The debate surrounding whether humans are meant to consume meat, or not, can be summed up by my 6-year-old's homework assignment.

Last Thursday, upon returning home from IPPE I was helping my son with a National Geographic worksheet. This type of worksheet is a three-page mini book where you learn about subjects like space, community helpers or animals; on the last page, it asks you some questions related to the subject matter. This one was about how the shape of different animals’ teeth are an indicator for what the animal eats. Let me outline the choices/questions for you:

Which Animal Is It?

Choices: Zebra, Tiger, Chimpanzee

Some animals eat only plants. They are called herbivores. They have flat teeth. Which one do you think eats only plants?
Some animals eat only meat. They are called carnivores. They have very big, sharp, pointy teeth. Which one do you think eats only meat?
Some animals eat both meat and plants. They are called omnivores. They have both flat teeth and sharp, pointy teeth. Which one do you think eats both meat and plants?

You are to select the correct answer from looking at the picture of the animal and the animals’ teeth displayed above. I had to help my son through reading the questions, especially as it presented some challenging words like "herbivore" for a still-beginning reader; but after we got through the question, it was easy for him to pick the correct responses (as you likely have by now). The answers are Zebra (1), Tiger (2), and Chimpanzee (3).

I then turned to my son and asked him which category he thought humans belonged in based on the structure of our teeth (herbivore, carnivore or omnivore). After jokingly answering "herbivore," I pointed out two top teeth (which he happens to be missing right now) that were sharp, and he quickly answered, “I mean omnivore, we eat both plants and meat.” I said that’s correct. It was my ah-ha moment that came next.

All this back and forth with vegans and consumer interest groups over the years about whether we should be eating meat, and perhaps the simplest explanation ever was just given to be by a National Geographic homework assignment. You see, our teeth were built for consuming meat; we are clearly omnivores, so what’s all the fuss about?

Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that simply telling people we shouldn’t be eating meat isn’t working, that now those same groups and individuals are turning to other arguments like the environment, climate change and sustainability. Regardless of the way naysayers choose to attack the meat industry, maybe the next time you’re called to defend your decision to consume meat, try using some facts from a simple first grade homework assignment.

To eat meat or to not eat meat? That is the question

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