Guest guest Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 One of the evolutionary differences between humans and other great apes was the reduction of the length of the intestinal tract. Through bipedalism and tool use, humans could get nutrient-dense foods like meats instead of fibrous, hard-to-digest vegetables. Have you ever looked at the stomach of a gorilla? Their abdomen is almost twice the circumference of their chest, although there are some very obese people for which this is also true. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YZF8hY__8ck/RibaMdN17eI/AAAAAAAABq0/mJkPGxDIreU/s1600-\ h/DSC_6911--Gorilla+sitting+en+ca.jpg Cooking foods to make them softer and more digestible also had an influence in reducing the length of the human digestive tract. The Neanderthals that preceded us had a bulky mid-section which was advantageous at the time because of the cold weather during the ice ages. They also introduced the use of fire 300,000 years ago. The use of fire was well established by the time that Homo sapiens appeared 160,000 yrs ago. It would be hard for humans to eat 25 pounds of vegetables a day. Modern vegetarian diets reduce the weight of food needed by using beans and grains which are more nutrient-dense than vegetables and fruits which have a lot of water. Tony > > Jeff has said he is an avowed vegetarian, and I believe him. > He's also one of the smartest nutritionists I've talked to. > And he has a practice. > > His statement is correct but most cannot afford the fruit. > > If a gorilla eats nothing but fruit (25#), and a few branches, why can't we? (honest question) > > I'm not a vegetarian because I was not raised as one, and I do not have that frame. > > Regards > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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