Vegetarian: Genetic or Choice?

To start off I would like to say that being a vegetarian is a choice, but I have found no claims to back up that stance. The reason I bring this up is because by son who just turned 3 years old has always favored vegetables and fruit over meat. For example, for a snack he wants apples, bell peppers, carrots, cantalope, banannas, rice, etc. He will eat meat now and then when it is offered, especially when I smoke ribs or chicken, but he only eats a few bites, he likes it, but he literally consumes over 95% non meat. I don't want to force him to eat meat because i can replace it with other proteins, but it just seems strange. Who doesn't like a smoked chicken or ribs? And why wouldn't they, especially if they can't comprehend the idea of consuming animals (tortured or not)? And this is why I ask, could vegetarianism be genetic?

Noone in my family is vegetarian, and we enjoy well cooked meat, but my son would rather eat brussel sprouts rather than chicken nuggets. I have no problem with it, but how is that not strange as tri-manballs?

I think it is a choice. I have eaten less and less red meat as time has gone on and am even dropping chicken slowly. Love veggie burgers! No real specific reasons for this.

Maybe he is choosing sooner. Maybe it is a 3 year old's phase. Thank the powers that be he will eat vegetables!

a reply to: iDope

funny you mention that.
my daughter will be 3 at the end of august and she does not eat meat. i mean zero.
mom and i both eat it quite often but she wants nothing to do with it.

it could be a hot dog. a chicken nugget. piece of baked chicken. steak...
she does not touch it.

im not worried though. she gets to the doc regularly and he has checked her vitamins and such. her height/weight is where it should be. blood work is where it should be.
no worries

a reply to: iDope

I'm torn, I am not sure if it's due to genetics or simply preference. There was a study a couple of years ago by two universities (in the US and Norway) and they found out that a gene linked to an odour receptor shapes whether we like meat or not. This from the study:

Our data is consistent with the idea that OR7D4 genotype predicts the sensory perception of meat containing androstenone and that genetic variation in an odorant receptor can alter food preferences."
Link to the article

But I also know vegetarians who love the smell of cooking meat and yet they choose not to eat it.

I guess it's both?

A combination of genetics and food exposure. The body knows what it needs. Modern diet and culture teach us not to listen to our bodies.

There is a reason two people can eat the same exact diet and one will be underweight and the other will be overweight, because we all have different dietary needs. Of course no one needs processed food.

We are born with an innate ability to know what types of food we need or of and wha types of food we need less of to maintain balance in our bodies, but it then gets screwed up by parents who tell us "Finish your milk," or "Eat all your brussel sprouts" At the same time they feed junk food that messes with the bodies internal regulation.

I have read that how healthy and successful a vegan is depends on their blood type. I know the blood type diet has been debunked but, I find this detail very interesting.

Humans can survive (quite well) off a plant based diet. In fact, you'll likely be much healthier over time and will likely have more energy in your day to day life.

Meat isn't exactly "bad" for you, but it certainly is harder for the body to digest meat over plants. Thus the meat sweats.

Red meat in large quantities is indeed very unhealthy.

I'm not vegan, yet, but instead non-dairy, pescetarian. Meaning I eat a mainly plant based diet while also keeping fish and eggs in my diet. Which are only ingredients that I use once in a while.

I highly recommend these documentaries for more information:

Forks Over Knives (lots of great vegan based cook books by the same name/ people as well)
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 2
Vegucated (not my #1, kind of biased, but still an eye opener)
Fed Up

I'm sure there is more, but these are all pretty decent starts for anyone interested and clueless about veganism/ plant based diets.

originally posted by: iDope
To start off I would like to say that being a vegetarian is a choice, but I have found no claims to back up that stance. The reason I bring this up is because by son who just turned 3 years old has always favored vegetables and fruit over meat. For example, for a snack he wants apples, bell peppers, carrots, cantalope, banannas, rice, etc. He will eat meat now and then when it is offered, especially when I smoke ribs or chicken, but he only eats a few bites, he likes it, but he literally consumes over 95% non meat. I don't want to force him to eat meat because i can replace it with other proteins, but it just seems strange. Who doesn't like a smoked chicken or ribs? And why wouldn't they, especially if they can't comprehend the idea of consuming animals (tortured or not)? And this is why I ask, could vegetarianism be genetic?

Noone in my family is vegetarian, and we enjoy well cooked meat, but my son would rather eat brussel sprouts rather than chicken nuggets. I have no problem with it, but how is that not strange as tri-manballs?

This could be just a food jag. Or maybe your child has discovered that meat is animals, and he doesn't want to eat animals. Either way, as long as everyone is happy and healthy, there is no harm done.

As far as nature/nurture question: I don't know if that can really be sufficiently answered. I'm an avowed meat eater but I have tried several times to go vegetarian...I always fail because...well...because bacon.

We simply offer a wide variety of food and let him take mostly what he wants. We will insist that he has a bite or two of most things so we know he has at least tried it.

I'm along time vegetarian. As a child, never liked eating meat. Transitioning was much easier. According to Ayurvedic eating people should follow their natural type or dosha or what's closest to it. As you might want to look into your child's dosha type.