“Meat has been a rare and expensive good for most of human history. The diet of a farm worker in 18th century England would consist mostly of root vegetables, bread, cheese, butter, sugar, tea, and a little milk. Meat seldom made it onto the plates of the poor. Meanwhile, the European aristocracy gorged themselves on as much as two to three pounds of meat and fish per person per day, devouring everything from pigs and chicken to peacocks, storks, otters and porpoises. And that abundance of meat was what the lower classes aspired to.” – Marta Zaraska
Before the last few hundred years, most of our diet had consisted of plants due to circumstances of the times. Going as far back as Ancient Egypt, most people only ate meat on special occasions. Throughout most of history, humans mostly ate a selection of plants ranging from legumes to root crops, nuts, grains, cereals, vegetables, and fruit. Ancient India’s earliest Hindu text advocated non-violence against all life forms, so many Hindus followed vegetarian diets. In Ancient China, the earliest Buddhists included animals as they implemented the ‘do no harm’ principle and had a primarily vegetarian populous.
When a plant-based individual approaches a meat eater to share the benefits of ditching meat, one of the most common objections doesn’t pan out when you inspect the facts. The nostalgic claim that eating meat every day is part of human tradition and is necessary for optimal health ignores scientific and religious explanations of our origin. Science claims we evolved from the primate family – we know most primates have diets consisting of mostly plants (with a little less than half of the known species being stricter vegetarian). It’s hard to argue that humans evolved to eat meat, but we can’t run fast enough to catch a deer and we lack the teeth and claws needed to rip into flesh. Any follower of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) should review Genesis 1:29, which reads:
“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”
History of Our Diet
Food abundance, especially in wealthier nations, is a relatively new phenomenon for the working and middle class – most people existed on varying forms of plant products, often going days without eating. Catching an animal usually meant having a lot of food, so meat became better for celebrations when hosts wanted to ensure their guests had enough food. With salt to preserve meat, having some also meant you’d be able to store food which many people sought to do in food-insecure times. Provision and security are two qualities associated with masculinity, so this is likely a large part of how meat became associated with masculinity (along with a lot of meat industry marketing during recent times).
Meat is at the center of celebrations, and it’s been associated with masculinity and security, so it has become tied to many patriarchal and native cultures. However, just because many civilizations ate meat, that does not mean it’s necessary for optimal health. We know that “phytonutrients, flavonoids, and macronutrients found in a broad range of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts work synergistically to prevent inflammation throughout the body, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and many other health conditions.” Phytonutrients are, by definition, only found in plant-based products. While we know humans can get nutrients necessary for survival from animal sources, the nutritionally packed parts of meat are the parts that are discarded – organs.
It’s common knowledge that fast-food and processed food devoid of nutrition are ingrained in many people’s diets and ways of life, and people can be resistant to change. However, this pandemic has sparked a wave of consciousness exploring different approaches to health as many people have seen underlying conditions worsen in addition to the global pandemic that’s been wreaking havoc on the world. Animal proteins all contain purine which leads to the creation of uric acid. For everyone who truly wants to place their health at the top of their priority list, it’s essential to know that maximizing the number of plant-based alkaline foods you eat has optimal benefits for your health. Dr. Sebi used a meditation and fasting regimen combined with an alkaline diet to cure people of cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and other supposedly uncurable conditions.
“The story goes that the New York State attorney general and New York City Department of Consumer Affairs told Dr. Sebi to remove the ads; he refused and was arrested. The charges leveled against him included practicing medicine without a license, selling products not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and fraudulently claiming that he could cure AIDS and other diseases. The judge asked Dr. Sebi to bring in one patient who could testify that he had cured him or her of these potentially fatal diseases. He reportedly provided 70 patients and won the case. And the legend of Dr. Sebi was born.”
