Expert Article Draft

We Owe it to the Steak

How eating meat made us human.

You sit there, grasping that juicy burger, ready to take a bite. That 1/2 pound patty with melted cheese and crispy bacon is waiting for that glorious first bite. But have you ever stopped to think... thanks to that burger, you are here today.

The trend towards a "vegan" lifestyle is increasing. Their ethical stance and health benefits are noteworthy. But we can't forget that meat made us human. Thanks to animal products like meat and milk, we have evolved into Homo Sapiens.

Beef Almighty

Meat became an essential part of the human diet around 2.6 million years ago. This new addition to our gamut of options allowed humans to obtain more calories. These were much needed to survive, grow and evolve. As Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, an archaeologist at Complutense University in Madrid, puts it: "Human brain development could not have existed without a diet based on regular consumption of meat."

Tools didn't exist till around 3.3 Ma. The new technology allowed humans to process their food–starting the long tradition of "processed food." Cutting meat made it easier to chew and therefore more efficient. Then around 1 Ma we discovered fire and by .5 Ma we where chefs. Cooking made meat even easier to consume. 

Got Milk?

I once heard someone say "Humans are the only animal that drinks another animal's milk. That is just unnatural." It is true that humans are the only animals that drink milk beyond maturity. But, drinking milk is not "unnatural" if anything, it has helped us evolve faster and helped us survive as a species.

Henry Harpending and Gregory Cochran argue that the ability to digest lactose has helped humans survive famines, and colonize the world. Now, around 90% of the world population has some degree of lactose tolerance. So, our genes are a testimony that drinking milk is not unnatural. After all... we are also the only animals that read, write, and ponder about meat.