Are you an omnivore, vegetarian or vegan?

[Guest]

I'm on a paleo diet at the moment. I don't feel bad about eating animals because we're just like any other animal in nature. You can't make a lion eat tofu, it was meant to eat meat so I don't mind eating animals too.

It depends on how you look at it. If you look at it from the perspective of where that meat comes from these days, it is highly unnatural. If you look at it from and energy efficient standpoint (as in use of sunlight energy charging the earth), it is highly inefficient. If you look at it from the perspective of how the animals are treated before they are killed it can be said to be very wrong in many cases. Yes naturally we do eat meat, but we are smart enough to know we do not have to to survive and smart enough to make choices on it.

BTW not saying I am vegetarian, just playing devil's advocate here. Feel free to disregard this post if you do not feel like debating this.

I agree, alot of it is very unnatural and cruel. If I could find a way to hunt my own natural meat then believe me, I would but I live in the big city and this kind of stuff is pretty hard. I can't grow very many vegetables and fruits because I don't have too much space. I use what little space I have to grow a few cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries (which have all died due to the cold) and various herbs and peppers. If I had room for some chickens for fresh and natural eggs and what not, I really and truly would but again, it's pretty hard. I try to get as close to natural as possible but there's only so much I can get. Also, I have alot of nut allergies so going vegetarian would be very hard. I certainly do love things like tofu and eat it when possible.

I love being close to nature, that is why I love it in the country. I used to have chickens, and we still grow plenty of fruits and veggies and I do a good amount of foraging for wild berries (which taste AMAZING!). I actually used to have an entire swamp built in my room, which turtles frogs, crickets, toads, plants from all over the world, etc. I loved it so much and I wish I still had it. It was like a huge walk in terrarium with vines all the way to the ceiling, a little pond, and a waterfall. The creatures in it were used to being around humans because they lived in my room and sometimes the tree frogs would wait by the door and when somebody came in they would jump and land on their neck like an ambush XD. I also raised a butterfly once that I could let outside and it would come back and land on my finger so I could bring it back in. I bought it fresh flowers every day and it lived in the chandelier in the kitchen. It was really sad when I had to let it go, I pushed it out the window and it flew back and waited for me to open the window for it and let it back in.

[yellow]

I was a vegetarian for about 13 years before I woke up one day craving chicken for some reason. I am now allergic / sensitive to many of the things I ate most while I was a vegetarian :( I can no longer eat eggs, quinoa, oats, wheat, or dairy. I have to limit the amount of peanuts and tree nuts I eat, or I get migraines. I've been diagnosed with IBS and thinking back, my digestive issues really started when I became vegetarian and started eating a lot of soy and tofu. I can't help but wonder if these things are related. Didn't mean to derail the post.... I'm an omnivore now and wish I'd never been a vegetarian.

[korik]

I'm a vegetarian, wanna-be vegan.

I put "other" because it's for all of the reasons.

animal rights

health

environment

and humanitarian.... Most of the grain we grown in this country is fed to livestock. We could feed the entire world population several times with just the grains we feed to livestock. - It's so much more efficient to eat the grains ourselves, rather than processing it through an animal first.

[Guest]

I am an omnomnomnivore! :p

[Melody.ExE]

I'm pescetarian, and have been since I was 10-11-ish (I can't actually remember, it just feels like forever, haha). I've never liked the taste of meat, (or maybe it's the texture?), which is why I can still eat some fish.

At the beginning, I did try to be completely vegetarian, but my doctor told me off

[Rivers_Moonlight]

I am a meat-eater, I don't think I could live without it! xD I remember once I had to go 2 weeks without any sort of meat and when I got home I went straight to my local shop and got a massive roll full of meat xD

[Lady Valacri]

I'm on a paleo diet at the moment. I don't feel bad about eating animals because we're just like any other animal in nature. You can't make a lion eat tofu, it was meant to eat meat so I don't mind eating animals too.

It depends on how you look at it. If you look at it from the perspective of where that meat comes from these days, it is highly unnatural. If you look at it from and energy efficient standpoint (as in use of sunlight energy charging the earth), it is highly inefficient. If you look at it from the perspective of how the animals are treated before they are killed it can be said to be very wrong in many cases. Yes naturally we do eat meat, but we are smart enough to know we do not have to to survive and smart enough to make choices on it.

