What is a person who eats both meat and vegetables? An omnivore explained

December 4, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, humans have anatomical traits that classify us as classic omnivores. This means that a person who eats both meat and vegetables is called an omnivore, a dietary classification defined by consuming both animal and plant matter. This dietary flexibility has played a crucial role in human evolution and continues to be the most common eating pattern globally.

Quick Summary

A person who eats both meat and vegetables is known as an omnivore, a term that describes a consumer of both plant and animal-based foods. This article explores the biological, historical, and health aspects of an omnivorous diet and contrasts it with herbivorous and carnivorous eating patterns.

Key Points

Omnivore Defined: An omnivore is an organism that obtains its nutrition by eating both plant and animal matter.
Humans as Omnivores: Anatomical evidence, including our digestive system and dental structure, supports the classification of humans as natural omnivores.
Evolutionary Advantage: The ability to eat a diverse diet of plants and animals was a key survival strategy for human ancestors, allowing them to adapt to different environments.
Dietary Flexibility: Modern human omnivorism is highly flexible and includes variations like the flexitarian diet, which emphasizes plants with occasional meat consumption.
Balanced Nutrition: An omnivorous diet can provide a wide range of nutrients, including complete proteins and essential vitamins, from both plant and animal sources.
Conscious Choices: Ethical and environmental concerns are driving many omnivores to make more conscious food choices, such as reducing meat intake or sourcing it sustainably.

Understanding the Omnivore

An omnivore is an organism that consumes both plant and animal matter for sustenance. The term comes from the Latin words omnis, meaning "all," and vorare, meaning "to devour," literally meaning "all-devourer". For humans, this classification is based not just on behavior, but on our physiological ability to process and derive nutrients from both food groups. Evidence for human omnivory can be found in our digestive system and dental structure, which feature a combination of teeth for grinding plants and tearing meat, unlike the specialized teeth of strict herbivores or carnivores.

The Evolutionary Roots of an Omnivorous Diet

The history of human eating is a testament to our omnivorous nature. Early human ancestors were opportunistic foragers, eating whatever food was available. This flexibility was a significant evolutionary advantage, allowing them to thrive in diverse environments and survive periods when specific food sources were scarce. The inclusion of meat in the diet, especially from scavenging, provided a concentrated source of protein and fat that likely fueled the rapid development of the human brain. As humans developed tools and learned to control fire, cooking meat made it safer and easier to digest, further solidifying our omnivorous path.

Comparing Omnivore, Herbivore, and Carnivore


Trait	Omnivore	Herbivore	Carnivore
Diet	Both plants and animals	Plants only	Animals only
Teeth	Mixed: Incisors for cutting, canines for tearing, and molars for grinding.	Broad, flat molars for grinding tough plant matter.	Sharp, pointed canines for tearing flesh.
Digestive System	Moderately acidic stomach; small intestine about 8 times body length.	Long intestinal tracts for digesting fibrous plants; less acidic stomach.	Highly acidic stomach for breaking down meat; shorter intestinal tract.
Adaptability	Highly adaptable to new food sources and environments.	Less adaptable to changes in plant availability.	Less adaptable if prey populations decline.

The Omnivorous Diet in Modern Humans

In modern society, the omnivorous diet is the default eating pattern for most people, though many choose to modify it for ethical, health, or environmental reasons. This flexibility has led to a range of related dietary approaches, such as the flexitarian diet, which is largely plant-based but includes occasional meat or animal products. Other modern omnivores may prioritize local and sustainable food sources to address ethical concerns about conventional agriculture.

Nutritional Considerations for Omnivores

An omnivorous diet can be well-balanced, providing a wide array of essential nutrients from diverse sources.

Protein: Animal products offer complete proteins, but omnivores can also meet their protein needs through various plant-based sources like legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Vitamins and Minerals: A diverse omnivorous diet provides key vitamins like B12 (primarily from animal sources) and vitamin C (from plant sources), ensuring a robust nutritional profile.
Dietary Fiber: Sourcing fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is a primary benefit of including plant matter in the diet, promoting good digestive health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These can be obtained from both animal sources like fish and plant sources such as flaxseed.

The Conscious Omnivore

With greater awareness of environmental and ethical issues, many omnivores are exploring ways to eat more consciously. This can include:

Prioritizing plant-based proteins to reduce their carbon footprint.
Sourcing meat from local, small-scale farms that use sustainable and regenerative practices.
Opting for sustainably caught or farmed fish.
Reducing overall meat consumption in favor of more plant-rich meals.

The Future of the Omnivore

The future of the omnivorous diet may involve even more dynamic choices, with innovations like cultivated meat offering alternatives for those concerned with animal welfare. Ultimately, being an omnivore is a classification that encompasses a wide spectrum of eating habits, all of which reflect an organism's ability to thrive on both plant and animal foods.

In conclusion, a person who eats both meat and vegetables is an omnivore, a term that signifies a flexible and diverse diet. This classification is rooted in human biology and evolutionary history, offering advantages in adaptability and nutritional intake. While this is our biological reality, modern omnivores have the choice to tailor their diet for health, ethical, and environmental reasons, moving towards more conscious and sustainable eating patterns.

For more information on the distinctions between different dietary classifications, you can refer to the detailed analysis provided by Biology Online's explanation of omnivores and human diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main difference is their food source: an omnivore eats both plants and animals, whereas a herbivore eats only plants.

Yes, from a physiological and anatomical standpoint, humans are considered omnivores. We have the digestive capabilities and teeth structure to process both plant and animal matter effectively.

Many animal species are omnivores, including bears, pigs, raccoons, chickens, and many species of fish.

While an omnivore's digestive system is less specialized than a strict herbivore's or carnivore's, its key advantage lies in adaptability. The ability to utilize a wide range of food sources increases survival chances, especially when one type of food is scarce.

A flexitarian is a person who primarily follows a plant-based diet but occasionally includes meat or other animal products. It is essentially a flexible form of an omnivorous diet.

Yes, an omnivorous diet can be very healthy, providing a wide array of essential nutrients. However, like any diet, it requires thoughtful balance and moderation to ensure it is nutrient-dense and not overly reliant on processed foods.

Yes, many modern omnivores are concerned with the ethical and environmental implications of their food choices. This has led to an increased focus on consuming sustainably sourced, locally produced, or regenerative animal products.