How vegetarian are you?

[ahimel]

In the omnivore thread, emotions are running high. Vegetarians are outnumbered in US society, and many feel a little defensive as a result. But in this forum, omnivores are feeling a little overwhelmed and defensive (or at least I am) due to the number of vegetarians, and especially because the two founders of the forum, Erin and Steve, are vegan, giving the vegetarians the cultural high ground.

I'm curious to know who actually has the majority in the forums. Are you:

a) Vegetarian?
b) Vegan?
c) Raw-foodsian?
d) not a vegetarian, but try to keep meat intake low?
e) omnivorous and proud of it?

[Antarananda]

I'm lacto-vegetarian - closest thing to being vegan.

[Baltar]

I've been vegan for three years. First I started off as an ovo-vegetarian, but only for a few months after which I switched to being 100% vegan.

[Andy]

Lately I've had my diet consist of oatmeal and milk about 80% of the time. Maybe once or twice a week I'll deviate..I guess that put's me as kind of a vegetarian? *shrug* I'm not familiar with all those labels. I generally don't have a problem with eating meat, it's just that I lost the desire to eat less healthy things.

[micth]

I keep my meat intake down, but I'm thinking of going vegetarian soon to aid me in my quest to become polyphasic

[David Hausladen]

I'm currently vegan as part of a 30-day trial (about halfway through it now) and expect to make it a permanent change afterward. I had worried initially that it would be really hard to do, but my mother is more worried about it now than I am. (She tried to convince me tonight that having dairy was no problem, which backfired when I did some research and found out just what kind of treatment our dairy cattle get...)

[Cron]

Just as a point of reference the term "vegan" was coined in the 40s/50s to refer to a philosophy of avoiding, as much as possible, the exploitation and harm of animals.

Veganism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Years after it started people discovered that it had human health and environmental benefits.

In that area vegan simply means no meat, milk, eggs and honey. In that respect raw foodism ( which has no political or ethical origin ) is not "more vegan". It is like the word "pregnant". You are or you are not, there are no degrees of being pregnant.

[WanderingOak]

As primates, we are supposed to be omnivores. It is the way our digestive system is designed. However, I also realize that modern factory farming and feedlot practices are horrendous, so when I have a choice, I preffer to eat locally and humanely raised organic meats from Ayrshire Farm. It's a bit pricey, but I think 'regualr' gorcery stores undervalue food. When the price is insanely low, you do have to wonder about the quality. I would rather pay a premium for quality food than shop at BigBoxMart any day.

[Trustme]

I see a valid point in becoming vegetarian but I would never ever think about veganism for various reasons, mainly health concerns.

my 2 cents
V.

[Ibanez]

Omnivore here. I usually have meat at every meal and some type of veggie and fruit. So I try to balance everything out.

[michael.shearer]

I was an omnivore for the first 21 years of my life...then vegetarian, vegan, back again, and not. Now, i eat a little bit of seafood on occasion and the same with dairy. I am very aware of the ramifications of factory produced meat (don't touch the stuff) and try to eat local dairy and eggs, only. It is a continuous experimentation with me and I would say I am vegan 90% of the time...labels.

[Erki]

No meat here, don't really have an urge to eat it.

[ahimel]

Originally Posted by Cron

In that area vegan simply means no meat, milk, eggs and honey.

I'd have to give up honey???

I think you just killed any chance of me ever becoming vegan.

[Strangemagik]

I voted "Not a vegetarian, but I try to keep my meat intake low."

I've been trying to eliminate meat but its hard since I've been staying with others off and on in the last year and half. Soon I'll get back in my own apartment and my daughter and I will eat vegetarian or maybe even vegan since we don't drink milk and avoid cheese though I haven't gone crazy over every little thing with milk product as its just lactose intolerance that keeps us away from it. When I do eat meat I eat very little like 2-3 ounces because I can't stand the taste.

I don't like the taste of red meats or pork at all but can stand chicken but I'd like to take out all meat still. I've had some thoughts on how I'll finally make the dive and make it lifestyle change rather than just "trying" to avoid and actually DO it.