BTW not saying I am vegetarian, just playing devil's advocate here. Feel free to disregard this post if you do not feel like debating this.

I agree, alot of it is very unnatural and cruel. If I could find a way to hunt my own natural meat then believe me, I would but I live in the big city and this kind of stuff is pretty hard. I can't grow very many vegetables and fruits because I don't have too much space. I use what little space I have to grow a few cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries (which have all died due to the cold) and various herbs and peppers. If I had room for some chickens for fresh and natural eggs and what not, I really and truly would but again, it's pretty hard. I try to get as close to natural as possible but there's only so much I can get. Also, I have alot of nut allergies so going vegetarian would be very hard. I certainly do love things like tofu and eat it when possible.

I love being close to nature, that is why I love it in the country. I used to have chickens, and we still grow plenty of fruits and veggies and I do a good amount of foraging for wild berries (which taste AMAZING!). I actually used to have an entire swamp built in my room, which turtles frogs, crickets, toads, plants from all over the world, etc. I loved it so much and I wish I still had it. It was like a huge walk in terrarium with vines all the way to the ceiling, a little pond, and a waterfall. The creatures in it were used to being around humans because they lived in my room and sometimes the tree frogs would wait by the door and when somebody came in they would jump and land on their neck like an ambush XD. I also raised a butterfly once that I could let outside and it would come back and land on my finger so I could bring it back in. I bought it fresh flowers every day and it lived in the chandelier in the kitchen. It was really sad when I had to let it go, I pushed it out the window and it flew back and waited for me to open the window for it and let it back in.

I am extremely jealous of you right now. I want that! :(

[Guest]

It is definitely a goal worth working for. Long hikes in the wilderness are also great if you have a good sense of direction.

[PlanetF]

I'm an omnivore but I don't eat any seafood (just don't like it...at all). I do try to limit my meat intake, however, and bulk out otherwise meat-based dishes with beans and extra veggies. I find I struggle to get enough fats nutrients otherwise, and I'm naturally quite thin and prone to anaemia - I really need the fats and protein and iron from meats to keep going. I try as much as possible to buy from local farmers, but it can sometimes be too expensive. I have thought about going vegetarian a few times, but actually I'd rather keep the items in my diet the same and concentrate on the origin of my meat and supporting more sensitive animal husbandry processes.

[Captain Darkhorse]

Paleo diet all the way!! Although the reasons really vary. I can't consume dairy, so a vegetarian diet would be tough. And to be honest, chicken is delicious.

[Isa]

Omnivore, sadly. Becoming vegan was my goal at one point and I was a vegetarian for 5 years or so. However I developed health issues and reason couldn't be found, so I returned to my old habits to see if it would help. Most of them are gone now, so I guess it just wasn't for me, or I didn't do it properly.

Also have to admit the difficulty and social pressure were also partly reasons for it. Once I stopped eating meat I noticed how it's put literally EVERYWHERE. Can only imagine how hard vegans must have it... Most of food places didn't have vegetarian or vegan options back then and mostly I was the one who had to eat only part of the portion, or not to eat at all. Family, work and friend gatherings were also packed with full of meat and once again I was left without food. If I wanted to ensure I get something to eat when I went to somewhere I had to bring my own food. And if there was a vegetarian option it was usually coated with cheese. Started to hate cheese at some point because I ate it so much alongside with vegetarian foods offered to me.

Nowadays I only eat meat to keep my system used to it, so I can eat it if I travel or go somewhere without vegan or vegetarian option. When I'm at home I only eat meat once or twice per month. I try to choose the most ethical option when purchasing meat and milk products. And rather choosing fish from the green list over other meats.

I rise my hat to you, vegans. I hope one day I'll be doing the same. (:

[A Taste of Harmony]

I am an omnomnomnivore! :P

This is brilliant!

I want to be omnomnomnivore, too. *giggles*

:)

We are missing, raw vegan and breatharianism. :o Well, I guess that can be categorised in 'other'. :P

[ThaHoward]

What's raw vegan? Anyway I am regular omnivore (or something like that) however I eat mostly ecological food or meat from farms where the animals are treated kindly, can roam freely and so on. Which is fortunately how most farms here are. Same with fish and seafood. I don't like the fish farming which ruin the enviorment and wildlife in the sea and it's treatment of the fish are also really bad. So I eat wild fish too. And I would never ever eat scampi, that's some really disgusting things they do to make it. Also I find it fascinating that some are pescatarians on the basis that the animal factory farms are unethical both to the envirment and the animals, however when it comes to sea food farming no one gives a damn.

