-
I was agreeing with @frankenbike's point that "we evolved to eat meat" is not a justification for continuing to eat meat, since we can now do without it. What we crave is not relevant from a moral standpoint. I'm not sure what the relevance of the rest of your first post is from that perspective either. Unhealthy diets are unhealthy, obviously.
I agree with you about inbreeding in pets. That shit is fucked up. It's not relevant to responsible meat-eating though. I was referring to livestock, with the implicit caveats that have been made throughout this thread regarding animal welfare and intensive rearing.
ffm-
We can survive without meat that is perfectly clear. However studies have shown this is far from ideal. Vit b12 and iron are 2 things that vegetarians are more likely to be short of.
However we have ask our selves how we survived the ice age? This would only have been possible with meat.
But in 1st world and others too after the industrialisation on meat production excessive meat is the real killer now. Especially amongst those buying massive amount of cheap meat such as fast food and processed products.
wildwest
I disagree ancestral and evolutionary factor are very strong... It's our genetics that determine our urges and that what a cravings are.
Remember that meat and carbs would have been seasonal and we have been hardwired to gorge on such things when they are in plentiful supply to benefit us during difficult times.
The way we put on fat for example is very different from area to area... the indian subcontinent for example historically had a famine/draught every 7 years or so. This visceral fat that would have been utilised during this time is now the cause of high rates of diabetes and heart disease much more then the wider population. The same can be said of Arabs that have replaced sheep/goat herding and fishing with wafting around airconditioned shopping malls will fast food and desert bars. Kuwait has a population that one third diabetics.