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

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