[Rising Sun]

For some people, seafood aren't "fully" animals and don't feel pain. Experiments when I was a student largely convinced me of the contrary. And I've seen that pescetarians are rarely environmentalists : so many fish species are endangered but are still eaten, and drastically reducing fish consumption is necessary if we don't want to end up with empty oceans. Farming and fishing are both bad for the Earth.

[ThaHoward]

And the fact that it ruins the enviorment. The diseases, shit and food that comes from the fish farms runs the flora and the wildlife in the seas. So I don't buy food that is made from fish farms or factory farming, but buy it from more ecological minded farms etc.

[AlieFlora]

Current pescetarian and have been for going on five years now. I LOVE IT. Was a vegetarian for four years before that.

[Jockey]

Vegetarian for 17 years, vegan for 14.

Don't have any big reason, so I voted other.

Also, TBH, while I haven't had meat since I became a vegetarian, I occasionally have had products containing milk/eggs over the years. It's much easier to identify and avoid meat products vs things with a tiny bit of milk or egg.

[NinjaRobot]

Omnivore, always have been, always will be. I love animals, but I love my tastebuds even more, so it's a no-brainer as to which of the two I favour.

[Tja]

Omnivore. I love animals and love eating. Since there are animals out there that could eat me, I think it's only fair. ;)

[dingetje50]

I try to eat vegetarian as often as possible, but due to an allergy to nuts that's not always possible.

I mainly try to avoid meat for the environment, although I'm perfectly okay with eating a rooster we hatched ourselves and which has mostly eaten food remnants from the kitchen. Also, I believe it's more merciful to behead an animal when it's old and sickly than letting it die of old age, in pain and discomfort. And if you're busy anyway, why not eat it after? That's the best course of action for the environment, I believe...

But I've also been at a rabbit farm once (they farmed them for the meat), and the poor things never even saw daylight and had to walk on iron bars for their entire lives...

So yeah, mostly vegetarian, eating meat only when it's biological or would've been thrown away if I hadn't eaten it.

[Chemic]

There's a certain luxury that comes with being able to afford to eat a certain way versus being so poor, you eat whatever you can get ahold of or else starve. My mom continues to remind me how she ate everything from livers to frog legs because they were so poor on their farm, if they didn't raise/grow it (or catch it with the frogs case), they didn't eat it, with the one exception being milk because they didn't raise dairy cows, they raised cows that were sold off to meat plants, along with chickens and pigs. Some may not like that fact but honestly, it was simply a way of life and, for the community I grew up in, its life centered around the stockyard and chicken plant.

As for myself, I'm an omnivore though I tend to not eat much red meat. Not because I have any reason why I don't, it's just that I prefer the taste of seafood, fish, and white meat (chicken, pork, etc). In fact, the only time I ever really want red meat is when mother nature visits, and since I border on having low iron, it's like my body is giving me a warning that I need iron soon.

[Primrose Everdeen]

I'm an omnivore, but I don't eat red meat, because I don't care for its taste. Unless you classify pork as red meat, because I eat pork.

In practice since I live in the United States, this means the only meat I have to regularly avoid is beef, but they sell lamb and veal at the grocery store that I also don't buy.

[Amoeba-Proteus]

Been vegetarian pretty much my whole life.
Kind of a mix of reasons.

Don't eat light or dark meats for my own moral reason, and because my stomach, just does not like meat. It makes me feel really sick and in some cases I'll throw it back up. My mum had the same problem.

In terms of seafood, I don't like the taste of it. I've tried some of it and never liked it. Which is completely okay, because I would likely stop eating it anyways if I was eating it at all, because eating the very thing I'm working to conserve, seems a little wrong. (I will say though, seaweed... I love seaweed...)

I do eat eggs and dairy. I can't go without dairy. I love my cream and cheese.
And I don't like the taste or texture of eggs, but I'll eat them if they're well mixed into something. Like baked goods or fried rice. I don't go out of my way to add them to things though. I only really buy them for baking. But I'll substitute bananas whenever possible cause I like the extra flavor. But if there's an egg in there, oh well.