I was vegetarian for about 6-12 months back in high school. I dunno what it was that got me eating meat again, can't really remember. Probably stupid dr. telling me thats why I am mildly anemic. Now that I look back and at my medical records I was anemic as a meat eater too.

[Baltar]

Originally Posted by ahimel

I'd have to give up honey???

I think you just killed any chance of me ever becoming vegan.

That's a personal choice. I don't consider honey to be an animal product because it contains no bees in it. And from what I know, bees are not harmed in the process of collecting it. Either way, being vegan/vegetarian/raw is not about getting a seal of approval. Just go with what feels right for you.

[Cron]

Originally Posted by Baltar

Either way, being vegan/vegetarian/raw is not about getting a seal of approval. Just go with what feels right for you.

I'll second that.

I was providing the information about the correct definition as a reference. Veganism is either about your health, for you, or ethics to satisfy yourself. Don't worry about conforming to a word so you can use a label. Do what works for you.

[jfalconer]

Would it be fair to go as far as saying honey is a plant product (made from pollen) that's really just manufactured by bees? Not containing their flesh or body fluids?

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

As primates, we are supposed to be omnivores. It is the way our digestive system is designed.

GACK. Let's not go there? There is currently a HUGE controversy about where Darwin and vegetarianism overlap. There is no conclusive proof one way or the other, and most people tend to lean toward the "proof" that validates their current situation.

I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but in a forum that's bound to harbor a whole lotta veggies and armchair-philosophers, you might get flamed for putting "supposed to be" on anything. The assumption that "because it exists in nature, it is right" has been torn to shreds by so many philosophers that it's become a fairly moot point.

END soapbox mode. Okay, I'll be meek now. Maybe.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by jfalconer

Would it be fair to go as far as saying honey is a plant product (made from pollen) that's really just manufactured by bees? Not containing their flesh or body fluids?

No. It's bee puke. Sorry.

Convert-happy-vegan knee-jerk reply:
Technically, they invest a lot of time and energy into making honey. The hive needs this honey to survive the winter months. They aren't working for us, you know. They exist for their own resons.

On the other paw...

Level-headed economist reply:
Now, you might postulate that bee-keepers enter into a bargin with the bees: I'll keep you up for the winter if you give me your honey. It's the same sort of bargin that we make with house-pets (and I'll try to eschew the anthropomorphim, even though I know my kitty speaks {nay, invented} English) : I'll provide food and shelter if you agree to hang around and let me pet on your soft, luxy fur.

Plus, bees don't have to die to produce honey, so there is some room for dickering with the relative "veganism" of honey. It depends on how you define "vegan." Most vegans agree that any product that involves animals in its manufacture is not suitable for vegans to consume. However, bugs die in the combine when my father reaps wheat, so is wheat vegan? Something to chew on.

[veglin]

I love that we can vote on how vegetarian we are on this forum.

Being Vegan Rocks!

[Gautam]

I'm Vegan. Been so for about 6 months..

[Akashic_Librarian]

I am a vegetarian, and have been for 11months.

[jfalconer]

Originally Posted by Lotus

No. It's bee puke. Sorry.

Damn. I think I prefer the level headed economist's viewpoint It seems to be a fairly healthy food and a great replacement for that poisonous refined sugar stuff. From what I can tell from some limited research, bees are treated pretty well and none are harmed in the process of producing honey.

I guess it just depends on where you draw the line of veganism. I don't do eggs or dairy, but if I do eat honey, what am I?

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by jfalconer

I guess it just depends on where you draw the line of veganism.

There are a lot of people who think that veganism is a black/white issue, but it's really not. Anyone who eats any sort of processed food is contributing to the deaths of a lot of innocent by-standers: bugs, mostly.

And the vulcanized rubber in car and bicycle wheels is NOT vegan, so anyone who is living the "vegan lifestyle" shouldn't be driving or riding in anything with rubber in it. Poor things need to walk.

Originally Posted by jfalconer

I don't do eggs or dairy, but if I do eat honey, what am I?

Just call yourself an enlightened eater.
Labels never stick to me, so I go as general as possible.

[jfalconer]

Good points. I'm not stopping with honey then

[child]

Originally Posted by Ibanez

Omnivore here. I usually have meat at every meal and some type of veggie and fruit. So I try to balance everything out.

