Mister Roger's Eating Habits Were Deeply Tied To His Nurturing Persona

Living a vegan lifestyle takes some special planning today — and it took even more effort back in the '70s, when Fred Rogers decided to give up meat. While he never went fully vegan (he enjoyed cheese and yogurt regularly), he was deeply committed to his vegetarian lifestyle — he notoriously refused to show people eating meat on his popular children's TV show, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," even on a particular episode when the show followed Rogers and his on-screen friends to a restaurant. 

In a 1983 interview with "Vegetarian Times" — a magazine of which Rogers was also a minority shareholder — the beloved children's TV show host and ordained Christian minister discussed his commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle. He talked about the fact that he struggled to eat something that had a mother, or that he simply saw walking around. While Rogers was never one to push his own beliefs (religious, dietary, or otherwise) on his show, he did mention that his concern for children also played a role in his dietary choices. In the interview, Rogers said, "That's something I've noticed in my work with kids. When they first discover the connection between meat and animals, many children get very concerned about it." If you're ready to take the plunge like Rogers, some simple tips can help you get started with a vegetarian lifestyle.

Fred Rogers described his daily diet in his interview with "Vegetarian Times." On the daily, Rogers enjoyed foods like cereal, fruit, toast, a variety of vegetables (especially beets – perhaps he enjoyed them grilled), cottage cheese, and tofu. In a food-themed episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," he walked children through the process of making granola and tofu (with a nice little song tossed in about how to deal with being hangry). "You know, tofu is a very good food," Rogers says in the episode. "It helps a lot of people to grow." If you'd like to embrace your inner Mr. Rogers and give tofu a try for the first time, be sure to avoid these common mistakes everyone makes when cooking tofu.

While compassion may have been the driving factor behind Rogers' vegetarian lifestyle, it wasn't the only reason he loved chowing down on a plant-based diet. Rogers said, "I also enjoy the health benefits. I weigh about the same now as I did when I was in college." 

Perhaps the best way to sum up Rogers' commitment to his vegetarian lifestyle — even when it wasn't necessarily easy — is one of the most famous quotes from his book "The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember" (via Goodreads). "I hope you're proud of yourself for the times you've said 'yes,' when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to someone else."