Are you vegan, vegetarian, or love it all?

[rocketmom]

Hi all! Just curious as to what type of food preference do you and your family have? Personally we eat it all. Veggies, tofu, whole foods, meat, and dairy.

[Irishmommy]

Well, all except tofu, we've never tried it. I have very conservative meat and potatoes people in this house - I'm being radical if I do stir fry without meat!!!

[willibug]

We eat a little of everything! Mostly whole-foods, mostly homemade. When I buy meat, I buy the best I can afford, and try to get growth-hormone and antibiotic-free, and free-range chicken. If it fits in that week's budget, that is! Same with organic. I do the best I can. We are, however, beginning to experiment a bit more with some vegetarian cooking. I've bought a new cookbook, one of the Moosewood restaurant ones, and I've made some super-yummy dishes. Also, I am bringing home some veggie foods with which I was unfamiliar and I'm giving them a chance. Last night I made chili with Soyrizo. Yumyumyum!

[Lindy]

I grew up eating meat. In college I became a vegetarian, then a vegan, then raw food, then back to vegetarian (ayurvedic style), now we are back to meat. Who knows whats next.

[Lindy]

Oops!

[Erin Pavlina]

I started life as a major meat eater. God, I loved my Big Macs! I went vegetarian at the age of 27, then vegan just 9 months later.

If someone had told me at the age of 20 that I would end up as a vegan, there's no way I would have believed them.

Now I can't imagine eating any other way.

[PM]

I picked "other" because although we do eat meat and dairy, we don't LOVE it. Dh is much more dairy than I am, he's French ya know! But he's not really into meat, very limited quantities. I like a burger now and then, and sometimes have a strange craving for steak, but I probably eat meat (including poultry and fish) 3 times a week.

I'm pretty sure I would go straight from this to veganism. I don't understand vegetarians. But I would find the non-food aspects of veganism hard to follow. I think. Can't be sure till you try it.

[Becca]

I was vegetarian for most of my teens and early twenties, then I met dh who was practically carnivorous. By the time we married, I wa eating meat and he was eating vegetables. Since last October, I've been vegan, the children are mostly vegan, although they might have a little dairy now and then - like a slice of cheese at Grandma's. Dh eats mostly vegan at home - as that's what I cook, but still eats a little meat and dairy now and then.
Blessings, Becca

[Wildflower]

Right now I'm (back to being) a vegetarian, because along with motherhood came a resurgence in my love and concern for furry little babies of all species, i.e. if it breastfeeds, if it loves it's babies like I love mine, I can't feel okay causing it to be killed anymore...I still eat fish once in a while, though...I just crave raw salmon soooo much...

I would be vegan as well except for the fact that I get so much free milk from the which program, which I've been making into nonfat yogurt and yogurt cheese, which I really enjoy, and which really feels good in my tummy, too.

Trying to always add more raw, whole, un-white suger/flour recipees, too...By the time dd's about ten months old I want to be able to feel good about her having some of anything I'm eating, so I'm in a process of teaching myself to enjoy really niutricious stuff right now. My parenting philosophies mean that I won't ever dictate how dd eats, the only influence I'll have in how she herself chooses to eat is setting an example, so I'm really trying to upgrade my diet these days, to be that healthy example but mostlt to support my own system in being well through all the long nights, nursing, etc.

I didn't vote, though, because I do 'enjoy it all,' and if I really wanted anything I would try to let myself have it and just be grateful for it. I was dogmatic about food when I was a teenager, no fun, I never want to judge anyone including myself for what they eat, just want to let the gratitude flow whenever any of us are given the blessing of sustenance in any form...Great thread, bebe luna!

[rocketmom]

I wanted to add....

I was a vegetarian for many years before I got pg with dd#1. I then all the sudden I had the biggest craving for meat again and so ended the vegetarianism. Then after dd#1 was born I cut dairy out completely because I had this "revelation" when I started breastfeeding that I couldn't go to the store to buy gallons of breastmilk or breastmilk cheese so why was I eating or drinking it if I wasn't a baby cow?? Well that phase was short lived for only about 2 years until I met my dh. He started taking me out for dinner etc and I have a huge weakness for chocolate cake...so I slowly introduced dairy into dd and I's diet. We still eat meat (I only buy the organic range free kind of meat, don't need any unecessary hormones KWIM) and dairy. The little ones eat yoqurt and cheese but aren't very fond of meat. Which is quite alright with me. Put it this way I do the best I can because I have a dh that will eat and loves fried balogna (SP?) or fried hot dog sandwichs, YUCK! So there is only so much I can do. He is a GREAT cook though, very very good. He just still has some of those bachelor aspects of his diet left, hee hee.

