Veg*ns, do you consider yourself 'picky'?

I'm vegan, and I've been called a 'picky eater' because of it. I don't consider  myself a picky eater at all. IMO pickiness is defined by only eating certain foods because you dislike or refuse to try others. Refusing to eat animal products for ethical reasons does not a picky eater make. What say you?

Hey Mel95. I agree with you.

I'm not vegan but have been for extended stretches (am vegetarian) and lean that way much of the time. I don't consider myself a picky eater at all either. Conscious maybe ;-) but not picky. Heck, I'll eat just about anything that doesn't have (and of course never had) a face! That allows me to eat an astounding variety of amazing foods! I just finished off a smoothie with soy milk, raw walnuts, bananas (all organic) ... oh, heaven!

no, but i eat literally anything that isn't animal-based, so if people are trying to think of something to feed me and can't, then shame on them! :)

EDIT: totally said the wrong thing lol.

No, I agree that not eating something for moral (or strict dietary/health) reasons is not the same as not eating it because you think it is "yucky." 

Personally, I think picky eaters are big babies.  Maybe it's because, as a veg, I have had to force myself to love a lot of veggies that I hated when I was younger, because all vegetarian options have peppers, onions, and tomatoes on them.  I don't think vegetarians can really afford to be picky.

Kind of. Generally, I'll eat anything vegan that is healthy. But I have a tendency to be really weird about food. I'm a health nut and try to stay away from high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, ect. I'm very particular of what I allow inside of my body. So, yes, I probably am a little picky. :p

that's funny.  i don't think of myself as picky either beause i also conditioned myself to tolerate pretty much anything that i can eat that is relatively healthy.

my fiance on the other hand calls me picky, when he, himself will not touch any vegetable that he doesn't like, anything cooked the way he doesn't like,  anything with too much or too little sauce,  and even gets very particular and the "presentation".  if something even reminds him of something he doesn't like, he will be reluctant to try it and then will make some strange mental association to the food.

he said some asian style sweet and sour dipping sauce tasted like chocolate because it was brown and we ended up arguing about it for the rest of dinner because i was 100000% sure there was no chocolate in the darn thing.

Yes! I do think it is picky or what I call particular, to people who care what goes into their bodies, and that's totally cool with me! I've also been called a picky eater, but hey, it just means I'm taking good care of the only body I have. It's taken me a while to even do that! 

I don't consider it "picky" exactly, but I know I drive my family crazy. I'm like perfectflaw in that I also try to stay away from proccessed foods so I'm very concious about what ingredients are used. But out of the healthy stuff I'll eat anything. I think people just aren't as accepting of this kind of "picky' as opposed to the I don't like vegetables kind of picky because that's more common.

I don't think so. For example, people who choose to eat healthy. No junk food, are not considered picky eater.. perhaps selective eaters. Picky eaters, I think are generally closed minded eaters who are afraid to try different things. I am willing to try all sorts of cuisine, spices, etc as long as they don't have meat in them.

I agree, If you're doing it for moral reasons it's not "Picky Eating" at all.
I'm not picky, i love trying new foods... As along as they are vegetarian foods anyway! And i would be the same way if i were Vegan (which i'm considering).

I have met picky carnivores. I have met picky vegetarians. No one likes to hear a child say " I don't like that." Especially when you spent your time, money and energy to cook the meal. No one likes to hear a vegetarian say "I can't or wont eat that." Remember why you are a vegetarian. What is it you want? I want a more compassionate and loving world. "In your face" is not that.

Maybe take some vegetarian snacks with you. Sometimes you are not provided good healthy choices. You can just get your bag of cherries ( or whatever you have) and happily munch, without making people around you uncomfortable.  It's not a big deal unless you make it that way. 

I am far more open to try different foods than when I ate meat/eggs/dairy!  Veganism pushed me to try lots of food I had refused to eat, and now I'm proud to say I will try anything as long as it's vegan!  Anyone who calls me picky is crazy!

I agree. I've eaten so many different types of cousine since becoming vegetarian, and left the meat and potatoes (although I still love potatoes!) crowd behind. My favorite is Thai....all those delicious curry sauces! 

