What is a ponies diet?

[ClassyHooves]

I was always under the assumption they were all vegetarians yet clearly in season 2 episode 5, when Sweetie Bell stays a week with Rarity, they are having eggs for breakfast. Since when was eggs not meat? I don't know much about vegitarian diets but I always thought eggs were meat, at least the yolk was anyway. Can anypony shed some light on this for me?

[Ashton]

Ponies are actually omnivores, there's just a stigma against eating sentient species (like cows) After all the Apples keep pigs, why else would they have them?

[QuickLime]

Ponies are actually omnivores, there's just a stigma against eating sentient species (like cows) After all the Apples keep pigs, why else would they have them?

To find truffles is the explanation Faust gave, their hot dogs are carrots after all

And ...Eggs are not /meat/

[ClassyHooves]

some of this stuff is so confusing sometimes, lol.

[Corsair]

FiM ponies are primarily herbivorous, meaning they mostly eat plants. However, since ponies bake, we know they consume milk and eggs. FiM ponies have also eaten certain flowers, like daffodils, that are considered toxic.

Now real horses can eat meat, but I highly doubt that ponies would ever do so. How griffons fit into a world where the large prey species are sentient talking beings is another question...

To put it in dietary terms, I'd say ponies are vegetarian, but not vegan.

[Rosewind]

To put it in dietary terms, I'd say ponies are vegetarian, but not vegan.

They also eat sugar and cupcakes!

[brianblackberry]

Ponies are herbivores, they can eat meat but like real horses, but they would derive no nutrition from it, hence it would be pointless.

In the food pyramid, eggs fall under the protein group; this is the same group that contains Fish, Beans, Eggs, Nuts, and other meats. Of course no one would argue that beans and nuts are meat products. While they do not consume meat, I don't think they are horrified other species do. We have seen Fluttershy bring fish to ferrets (or weasels) in one episode, so she understands some animals need to eat meat.

Griffins no doubt mostly consume meat, although it would not be surprised if they grow protein rich plants. I wager they do not kill and eat sentient creatures (other than individuals who may be seen as twisted and abhorrent).

It is no shock that ponies use dairy products, which is no stretch for any herbivore (other than in real life, outside of mom's milk, real herbivores do not have the ability to make dairy products).

Of course we seen them eat equine like foods such as hay, grass, oats, and flowers.

[arrowghost]

I always find the hard time to decide what they eat, even I RP with friends also got quite a trouble on what they'll eat. Sometimes my friend & I lead to them eating like what normal humans do, that means chicken, fish and that. Well, it's not canon but people did make KFC as a parody featuring Scootaloo as Colonel Sanders. No offense, but like I said, it's so confusing and we can't tell much. But let's not forget, even if the ponies do take a little meat, let's just say Fluttershy does not approve looking at dead animal's meat getting cooked and eaten, chewed between the teeth and gets swallowed. So I say she's purely, I think, purely vegetarian. Even the humble chicken, once they reach their age and has to die, those can become meat for consumption too, perfect for griffins to eat them. My dad, who is a vegetarian, also takes eggs too, both only white and with the yolk altogether.

[Ashton]

I always find the hard time to decide what they eat, even I RP with friends also got quite a trouble on what they'll eat. Sometimes my friend & I lead to them eating like what normal humans do, that means chicken, fish and that.

In my personal RPs, I go by what I said in my first post - ponies *can* eat anything, they just have a taboo against eating meat... though that doesn't stop some of them who enjoy it from indulging... (whole new meaning to 'sins of the flesh...')

Ponies are herbivores, they can eat meat but like real horses, but they would derive no nutrition from it, hence it would be pointless.

That doesnt mean they dont do it, same as humans derive no nutrition from things like candy but we still eat it because we like teh taste, texture, etc.

[arrowghost]

Yeah, somethings in MLP can eat like the toxic daffodil and the grass that we can't eat too. But anyway, in our RPs, we cannot limit ourselves when this reduces the fun. But in canon world, it's debatable, and I'm not sure of the RPs here as my RPs were private.

[brianblackberry]

That doesnt mean they dont do it, same as humans derive no nutrition from things like candy but we still eat it because we like teh taste, texture, etc.

There are huge differences. Our digestive system is fully capable of handling and breaking down candies, that isn't the same for a horse with meat. Horses also have teeth not suited for consuming meat, they lack incisors. For a pony, it wouldn't only be pointless, it also be difficult. Humans do get nutritional value from candy, just not as much as other things, but they do provide a source of sugar and fat, something the human body does use.

[Ashton]

Yeah, somethings in MLP can eat like the toxic daffodil and the grass that we can't eat too. But anyway, in our RPs, we cannot limit ourselves when this reduces the fun. But in canon world, it's debatable, and I'm not sure of the RPs here as my RPs were private.

