What Can You Learn From A Toddler?

If anyone could convince you to follow a vegetarian diet, it's 3-year-old Luiz Antonio.  This Portuguese preschooler recently became an impromptu poster child for vegetarianism when his mother uploaded a video in which Luiz discovers what his food is made of, and thereby gives a convincing argument for why we shouldn't eat animals. The video was recorded in Portuguese but features English subtitles.

Luiz's key arguments—which are very eloquent ones for a toddler, at that—are that he doesn't like to eat meat because "when we eat animals, they die" and that he prefers to see animals "on their feet [and] happy."

Though Luiz's case takes a much less fact-driven approach than the average "go vegetarian" campaign, his argument is no less persuasive. Luiz's compassion for animal welfare is so simple and innocent that he has his mother in tears by the end of the video. Perhaps this reveals that there remains a place for an emotional appeal in the vegetarian movement, alongside all of the scientific, environmental and health-driven arguments.

If you were ever considering trying out a vegetarian diet, let this video make up your mind. If formerly "notorious carnivore," Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall can do it, so can you.