Many animals spend their days munching on grass , so why do n’t you see humanity in a orbit on all four-spot enjoying some of that good green clobber ? Well , there are a few good reason why you should n’t consume grass ( aside from the societal stigma thrown your direction ) .
Grass is technically non - toxic , but it hold little - to - no nutritionary economic value for homo , unlike for some other animals .
Why can cows eat grass but humans can’t?
The understanding it ’s not wise to eat a lawn - based dieting is that supergrass contains a high concentration of compounds that are tough for us to digest . This includes stuff like lignin and cellulose , organic polymers that avail to organize the bulwark of plant life cells . Lignin is particularly problematic , acting as a tough portion that give way flora their woody texture – and weed is full of it .
While there issome evidencethat our catgut contain bacteria that can break down lignin , our digestive system is not brim with enzyme that can go against down taste of the chemical compound . Likewise , humans ca n’t the right way digest cellulose . rather of it being broken down in our backbone , it simply take place through in the physical body of insoluble dietary fiber that aid gives our nincompoop construction .
yield and veggie that we do deplete also contain cellulose and lignin , but they have concentrations that are far more manageable for our digestive system . For example , lawn grass is largelycomposedof water and lignin . By compare , just 1 to 2 percent of a cultivated carrot iscomposedof dietetic fiber , namely cellulose , the rest being water and sugar , most of which we can stomach .
Grass-eating cow, you don’t know how jealous we are. Image credit: BMJ/Shutterstock.com
However , sure animals like cows , laughingstock , sheep , and giraffes are able to break down grass thanks to a process called rumination and their famed multi - compartment venter .
In the first part of these digestive systems , their grassy chuck is repeatedly swallowed , un - swallowed , re - chewed , and re - take back . This allows the animals to chew grass more completely , which improves digestion . The to a great extent manducate grass will then introduce a complex system of rules of the multi - chambered tum , each compartment of which has its own lineament and functions , that can fall apart grass down thanks tohardcore bacteriathat naturally live in their first stomach , the first stomach .
We and many other animals , however , lack these complex tum . Even beyond pass on our catgut grief , eating grass can also damage your tooth . forage isrelatively richin silica , which is scratchy and can quickly wear down teeth .
So , in sum , you’re able to eat grass if you want , but it will most likely result in an upset stomach , bad tooth , and eventually malnutrition . We suggest you puzzle to vegetables .
