Is anyone an omnivore?

[pyrogen]

I am... I've tried being various levels of vegetarian and vegan in the past, and even did it the *right* way. This was very, very difficult to stick to, though and for some reason, my body doesn't handle carbs very well, and doesn't seem to recognize soy as food. I have serious issues with brainfog when I do anything but eat low-carb omnivore. I have brainfog with soy and with a lot of other foods. I do better with meals such as grilled chicken or fish on top of a salad. There are a lot of foods that leave me feeling horrible, though I'm not always sure what the connection is. All I know is I have "brainfog" and low energy a lot, and when I avoid grain foods and eat meat, I feel fine.

I'm wondering who else in this community is an omnivore. Do you feel accepted for your decision? Do you feel like you have to justify it to other people?

[ragtag]

I am.

[WordKeeper]

I am.

Accepted? I don't know.

Do I justify? No, my choice suits me and needs no justification.

[rondon2]

I'm an omnivore by default, not by choice. Eating occassional veggies, and the usual chicken/beef/pork plus rice.

I did try going the veggie route, by eating mostly rice + cooked veggies. And eating at a local veggie place that offers fake meat (gluten). Those worked for me, but it was difficult was finding places to get cooked veggie meals. I don't cook, I prefer fast food. And it's rare to find those meals at my workplace where I have to wait and see if the cafeteria has some (if they don't then I eat the meat).

[JAX]

I am an omnivore. I have experimented with being a vegan and vegetarian, but right now I prefer to be an omnivore. I don't think there is one way that is best for everyone. I don't even find one way is best for one person over a lifetime. I don't justify my eating habits to anyone and my acceptance comes from the only person that matters- me! ; )

JAX

[selkis]

i am, totally.
i tried being a vegetarian, but had no stomach for it. i basically eat whatever i want and that works just fine for me

[funchy]

I am a bit confused by the post. Being vegan should not be all about simple carbs. The better vegan diets I've seen are not heavy at all on carbs. I'll be the first to admit I can't follow a healthy and vegan diet well; it's difficult in a world where everything is dipped in cheese, oil, MSG, and whatever.

Soy is not a requirement for being vegan.

If you feel terrible by eating certain foods, don't rule out the possibility you have a food sensitivity. For example, if your big problems were with a high-carb diet, it might've been wheat gluten. Or with a high simple carb diet, you mightn't been having spikes in blood sugar, since carbs go straight to sugar.

[Boreas]

I am an omnivore and I found my diet by experimenting with various diets and going with what made me feel the best and gave me the most energy.

That said, I rarely eat dairy products and have meat about once a week. I also tend to steer away from any refined products like oil or sugar.

But there is too much out there to taste to be restrictive really, it is what life is.

[SandeeHier]

BTW, the brain-fog thing is a classic symptom of gluten-sensitivity.

[MagicalRealist]

Originally Posted by pyrogen

I'm wondering who else in this community is an omnivore. Do you feel accepted for your decision? Do you feel like you have to justify it to other people?

Yes, I'm one. And like you, I do best on an omnivorous, low-carb diet. I'm allergic to soy, and have gluten sensitivity, and while I know many people can avoid both and still be a healthy vegan, I did poorly on a vegan diet. (And yes, I did a lot of reading up on how to achieve optimal nutrition from it, and I still did poorly on it.)

Am I accepted for it? For the most part, yes. But why would I need anyone else's acceptance? And if they didn't accept it, what difference would that really make for me? Others' non-acceptance of my eating habits is their problem, not mine.

And why would I need to justify it to anyone else? Especially anyone who would look down on me for eating in the way that most benefits my health and well-being? As far as I'm concerned, anyone who would accuse me of being "less conscious" based on my dietary habits has their own issues they need to address.

[Honeywith4bees]

Originally Posted by JAX

I am an omnivore. I have experimented with being a vegan and vegetarian, but right now I prefer to be an omnivore. I don't think there is one way that is best for everyone. I don't even find one way is best for one person over a lifetime. I don't justify my eating habits to anyone and my acceptance comes from the only person that matters- me! ; )

JAX

This is me, as well!

[Vanderlei]

I'm, but I plan to get into a vegetarian diet soon, mostly for health reasons.

[lovelyn]

I am. I don't know about being accepted though. I think being an omnivore is cool and I'm the only one I need acceptance from.

[Vanderlei]

Originally Posted by lovelyn

I don't know about being accepted though. I think being an omnivore is cool and I'm the only one I need acceptance from.

I guess its ok since you're not eating people.

For me being an omnivore is pretty reasonable. Otherwise I would encourage anyone to get into vegetarianism 'cause of its environmental and healthly benefits.

[NeedMyCoffee]

I am, and I don't feel I have to justify it to anyone. Everyone makes their own choices, I don't look down on (or up to) anyone for making different choices.

[opus88]

I'm definitely an omnivore. Actually, I found this out when I went thru the Metabolic Typing program (not just following the book, which is wonderful, but actually going thru the program with an expert and doing all the testing along with it). I am a very strong "protein type" who requires a good portion of almost any kind of animal flesh at every meal. It's a different type of protein than plant protein. My health greatly improved once I started following the protocol of meat first (especially organ meats), then veggies and nuts/seeds, then minimal starches and fruit. No dairy except eggs (yes, plenty of eggs, which I love), no sugar or grains/flour. My hubby is almost the polar opposite, thriving on mostly raw foods that include large amounts of veggies & fruit plus some grains and just 3 or 4 servings of meat each week. It's uncommon to share the same meal even if we eat at the same time!

I never feel I have to justify my diet. My drastically improved health is all the justification I need. But I do like to educate, so I'll talk about it or nutrition in general at length with anyone who is interested. The only frustration I feel is when people assume I'm some level of vegetarian. I have nothing against non-meat diets at all, so please don't misunderstand. What bothers me is that people assume that because I'm vigilant about my health and well-known as being all about NATURAL health (actually meaning nutrition and alternative therapies first rather than taking prescriptions for every little thing), and I eat as much organic/minimally processed food as I can, I therefore "must be" vegetarian. It's a shame that the vast majority of the world's population is so incredibly uneducated about how our own bodies work and how different each person's system is from another's.

Having said all that, our chemistry can change pretty quickly once we right any imbalances. While one type of eating may work well for a few months or years, it is quite possible to eventually need a different balance of nutrition than you started with. The important thing is to be aware and, if/when that happens, to be open to shifting your food choices in order to better your current health situation.

[Addict]

lulz. that was the name of my blog "imanomnivore"

wish I still had time for it. and yes I am one still.

[wayne60618]

I'm like you...I do better on a diet that is higher much more moderate in carbs. Someone mentioned the Metabolic Diet, it's an interesting read, and I think there is a lot of truth to it.

basically, the theory is that everyone is preprogrammed a different way. They have different bio-chemsitry and hereditary factors that influence how they respond to foods. In the book they use the term fast oxidizers and slow oxidizers.

An easy way to tell, is to try a high carb meal, and if you crash an hour later, meaning your energy level drops. On another day, try to balance your carbs and proteins and see how you feel an hour or two later. Do you have more energy?

Sounds like you may already know the answer to this from past experience. No need to feel bad about eating the way your body is asking you to. If you don't, you'll gain weight and have more health issues down the road.

Wayne