We eat meat because we CAN, it doesnt mean whether we SHOULD.
Its interesting to view the biological reasons why humans arent really supposed to eat meat - this really interested me as I researched all forms of evidence that made the subject even more interesting:
1) Our canine teeth are not "real canines" - these are designed for grabbing and tearing fruit. Proper 'carnivore canines' are vastly different: larger, sharper and are designed for tearing and grabbing flesh etc.
2) Our intestine tract is a complicated one. Its more akin to herbivores to that of a dog or typical meat eating animal. Meat in our intestine tract sits there for a good while longer (which is bad) wheras a carnivore tends to pass it through quicker.
3) Our jaws move sideways - akin to grazers and herbivores. carnivores cannot "chew" as such (to break down veg). Their mouths are built for tearing and biting.
4) Why cant humans eat raw meat? Funny that isnt it? We find it very difficult to digest meat as we dont have the chemical compositions in out stomachs to break it down enough. We have to cook everything to break down cells etc. Also the bacteria associated with uncooked meat is something humans cant deal with (whereas a dog etc = happy days)
5) Milk. Its designed for baby cows. Thats why the fat content is so HUUUGGEEE as its designed to keep cows growing in their infancy. This is why we have to do funky things to it to get it FAT free etc. doesnt seem very logical does it...
6) Protein. There is more protein in nuts, beans etc that you'd get from "plucked" sources than in meat. Meat is full of the animal fat (bad for you) and not the fat that is good for you.
7) This is interesting too:
The metaphor by Douglas Dunn is that if one gives a young child an apple and a live chicken, the child would instinctively play with the chicken and eat the apple, whereas if a cat were presented with the same choices, its natural impulse would be the opposite.
Anyway - good debate - keep it coming.
(Off for a bacon sandwich)