Vegans, Vegetarians, and Carnivore are really Omnivores
 

This just occurred to me.

Scientifically and historically, humans are omnivores and opportunistic feeders. This is determined by our body makeup, enzyme production, nutritional requirements, and historic evidence from our ancestors like Homo Erectus right on to the present day Homo Sapiens Sapiens. In other words, we have been omnivores longer than we have been humans.

So if you follow a diet that either excludes animals or plants, you are still physically an omnivore.

A teapot might be filled with dirt and have a flower growing out of it, but it is still a teapot.

I use a clothespin to temporarily hold papers together on my desk but it is still a clothespin and not a paperclip.

So vegan humans are still omnivores as are strict carnivorous humans.

Just sharing a little of what just popped into my brain.

Bob

Good explanation, Bob. We are born as omnivores and nothing we can do with dietary preferences ever changes that. How and what we eat is our choice, how we digest and convert food into nutrients and life sustaining substances is a function of our omnivorous species no matter what we choose to consume.

yup...........

An interesting thought path.

As omnivores, humans (it would follow) are highly adaptable and can survive in a number of different environments in which they may find themselves: tropical, arctic, desert, forest, grassland, etc.

That's why Inuit have done quite well on a diet of blubber. Amazon tribes (I'm just guessing here) know which plants and fruits are good to eat, and perhaps animals and insects, too. Desert dwellers? Camel anyone? Diets around the world are unique to the place, right?

So why do we (Americans) keep bashing each other over which diet is best? I'm no libertarian, but I think "government guidelines" applicable to publicly-funded institutions have a significant downside: school lunches, food subsidies, and medical advisories to name a few.

As an individual, I get to choose, more or less. But if government guidelines make a public enemy of fat, salt, or (I wish) sugar, then the food supply shifts accordingly for everyone.

Obviously, I have too much time on my hands right now. Mainly I'm tired of everything being adversarial rather than collegial. A little mutual respect for opinions, not to mention research, would be helpful. People should be able to tell the difference between propaganda and information--but of course, we can't, or don't.

I have liked this forum for many years. It's roomy. It's cordial. It's loaded with information. I get to choose which stories seem relevant to me, and follow up on the facts.

It's great to know that as an omnivore, I have all the choices in the world! :D

I sometimes do a bit of musing on my 3 mile daily walk. So this omnivore thing is not meant to be preaching, just passing mind entertainment.

We definitely get to choose what we want to eat over what is available. We are by nature opportunistic omnivores so if the only thing available is whale blubber or carrots, that's what we'll eat.

In these modern times we have a variety of foods available so we get to pick and choose from what is available.

We can choose to eat only plants, but we are still omnivores. We can choose to eat only animals, but we are still omnivores. And I'm certain the ideal diet for one person isn't the ideal diet for all people.

I'm a picky eater, I choose not to eat many carbohydrates. My vegan friend is a picky eater as she chooses not to eat animal products. We're both omnivores by design, but we are picky eaters in different ways. So in that way we are quite similar.

Today for my main meal I had a millet and flax lavash (flatbread) coated with tomato sauce (fruit) and spices (veggies), with various cow cheeses on that, and topped with pepperoni. It was baked in a toaster oven until done then sprinkled with some sheep cheese (Roman). Yummy.

Bob

Me, too, Bob. That's mostly what it's for, right?

I'm happy to eat the salmon, shrimp, and tuna that were never taken out of the Missouri River, at least not locally!

Eat well today, and be well.

I think I'll go lacto-bozo today :lol: with a grilled cheese on zero-carb almond flour bread with an egg on top. I don't eat many eggs due to the fact that it isn't good for bursitis (and arthritis) but every once in a great while doesn't seem to bother me.

I think I'll use some Kerry Gold Dubliner and imported Danish Havarti with lots of Kerry Gold 100% grass-fed butter.

Mmmmmmmm.

That will be my big meal of the day.

I keep my day under 16k calories. I'm blessed/cursed with 'fat' genes :(

Blessed? If there is a food shortage, I can get by on less.

Cursed? Damn, sometimes some foods look great but I'm already passed my limit.

:D

I'm stealing this. :lol: