Vegetarian/Veganism

[Tallulah]

I'm an omnivore, but I don't eat a lot of meat. Sometimes meat grosses me out a bit. I am a big animal lover, so I'd actually prefer to dispense with meat altogether. I tend to like turkey, fish and other seafood more than other types of meat when I do eat it.

I tried to go vegetarian a few years ago. It lasted a couple of months. I felt like I was a) thinking about food all the time, and b) experiencing much lower energy levels. I don't need a lot of meat to function, but I don't think I could go totally veggie unless I developed a health problem that mandated it.

 

[Phantonym]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

I'm an omnivore but I've also opted to eat less beef/pork and more fish/poulty.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

I come from a strong "Worship the meat!" family. In my early twenties I decided that I had had enough and started to put more thought into my diet.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Mainly health reasons. It just felt right. I didn't have any health problems back then but I knew that this couldn't last forever. I don't have any at the moment either. My dietary choice didn't only concern meat but also passing on refined foods that I consider "dead". No carbonated/lots-of-sugar drinks; no extra sugar from food in general (cereal or adding sugar in food); less wheat etc. I chose to support my body with food that it actually needs.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

It's a choice like any other and I support people who have chosen to be vegetarians as long as they don't do it merely because of a whim. They should definitely do their research and provide their body with all the necessary nutrients. People are solely responsible for their own body and health and it's best to have as much information on what's actually good for you as possible.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice
I don't know if it's type related. Maybe having a healthy dose of control-freakish-perfectionistic tendencies helps to maintain the lifestyle I've chosen?

 

[EcK]

I don't know if it's type related. Maybe having a healthy dose of control-freakish-perfectionistic tendencies helps to maintain the lifestyle I've chosen?

I KNEW IT!

 

[slant]

Nah, I think it's probably just drive. You decide to do something and you stick to it.

 

[paperoceans]

What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

I'm a pescetarian/part raw food vegan. It's complicated; I'm a raw food vegan until dinner time.

Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

I was raised on a strict kosher diet--only when I was thirteen was I allowed to eat shrimp and pork. As a result, I really do not like neither and I'm afraid to eat lobster I've been trying to become a vegan since I was sixteen. I survived for two months before my mother talked me into eating meat again. As of now, I only eat fish. I no longer eat meat for... I'm not sure, I guess it's just a personal preference. I hate the taste of chicken and: beef, pork, goat, ox, etc. makes me feel sick. I guess I've grown an intolerance towards meat/poultry and I'm lactose intolerant.

What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

I was starting to get stomach pains whenever I ate: meat, poultry, or dairy. So I started avoiding those foods and ate more fruits, nuts (hehe), and veggies. As a result, I started craving greens. Whenever I have meat it tastes funky; also, I no longer eat "bad" sugar either. It tastes way too sweet to me nowadays. I'm ~60% raw foodist because the medication that I'm on makes me crave carbohydrates and I am never full. It increases my appetite and I have the tendency to overeat. You really can't gain too much weight from ODing on fruits and vegetables! Plus, they keep me semi-full for at least 2-4hrs before I'm hungry again. Green smoothies are a life savior!

What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

I do not have any. It is what it is.

How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

My MBTI type is unrelated to my diet.

Other thoughts on the issue?

Nope

 

[Danse_Macabre]

What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

I'm vegetarian
Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose it myself, when I was six
What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
Initially, it was because my pet chicken died and I was disgusted that anyone could eat a dead animal. Now, it's an ethical thing. Also, it's so normal for me to not eat meat, I don't even think about it.
What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

I advocate it! But I hate the ones that try and push it on others.
How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice
I'm not sure. I'm an extreme INFP and we seem to be a bit more sensitive than a majority of the types?

 

[Fecal McAngry]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

- Other thoughts on the issue?

1) Primal/Paleo (high fat, moderate protein, very low carb): Mark's Daily Apple, Drs Eades , Free The Animal , Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low Carb Blog etc.

