Would you swipe right for a vegan, Paleo fan or 'dumpster diver'? FEMAIL tests which dietary preference leads to the most success on Tinder - and the results might surprise you

  • Studies have shown using certain words on Tinder will give you more responses 
  • FEMAIL decided to do a road test to see how that would apply to people's diets 
  • Sydney reporter, Billie Schwab Dunn, 23, used Tinder for a week
  • Each day she was a different dietary requirement to see engagement levels
  • Vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, sugar free and dumpster diving were her choices

Online dating can be a challenge but studies have shown that certain words and phrases can significantly help or hinder your success. 

Recently FEMAIL revealed how using certain food related terms in your Tinder description would lead to more interactions.

So, we decided to test this out for ourselves. 

One Sydney reporter, Billie Schwab Dunn, 23, used Tinder for a week and on each day tweaked her profile to contain a different dietary requirement to see what the engagement levels would be like.

Here are the results. 

One reporter, Billie Schwab Dunn, 23, used Tinder for a week and on each day said she was a different dietary requirement to see what the engagement levels would be like
One reporter, Billie Schwab Dunn, 23, (pictured) used Tinder for a week and on each day said she was a different dietary requirement to see what the engagement levels would be like

One reporter, Billie Schwab Dunn, 23, (pictured) used Tinder for a week and on each day said she was a different dietary requirement to see what the engagement levels would be like

Over the course of a week I took on a different identity for each day.

On Monday I was vegetarian, Tuesday a vegan, Wednesday I said I was Paleo, Thursday I claimed to be sugar free and on Friday I was a dumpster diver.

To keep things simple I used the same photo, started swiping right for everyone when I got to my desk in the morning and I would swipe until I had no swipes left for the day.

As matches for each day were difficult to keep track of I focused on the amount of messages I received and how much they engaged with my bio. 

VEGETARIAN 

Message total: 24 

For the day of of being a vegetarian I said I was a 'lover of avocado and all things green'

For the day of of being a vegetarian I said I was a 'lover of avocado and all things green'

During my day as a vegetarian I added that I was a 'lover of avocado and all things green'.

I included avocado in my bio because according to a study by Zoosk, guacamole is the number one food to include if you want a high response rate so I wanted to see how the use of avocado would fare.

Throughout the day I received 24 messages from men who swiped right back.

I got a handful of messages before someone finally referenced my bio and in typical Tinder style, they managed to take the conversation into a little less G-rated territory. 

I included avocado in my bio because according to the study by Zoosk, guacamole is the number one food to include if you want a high response rate so I wanted to see how the use of avocado would fare
Of course someone from Tinder managed to turn avocado into something dirty (the message on the right) which  I wasn't grossed out by it, I was just disappointed by the lack of creativity

Of course someone from Tinder managed to turn avocado into something dirty (the message on the right) which  I wasn't grossed out by it, I was just disappointed by the lack of creativity

One man I spoke to told me he was vegan and seemed friendly (message on the left) but once I checked out his profile his bio read 'please don't be fat in real life', so I gave him a miss
The Zoosk study said that there is no longer a stigma against vegetarians in the dating world, which seemed to be true

One man I spoke to told me he was vegan and seemed friendly (message on the left) but once I checked out his profile his bio read 'please don't be fat in real life', so I gave him a miss 

As the day went on people proved to be more creative as they incorporated my name as well as avocado in their messages.

One man I spoke to told me he was vegan and seemed friendly enough but once I checked out his profile and his bio read 'Please don't be fat in real life', I gave him a miss - I didn't want to engage with rude men like him. 

The Zoosk study revealed that there is no longer a stigma against vegetarians in the dating world, which seemed to be true as I was continuously getting matches and having men message me over the day.

According to Zoosk, back in 2015 vegetarians didn't have much luck in the online dating department and resulted in 100 percent fewer replies than the average
According to Zoosk, back in 2015 vegetarians didn't have much luck in the online dating department and resulted in 100 percent fewer replies than the average

According to Zoosk, back in 2015 vegetarians didn't have much luck in the online dating department and resulted in 100 percent fewer replies than the average

According to Zoosk, back in 2015 vegetarians didn't have much luck in the online dating department and resulted in 100 per cent fewer replies than the average.

'Saying you’re a vegetarian is a plus. Messages that mention being a vegetarian get three percent more replies than the average,' the study read.

Although this may not seem like an impressive increase, it is worth paying attention to as it only happened in the space of two years. 

