In line with my theme for the month, “Meat-free March,” I’d like to share some information from the book The Face on Your Plate by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson.
Masson refers to the work of two scientists, Milton Mills of Stanford University School of Medicine and Stephen Jay Gould of Harvard, when discussing human anatomy as being designed for a plant-based diet.
Dr. Mills “…uses as evidence comparative anatomy:
- “The simple proof is the shape of the human head– carnivores have wide mouths, suitable for swallowing large chunks of meat; we have small mouths, suitable for softer plant foods…
- “…and the human jaw– when the jaws of a carnivore close, there is a slicing motion that we lack; our jaw joint would be easily dislocated if we tried to subdue struggling prey or crush bones.
- “Carnivorous animals do not chew their food but gorge rapidly, whereas we humans need to eat slowly…
- “…the capacious single-chambered stomach of carnivores contrasts with the stomach of herbivores, which is a simple structure, with a long small intestine; and the human colon has the pouched structure typical of herbivores.
“…human teeth are similar to those found in other herbivores: our canines are neither serrated nor conical, but flattened, blunt, and small; our incisors are flat and spadelike, useful for peeling and biting relatively soft materials.- “Human saliva contains the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme, salivary amylase: if we attempted to swallow a large amount of food poorly chewed, we would choke– just watch how your dog swallows meat.
“In short, concludes Dr. Mills, human beings have the mouth and gastrointestinal tract structure of a committed herbivore.”
The Bee's Knees 