2) Chose myself--early 30s.

3) Health & Vanity

4) Not conducive to optimal health or body composition; find it regrettable that so many vegetarians are vegetarians because they believe it to be but are ignorant of research (I was a vegetarian for 2+ years in teens). Vegan diets in particular are very destructive to health. Don't particularly mind if people I am not close to follow dietary practices I regard as silly (or smoke, or drink to excess) but actively counsel those close to me re: diet, esp. when they have been following conventional low-fat diets and are obese, hungry, have poor lipid profiles, are on statins, etc.

5) Primal/Paleo/LCers seem to be much brighter than average, much more likely to be Ns; presumably SJs will be late adopters. I imagine the closest parallel is to adoption of technology in general.

6) If I had only known about Primal/Paleo/LC eating back in the 80s, when I was reading Pritikin and Jane Effin' Brody...Oh Lordie...

 

[Feops]

Thinking about this some, I wonder if anyone has input on how they felt for the first three months or so after switching to a vegetarian diet.

Personally the notion makes me a bit nervous of nutritional deficiencies. I've heard rather mixed reviews about any diet that leans hard in any given direction.

 

[Shimmy]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

Full fledged carnivore.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

I was raised with a healthy balanced diet, two ounces of vegetables a day, fish at least once a week and plenty of meat.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Why WOULD I become a vegetarian. Meat tastes good.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

After long consideration I decided to accept it's existence as a real thing and not something people made up to fool me. In recent years I came to know that it's not all that uncommon either.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

None whatsoever.

- Other thoughts on the issue?

MEAT > VEGETABLES!

 

[Aerorobyn]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
Vegan.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose it myself. I was raised in a traditional meat-eating family; we had beef, pork, or chicken of some sort nearly every single night. At the age of 16, I watched videos on animal (cows and pigs) slaughtering, and this was the point that I cut out beef and pork completely. No hesitation. It took a while for me to get chicken out of my system, but at the age of 18 I finally did. I had been trying to go vegan since I was 17, but never could get off of everything--especially the cheese. I tried once, and it lasted two weeks. I recently went vegan again about a month ago, and I feel great. I plan to keep it this way.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
Health and ethical reasons. I didn't like the thought of eating animals that were slaughtered, and I also knew that by cutting out a lot of this stuff I'd be much healthier. I feel healthier.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
I think it's great, and I admire all who are vegan or vegetarian, but don't be pushy about it. That's just lame.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice
I really don't think it does. Vegetarianism is a way of living for some people; anybody can be in the category, not just one MBTI type.

- Other thoughts on the issue?
Yes. I'm tired of being criticized by 'friends' and family members about being vegan.

 

[InfiniteIntrigue]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
A vegan most days, but if I'm eating out, I'm usually just a lacto-vegetarian.


- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose it myself at 17. I decided that meat grossed me out and I knew how bad it was for your heart / cholesterol / etc.


- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
Health first. Though I honestly find the way they kill animals reprehensible... and a bit gross.


- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
I like it. I don't like it when people force it onto others. I also don't like people to call themselves vegetarians if they eat fish or they eat meat "rarely".

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice
Possibly? Feelers would be vegetarians for ethics. Thinkers for health.

- Other thoughts on the issue?
It's not that hard to be a vegetarian

 

[Blackmail!]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

Omnivore, I'm French. I could eat anything, even froglegs, snails, cats, insects and rotten milk, as long as it's palatable. Of course, I know this prerequisite means I couldn't survive very long in England, Belgium or Israel, unless my taste buds were surgically removed.

I have even often wondered what taste should human flesh have.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

My mother eats mostly kosher food, but I clearly wasn't attracted to it. Whoever has been brave enough to taste her homemade gefiltefish will probably understand why.
On the other hand, my father (who is not Jewish) is an accomplished Cordon Bleu.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Health, environmental issues. I try to avoid Junk food (trans fats, palm oil, corn syrup, hormone meat, battery farming... etc...) at all costs, and I select very carefully what I eat later, especially when I'm in the US since food regulations there are deeply influenced by agro-industry lobbies and hence, not very reliable.
I have tried to ban red meat, pesticides, endangered fishes and trans fats out of my diet. My current task is to reduce my daily consumption of salt.