VEGAN

Message total: 26 

When Tuesday rolled around it was time for me to don the hat of a vegan and I changed my bio to 'for the animals and for the planet'

When Tuesday rolled around it was time for me to don the hat of a vegan and I changed my bio to 'for the animals and for the planet'

When Tuesday rolled around it was time for me to don the hat of a vegan and I changed my bio to 'for the animals and for the planet'.

According to the Zoosk study those who mention vegan in their profile get 62 per cent more incoming messages than the average online dater. 

I was surprised that I received more messages as a vegan than I did vegetarian, although not by much, as I thought being a vegan would scare people away more than being a vego would. 

Some men seemed to be inquisitive about my lifestyle choice, with one man asking a barrage of questions that tired me out just by reading them (message on the left)

According to the Zoosk study those who mention vegan in their profile get 62% more incoming messages than the average online dater
I did enjoy the message that said 'if I give you my number will you promise to kale me?' as I am a sucker for a bad pun

According to the Zoosk study those who mention vegan in their profile get 62% more incoming messages than the average online dater

On my second day I was already noticing a bit of a theme with my messages; the main thing men were commenting on was my hair and my smile so I do wonder if people would have referenced my bio more if I had a natural hair colour.

Nevertheless, I still had people messaging me about veganism, the messages were just less creative than the previous day.

I did enjoy the message that said 'If I give you my number will you promise to kale me?' as I am a sucker for a bad pun.

Some men seemed to be inquisitive about my lifestyle choice, with one man asking a barrage of questions that tired me out just by reading them.

In true dating app fashion I did receive a message from a man and when I didn't respond he replied with anger, saying 'b**** I loved you'

In true dating app fashion I did receive a message from a man and when I didn't respond he replied with anger, saying 'b**** I loved you'

Another message simply asked me if I wanted to hook up, which was only one of the many frank messages I received
One hinted at the fact that stereotypically vegans are fans of F45

Another message simply asked me if I wanted to hook up, which was only one of the many frank messages I received

On my second day I was already noticing a bit of a theme with my messages; the main thing men were commenting on was my hair so I do wonder if people would have referenced my bio more if I had a natural hair colour
On my second day I was already noticing a bit of a theme with my messages; the main thing men were commenting on was my hair so I do wonder if people would have referenced my bio more if I had a natural hair colour

On my second day I was already noticing a bit of a theme with my messages; the main thing men were commenting on was my hair so I do wonder if people would have referenced my bio more if I had a natural hair colour

I also had the first message from someone referencing the song Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, little did I know I would be seeing messages like this a few more times in the week

I also had the first message from someone referencing the song Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, little did I know I would be seeing messages like this a few more times in the week

In true dating app fashion I did receive a message from a man and when I didn't respond he replied with anger, saying 'b**** I loved you'.

Another message simply asked me if I wanted to hook up, which was just one of the many frank messages I received.

I also had the first message from someone referencing the song Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, little did I know I would be seeing messages like this a few more times in the week.

Although I received more messages than when I was vegetarian, they engaged less with my description. 

PALEO  

Message total: 36

My day of being a Paleo was by far my most successful day I had, which I didn't find surprising 

My day of being a Paleo was by far my most successful day I had, which I didn't find surprising 

My day of being a Paleo was by far my most successful day I had, which I didn't find surprising.

In my bio I said I was a 'hardcore carnivore' which I feel would have made me ooze that cool girl and 'low maintenance' vibe that women are encouraged to be and men seem to love.

Meat is also stereotypically considered 'masculine food' so this was probably something men felt like they could relate to.

Amongst the stream of messages about my hair, my smile and how colourful I am, were a variety of messages that made references to my bio.

In my bio I said I was a 'hardcore carnivore' which I feel would have made me ooze that cool girl and low maintenance vibe

In my bio I said I was a 'hardcore carnivore' which I feel would have made me ooze that cool girl and low maintenance vibe

Interestingly enough I noticed that men seemed to be more polite and the conversations that were initiated by them were more genuine than compared with other days
Interestingly enough I noticed that men seemed to be more polite and the conversations that were initiated by them were more genuine than compared with other days

Interestingly enough I noticed that men seemed to be more polite and the conversations that were initiated by them were more genuine than compared with other days

Although my bio gave men an opportunity to twist my words to say things distasteful no one really seemed to
Although my bio gave men an opportunity to twist my words to say things distasteful no one really seemed to

Although my bio gave men an opportunity to twist my words to say things distasteful no one really seemed to

Interestingly enough I noticed that men seemed to be more polite and the conversations that were initiated by them were more genuine than compared with other days.

Although my bio gave men an opportunity to twist my words to say things distasteful no one really seemed to.

This being said, there were of course a variety of inappropriate messages that were sent to me that their mothers would not be happy to hear about but they never alluded to my description.

