Man is an omnivore and making a vegan out of a cat is cruelty. A nutritionist has taken a beating from die-hard vegans for his science-based attitudes
Perhaps the introductory text above deserves an explanation of the main concepts. So let's talk about the principles of vegetarianism, veganism and who is actually an omnivore.
How vegetarianism works
Vegetarianism is a way of eating that excludes meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, fish and meat from other animals) from the human diet. It may include the exclusion of other products from animal slaughter such as internal organs, hides or skin derivatives. A well-planned vegetarian diet provides all nutrients at all stages of life at the same level as meat eaters.
How veganism works
Veganism is a philosophy and lifestyle attitude consisting in the rejection of the use of animals for human use as raw materials or production units. The term veganism was introduced in 1951 by the founders of The Vegan Society, which remains the authority on the definition of veganism. The current Czech definition of veganism is as follows: Veganism is a way of life that seeks to eliminate, to the greatest extent possible and practicable, all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any purpose. On a practical level, veganism is manifested by the exclusion of animal food from the diet, or by not using any animal products (e.g. leather, wool, feathers), not abusing animals (refusing animal testing). Vegans do not eat meat, lard, seafood, eggs, dairy products, honey or other animal products.
Ethical veganism therefore excludes not only food but also the use of animal products in general.
Who is an omnivore
Latin also omnivore or Greek pantophagous is an organism (usually an animal) without specialization in the exclusive intake of meat or the exclusive intake of plant food. The digestive system of omnivores is capable of digesting food of both animal and plant origin. The proportion of one type of food to the other does not matter.
So much for an explanation before we tell you where we humans stand. Recently there has been information that vegetarianism or veganism is inherent in humans. But is it true and is it that simple?
Sustainability in food vs. vegans
"I agree with many of the ethical and environmental goals of vegans, I am in favour of improving animal welfare, I call for a boycott of cage eggs at every lecture, and I agree that increasing the proportion of plant-based diets, especially at the expense of sausages and other highly processed animal products, is beneficial to the majority of the public. It is also true that we are only the first generation of people to consume meat every day. I respect all those who have chosen veganism and, as part of their critical thinking, are aware of all the risks and the fact that veganism may not be suitable for everyone," nutritionist Lukáš Roubík begins by elaborating on the idea, adding, "But I categorically disagree when some uncritical supporters of vegan ideology use blatant lies about human and animal physiology and nutrition to achieve their goals. Such lies include spreading nonsensical claims on social media."
Let's pull a few posts from the networks and correct them together:
❌ You can find a post with the caption All great apes are vegan and a photo of a muscular chimpanzee. He's really out of line.
✅ What's true? It's that all great apes like gorillas, orangutans and baboons ingest animal protein, and chimps, as our closest relatives, are the most active hunters of all the great apes.
❌ Post: The biggest and strongest animals in the world are vegans with a photo of a muscular bull. Of course, that's also a somewhat bent truth. And even in two directions:
✅ The biggest animal on the planet is in fact the giant whale, which kills millions of crustaceans every day as part of their food - zooplankton.
✅ No muscle bull is vegan, but it is an herbivore! Among other things, it has a four-chambered stomach, has a different microbiome composition, and most importantly, it can break down cellulose unlike humans! No vegan can go out and graze grasses or hay because humans are not herbivores, they don't have "four stomachs" and they couldn't handle cellulose.
Facts vs. social media and radical opinions
And why does Lukáš Roubík (as an expert) put these facts straight? "Unfortunately, some vegans go even further in their ideology and force their domestic cats (who are exclusive carnivores) into a vegan diet, which is considered animal cruelty in the Czech Republic. Some vegans don't even realize that in nature animals kill each other in a very brutal way, where they are commonly eaten alive, see @natureisbrutal. Don't believe everything you see on the internet, even if the claim "Be strong like a bull by going vegan!" looks appealing at first glance," he explains patiently. Every day, he gets similar questions in his email or social media feeds. He says it is necessary to educate the Czech public and set the record straight. He is not afraid to go into confrontation. For example, he had a three-hour public debate with the Czech Vegan Society in 2021. His opinions are always scientifically based. "It is crazy to me how, in a civilised democratic society, supporters of various ideologies are becoming more and more aggressive when confronted with demonstrable facts in the field of biology and physiology. For example, when someone tells us that man is in fact an herbivore (he demonstrably is not) and that the human body cannot digest meat at all (it demonstrably can). And of course the gorilla examples and the classic lie that gorillas are herbivores (they are not)," the founder of the Institute of Modern Nutrition gives examples.
Lukáš Roubík and his opinion on veganism
"The last time I commented on veganism (in May 2022) and explained in a post that we are anatomically and biochemically different from herbivores (we cannot digest cellulose and graze grasses, for example), aggressive supporters of vegan ideology wrote me several dozen insults. For example, they called me a fascist, compared me to Okamura or claimed that I was "probably dumped by a hot vegan". And, of course, they automatically inferred from my post about human biology and physiology that I was comfortable with animal suffering. It doesn't. But I categorically reject that even ethically correct goals should be achieved through the propagation of lies, aggression and personal attacks. And I will continue to fight vigorously against such demagoguery with facts. I respect sensible vegans and vegetarians, I am absolutely close to the view of reductarianism, but stupid ideology, crude lies and evil cannot be yielded to", Lukáš Roubík concludes his reflection on how it actually is with people and veganism and vegetarianism.
P.S.
"Veganism is unnatural for humans! Our ancestors in prehistoric times were vegans too."
Reply to Ing. Bc. "So that's why there are cave paintings of prehistoric man picking lettuce all over the world?"