A tip: Always add some variety into your meals and savor them. There exists far more edible plants, fruits and vegetables than most people suspect.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

Veganism clearly is a severe eating disorder, but I would not judge anybody who tries it as long as it doesn't imply ruining their health or proselytizing for it. Veganism should NEVER be tempted by:
(1) People with a high predisposition to diabete
(2) People younger than 25 years old, under any circumstance
(3) People with bad or incomplete medical knowledge

Vegetarism, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable, and well, could sometimes looks healthier than classic omnivorous diet, since in Western nations, we usually eat too much meat and especially red meat, the worst of all.


- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

I have no idea. MBTI is only a game, not a science.

- Other thoughts on the issue?

Why should I?

 

[AphroditeGoneAwry]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

Wild game we hunt ourselves (or go without, as has been the case with declining wildlife here). Occasional salmon at home or sushimi out. Our own fresh eggs. Tillamook cheese (because we know the cows are basically well cared for) or organic dairy products from Organic Valley. Mostly we eat pasta, tortillas, beans, cheese, vegetables, etc.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

Raised in Texas where Beef was what was for dinner. Quit beef with the mad cow scare. Have been wild ever since, but mostly meat-free.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Now, ethics and consciousness of ancient hunting practices

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

Good except that I don't like zealots in any form, and people are tending that way in regards to veganism, which is to be expected really. The pendulum doth swing.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

No, I know many S types that are wary of their diets too.

- Other thoughts on the issue?

I think people aren't cognizant enough about not eating fish. The oceans are sadly over fished and because we can't see it, we can ignore it more easily. Europeans are supposedly one of the largest consumers of fish per year. I hate to see Costco's shelves full of tilapia, and other fish that will soon be severely endangered, just like cod. Accordingly, we indulge very rarely in fish. And farmed fish is no better because they are fed questionable food, possibly with high mercury and other contaminates and heavy metals.

 

[Othon]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
I eat eggs and dairy in moderation.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose it myself around four years ago when I was fifteen.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
Started with animal ethics and the environment, but now it's mostly a matter of feeling too bad about eating something with a face.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
Hardest part about it for me is having to mention to people about my diet at certain times. I hate imposing, and I hate being put on the spot.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice
You would think that being a perceiver would help, but it was still really hard at first. I suppose the intuition made me open to the idea, and the feeling made me stick with it? IDK really.

- Other thoughts on the issue?
I have a lot of respect for people who make a conscious effort to cut down on meat consumption, even if they don't subscribe to a certain diet like vegetarian or vegan. On the other hand, I tend to assume that a lot of straight edgers are tools. DO IT FOR THE ANIMALS, NOT FOR YOURSELF. ;[ That is all, sorry.

 

[miss fortune]

oooh... a survey! yet another chance to talk about myself!


- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

quite omnivorous... though we changed the diet up recently to having red meat only once a week

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

I have always been omnivorous- I grew up on a farm in the midwest, where my parents grew all of our vegetables, our grandparents grew the fruit and the neighbors butchered fresh meat... basically everything was locally grown and we traded... that was some tasty food... I love grass fed beef

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

well balanced diet, the less red meat because of the lower fat content (though I LOVE red meat!)... I like to eat a bit of everything

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

that's their business... just don't preach to me about it and I don't care

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

probably not!

- Other thoughts on the issue?

there is nothing worse than having some vegan evangelist come up to your table while you're happily enjoying a bacon cheeseburger and giving you a long lecture on how it's killing the planet and killing you... I once vengefully dumped a glass of milk on one in college for it... to each his or her own... that's a two way street!

