Why Don't We Eat Carnivores?

Many animals like cows, pigs, chickens, deer, and rabbits are commonly eaten by people around the world. Most of these animals are not meat-eaters; they mainly eat plants or a mix of both. This leads to a question: why do we usually steer clear of eating meat from carnivorous animals? There are some interesting reasons for this choice.

Safety matters

A major concern is the safety of eating meat from carnivores. Throughout their lives, these animals can gather harmful substances like parasites, germs, and heavy metals, which can stay in their bodies and be risky for our health. When one animal eats another, it can take in these harmful substances. So, if we eat a carnivorous animal, we might also consume all the harmful things it has collected. This means that eating carnivores, which hunt other animals, could put us at a greater risk of these harmful substances, which is not ideal. While some carnivorous animals can have high levels of these dangers, there is no evidence showing that this problem is relevant to humans consuming carnivores in general.

Τhe taste is what counts

Next, let's consider the second hypothesis: flavor. Animals that only eat other animals might not taste very good. There are a few reasons why people might think carnivorous meat is less tasty. First, the texture matters a lot. Meat from carnivorous animals is usually lean and muscular because they are built for hunting. This leanness means there is less fat, which can make the meat tougher and less tender. Most people prefer tender meat over tough meat. Also, the flavor can change based on what the animal eats; for example, many people notice the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef. It’s possible that eating other animals, along with the urea they have or the bad compounds that form when meat isn’t fresh, could make carnivorous meat taste worse. However, there is an exception: some strictly carnivorous fish are popular and known for their good taste. So, it seems that the taste idea doesn’t apply to all carnivorous animals.

Reasons of inefficiency

Now, let's discuss the third point: inefficiency. In modern society, to provide enough meat for large groups of people, we usually raise animals for this purpose. However, raising carnivorous animals for meat is not very practical. While there is a fear that these animals might view humans as food, the main issue is the inefficiency of raising them. For instance, when a cow consumes 10,000 calories of grass, most of that energy is used to keep the cow alive, with only about ten percent going into its body. This results in roughly 1,000 calories of beef, which is just a few steaks. If you then give that beef to a tiger, you only get about 100 calories of tiger meat. It’s much more efficient to eat the beef directly. In fact, eating plants is even more efficient, but that’s a separate discussion. This idea of inefficiency is also highlighted by the fact that we do eat carnivorous fish. The same energy loss occurs in the ocean, but since we mainly catch fish rather than farm them, we haven't faced the inefficiency issue as much.

Religion above all

Finally, there is another idea about why people generally avoid eating carnivorous animals: religious beliefs. In Judaism, eating predatory animals is not allowed, and the Quran also prohibits consuming animals with fangs or talons, which leaves out many carnivores. Practices based on religious traditions can change over time and become widely accepted, so the human habit of not eating carnivores might have developed in a similar way. It's worth noting that these religious rules might be based on concerns for safety—whether real or imagined—which could lead to these dietary choices. Additionally, taste could influence this behavior; if carnivore meat is seen as dangerous, people might naturally avoid it, similar to how humans tend to dislike bitter tastes that can signal harmful substances.

In conclusion, the reasons behind avoiding carnivorous animals are complex. There isn't much research on this topic, so we don't have a clear answer for why we prefer animals like cows and chickens over predators like tigers and eagles. Still, this topic is interesting to think about, and I find exploring these ideas quite fascinating.