Wildflower I was just wondering what thread Bebe Luna started that was great??? because I started this thread.

Thanks!
Rocketmom

[Wildflower]

ooops sorry rocketmama, I meant to say "great thread rocketmama!" Although I'd imagine bebe luna has started great threads, too. I really think lack of sleep may have eroded some brain synapses! You know when I was pregnant I suddenly wanted nothing but scrambled egg sandwhiches with bacon and tomato in them! And I didn't know I was preg yet, so I really weired myself out. Plus we live on the remnants of a free range cattle ranch, with free beef if we want it, so I've definitely succombed to this weird extra raw steak craving...I think its only becaused I filled up on the meat while pregnant ( I was anemic, anyways) that I'm now leaning veggie...oh, the pendelum swings again...Dh is actually a great influence on me, he cooks veggies and tofu for breakfast and insists on organic...

[rocketmom]

No problem Wildflower .

[peacemama]

We eat everything, but red meat is very, very rarely served in our home - usually dh will do it barbecue-style in the summer, when he gets into his "Macho-man-eat-meat-cooked-with-fire" mode!

We do eat pretty healthy, though!

[kama'aina mama]

Eat it all. Love it all. Red meat not often because I try to eat lower on the food chain for ecological reasons, but I just can't give it up all together. I actually bought my first package of tifu the other day for my toddler. We had miso soup at a Japanese restaurant over the holidays and she ate all the tofu out of three peoples soupd and then plowed through about a 1/2 cup more that the waitress brought after that. I don't care for teh stuff, but I know it is good for her, so I will get it for her. Who knows, maybe it will grow on me.

[rocketmom]

kama'aina mama I can definitly say that tofu is an acquired taste. It took me awhile to get used to it but now I LOVE it. Both my dds will only eat it raw, they can't get enough of it!

[steph]

was vegie for the longest time, then was suggested to eat some meat for infertility. Discovered I really felt better when I eat some meat. So now we have chick/fish about 3-4 times a week. but i make sure whatever meat i eat is organic!

[bebe luna]

I was raised vegetarian...and stayed that way until I was 16. Then I dabbled in meat, and then returned to being veg.
But I never ate eggs unless they were baked in a muffin or something. Around 18, I started eating a little meat- but only organic. Stayed that way until I was 23 and found myself suffering from systemic candida overgrowth and food and chemical/enviromental sensativities. Then I went on a very extreme diet and although I was allowed to eat meat, I found myself repulsed by it. Then about a year and a half later, I started eating some fish and chicken. Then I got pregnant and could only stand to eat fish...and also found myself eating dairy for the first time in years. Once ds was born I began eating meat again. Not too often, and only organic. About a month ago I decided, mostly for enviromental concerns, that I wanted to give up meat and dairy... so I read some info on the vegan diet and felt it was right for me. I already don't like eggs, and I think that dairy is not very good for humans, and I can do w/out meat... so now I am vegan- and I feel great! So much more energy, lost a few lbs... and best of all, I feel I am eating w/ a clear conscience.

[freethinkingmom]

GO VEGGIE!!!

Proud vegetarian household here!

Wouldn't have it any other way!!! Put dead animals in my baby girl, YUCK!!! No thank you, her tummy isn't a graveyard!!!

[rocketmom]

Thanks for all the feed back everyone! I really enjoyed reading everyone's posts. It is nice to know that there is a variety of different food preferences here.

[tasha]

I am vegan, my dd is vedg because of the b-12, my dh eats meat outside of the home. And I love tofu! Tofu shakes, stir-fry, cakes, tofu is the great assimilator! I can be anything! I am proud that after 7 years with my dh He will finally, willingly, eat tofu! YEAH!