Final answer:
The necessity and preference for meat in human diets stem from historical habits and the pleasure derived from consumption. However, the environmental and sustainable food production challenges posed by current and projected meat consumption rates highlight the need for reevaluation. The debate continues with perspectives on health, environment, and societal practices all playing a role.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question surrounding whether modern day humans need to eat more meat? ties into various discussions on health, environment, and societal practices. The necessity of meat in the diet is debated, with some researchers like Lusk and Norwood suggesting that meat provides considerable pleasure to consumers and has historically been a significant part of human diets. Yet, others argue for the benefits of plant-based diets, as seen in Lynch et al.'s research indicating that plant-based diets do not offer significant disadvantages for physical performance compared to omnivorous diets.
Historically, meat has been a crucial part of the human diet, with humans evolving as hunter-gatherers. However, the transformation of food production to support a growing population and the avoidance of a food crisis has put pressure on reevaluating the sustainability of meat consumption, as indicated by the projected increases in meat production. Moreover, with the current practice of feeding a substantial portion of human-edible crops to animals, the nutritional and environmental impacts are significant.
It's important to note that while the preference for meat persists, changing dietary habits for sustainability is a complex issue, entrenched not only in nutritional aspects but also in philosophical, environmental, and socio-economic considerations.