10 Reasons Why It's a Bad Idea to Give Up on Meat

Here are 10 reasons why you should eat meat.

Here are 10 reasons for not removing meat from you diet:

Number 10: According to a study done at the Deakin University in Australia, it promotes good mental health. Not eating meat can cause neurotransmitter imbalances in your brain. This can lead to problems with your sleep cycles, pain perception and your emotional state causing depression, anxiety and hyperactivity.

Number 9: It contains B12. According to the National Institutes of Health, we need B12 in order to keep our "body's nerve and blood cells healthy, which helps make DNA. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent megaloblastic anemia which makes people tired and weak." Natural B12 can only be found in animals.

Number 8: Makes us smarter. Our earliest ancestors had a diet consisting of fruit, plants and possibly some nuts and let's face it, they were about as smart as a rock. According to anthropologist, Leslie Aiello, once we discovered meat our brains got bigger and better which in turn gave us the thinking that brought about tools and the evolution of our own species.

Number 7: Holiday dinners. Many holidays revolve around a meal that showcases meat. Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas roast, July 4th burgers and hotdogs. Non-meat eaters may feel left out and snubbed on these gatherings and family members may be offended that they will have to change their traditional menu to accommodate a vegetarian.

Number 6: The Bible tells us to. Genesis 9:3 tells us that God said "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything."

Number 5: All important iron. The World Health Organization estimates more than 30% of the world's population is anemic mostly due to iron deficiency. While some plants contain iron, the better absorbed kind only comes from animal foods containing hemoglobin.

Number 4: Humans are physically meant to eat meat. According to anatomist and primatologist John McArdle, "several of our physiological features "clearly indicate a design" for eating meat". He further explains that if we were meant to herbivores "we would have a specialized colon, specialized teeth and a stomach that doesn't have a generalized pH-all the better to handle roughage".

Number 3: It helps the economy. A study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine indicated that decisions to adopt a more vegetarian diet could have a significant impact on some countries economy. For instance, the meat-dependent Brazil could lose 1,388 million reais or 815 million dollars each year.

Number 2: It's our right. There are many Animal-rights and health groups who are eager to scare the public with horror stories about what eating meat can do to you, but in the end, many feel it is a personal choice and it should be not be controlled by government or other organizations.

Number 1: It tastes good. It's hard to resist the sizzling bacon or a flaming steak straight from the grill. But why does it taste so good? According to scientists, the answer lies in meat's unique mixture of fat and umami, Japanese for "delicious", which is the little known fifth taste.

What do you say - meat - yay or nay?