Alright, I've been a vegetarian for almost 3 years now and my doctor recently forced me to eat meat again because I've been getting ill alot more than I should be from not having a balanced diet.

it was kind of wierd to have a big steak again after so long....but yummy...

so just curious how the rest of the player base is

Wow, is anyone really a carnivore?

*considers ticking the "I don't eat" box for the benefit of the weird running joke, but goes for the reality instead and ticks "omnivorous", although that's a highly weird term for it*

oh whoever picked vegetarian is it because you just dont like meat or because of the whole cruelty to animals thing?

Really? I'd have hoped he would recommed vegetarian foods that would supplement your diet and keep your properly nourished. It annoys that someone with a medical degree would simply jump right to "Oh, meat will make it all better."

That said, I love meat. Meat is awesome. But I'll eat damn near anything. Fruit is good too.

Yeah i tried eating beans and tofu and stuff...guess it still wasnt enough for my system

I actually don't like red meat. I eat it once a week if that. I'm omnivorous though cause I love ham and bacon

Edit: Tofu is gross :S Never ever again.. Mushies the meat for vegetarians

I picked Carnivore, yay! I eat lots and lots and lots of beef and chicken, and some pork. I also eat lots and lots of bread, with every meal. But, I avoid vegetables as much as possible. Screw Veganism, and screw Atkins! Stupid diets. Live a little.

Same

I pikced I don't eat, because well, my Gf always calls me to make sure I have eaten since you know... I don't eat.

I don't eat Red Meat, other then that, I'd eat just about anything except:

Shrimp
Fish
Lobster
Swordfish
Shark
Deer
Rabbit
Bear
Frog
Wheat
Bread
Chicken
Pig


Did I miss anything? (From Deer-Pig was a joke by the way)

You missed Kangaroo, Wallaby, and Wombat.
Once you get past the wombat's layer of fat, you should be a'right.
Oh oh oh, and snake, snake's yummy

I've smelled Kangaroo as it cooks and can guarantee you it is the most repulsive smell I've ever experienced. I thought that there would be aint no WAY any-one would be eating something that smelled that pungent. People did though.

The thing is, right, it tastes really really really good.
Snake was more off-putting to me, than Roo, but snake tastes better too.

It was me that voted Vegetarian first, so...
There's a couple of reasons:

1. Though I quite like the taste of different kinds of meat, I don't particularly like the idea of eating dead animals.

2. My body likes vegetable, nuts, grains, and raw food in general etc a lot more than meat.

3. And this is my main reason - I don't like killing animals, and it's not something I would do to procure a meal unless I needed to. That said, I don't then consider it right for me to eat meat just because someone else killed it, prepared it and packaged it where I couldn't see it. It would be one thing if I know I could and would kill a chicken, pluck it, etc, but as I won't do it myself, I'm not going to do it because someone else did.

So yes, I'm a softie, and there is spirituality involved for me, but it's mostly just a matter of the above. And now it's something I now find is simply a part of me. I don't need meat nutritionally, and nor do I crave it.

And before anyone asks, yes, if I was stranded on a desert island with no food or water, I would kill and eat my food. I would probably do it in far less dire circumstances. But seeing as I do have access to so many other foods that I like, and I find to be healthier for me, it's not something I'd do normally.

And Athana - did your doc actually give you specific reasons WHY you are getting ill? A good vegetarian diet is just as nutritionally filling as one that includes meat. So unless he/she mentioned specific things, which probably indicate you are missing something out of the diet and/or lifestyle and can thus be included, it's generally not something that 'needs' meat to be fixed.
If it's iron deficieny, add nuts (cashews!), dark greens, lentils, eggs.
Zinc - eggs, and some other things I've forgotten.
Protein - most 'must have meat for adequate protein' attitudes are baseless. Nuts, legumes, vegetables, grains (bread, pasta), dairy all provide protein. Not to mention tofu - which can be quite bland or unpleasant if it's not really done right. If it's not fresh, it sours quite easily. Good tofu with a marinade, or in a stiry-fry with a sauce to flavour it. Roasted tofu with chilli is good, or even deep-fried and tossed in a stir-fry.

They tend to be the most common problems.

So that's my essay.

Oh, and yes, I am quite skinny - but I was actually more so before I stopped eating meat as well. I also know quite a few vegetarians and even vegans that are quite well built - one of them being a very heavily built and muscled bouncer, in his 40's, who has been vegetarian since he was 14.

My old roommates had kangaroo steaks a while ago. I found the smell wasn't too different from beef while it was cooking.

Though when they left the unwashed frying pan half-filled with gravy and chunks of it for the next day and a bit on the stove, it began to kick up a fair stench

The only time I've ever had real vego stuff to eat is when you made me, Jeebus. It was ok, but an effort.... Or maybe I'm just not used to cooking.

And the Kangaroo was not like the steaks you buy from the butcher, this one had been freshly shot.. which probably had something to do with why it smelled so badly. It was disgusting. But like Nayl, I've heard people rave about it, and say it is delicious. I just cant fathom it though!

I've never had snake, but I imagine that could taste ok, since I suppose it would be white meat... I've had crocodile though, and stomached it. That's about as daring as I'll get.

Effort? Nah, you're just not used to cooking.

Chopping + stirring = fairly easy meal.

Oddly enough you can not eat..I wish I had the link still on human autotrophs..anyways how the hell could someone NOT eat seafood!?!?! I live by the coast so I guess its different..

EDIT: Err nevermind heres a link http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/377..._autotroph.html

Seafood is great. I prefer fish or chicken to red meat. It's bad for you! I'm not sure if a diet without meats is healthy. You need the protein.

Redmeat is good because you get iron and such from the blood..nothing like a rare bbqed T-Bone