Although the response rate was the highest on this day I was less excited by the creativity of the messages I received but props to the men for showing an interest in my lifestyle.   

SUGAR FREE 

Message total: 25 

On the Thursday of my Tinder week I took on the persona of someone who was following a sugar free life style

On the Thursday of my Tinder week I took on the persona of someone who was following a sugar free life style

On the Thursday I took on the persona of someone who was following a sugar free lifestyle.

Out of all of the dietary requirements I was taking on this is the one that I expected the least engagement from.

I also expected messages to refer to my bio less than others, although 'sugar free, because I'm sweet enough' is quite enticing.

Out of all of the dietary requirements I was taking on this is the one that I expected the least engagement from
Out of all of the dietary requirements I was taking on this is the one that I expected the least engagement from

Out of all of the dietary requirements I was taking on this is the one that I expected the least engagement from

Surprisingly I received 25 messages, which is close to the amount I had when I was vegetarian and vegan
Surprisingly I received 25 messages, which is close to the amount I had when I was vegetarian and vegan

Surprisingly I received 25 messages, which is close to the amount I had when I was vegetarian and vegan

Surprisingly I received 25 messages, which is close to the amount I had when I was vegetarian and vegan.

It's hard to say whether this is because men don't care about what your dietary requirements are or whether on dating apps people tend to be a little less picky.

Like on the other days I of course received messages that are too gross to share, which is too be expected when you're a woman on a dating platform.

Although men referenced my bio, which I appreciated, they weren't always that creative but I was impressed with the attempts.

Although men referenced my bio, which I appreciated, they weren't always that creative but I was impressed with the attempts
Although men referenced my bio, which I appreciated, they weren't always that creative but I was impressed with the attempts

Although men referenced my bio, which I appreciated, they weren't always that creative but I was impressed with the attempts

Although I received less messages as someone who was sugar free compared to someone who was Paleo, men seemed to reference my bio more

Although I received less messages as someone who was sugar free compared to someone who was Paleo, men seemed to reference my bio more

Another thing I noticed as the days went on was that if you didn't message a man back they would often message you a few more times to see where you had gone.

I had one man who messaged me twice every day of the week, trying to lure me into conversation and let me tell you, it didn't work.

Although I received less messages as someone who was sugar free compared to someone who was Paleo, men seemed to reference my bio more as a woman who was following a sugar free lifestyle.

DUMPSTER DIVER

Message total: 24

Before I started the final day I wasn't expecting many messages but I was expecting people to be more inquisitive of my lifestyle choice

Before I started the final day I wasn't expecting many messages but I was expecting people to be more inquisitive of my lifestyle choice

Before I started, the final day I wasn't expecting many messages but I was anticipating people would be more inquisitive of my lifestyle choice.

My description read 'dumpster diver - stopping waste one free meal at a time'.

For those who don't know what dumpster diving is, it is when someone primarily sources their meals from the bins of major supermarkets as often these chains chuck out food that is in perfect condition. 

Out of the 24 messages in my inbox I only received three messages that referenced being a dumpster diver.

Before I started the final day I wasn't expecting many messages but I was anticipating people would more inquisitive of my lifestyle choice
In retrospect I probably shouldn't have included a photo of me eating pancakes in my profile as it just seemed to confuse a few men that messaged me

Before I started the final day I wasn't expecting many messages but I was anticipating people would more inquisitive of my lifestyle choice

I found this surprising as I believe that dumpster diving is the least known out of the terms I chose for the week so I thought I would have more questions about it.

One man was definitely confused by what it meant as he asked me if I drive trucks for work and I didn't want to break the news to him. 

In retrospect I probably shouldn't have included a photo of me eating pancakes in my profile as it just seemed to confuse a few men that messaged me.

One man was definitely confused by what it meant as he asked me if I drive trucks for work and I didn't want to break the news to him

One man was definitely confused by what it meant as he asked me if I drive trucks for work and I didn't want to break the news to him

This was my final Billie Jean reference for the week, I was sad to see it go

This was my final Billie Jean reference for the week, I was sad to see it go

It was a bit disappointing that my dumpster diving profile didn't have more people asking me about what it is and why I'm doing it but it was definitely the hardest for people to engage with. 

It was interesting that on all of the days I seemed to receive the same amount of messages and matches apart from on the day I was Paleo, which received roughly 10 more messages than the others.

If you are looking for more matches on Tinder it seems that saying you are Paleo is the way to go and mentioning avocado or guacamole doesn't seem to hurt either. 

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Vegan and Paleo on Tinder: A Femail road test

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