# Was Hitler a Vegetarian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2000, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896 "2000-07-26T13:02:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/1 "2000-07-26T13:02:13Z")
I’ve run across a vegetarian who insists that Hitler wasn’t really a vegetarian, that this claim was just something his propagandists dreamed up. So, you history buffs out there tell me: Was Hitler a Vegetarian? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/2 "2000-07-26T13:06:52Z")
Which Hitler do you mean? ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/3 "2000-07-26T13:11:25Z")
And why does it matter? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/4 "2000-07-26T13:14:08Z")
Because without it, we would have no third person singular neuter. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/5 "2000-07-26T13:22:23Z")
LP, there was a minor discussion of that [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=30395). The short answer is that yes, he was a vegetarian, primarily for health reasons as he had digestive system issues. ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/6 "2000-07-26T14:01:30Z")
Unless we want to debate that his digestive issues led him to exterminate Jews or something like that… * * * Yer pal, Satan _I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR: Three months, two weeks, three days, 12 hours, 2 minutes and 1 second. 4340 cigarettes not smoked, saving $542.51. Life saved: 2 weeks, 1 day, 1 hour, 40 minutes._ Visit [The Fabulous Forums of Fathom](http://fff.fathom.org/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?) ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/7 "2000-07-26T14:22:57Z")
Well, I looked at snopes, and this is all I could find. A small mention of it. [http://www.snopes.com/spoons/glurge/twoquest.htm](http://www.snopes.com/spoons/glurge/twoquest.htm) ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/8 "2000-07-26T15:21:44Z")
Well, since this is GD and not GQ. I do not tink that Hitler’s digestive tract problems caused his anti-semitism. In fact it was the other way around. He bundled up his hatred in the pit of his stomach, causing serious digestive problems. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/9 "2000-07-26T15:22:55Z")
**Phil:** So when people say “Speaking as a vegetarian, I…” I can burst in rudely and say “Yeah, well, HITLER was a vegetarian!” thereby running rings around them logically. I suppose it matters no more or no less than whether Hitler enjoyed Wagner’s music. I don’t propose to make my dietary choices or my Sunday afternoon CD decisions dependent on what Adolf Hitler did or didn’t do. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/10 "2000-07-26T15:23:42Z")
I placed this one in Great Debates because the veggie crowd seem to spreading two more or less deliberate lies these days, to wit: Jesus was a vegetarian, and Hitler wasn’t. I know it may seem like awfully picayune, but then, if they’d prevaricate on the little things, there’s no telling what kind of whoppers they’re telling about the big ones. If the folks in charge think this thread ought to be moved to General Questions or elsewhere, I have no objection. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/11 "2000-07-26T15:44:53Z")
I think that you can debate whether both Einstein and Hitler were vegetarians, both of which have been claimed by various parties (with different agendas). Einstein was supposedly a vegetarian for moral reasons but was known to eat meat. Hitler was supposedly a vegetarian for health reasons but enjoyed eating meat (esp. rabbit) and did so, although rarely. Depending on your def’n of “vegeterian”- whether it is someone who abstains completely from meat for whatever reason vs. someone who doesn’t believe in eating meat but occasionally strays- you could argue whether either or both of them were vegeterians. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/12 "2000-07-26T17:05:52Z")
> [@](#): > > I placed this one in Great Debates because the veggie crowd seem to spreading two more or less deliberate lies these days, to wit: Jesus was a vegetarian, and Hitler wasn’t. I don’t know a single vegetarian personally, including myself, my wife, or anyone on this board, who honestly believes Jesus was a vegetarian, or who thinks it would matter if he was. If by “the veggie crowd,” you mean, “the people who develop ill-conceived advertising campaigns [that, as it happens I told them in a letter were stupid],” OK. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/13 "2000-07-26T17:14:34Z")
Ask and ye shall recieve. [http://www.jesusveg.com/](http://www.jesusveg.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/14 "2000-07-26T17:17:21Z")
**Phil** Before this gets shuffled off to God knows where, could you provide a link to sensible vegetarian dieting? I am on a self-imposed low-fat diet, but am sick to death of poultry, and I hate seafood of any kind. I am looking for a practical way to incorporate vegetarianism into my daily routine, including lunch at work. Here in the South, beans are quite popular, and I like them. Are they a sufficient protein source? ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/15 "2000-07-26T17:26:23Z")
gee, oldscratch, that pretty much illustrates exactly what I said. **Lib** : I’ll give you some links later today, when I get them from my wife. She has a few recipes up at her website ([http://www.geocities.com/la\_peta](http://www.geocities.com/la_peta)). As I’m sure you know, the key to sensible dieting of any kind, including vegetarian, is variety. Eat as many different kinds of food as you can. Beans are a perfectly sufficient source of protein, particularly when eaten in combination with rice, pastas and other grains. It also helps to eat other vegetable protein sources like seitan, tempeh and tofu (quiet, matt\_mcl). A couple of good books to look for at the library are “500 Fat-Free Recipes” and “The Compassionate Cookbook” (disclaimer–that 2nd one is published by PETA). Both contain multitudes of easy-to-prepare vegetarian dishes. A couple of years ago, my former boss’ husband had a couple of coronary events and bypass surgery. In the aftermath, they both went on a low-fat, low-sodium, nearly vegetarian diet. We recommended the “500 Fat-Free Recipes” book to them. They eat from it almost exclusively now, he’s lost some 50 pounds, and is in excellent health. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/16 "2000-07-26T17:32:10Z")
Thanks, Phil. This will be the second time I have bought a book upon your recommendation! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/17 "2000-07-26T19:04:34Z")
Well, this is just the most aggravating thing. When I saw the OP, I thought, “Again?” because I was just so sure that we talked about this earlier this spring. I was sure Cecil did a column on this, and I remember looking up “Hitler vegetarian” on Google. But I’ve been sitting here for half an hour now, searching both the thread archives and Cecil’s columns, and have come up with squat. **Polecat,** there’s a ton of stuff on the Web concerning whether or not Hitler was a vegetarian. The definitive answer, as I recall, was, “maybe.” Darn! I can remember SEEING the anecdote about the cook who says she used to cook such-and-such a meat dish for him all the time. Is there maybe part of the Archives that isn’t on-line today or something? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/18 "2000-07-26T20:02:50Z")
I apologize for my continued mispelling of “vegetarian”. As you were. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/19 "2000-07-26T20:21:34Z")
Uh-huh. Was the cook an overweight black man with bushy side burns? ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2000, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-vegetarian/26896/20 "2000-07-26T20:50:39Z")
[Moderator Hat ON] Well, since this thread is still apparently active, I’m going to send it to live with manny in its proper forum, General Questions. [Moderator Hat OFF]