Vegetarians and Vegans: What are some ridiculous myths you've heard about your chosen diet?

“It must be hard finding things to eat”
“You cant eat out anywhere”
“It makes all your hair fall out”

@gemiwing: It makes all your hair fall out? Well, thank god! I have too much damn hair as it is!

I have heard too that it’s hard finding things to eat. When people ask me what I eat, I list a whole bunch of normal foods you know, like mac n cheese, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes… and their eyes glaze over. :-P

@KatawaGrey Hubbs is vegan so we get all the ‘omgzzz what do u eat?’ b.s. Please, the man eats like a damn horse.

I think the worst is people who try to do the ‘haha I’m grossing you out by eating meat! haha!’. Hubbs just sighs. He doesn’t care what anyone else eats and he’s not ‘grodied’ out by meat either. It’s such an overdone joke that everyone who makes it think they are being original. sigh.

@gemiwing: Sing it sister. Everyone thinks they’re hilarious when they ask me if I want a hamburger. Hardy har har.

I’m not a vegetarian, but I do know some pediatricians tell parents that the child isn’t eating enough and they need meat for calories. Ridiculous.

@casheroo: That’s ridiculous. That reminds me of another weird misconception. I had this one friend who was convinced I was anorexic when I became a vegetarian until she saw me eat. Hah.

I’m not a veg of any kind, but one thing I hear all the time is that vegetarians and vegans have to take pills to get the proper nutrients. I don’t know if that’s true or not.

Is it?

@DominicX: I sometimes take vitamins but it’s not because I’m a vegetarian. It’s because I seem to have naturally low iron and mouth issues. :P

I always get crap for not eating enough protein or calcium, both of which aren’t true. there are many foods even excluding nuts that have more protein than meat, the same goes for calcium. There are raw foodist body builders and extreme athletes out there that use no supplements that are in great physical condition many many who are in better condition to their non-vegetarian counter parts. People forget that man began as a raw foodist and survived just fine, some even believe better than what we do now.

@DominicX B12 is about the only essential vitamin you can’t get from a plant-based diet. You can get it from fortified foods or from a multivitamin specially formulated for vegetarians.

“One farmer says to me, ‘You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make bones with’; and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying his system with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle.” — from Thoreau’s Walden

An otherwise perfectly intelligent individual once asked me ”...but what do you eat for sustenance?”.

@DominicX- I take zinc supplements. It’s difficult getting your RDA of zinc with a vegetarian diet but it can be done. Other than that I’m good. Protein and iron are not a problem.

I’ve heard that I’ll basically die from lack of protein. I’m not a “chosen” vegetarian, but the thought of meat repulses me. Its more of a phobia than a “no, cows are cute! Its immoral!”.

That tofu is tasty…have you ever heard someone say “Man! that’s good Tofu”

@talljasperman Just myself.

@talljasperman Yes, especially when I marinate it in olive oil, garlic and soy sauce, then grill it. Or Tofu Lin, right out of the package. Plain, though, meh.

@talljasperman: I’m right there with you on the tofu hate.

that the human brain didn’t grow until the introduction of meat and cooked food, and that raw food is an unhealthy diet and that I’m not getting enough nutrients

Yes, the dumbest of all time question must be: “but then what do you eat???”. Oh for goodness sake..it’s like they instantly forget about all the other food that even THEY eat with their meat everyday.
Also, what’s annoying is that many claim that it’s unhealthy and you can’t possibly get all the nutrients to live a healthy life (unless you take supplements), and that even in a miniscule way, meat eaters are healthier than vegetarians.
These crazy debates make me mad.

@NaturallyMe: Ironically enough, in the United States, people eat an unhealthy level of meat. Eating meat with every meal is actually very unhealthy and few people realize this. Many Americans eat meat with every meal. Not counting snacks, that’s 21 servings of meat per week. That is way to much. I’m not saying I’m healthier than a meat eater, but I’m certainly healthier than the meat eaters who have cholesterol through the roof because they eat so much damn meat.

@KatawaGrey – for sure, you don’t have to try to convince me on that one!! :)

HOW did I ever miss this question? Of course I hear all kinds of ridiculosities all the time – how about ‘vegan kids don’t grow’ – have you seen my children lately? Ya…or ‘you’re a vegan? but you look so healthy!’

that they’re all thin and need B12 pills.

I was just with a friend who thought jelly came from cows, like a farmer could milk a cow and get jelly instead of milk. When me and my vegan friend corrected him, he was very good natured and friendly when we corrected him and made fun of him all weekend about it. This arose when my vegan friend reached for some jelly to put on his toast and our oddly ignorant friend asked him if he could eat that.

My parent’s told me (and they still do) that I will go to hell for not eating the flesh of animals. They are pretty strong Christians, and have given me a lot of insight into how misguided some people are about alternative lifestyles…

I am still punished often for not eating what is given to me, because they often serve meat and say they will not go out of their way to serve an ‘ungrateful brat’. They believe children should eat what they are given no matter what, and they think being a vegetarian is thinking you are “too good” for meat.

@Arp Well, you are…:)~

@Arp—:0 That’s nasty…what an awful way to raise children. And, i agree with Simone

@Simone_De_Beauvoir Oh darn, you got me there ;)