I find it strange that when someone calls eating everything as 'balance'. From another perspective you could be on the negative side not balanced. Balance is a word that means nothing when you dont know the reference frame. From a health perspective you are not balanced, you re just eating uric acid.

[PhoenixOwl]

My parent's have... 'issues' with me being vegetarian. I gotta wait till I move out. ;D

[toasterwater]

Ive been a vegetarian for about 6 weeks now, and dont plan on going back. I credit this transformation to stevepavlina, I pretty much quit meat cold turkey after i followed his link on factory farming (i dont remember what article it came out of, but this is a link to the site it leads to). I dont want to discriminate based on food preferences, but i challenge any open minded omnivore to watch the video on factory farmin in this article. If you stay omnivorous, then your more stubborn than i am .

-remember, i mean no offense by this, i just wish to spread truth and knowledge, what you do with it is up to you , so to all you veggies, omnivores, carnivores, or other- Have a great day!

[madgeylou]

i dont eat meat. tried a 30 day vegan experiment starting jan 1 of this year, and havent had a morsel of animal flesh since (unless there are bugs in my chickpeas, which there probably are!)

i keep my dairy and egg intake to a minimum, but once or twice a week i will have some cheese pizza, or a couple of eggs (free range/organic). i dont like the way milk makes me feel, so no problem staying away from that.

i also still wear leather shoes. i'm too much of a fashion whore to be totally vegan, i suppose. also, i really dont like the feeling of going out to eat and asking the server what's in everything -- 'does this bread have eggs, does the sauce have milk?' it helps to go to vegan restaurants but none of my friends are vegan so i usually end up at a different place.

but i do keep my animal product usage to a minimum which is much lower than the average american could deal with.

when people notice me passing over the meat selections and ask "oh what are you?" i just tell them i dont eat meat, or say 'mostly-vegan.'

i really do prefer beans to beef, always have.

[ahimel]

Originally Posted by jfalconer

From what I can tell from some limited research, bees are treated pretty well and none are harmed in the process of producing honey.

Well bees can't make honey inside the hive. In order to have a productive colony, you have to let them roam the fields. So to the extent that bees have free will and independent thought, they do choose to come back to the beekeeper's hive every night.

I guess it just depends on where you draw the line of veganism. I don't do eggs or dairy, but if I do eat honey, what am I?

There are so many varieties of vegetarian, I wouldn't even try to lable them all. Outside Boulder, of course, "vegetarian" often means, "I don't eat meat. Chicken and fish aren't meat." There's also the, "I don't eat big hunks of meat, but I don't check to see whether the soup has beef broth or the refried beans were made in lard" vegetarian.

I've also run into a philosophy that calls itself "fruititarian." This means you don't eat anything that had to harm its creator in order for you to eat it. So (generally speaking) fruits are OK because the apple tree is still standing when you eat the apple. Carrots are not OK, because you pry up the whole carrot plant and eat it. Dairy is OK, because the cow remains in the field happily chewing cud. Eggs are not OK, because a little baby chicken died for your omlette.

Then there's the arguments about what constitutes "harm" for the fruititarian lifestyle. Some argue that eggs are fine, because a baby chicken didn't die unless the egg was fertilized, in which case it didn't make a very good omlette. Others reply that a baby chicken in potentia died, because the egg would have been fertilized if the farmer hadn't kept the rooster and chickens apart. Some won't do dairy from supermarkets, which almost certainly came from a mass-production farm where cows are tortured. But dairy from small local farms where you know the cows by name is still OK. And of course, honey depends on whether you think bees have free will.

Luqe's rule was that he wouldn't "eat anything that might have once had a name. And if people name their vegetables, I don't want to eat them anyway."

Another guy I met wouldn't "eat anything that once cast a shadow." A lot of root vegetables, I guess. And deep-sea fish.

Trying to name every type of vegetarianism seems like a lost cause. I chose what I figured were the 5 broadest categories. I chose "rawfoodsian" over, say, "fruititarian" because of its occurance in Steve's blog. Also, I figured lumping rawfoodsian, fruititarian, and no-shadowism together into a "psycho fanatic vegetarian" category wouldn't go over well.