What type of food does a cow eat that humans eat?

Answer 1

No. The fact that humans "can eat almost anything" is pure myth. If we "can eat almost anything" why do we turn up our noses at eating our lawn and instead, when we use lawnmowers to cut it, we leave the grass clippings to rot in the lawn or pile them up in big garbage bags and letting them go to waste in the landfill? Why do we turn up huge plots of green, healthy grassland to grow crops? Why do we think it's gross to try to eat hay or silage that cows like to eat? And finally, why do we throw away so much food that could otherwise be used to feed a growing human population, especially those things that "needed" to be thrown out by bakeries and restaurants? Most of the bakery waste goes to feed livestock, not humans.

In the case of corn, we humans can only eat the kernel portion of the whole corn plant, and ONLY when it is at the perfect stage (what we farmers call the "milk stage"). We leave the leaves, stems, and cobs to waste. Why? Because we don't want to eat it. So what do we do with it then? Well, either we leave it to waste, or feed the left overs to livestock, like cattle. If the corn kernels are at any other stage, their deemed as "unsuitable for human consumption." Hmm, I wonder why?? Corn kernels that have reached full maturity (seeds are as hard as a rock, in other words) cannot be eaten straight off the corn plant like cows can. It has to be milled, ground up, and separated, and then mixed in with other ingredients then baked or cooked before it can really be eaten by humans. In other words, we humans don't eat wheat nor corn flour straight out of the sack. The stuff that's separated from the corn kernels (and wheat seeds) doesn't go onto human plates; it goes as livestock feed.

And again, with the corn PLANT that has reached full maturity, we still leave the dried up corn stalks to waste. And like I mentioned before, it either decomposes into the soil, or is eaten by cattle if the farmer lets them to do some "clean-up" in his fields.

Root vegetables like turnips, carrots, potatoes and yams are only eaten as that: root veggies. Do we eat the tops of these plants? No, of course not. Like the corn plants, we leave them to rot. Lettuce and spinach leaves that go bitter are left to rot. Peas and bean seeds that mature to hard seedlings are not eaten by humans; the whole plant of peas and beans, as well as peanuts, peppers, strawberries, raspberries, etc. are not eaten by humans either.

We humans can eat almost all parts of an animal we kill for meat, except for the bones and hide. But plants? We're a bit more pickier than that. Humans have a Gastro-Intestinal tract that is called Monogastric. Monogastrics have a simple stomach that is more designed for the efficient digestion of proteins, be it animal or plant, than for the digestion of other more tougher plant material commonly found in things like grasses, legumes, and most other plant material that we humans turn out noses up at. Fibre can be eaten by humans, but it doesn't give us much nutrients except helping with bowel health. Grain that is suitable for cows would simply pass through us because our stomachs are not designed to break down the tough material. Where cows would get fat on grain and grass, we'd starve to death on it.

Cattle, on the other hand, are ruminants, or animals that have a stomach with four large compartments. Cattle have these stomach chambers because they commonly eat a more fibrous diet of grass and legumes. The rumen is solely responsible for the breakdown of this fibrous material contained in plants through a digestive process called fermentation. Fermentation is able to break down lignin, cellulose, hemi-cellulose and fibre that is found in the cell walls of all plants, enabling nutrients to be released that the cow needs. The Omasum absorbs the water from the digesta in the rumen, and the Abomasum, the true stomach of the cow, is where protein digestion occurs, similar to that in other Monogastrics.

Cows can be picky eaters too, but they are not nearly as picky as humans are.

Answer 2

Cows eat only plants like grass and a few forbs, as well as grain when fed or when they have access to them. Humans, on the other hand, eat a much wider variety of foodstuffs like meat, fungi, insects, fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains.

Answer 3

Technically, cattle and humans both eat corn kernels, and barley and wheat seeds. Beyond that what humans and cattle eat is much different from the other.

Answer 4

Grain-based foods, as well as vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, corn, peas, beans, and some fruits if cut up small enough that the cow doesn't choke on them such as apples.