I like to play with the 'some ponies enojy it... and are very embarassed by it and feel it's a very bad thing... and some jsut dont understand or care...' fun to play with 'good and evil' on something so silly.

Likewise, I'm meerly specualting or talking about my personal RPs, I have no idea what Canterlot's official stance on the matter is RP-wise.

There are huge differences. Our digestive system is fully capable of handling and breaking down candies, that isn't the same for a horse with meat. Horses also have teeth not suited for consuming meat, they lack incisors. For a pony, it wouldn't only be pointless, it also be difficult. Humans do get nutritional value from candy, just not as much as other things, but they do provide a source of sugar and fat, something the human body does use.

Humans' teeth really arent suited for it either, pay attention next time you eat meat, do you *really* use your canines? you mostly hold it and tear it with your front teeth (provided you dont cut it with a knife and fork - which ponies have been shown to do with their food) and then chew it with your back ones. Perhaps a better analogy then would be something like chewing gum, completely pointless, but people 'eat' (chew) it just for the flavor. No reason ponies wouldn't do the same with meat - thouigh I still say it would be quite taboo, especially since it was wasteful as well.

[brianblackberry]

Humans' teeth really arent suited for it either, pay attention next time you eat meat, do you *really* use your canines? you mostly hold it and tear it with your front teeth (provided you dont cut it with a knife and fork - which ponies have been shown to do with their food) and then chew it with your back ones. Perhaps a better analogy then would be something like chewing gum, completely pointless, but people 'eat' (chew) it just for the flavor. No reason ponies wouldn't do the same with meat - thouigh I still say it would be quite taboo, especially since it was wasteful as well.

Yes we do use are canines, and our incisors for gripping and slicing meat respectively. You chew gum for flavor but you can still gather nutrients from it.

What I don't understand is this desire to make ponies into humans? Why must they do everything we do, the way we do it? Feels like lack of imagination to me.

[SunsetLaRuby]

I think it's pretty clear that both ponies and griffons are vegetarian, only that eggs are not considered as meat... since technically it's not (I think). About griffons, their preferences were shown twice and both times they were keen on non-meat stuff (Gilda borrowed an apple, and this guy in the train [i don't remember his name] made a chocolate statue])

[Ashton]

Yes we do use are canines, and our incisors for gripping and slicing meat respectively. You chew gum for flavor but you can still gather nutrients from it.

What I don't understand is this desire to make ponies into humans? Why must they do everything we do, the way we do it? Feels like lack of imagination to me.

Meh, not majorly, at least we dont *have* to and some of us dont really do it much at all...

In my case I like more the idea of it being taboo, something a pony *can* do but *really shouldnt* and feels the need to hide... I like it being a deep, dark, secret, that, while 'bad' isn't really _that_ dark.

[RarityDash]

I think it's pretty clear that both ponies and griffons are vegetarian, only that eggs are not considered as meat... since technically it's not (I think). About griffons, their preferences were shown twice and both times they were keen on non-meat stuff (Gilda borrowed an apple, and this guy in the train [i don't remember his name] made a chocolate statue])

I really don't think that's conclusive proof for the griffons. I don't think we would assume that because someone chooses to snack on an Apple or makes pastry as an occupation that means they don't eat meat, and it's especially far reaching to say that it means anything for the entire species. It's not like, even if Gilda or Gustave favored meat they'd be able to find it within a vegetarian pony society.

We of course can't say that they do eat meat either. I don't know though; it would really just follow logically given griffons are a combination of animals that do that they'd at least be omnivores.

[QuickLime]

Does Milk count as meat too? It's similar to eggs.

[ClassyHooves]

Thanks for all the answers, lol. it helps clear some stuff up.

[elsporko]

It was clearly established on the show that they all eat hay and oats, so why be at each other's throats?

[Rabukurafuto]

I really don't think that's conclusive proof for the griffons. I don't think we would assume that because someone chooses to snack on an Apple or makes pastry as an occupation that means they don't eat meat, and it's especially far reaching to say that it means anything for the entire species. It's not like, even if Gilda or Gustave favored meat they'd be able to find it within a vegetarian pony society.

We of course can't say that they do eat meat either. I don't know though; it would really just follow logically given griffons are a combination of animals that do that they'd at least be omnivores.

Reminds me of Younger Brother wishing that "Griffon the Brush-Off" had a scene where Gilda thinks about stealing an animal from Fluttershy to snack on since she presumably can't meat in the market place.

[arrowghost]

It was clearly established on the show that they all eat hay and oats, so why be at each other's throats?

This is quite a debate that is hard to decide a conclusion. We all assume on certain things.

But let's just say not everybody is a vegetarian and in the pony world, they're almost vegetarian, in real life, they can't eat meat. But in any fictional world, anything goes.