Did anyone read the heart breaking story of the infant that died as a result of being fed a strict vegan diet?

Question

That is so terribly sad and unfair to that poor defenseless child. It's one thing for an adult to adopt a vegan lifestyle and the risks that go hand in hand with the vegan diet, but quite another to risk the life of ones child by feeding them a vegan diet that is clearly not suitable for an infant. I hope that this will be a wake up call for vegans that are presently feeding there newborn a vegan diet, or considering doing so for a baby that is on the way. For goodness sake, what an awful thing to do. I hope that the vegans that inflicted this upon that poor child are locked up for good. It should be a criminal offense in all circumstances when parents intentionally feed there children a vegan diet, which is obviously detrimental to the childs well being.

http://digg.com/health/Vegan_Parents_Starve_Baby_to_Death_on_Soy_Milk_Apple_Juice_Diet

EDIT Come on BLUESEA, you say the fact that these parents were vegan had nothing to do with there childs death? Get Real! It have everything to do with it. The fact that they were vegan is precisely why they fed the child a vegan diet. You cannot arbitrarily dismiss the FACT that these parents were vegans.

EDIT Katie G Granted, these parents were obviously not very bright. However, they were vegans and were feeding there child a vegan diet, and the child died as a result. It is indefensible. The vegan diet killed this baby. That is the reality in spite of any twist you may want to put on it. And even if an infant were receiving what you believe would be an acceptable vegan diet, the childs health would still be at serious risk because a childs nutritional needs can simply not be adequately met on a vegan diet. They may quite likely survive in spite of the deficiencies, but would none the less quite likely have health issues at a later time as a result of being fed a vegan diet in there formative years. It amazes me that people are actually coming to the defense of these vegan parents who killed there child be imposing the vegan diet upon the baby. I can see you are not going to let rational thought and facts get in your way of your defending veganism.

BLUESEA So now you are not denying that the parents were vegan. Instead, you are now denying what they were feeding the child was vegan. Precisely when was it that it became forbidden that vegans could not drink soy milk or fruit juice? I must have missed that news bulletien. And I am not assuming that all vegans would be foolish enough to treat there child in such a way. However, these particular vegans did just that. And as I said earlier, regardless of what you feed the child, if it is an exclusively vegan diet, it would be highly likely that it would not be sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of the child for achieving optimal health. Please hop down off of your vegan high horse and join the rest of us in the realm of reality. This is so typical of vegans. When one of your own acts irresponsibly you simply won't own up to it. Absolute arrogance. So typical of vegans.

ANONYMOUS Aren't you a breath of fresh air. You sure seem like a pleasant little fellow. The way you started your post with the insults was simply superb, what's your strategy - if you can't dazzle them with brilliance and facts, just resort to name calling. Your just brilliant, buddy, just plain brilliant.

"As far as you know, 6 week-olds do not eat anything other than their mothers milk." Well, pal, apparently this particular vegan mommy and daddy had other ideas, and decided it would be best to feed the child soy milk and fruit juice. And you state that "The problem here is not that these parents were vegans. They were stupid and irresponsible." Well, bud, the fact is, the way it should be put is like this, "They were stupid and irresponsible VEGANS." And any vegan who feeds there new born an exclusively vegan diet is not only stupid and irresponsible, but also CRIMINAL. Your argument is not valid and completely without merit.

ok ANONOYMOUS What is one to think of someone who resorts to insults because they find it amusing to do so, and you get a little thrill out of it? I'm not the one being hateful, kind sir. Pehaps you should not be casting stones in as much as you are blatantly guilty of that which you accuse me.......And sure thing, bud, there are just vegans from birth running around everywhere, sure, whatever ya say, partner.....All I have stated is that the parents were vegans, they fed the child only foods that were vegan, and the child died. That cannot be disputed. They are facts. And the FACTS are that it places the childs health in danger by feeding them a vegan diet, even if it is what would be considered a varied and well balanced vegan diet, becuase there are so many foods they are restricted from eating that it would be very difficult for the child to get all of the nutrition required for optimal health in there formative years. Feeding a child a vegan diet should be criminal.

continued.....I will not resort to petty name calling like yourself. Now that you have been schooled, consider yourself enlightened.