I agree. I don't eat any animal products and I am not a picky eater at all. 

 My omni hubby is a pickey eater...doesn't like chicken or turkey  too much, doesn't like lots of veggies, won't eat pasta unless its shaped like spaghetti (oh please)

..the list goes on and on...

 

with me...if its not animal based, I most likely like it and eat it!

I have never seen such "picky eaters" as omnivores.  Try offering them a generous shot of fresh wheat grass juice, and you'll see exactly who is "picky."  Even a delicious green smoothie, or a chocolate smoothie made with nuts, coconut water, and agave.  You say something is healthy and these people have a preconceived notion that healthy=yucky.

Turn the tables on those who call you picky and enjoy throwing labels at them!!

more like...choosey.

We are neither choosy or picky! If you are lactose intolerant are you picky for not eating dairy? Nope. If you allergic to any kind of food and you don't eat it are you picky? No.  Same for being a vegan or vegetarian.  It's almost as though eating meat is against your religion... which cannot be described as being picky or choosy.  There are things you WON'T eat because it is against your belief system.  You believe eating animals is wrong, so you won't eat them. That is neither choosy nor picky. Tell them to shove it :) lol

I am definatley not picky. I will try anything once, as long as it's vegan.  I agree that omnivours are the picky one's. It takes me so much begging to get my boyfriend to try any of my foods. It's always, "Eeewww fake meat"... cuz thats how they see it. Ugh... frustrating.

when i was vegan i ate everything vegan, vegan cheesecake vegan pizza vegan whatever. i was definitely not a picky vegan lol

i know. i remember being in florida at a hotel with my ex-boyfriend and we were about to go back to michigan in an hour or two and i told him i was going to get some sun chips and chocolate soy milk from the hotel to eat so i wasn't starving while we traveled back because i knew there wouldn't be anything to eat at the airport or on the plane. he said not to eat because we were going out to eat before getting on the plane.

i kept insisting that they probably wouldn't have anything for me to eat wherever we were going to go and that i should just get stuff while i could. but i didn't end up getting anything because he insisted a million times that i would be able to eat something there.

then when we got to the airport everyone decided we weren't going to eat out but just get something from the airport. there was nothing for me to eat there and i got upset about it. and he said something like 'well i'm sorry you're vegan and can't eat anything. why are you so upset?'

come on. it's not like i'm just being picky. and i wanted to get something i could eat before leaving if he hadn't have told me a million times not to. ugggggh.

safe to say we are not together any more. and now i love having a vegan boyfriend. : ) : )

ooo vegan boyfriend! where can I get one of those? :)

That reminds me of earlier this summer on vacation with my family, they always make a huge deal about going out to eat with me because they think i can't eat anywhere. REally, just give me something with no meat and i'm fine. Instead my dad kept dragging us to restaurants he wanted where the only options I had were salads and my dad would be like look you can eat here! and then get mad at me when I said I had been hoping for something more subsantial than a salad.

Then I got into a big argument with my dad in london when we were first getting there and at the train station. We passed by about 20 places with good food, salads, sandwiches, pasta, tons of things that I drooled over since we had been on a plane for a while but my dad insisted we continue walking until he finally walks into a pub. Yes british pub food= not veg friendly! So i got mad at him and he yelled at me and said it wasnt his fault I refused to eat anything but lettuce. he looked over the menu and said he would share the breakfast plate with me since it had tomatoes and potatoes alongside some blood sausage and bacon. And he expected me to just pick the sausage out of it. UGGH I got really mad and walked out of the restaurant. This might seem like an overreaction but keep in mind it was after 3 weeks of him doing this.

does anyone else's family assume that vegan means you have to eat like a rabbit??

There is a communication issue between veg*ns and the rest of the world because I think deep down people know what's right and wrong but they can not seem to separate themselves from it. So people live in denial about the food they eat (amongst other things) and the ones that are trying to stop the madness only irritate them because it's a reminder that something is wrong. The same thing happens between people that are trying to just eat healthy. Friends and family can be very non-supportive.

So I guess the best strategy is to try to use tolerance and be assertive to your needs.  I think this requires a quiet stubborness.