From wikipedia
>Chimpanzee prefers fruit above all other food items and even seeks out and eats them when they are not abundant. It also eats leaves and leaf buds, seeds, blossoms, stems, pith, bark and resin. Insects and meat make up a small proportion of their diet, estimated as 2%.
>Despite the fact that common chimpanzees are known to hunt, and to collect insects and other invertebrates, such food actually makes up a tiny portion of their diet. In all cases, the majority of their diet consists of fruits, leaves, roots, and other plant matter.
Chimpanzee is genetically the closest species to humans. If we have difficulties in understanding what is the appropriate diet for us, shouldn't we, in a strive to pursue the natural order of things, suggest borrowing eating habits from our closest species?
I know, I know, during our evolution we spread north and had to rely on meat. I know, I know, this is what helped our brains get developed. However, since we're at the stage when civilization is developed and we have access to all kinds of foods, and do not have to rely on anything specific to survive, shouldn't we try to go back to the natural order of things?
If a diet based solely on fruits is suggested, that's what it would seem to be lacking: sodium, selenium, b-12, fats, particularly omega-6. So I wounder if recommended dietary intakes can be mistaken, and we can live on a diet lacking those nutrients. Or, say, can we have enough of those consuming meat only very occasionally. Also, since animals get b-12 from dirt, we'll assume getting it from pills here, or occasional meat. And where the hell do monkeys get those nutrients from, especially fats? Or are they so different they are ok without those?
I'm as of right now a meat eater, and this thread is not an attempt of vegan propaganda, but rather a genuine discussion. Also rate my english, I live in a country where barely anyone speaks it.