BLUE SEA Please forgive me assuming that you were vegan. Judging by your reaction, you seem to have found that insulting. The facts of the matter are:
The parents were vegan. They fed the child foods that were considered vegan. The child died. Those are facts. Period!
Granted, these vegan parents apparently had a few screws loose. (imagine that, a vegan with a few loose screws!) And I am not insinuating that all or for that matter any other vegan parents would be so misguided as to feed there child such a dificient diet. I am, however, stating that I and many others are of the firm belief that a vegan diet is certainly not a good diet for a child, especially in there formative years, as they would quite likely suffer from nutritional dificiencies.......Having a difference of opinion is an opportunity for dialogue, and is no reason to become hostile and rude. You should work on your manners, missy, your social skills appear to be lacking just a bit. Cheers.

ANONOYMOUS So long as you keep reading

SCOASSO Thanks for helping to
spread the word.

ALADIN I am sorry to disappoint, I truly am. After all, with everything we have shared, I am really upset with myself. I am always devastated when I disappoint one of my many fans within this forum, you in particular. I have fallen short and not met your expectations, and I apparently have not met the bar that I had set high with my previous posts. This is not my finest moment, but I will persevere.

And I don't know that I am any smarter than the average Joe, probably not. But perhaps a bit brighter than your average vegan, certainly more enlightened. And for the record, flattery will get every where with me. But I digress....Now to the meat and potatoes of the matter, but hold the meat I suppose.

The vegans that killed this baby were idiots. Certainly not all vegans, in fact very few, are this foolish. However, my points were valid and cannot be disputed. I did not imply that all vegan parents that give there children a vean diet

continued........ I did not imply that all vegan parents that that feed there child a vegan diet were idiots like the fools who killed there baby because of the way they fed it. What I implied is that I and many others believe that the vegan diet does not supply adequate nutrition for a child in there formative years, and that if someone feeds there child a vegan diet and there are serious health consequences as a result, it should be a criminal matter. And the fact of the matter is that the parents who killed there baby were vegan, and they fed there child foods that are vegan and nothing else. I did not say they fed the child what would be considered an appropriate vegan diet. And I do not believe that all vegans make bad parents. However I do believe that they are misguided and foolish for feeding there child and exclusively vegan diet. I simply do not believe optiaml health can be achieved for the long term on a vegan diet, not for an adult and especially not a child.

continued....That being said, I know that all diets can be deficient, but the vegan diet, even when done properly, is simply not suitable for a child in my estimation............All the hostility that I have received from this post really make me wonder if it is really worth my effort to spread the word with regard to the deficiencies in the vegan diet. But when I think about all of the pain and suffering that perhaps people may be able to avoid if they heed my advice to stay away from veganism, it gives me the energy to persevere. Because I know that if I can discourage even only one or two people from adopting the vegan diet, I am doing something to alleviate the suffering that can result from long term veganism. I consider it my gift to humanity. Thanks for your encouragement, you have made my efforts all seem so worthwhile. In spite of some of the hostility and rudeness I have encountered, not to worry, you can count on me persevere and continue in my efforts.

I think I need some boots

It's getting awfully deep in here

SCOCASSO I to thought Titantic was a great film. Perhaps we can get together for movies and a little popcorn some time....Toodles!

Sorry SCOASSO, that last post was for my buddy ANONYMOUS. And after reading some of his posts, I think that is certainly an appropriate screen name, don't you think so?

Answer 1

I actually first heard about it on Y answers. Very sad situation indeed.

I agree with you, the parents choice was to be vegans, something their newborn couldn't decide upon.