[Guest]

We are missing, raw vegan and breatharianism. :o

*blinks*

*googles*

Oh. "Soon to be dead people".

[jnl95]

Vegan, for animal liberationist reasons, but I'm not sure I support the concept of "rights." I'm warming up to the idea, though.

[marki]

I eat it all. I love horse and cow and veal and lamb and goat and birds and squid and octopus and fish and onions!

[drjohnhwatson]

I'm a vegetarian. I have been since high school; I don't remember the exact year I started but I graduated in 2008 so it's been at least six years... I think I'd try being vegan but I honestly couldn't afford it; I can't really afford being vegetarian, either. I think my health suffers a little with my diet. Hm.

I just loathe killing anything, even spiders and little bugs, and it saddens me if I do it on accident or purpose. So how could I eat meat in any good conscience?! Plus I don't really like the taste of meat excluding chicken and fish.

I don't even like some fake-meat made of Tofu and whatnot because it tastes too much like meat. I'm a little paranoid people are trying to feed me meat; I've seen reports of malicious fellows like that. I have a co-worker who had a girlfriend who was a vegetarian and he fed her meat when she was drunk and other times too because he thought it was funny. I don't understand why people can't just let people live and eat the way they wish; that goes for meat-eaters, too. I'd never pressure you into a vegetarian diet. I might suggest it and if you say no, I'd drop it. Simple, simple.

[Rising Sun]

I think I'd try being vegan but I honestly couldn't afford it; I can't really afford being vegetarian, either. I think my health suffers a little with my diet. Hm.

But decent quality meat, fish and seafood are the most expensive foods, at least where I live. They cost a fortune. Another good thing I discovered about being a vegetarian is that if I don't buy much fake meat, vegetarianism is cheaper than an ordinary omnivorous diet. How come a vegetarian diet is so expensive where you live ?

[drjohnhwatson]

I think I'd try being vegan but I honestly couldn't afford it; I can't really afford being vegetarian, either. I think my health suffers a little with my diet. Hm.

But decent quality meat, fish and seafood are the most expensive foods, at least where I live. They cost a fortune. Another good thing I discovered about being a vegetarian is that if I don't buy much fake meat, vegetarianism is cheaper than an ordinary omnivorous diet. How come a vegetarian diet is so expensive where you live ?

I've no idea! I didn't mean that like meat was cheaper; I meant that like buying junk food, which isn't very healthy, haha, was cheaper than buying healthy vegetarian stuff, you know? I was just complaining on Twitter about the expense of buying vegetables. I wanted a salad and I wished to have cucumbers for it. ONE cucumber at the store was either 1.45$ or 1.50$. ONE. and believe me it could have been bigger <_< and it was like $3 for a pound of tomatoes which, by the way, equates to not-very-many tomatoes. Like maybe two. If that. A three pack of peppers are $3?? And this is the price in like all the stores; if anything that's probably the cheapest. Just to have a salad is about $10 whereas I could grab like 2 or 3 bags of chips or 5 bags of hashbrowns for that price. Pico de gallo is easily 5$ or 6$ for a small container, which is cheaper than buying the ingredients yourself and less time consuming than making it, but still pretty expensive. Half a pound of mushrooms is only like $3 (or 2.50$ when on sale), but mushrooms shrivel up pretty fast if you're slow-cooking them in soups so you need like a pound to get anything from them.

And vegetarian/vegan meat is crazy expensive. A box of four patties is like $4 or $5, if not more. And I really need to eat more of the fake meat because often it has a lot of protein, and I don't really get my protein anywhere else because holy cow nuts are so expensive. I mean it doesn't sound like a lot but I only make $7.75 an hour and I have a college bill and credit card bill to pay back so I have really limited funds for food...

But yeah, I should have been clearer. I meant it was easier to buy junky food that you fry or are high in fats (but still vegetarian or vegan) than it was to buy "healthy" or like "organic", ^_^. I know meat is pretty expensive. I commiserate with my mom on the fact as my dad would be full-on carnivore if potatoes were a meat, haha.

[TardisBlue]

Omnivore all the way. I don't even feel full if I don't eat some kind of meat, so there's just now way I could be a vegetarian let alone vegan, or else I'd feel hungry all the time. I love animals, hell I love them more than humans, but I don't see it as a reason to become vegetarian. It is, however, important that animals should be kept in free and happy environments. I like eating animals doesn't mean I like them tortured.