 

[Halla74]

I love vegetarian food, but I also love eating meat.

So, I balance my carnivorous inclinations with vegetarian delectibles to create a relatively balanced omnivorous diet.

 

[CzeCze]

PS I think there's another thread on this issue


- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

Slowly turning into a pescatarian vegan. Vegan cheese actually MELTS now and is indistinguishable from real dairy. I still reserve the right to eat froyo and icecream.

This is my own cobbled together diet/lifestyle.

When I eat meat, I eat all parts of the animals and I don't turn my nose up at the less popular (in the states) parts of the animals - intestines, feet, tongue, whatevs.

It's part of my ethical philosophy on food, if I elect to eat meat, I'm open to it all. You have to eat all parts of the animal or else it's a huge waste. And you're gonna end up eating it anyways if you eat hot dogs.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

Heck no, I come from generations of old fashioned agrarian based meat eaters.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

First it was health, now it's ethics. I believe in eating animals who were raised humanely and had a chance to live happy animal lives.

I have no ethical objection to eating domesticated animals whose purpose and therefore life came about to be eaten. Still formulating my thoughts on game, my rudimentary thoughts are: game for sustenance not for sport.

Don't have a problem with the concept of animals being cultivated for human consumption, whether that is a dairy cow, honey bees, salmon farms, etc.

If I could buy meat and eggs specifically from a locally owned farm that raised and killed animals in a compassionate/ethical/healthy way, I would. But, it's really hard with the agri-industrial complex.

I don't want to support the corn industry or big farma. I hate the fact corn syrup is in everything you eat.

Also, you can feed a lot more people with grains/vegs/fruits than meat. It takes a lot of natural resources to make 1 cow.

I want to feel connected to the food I eat, in lieu of that, I will eat pescatarian vegan.



What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

My only pet peeve are folks who call themselves 'vegetarian' because they don't eat red meat. News flash PORK and CHICKEN and FISH and SHELLFISH are still animal products.

It's also a pet peeve when people eat meat but suddenly have objections about "cute" animals like rabbits. It's all the same thing, an animals right to right to live or be eaten (or not) is NOT based on whether a human finds them cuddly or can anthropomorphize them. I'm gonna be judgemental here and say that kind of thinking probably correlates to narrow overall views on food. I remember being at a tapas bar and being really annoyed because people shot down by 'rabbit' suggestion bc it was cute and my 'pigeon' suggestion bc it was NOT cute. The only thing people wanted to eat seemed to be some variation of potatoes, chicken, and easily recognized vegetables. Which is great if that's your food preference but I don't understand why you'd want to go to an 'ethnic small plates' restaurant and do that.

How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

I'm a hippie ENFP.

Other thoughts on the issue?

I like independent farms and CSAs. Eating healthy and vegan/vegetarian or just compassionately and healthy shouldn't be expensive, difficult, or impossible.

 

[kiddykat]

^Ooh.. Stuffed intestines taste goood. Especially in congee? Yum..

I'm more of a seafood/vegetables kinda person. I like red meat, only infrequently. Something about the lardy aftertaste kinda turns me off after consumption. Moderation is key.

Excess anything can make me sick to my estomago which will dolor me mucho.

I love vegetables- minus the bitter tasting ones.

Currently, I'm looking more into vegetarian diets/raw food. I don't think I can give up meat for the rest of my life. Somehow vegan meat just doesn't quite hit the spot like the real thing, but I feel sorta guilty after eating animals when I think about it. The ability to not have to 'kill' for my own food somehow has a depersonalization effect that makes me think.. I can't help it.

One of my favorite vegetarian videos:
[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBUG5rpwXu4"]RetardedMango[/YOUTUBE]

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

I'm not a vegetarian ; however I RARELY consume meat. usually the smell or look of it makes me sick. I literally get ill when I smell boiling meat ><!!!!!!!!!!

I do enjoy seafood however, cheese, milk, and eggs.

Kiddykat, that video was freaking hilarious