The mother is to blame for not informing the babysitter that her child is on a specific diet. Also- you can't say someone's healthy just because they're vegetarians. A lot of people wind up not getting enough protein or they cover their food in butter, cheese, sugar, salt, etc.

Right -- you can't say someone is healthy just because they are vegetarian -- because it is not. At least this kid got *some* meat in it's diet, even if it is only McDonald's "meat".

You can't say someone's healthy by also being omnivores either. It's a big battle and there's unhealthy, malnourished people in all categories. The kid could have very well had a healthy, balanced diet beforehand without meat.

Vegetarian lifestyles CAN be healthy. When properly researched and executed. It's the same with any kind of diet. There are going to be healthy and unhealthy methods of going about ANY diet.

There may be unhealthy, malnourished people in all categories, but only one category has "healthy, appropriately nourished" people -- and it is not 100% vegetarian, or 100% carnivore. Staying 100% vegetarian has a 0% chance of producing a healthy adult -- and the kid expressing a desire to eat meat indicates that his body is craving something it is not getting now.

You can have a perfectly healthy, appropriately nourished vegetarian. I don't get your point or what evidence you have of this. In the FML, it says he wanted to try it. Just try it. I know I did when I was a kid. I didn't care for meat, and I still don't of any kind. Anyway, if all your friends ate something, wouldn't you want to try it too? At least once?

@ Ozymandias, king of kings: You've made a lot of sweeping generalizations--would you care to back any of them up? As far as I'm aware, there's been no evidence to suggest that a vegetarian diet is inherently unhealthy.

@ wafflemonger, Google exists. I don't really see the need pasting the contents of very easily found reports showing repeatedly that the human body has evolved to be omnivorous and that is the 'best' diet for the largest number of people, at least biologically speaking. Study after study, as well as common sense shows that vegetarians are deficient in needed vitamins, minerals, and proteins, as well as have trouble digesting what they do eat (have you ever been around a vegetarian? The gas they get is awful), and are consistently underweight -- or massively overweight because they think potato chips are part of a healthy diet. That doesn't even bring up the sustainability of feeding an all plant diet to everyone, long term, or point out that marginal land can be used for livestock but not planted crops. Granted, FML is not a place to present common sense dietary advice or commentary, but a place to discuss events in people's lives.

Vegetarian diets can be perfect healthy. You just need to pay attention to what you eat so you can make sure you get the same proteins and nutrients from non-meat things as you can from meat things. For example, eating beans and rice is perfectly healthy and will get you all your necessary proteins. I think if vegetarians walked around malnourished - because you're saying these two correlate - then the idea would not be so popular since it is supposedly detrimental to a person's health. And, it doesn't prove that he craves meat, but just that he was curious. The point is, that was a dumbshit comment.

@ Ozymandias, I exist. I am a vegetarian and have been one for ten years. I am and have always been a healthy weight and perfectly well-nourished. My digestion is fine. Furthermore, I am aware of Google. Your condescending attitude does nothing to enhance your argument. I'm not asking about your sources because I am uninformed. I am asking YOU to produce some because I have a suspicion that you have no idea what you're talking about. If you can provide me with links to no fewer than five credible sources supporting your claim, I will gladly listen to what you have to say.

A lot of falsehood rests in the data you may find on Google. Have I ever been around a vegetarian? Yes I have. My best friend, who has been my best friend for over 10 years is a strict vegetarian. She doesn't eat meat because it's hard on her digestive system. She meets with a nutritionist once every three weeks, follows a strict excercise routine that includes yoga, cardio and pilates and only takes one multi-vitamin a day. And guess what... she's in perfect health. She's probably the healthiest person I know and she has more energy. And no, her farts are no smellier than anybody else's. When done right, being a vegetarian can be just as healthy as any other diet. So your statement that a 100% vegetarian diet gives a person 0% chance of being healthy has clearly just been pulled out of your ass. You can't always trust google.

ozymandias - any 'evidence' you claim to have is obviously one-sided. If you pull your head out from your ass long enough to look up two-sided studies, you'll see you are most definitely proven wrong. Yes, humans are naturally omnivorous, but it does not at all mean that one cannot be healthy choosing another type of diet. Just as some "vegetarian" foods aren't good for you in excess, neither are some meats. People have sustained themselves just fine for thousands of years on both diets; without your precious Google I think that is sufficient evidence enough. If you look at solely vegetarian-run studies, they'll claim meat eaters are less healthy, and vice-versa. Next time, research both sides of an argument before you go running your mouth.

@35 I'm a total meat eater and even I'm going to call BS on your post. Vegetarians can be perfectly healthy. Just because a kid wants to try something doesn't mean what they want is good or healthy or that their body is craving it. Kids eat play dough and paste all the time. I used to eat aquarium gravel because it was bright and colorful.

It's chopped up, mashed together bits of chicken, but it IS mostly chicken. My mother is a McD's manager.

Yeah, I don't really get the mindset of parents who force their children into vegetarianism. I don't eat meat, so I sympathize with them not wanting to prepare meat for their child. But completely forbidding them from eating it is something else entirely.

Whooo-Hooo! Welcome to the dark side.