People become vegetarians for a variety of reasons and at different points in their lives. For Reddit user CompetitionExtreme36‘s son, it happened when the boy turned six.
In a candid post on the subreddit ‘TIFU,’ the father explained that the action took place at a fair and that much of the decision could (indirectly) be attributed to him.
He came up with the idea to tell the child where the meat on their table comes from and which animals are involved. After realizing it, the little one decided he wanted nothing to do with it, and now his parents are accommodating the kid’s vegetarian diet.
This father took his son to the local fair where he wanted to teach him about farming and the origins of their food
Image credits: mverkhoturtseva / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)
But he inadvertently made the boy a vegetarian
Image credits: Laure Noverraz / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: CompetitionExtreme36
Image credits: Greta Hoffman / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Kids can grow up strong and healthy on a vegetarian diet, too
Interestingly, the proportion of vegetarians and vegans in the United States is surprisingly small. Only about 3% of Americans fall into each of these categories (for a total of 6% of the population). Furthermore, around five out of six vegetarians go back to eating meat.
But according to experts, as long as it’s planned well, a vegetarian diet can be a healthy choice for all kids.
In fact, it’s not rare that preteens and teens voice their independence through the foods they choose to eat. One strong statement, just as it was in the Reddit post, is the decision to stop eating meat.
A vegetarian diet that includes dairy products and eggs (lacto-ovo) is a really good choice for growing kids. However, a more strict vegetarian diet can meet their nutritional needs too, but will require more attention and planning. Kudos to the author of the post for doing it!
Parents who are concerned that their child is not getting enough important nutrients such as iron, calcium, and vitamins D and B12, should talk to their doctor, who may recommend a vitamin and mineral supplement.
The good news for young vegetarians — and their parents — is that many schools these days have vegetarian fare, including salad bars and other suitable options. But if yours does not, you will probably have to pack lunch.
Even if preteens or teens approach vegetarian diets in a healthy way, it’s still important for them to understand which nutrients might be missing, so to support them and set a good example, parents should have the whole family eat a vegetarian meal at least one night a week. And again, sounds like CompetitionExtreme36 and his wife are on the right path!
People have shared a lot of reactions to the story
Some also shared their own similar experiences
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
It was nice to see a cluster of comments that weren't bashing vegetarian/vegan ethics. I wasn't expecting to see support.
Same! I was surprised too! I’m a vegetarian. I made the decision by myself (I can’t remember the exact reasons) when I was 8/9 years old. Growing up I was constantly hounded by a barrage of “that’s not healthy for a child”, “you’re going to end up severely ill soon”, etc from people left and right (mostly from relatives who couldn’t keep their opinions to themselves). I stuck to my guns and only narrowed down my choices with time (stopped eating eggs in themselves but don’t mind them used in baked products). Although my parents were not 100% supportive, they helped me get a balanced diet and went out of their way to make sure I had food I can eat. Now they’re also almost vegetarians (they only eat seafood and eggs). I excelled at school and was always healthy (never been to the hospital other than for a cold, cough, etc). I lost some weight when I went off to uni and started living on my own because I didn’t have much time for meals so I started taking some vitamin supplements.
Load More Replies...
This dad didn't f**k up. But he seriously needs to learn how to explain things to children. I would recommend a bit of child friendly education on the different forms of farming e.g. the differences between conventional cattle/beef and ecological
💯 and the petting zoo animals likely won't end up as human food even if euthanized. Even in farms they wouldn't eat a kid's pet chickens, sheep etc. They'd have tougher meat when old anyway also.
Load More Replies... Silly lies stick with kids. When I was 5, I accidentally saw a Turkey killed at my aunts farm. Traumatized, I refused to eat it. My mom, trying to save Thanksgiving, told me meat was from frozen turkeys (I'd seen at the grocer) who lived happy lives near Santa in the North Pole & died of old age. I believed her until I stopped believing in Santa. I've been vegetarian for 28 years now.
It was nice to see a cluster of comments that weren't bashing vegetarian/vegan ethics. I wasn't expecting to see support.
Same! I was surprised too! I’m a vegetarian. I made the decision by myself (I can’t remember the exact reasons) when I was 8/9 years old. Growing up I was constantly hounded by a barrage of “that’s not healthy for a child”, “you’re going to end up severely ill soon”, etc from people left and right (mostly from relatives who couldn’t keep their opinions to themselves). I stuck to my guns and only narrowed down my choices with time (stopped eating eggs in themselves but don’t mind them used in baked products). Although my parents were not 100% supportive, they helped me get a balanced diet and went out of their way to make sure I had food I can eat. Now they’re also almost vegetarians (they only eat seafood and eggs). I excelled at school and was always healthy (never been to the hospital other than for a cold, cough, etc). I lost some weight when I went off to uni and started living on my own because I didn’t have much time for meals so I started taking some vitamin supplements.
Load More Replies... This dad didn't f**k up. But he seriously needs to learn how to explain things to children. I would recommend a bit of child friendly education on the different forms of farming e.g. the differences between conventional cattle/beef and ecological
💯 and the petting zoo animals likely won't end up as human food even if euthanized. Even in farms they wouldn't eat a kid's pet chickens, sheep etc. They'd have tougher meat when old anyway also.
Load More Replies... Silly lies stick with kids. When I was 5, I accidentally saw a Turkey killed at my aunts farm. Traumatized, I refused to eat it. My mom, trying to save Thanksgiving, told me meat was from frozen turkeys (I'd seen at the grocer) who lived happy lives near Santa in the North Pole & died of old age. I believed her until I stopped believing in Santa. I've been vegetarian for 28 years now.
25
52