energy demanding) brains, which would not have been possible otherwise. (A large brain without ample calories available would be a hindrance to survival) Evolution always has to strike a balance between brain size and available calories.  
No other animal has a body-brain ratio like that of a human, no other animal eats cooked meat.