Who Eats What?

OK, cousin Joe is coming for Thanksgiving dinner and bringing his girlfriend, Sarah, and his college roommate, Sam.  Joe is a vegetarian, Sam is a vegan, and Joe says Sarah is a beegan.  (A “Beegan” – seriously??)  What can you feed them?  What will they eat?  As a vegetarian-friendly blogger, I get questions like this a lot – Who eats what? What’s a vegan?  What does “vegetarian” mean these days?  Great question!

People define their eating choices and lifestyles in many ways, and there are a lot of confusing terms out there.  Here are a few helpful guidelines, as I define them here on this site.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, and keep in mind terminology varies from plate to plate.

Omnivores

These folks eat meat.  And other stuff, but mostly on the side.  I usually call them Omnis.  Or Meat-eaters. Or Meat-Lovers. Or Carnivores.  They usually call themselves “Normal.”  Sometimes this is me and Mr B, sometimes not.

Clean-Eaters

This is the lifestyle choice that Mr B and I aspire to live.  Clean Eating is about trying to live a healthier lifestyle focusing on eating whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and (for meat-eaters) clean meats. Some Clean Eaters can fall anywhere on the spectrum of eating choices, with the common goal of cutting down or eliminating processed products and extra additives from their diet. You will note that I used the word “aspire.”  Clean Eating can also include eliminating white rice, white flour, and white sugar.  And bacon. So I’m just not there yet.  Baby steps.

Pescatarians

This category denotes people whose diet includes fish, but no other meat.  statistically, most are Lacto-Ovo Pescatarians, which is to say that a nice stuffed salmon would work just fine for them, as long as you don’t stuff it with turkey.

Speaking of turkeys, since the day is almost upon us, I thought I would share a story from my personal archives.  Some years ago, one of my daughters’ BFFs decided to become a vegetarian, Anyway, she wouldn’t eat any meat or fish – EXCEPT turkey.  Why?!?  Her exact words:  “Turkeys are too stupid to live.”  (Please – No comments about how your childhood turkey took the 4-H prize for Intellectually Gifted Barnyard Fowl.)  Needless to say, her venture into vegetarianism lasted a very short time.  Clearly, not everyone has the same motives or motivations for the eating choices they make.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians (commonly known as Vegetarians)

There are many vegetarian designations, but it most commonly denotes folks who do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products.  (Traditionally known as lacto-ovo vegetarians).  Here on What’s for Dinner, Mama? I often refer to Vegetarians as Veggies.  If this is you, please don’t be offended: I’m just not particularly formal.  If you want me to call you a Vegetarian every time, wear a tuxedo.

Ovo-Vegetarians

These are just like Lacto-Ovo vegetarians, except they don’t eat dairy products. (i.e, milk and milk products, like cheese.)

Lacto-Vegetarians

These folks will eat dairy, but no eggs.

Vegans

These are folks who avoid all animal products, including eggs, dairy products, and for many, honey.  Vegans are very serious folks sometimes.  I once read a Vegan blog post that ignited an extensive, highly heated comment debate about the morality of honey.  So for my own safety, I will refer to vegans as Vegans, always.

Raw Foodism

In my personal experience, these are usually Vegans who adhere to a diet of only uncooked, unprocessed, usually organic fruits and vegetables, but Wikipedia expands that definition somewhat: “Depending on the type of lifestyle and results desired, raw food diets may include a selection of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds (including sprouted whole grains such as gaba rice), eggs, fish (such as sashimi), meat (such as carpaccio), and non-pasteurized/non-homogenized dairy products (such as raw milk, raw milk cheese, and raw milk yogurt).”

Beegans

The Urban Dictionary (one of my favorite sources ever) state that a Beegan is “someone who eschews all animal products from their diet, with the exception of insect products, most notably, honey.”  Honey is a hotly debated topic among vegans; one that I have no desire to jump in to.  If you want to learn more, simply Google “vegan honey debate” and put on your reading glasses, because you are going to be there a long time.

Freegans

Freeganism is the practice of reclaiming and eating food that has been discarded.  According to Wikipedia, Freegans “embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.  Pretty sure there’s at least a few manifestos about this practice out there.  Have fun with that, said the middle-aged suburban Mom.

Flexitarians

These are folks who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat. Some give up red meat but eat fish and/or chicken. Some flexitarians give up red meat for health reasons, and some will only eat free-range or organic meat products.

For those of you who identify yourselves as Flexitarian – more power to you!  (I have, on occasion, done so as well.)  But the term kind of ticks off many of my veggie friends, and out of respect, I try to only say it when they aren’t listening avoid using it.  For them, it’s a little like saying you’re a Senior Citizen to get the discount at Shari’s, and then lying about your age at parties.

And finally, lest they feel left out, there are others to add to your list as well, including the lactose-free, gluten-free, and allergen sensitive among others.

What does all this mean? Well, if you’ve read this far, it means that you are probably going to do just fine, because you’ve already demonstrated by your dedication that you are willing to be flexible and go the extra mile.  Information is your friend – so gather it.  Ask questions.  Make sure your guests are specific about their dietary restrictions.  With a little careful planning, you can serve up a delicious holiday menu that everyone can enjoy.