To veg, or not to veg? Take our poll!
on April 13, 2012
Since the first Oakland Veg Week is just around the corner, we thought we’d ask Oakland North readers about how they eat. Please take our poll (located to the right) and choose the option that most accurately describes your diet. We realize that food choices and dietary practices can be complicated, so if there isn’t a box that reflects your choice, we hope you’ll describe it in the comments section below. We’d also love to hear more about why you follow the diet you do, and what your food options are like here in Oakland. (Just please keep it friendly — we know there are a lot of strong opinions out there, but we’d love for this to be a community discussion.)
You can read our coverage of Oakland Veg Week here, and more info about the event itself here.
14 Comments
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I’m mostly vegetarian but do eat chicken, turkey and fish/seafood. I guess you could call that a flexitarian?
thats just regular omnivore dude
I’m an ethical vegan. The health benefits and reducing my carbon foot print were wonderfully unexpected. Of course, now most know, you can’t be a meat eating environmentalist, but when I went vegan in 2001, this wasn’t as much of a buzz…
I am a joyful vegan thanks to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and her inspiring work!
I am a gluten free (due to Celiac Disease, not some stupid fad) omnivore.
I’m vegan for animal cruelty, environmental, and health reasons.
Kate,
Do you think that meat eaters who support more humane animal raising (by buying from them) contribute to animal cruelty and environmental issues…?
Yes, some questions you might want to ask are:
* Are the animals mutilated (with or without anaesthetic)
* Are they bred to gain a huge amount of weight in a very short time so as to cause problems such as broken bones from being unable to support the weight or heart attacks
* How are they trucked to slaughter (could be days tightly packed in a truck without food, water or rest)
* How old are they when killed
* Are they going to the same slaughterhouse as factory farmed animals with all the horrors that entails (usually the case)
* If they are slaughtered locally, who does it and how are regulations enforced
Ethical and spiritual vegetarian for over 21 years, I’ll never go back!
I eat vegan at home, where I know I have control over all the ingredients that go into my food. When I eat out I try to choose vegan options but don’t worry about it too much as I know most cooks don’t understand the minute of vegan cooking.
Omnivores have a unique opportunity (and, in my opinion, responsibility) to vote with their dollars when buying animal produce. By spending a few more dollars a week on dairy or poultry, you can send a message while supporting humane practices.
I wonder if there veg. folks out there who see this as a worthwhile effort…or just a way to rationalize meat eating?
We eat vegetarian meals 4-5 days a week. We eat fish and poultry, very rarely grass-fed beef, but meat is mostly a condiment, not the main focus.
We eat only fish from sustainable fisheries (Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list) and humanely raised poultry and meats.
I eat lots of fruit and veggies that I get from our farmers market. But I love meat – – veggie on some days, for cleansing purposes, but meat is deffinetly a major part of my dietary habits.
I’m a flexitarian. I eat a plant based diet, but very occasionally I eat free-range, organic chicken or wild-caught fish.