I have noticed that among philosophers, vegetarianism of one form or another is quite common. In fact, I became a vegetarian (technically a pescetarian) myself partly out of respect for an undergraduate philosophy professor. I am interested in finding out if there is a similar disproportion in the Less Wrong community.
I didn't request that this go into Yvain's survey because I want more information than just what animal products you do or don't eat; I'd also like to see nuances of the reasons behind your diet. There are a lot more shades than carnivore/vegetarian/vegan - if you want to be a vegetarian but are allergic to soy and gluten, that's a compelling reason to diversify protein sources, for instance. I'd also like to hear about if you avoid any plant foods (if you think they're farmed in a way that's environmentally destructive or that hurts people or if you have warm fuzzy feelings for plants, maybe). Here are some questions that come to mind:
What foods, if any, do you normally avoid for reasons other than pure culinary taste, cost, individual health concerns (allergies, diabetes, etc.) or ease of preparation? (Avoiding foods that are considered revolting or just non-food in your culture of origin, like balut or fried locusts, counts as "culinary taste".)
What are your reasons for avoiding those foods?
How strictly do you avoid them? For instance, will you eat them if you are served them while a guest at a meal, or if you are hungry and there is nothing else available? Do you check to see if they're in potentially questionable dishes at restaurants (and if so, do you trust what the server says?)
If you have children or plan to have children, will you expect or encourage them to avoid the same foods?
Do you try to convince your friends and family members to make dietary choices similar to yours? If so, have you ever succeeded?
If you avoid a class of foods with valuable nutritive content (as opposed to Twinkies), what do you replace it with to get complete nutrition?
What are your attitudes to people who are more restrictive in their diets than you are? Less restrictive?
What is the timeline of your dietary restrictions? (Transitions, lapses, increases or decreases in restrictiveness, etc.)
If you have not avoided these foods for your entire life, how much did you enjoy them when you ate them, and do you still sometimes want to eat them?
Is there anything else about your choice of diet that might be relevant or interesting?
No one has described my particular situation yet, so I'll give it a shot:
I do not eat junk food. No potato chips, cookies, desserts, candy, ect.
I do this primarily for health reasons, but also just to prove I can.
I will occasionally eat pizza and other borderline-junk food if there is no alternative. (I'll drink Gatorade if there's no water, or order a breakfast pastry if fruit isn't an option). I won't eat candy, desserts, or anything with trans-fats regardless of whether there are alternatives.
I know a few people whose parents prohibited them from having sweets as kids, and they ended up with cravings for sugar, a habit of deceiving people about their eating habits,, and no willpower. I think I'll let my kids have desserts in moderation, and keep junk out of our house but let them have it when we're out.
Most people who hear this think I'm insane; one friend attempted it for a week and gave up. I've never tried to convince anyone beyond describing how i did it.
N/A
I also don't eat meat from mammals, for moral reasons, but there's no moral judgment attached to this diet, so i can't say I've ever had any attitude towards people who are less restrictive.
I started this in 2009 for Lent (I had a friend who tried to convince me that non-Catholics just didn't have the willpower to give something up for all of Lent), and kept going after Lent through the next 18 months. I quit briefly at the beginning of this year, feeling I'd proved my point to him. Eventually I decided to start again for the health benefits, but allowing myself home-baked 5-ingredient cookies occasionally. That's where I'm at now.
I loved chocolate when I ate it. Loved it. Addicted to it. I also ate lots of other candy, but mostly because ti was there rather than because I liked it. The first few months I missed things all the time; now it doesn't bother me.
Having religious people bet you that you can't have willpower without God is an immense willpower boost. I highly recommend it.
I have noticed that among philosophers, vegetarianism of one form or another is quite common. In fact, I became a vegetarian (technically a pescetarian) myself partly out of respect for an undergraduate philosophy professor. I am interested in finding out if there is a similar disproportion in the Less Wrong community.
I didn't request that this go into Yvain's survey because I want more information than just what animal products you do or don't eat; I'd also like to see nuances of the reasons behind your diet. There are a lot more shades than carnivore/vegetarian/vegan - if you want to be a vegetarian but are allergic to soy and gluten, that's a compelling reason to diversify protein sources, for instance. I'd also like to hear about if you avoid any plant foods (if you think they're farmed in a way that's environmentally destructive or that hurts people or if you have warm fuzzy feelings for plants, maybe). Here are some questions that come to mind: