That is exactly the point.  Wild animals will not do the same (eat
unhealthy food)  in their
natural habitat as they do not have the capacity to create such foods.  All
that is
available is their natural food stuffs.  The wild animals have no mystical
ability to select
healthy foods but rather that is all that is available to them.  To be
fair, what would
domesticated animals eat if thrust into the wilderness to fend for themselves?
Certainly cats and dogs quickly take forrest and probably would be "healthier"
for it (but still not live as long..)

   Wade Reeser  [log in to unmask]


At 09:53 AM 9/6/99 -0500, you wrote:
>But will animals in the wild do the same as the domesticated animals you
>just mentioned?  I know I was eating foods for years that were an insult to
>my blood cells and thought they were healthy.  Cats, dogs and other
>domesticated animals are given processed foods.  It's no wonder they will
>drink and eat poison.......   Most of us did the same for years......
>Oliva
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Wade Reeser <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>>At 09:08 AM 9/6/99 -0400, you wrote:
>>>A fellow named Mick in the sci.med.nutrition newsgroup asked:
>>>
>>>There's one thing that's intrigued me for years.  Why is
>>>man the only animal that doesn't instinctively know what
>>>foods to eat in order to stay healthy?  Any ideas why that
>>>is?
>>>
>>>Anyone got some explanation?
>>>
>>>Don.
>>
>>I don't think that animals have a unique ability to eat healthy food.
>Animals
>>seem to respond to certain cues by instinct to determine "what to do"
>including
>>eating.  Animals develop and evolve in certain ecosystems and will
>naturally
>>eat certain things based upon their "evolved" criteria.
>>
>>Animals have been known to drink radiator fluid that will kill them.  Cats
>>and dogs
>>have been known to chew on house plants which will poison them.  Horses
>will
>>commonly overeat to possible death if left in the oat bin.
>>
>>People have a tremendous ability to alter their surroundings and
>>subsequently can
>>create "new" foods that are certainly less than optimal.
>>
>>   Wade Reeser  [log in to unmask]
>>