Travis Barker Reveals the Strange Thing His Mom Kept Finding in His Pockets

Travis Barker recently reminisced about the childhood habit that preceded his decision to turn vegan as a teenager. During a new interview promoting his partnership with Humane World for Animals, Barker recalled growing up with a strict father who was particular about him clearing his plate before leaving the dinner table.

The young Barker found a workaround. Rather than eat the meat, he started stuffing it into his pockets. That worked for some time, but his mom started picking up on it and eventually asked him directly why she kept finding ham and chicken stashed away. The childhood rebellion came before Barker’s decision to stop eating meat.

Travis Barker’s Vegan Journey Came Years Later

Travis Barker’s dietary shift toward veganism happened in stages rather than all at once. He became vegetarian at 13 and remembers sitting at Thanksgiving dinner and telling his father that he no longer ate meat. “As a kid, I didn’t know I was eating pig or I was eating a cow,” he said, adding, “Once I figured out both of those things, it was done.”

That marked the beginning of his time making plant-based meals at home. Barker did not become fully vegan until years later, following the 2008 plane crash that killed four people, including his assistant, Chris Baker, and security guard, Charles “Che” Still.

Barker spent more than 11 weeks in hospitals and burn centers while recovering from severe burns. During his hospitalization, he temporarily ate meat, including beef jerky, while trying to meet the high calorie and protein demands of his recovery. After leaving the hospital, Barker took his plant-based diet a step further and became vegan.

Barker’s Son Rocky Is Following His Example

Barker’s vegan lifestyle has also influenced his youngest child, 2-year-old son Rocky Thirteen, who currently eats vegan with him.

Barker shares Rocky with his wife, Kourtney Kardashian Barker, and says he makes his son vegan egg whites every morning. Rocky also enjoys gluten-free vegan bread and vegan butter, vegan sushi and edamame.

For Barker, the focus is less on enforcing rules than setting an example. He told PEOPLE that “leading by example does so much,” adding that the way Rocky has been raised has influenced what he enjoys eating.

Rocky Will Ultimately Make His Own Choice

While he currently raises Rocky on the same diet he has maintained for years, Barker says he is not trying to make his son remain vegan permanently. According to PEOPLE, Barker, who says he does not judge others based on their diets, believes Rocky should be free to make his own decision when he is old enough.

“Whatever his choice is when he’s old enough to make it will be his,” Barker said. “I don’t like to be preachy and I don’t like extremists on any side of anything.” That approach is notably different from Barker’s own strict childhood dinner table, where the rule that he finish his food prompted him to secretly hide meat in his pockets.

Barker’s new campaign for Humane World for Animals focuses on promoting small changes people can make that benefit animals.

For the campaign, Barker shares several ways people can reduce their impact on animals, including being conscious of where they adopt pets, supporting shelters, using cruelty-free products and avoiding clothing made from animals.

“Everything from being conscious of where you adopt your animal from and supporting a shelter” to using “cruelty-free products” and “not wearing animals, like leather jackets and fur … I think that those three things go a long way,” Barker told PEOPLE.