Omnivores eat both meat and plants.
Omnivorous is an adjective that comes from a compound Latin word: omnivŏrus , which combines the terms omnis (which translates as “everything” ) and vorāre (whose meaning is understood as “eat” ).
This concept is used in zoology to refer to animals that eat different types of organic components. Therefore, omnivorous beings differ from carnivores (whose diet is based on meat from other animals) and herbivores (who eat mostly plants ). It could be said that omnivores eat meat and plants interchangeably.
The orangutan and the pig are two examples of omnivorous animals. Orangutans eat plants, fruits and small vertebrates, while pigs eat plants, worms, insects and other beings from both the animal and plant kingdoms.
The omnivorous human being
As for human beings , there is a wide debate about the natural conditions of their diet. There are those who maintain that people are herbivores by nature, since man does not necessarily need proteins from animals to survive. The characteristics of the human being, on the other hand, are very similar to those of herbivorous animals.
For other specialists, however, human beings have been omnivores since prehistory and we have an organism capable of assimilating plant and animal nutrients without problems. Choosing between meat, plants or both types of food, in short, is a decision made by each human being that depends on multiple variables, from culture to the economic and social situation, including the natural conditions of the environment. The person who eats a beef steak , accompanied by a salad of lettuce and tomato , is giving an example of how Homo sapiens becomes an omnivorous being.
Orangutans are omnivorous animals.
The vegetarian diet
In any case, it is important to point out that in recent years research has advanced considerably, tipping the balance in favor of a vegetarian diet for humans, if they want to lead a healthy life without medical risks.
According to a study carried out at the Cleveland Clinic ( USA ), red meat can not only be harmful to the body due to cholesterol and fat but also because in our species there is great difficulty in assimilating a property known as TMAO of the meat. meat. This can lead to health problems of various types, including cardiovascular problems .
According to this research, people in the study who ate meat had high levels of TMAO in their bloodstream , while those who ate nothing but vegetables had greater blood fluidity.
To be or not to be omnivorous
The dietary evolution of our species began with a plant-based diet that was later combined with carrion food (left aside by carnivores that had hunted and eaten) and finally, with the manufacture of hunting tools, it moved to become a combination of meat and vegetables, always taking into account what was available to hunt in the natural habitat .
Today this is not the case. There is an entire industry that supplies meat (animals that live in crowded farms) to businesses that sell it. The meat that reaches the family table is completely contaminated with hormones (to produce more in less time) and other substances that ensure the survival of the product for longer but that can cause long-term problems in those who consume it.
Aside from all this, the discussion will remain open: there will be those who think that we cannot survive on vegetables and those who do not; The point is that only those who claim that it is possible have made an attempt to abandon the omnivorous diet.