Whilst I respect their wishes to be vegans, they never should have imposed it onto their newborn.

Answer 2

"EDIT Come on BLUESEA, you say the fact that these parents were vegan had nothing to do with there childs death? Get Real! It have everything to do with it. The fact that they were vegan is precisely why they fed the child a vegan diet. You cannot arbitrarily dismiss the FACT that these parents were vegans."

So all the other starved babies that were non vegan...should we blame that on the meat eating parents??? These people were obviously misinformed and extremely sick in the head. What mother denies their baby breast milk and or formula??? Only the sick ones!!



Im sorry Im not defending neglecting parents in any form...that was NOT a vegan diet. that was neglect. Human breast milk IS vegan. You cannot assume all vegans would ever treat their child that way, which is EXACTLY what you are doing, that is ridiculous.


I couldnt help but do a little further research into you to understand your point of view. I dont think I have ever met a vegetarian with such a vendeta against vegans. Take a look inside yourself, maybe this has more to do with you than vegans. Its pretty obvious you arent concerned with your question at hand, and at this point arguing for the sake of arguement. If you were an informed vegetarian, forget vegan, you would be alot smarter than your comments show.

Answer 3

Aww come on...
Yes everyone that has visited the V&V section has seen this story... It's been posted like 10 times...

I can understand the other idiots posting this question, but come on "nice guy" I really thought that you were smarter than that... I honestly am disappointed that someone I considered to be (although anti-vegan) smarter than the average joe.
After all of our little discussions, I actually considered you to be pretty intelligent... maybe a little prejudice against vegans, but most of the time your answers are very well-put and provide an opposite point of view for those new vegans out there.

You really buy that bunch of junk about the "vegan diet" being the cause of that baby's death?...
That baby was fed apple juice and soy milk?...am I right?... that is not a diet at all. Those parents were idiots... If they had half a brain they would have known that the so-called "diet" they had their child on, would inevitably KILL it!
Veganism was their excuse for killing that child...
Come on the kid weighed like 3 pounds or something(I don't know exactly) It was 6 weeks old and weighed 3 pounds... they had no Idea that something was wrong?... They are either complete idiots (which has nothing to do with the fact that they were vegans...they are plenty of non-vegan bad parents out there) Or they intentionally killed their child.

That one example doesn't prove anything... Cause I could look-up and give you probably over a million examples of meat-eaters starving their children.
Not even considering the instances of other types of child abuse performed by meat-eaters and vegetarians alike... It has nothing to do with someone's diet...
Those people ("parents") were idiots and murderers... It has nothing to do with their vegan diet...
Are you really going to imply that all vegan parents are bad parents?... You can't, because it is not true.

*****(edit)Yes, you disappoint... very, very sad.
And I don't flatter :] .... Not my thing.
Oh, I can see that all you want to do is help spread the correct word... I can tell by all the "some vegetarians eat fish" comments you've been making... because it is so true!...
[No, not really, It is actually very untrue... some meat- eaters may for some reason call themselves vegetarians... when they are not at all]
Oh and I think that anyone that starves their child is a criminal, doesn't have anything to do with vegan or not vegan...
I would have to agree completely with Anonymous... Babies that age eat nothing but mothers milk/ formula ... I would like to consider it a "baby" diet... Vegan doesn't even come into the picture...
ahhh forget it... I was going to write more, but I know that I (or any vegan for that matter) could ever present a reasonable, valid point to you, oh enlightened one.
You really just look for any and all reasons to make veganism look unhealthy... (personal problem if you ask me)...and this one seems like your worst attempt.

Answer 4

Maybe check out the book Raising Vegetarian Children by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina. It's mainly about the food (nutrition requirements and recipes) but they cover some of the social stuff. I can only say from the experience of friends with vegan kids that it's entirely possible and that there's no reason to expect that a child will be ostracized. I know a couple whose vegan-since-conception son is 6. He'll be starting first grade in the fall. He made a lot of friends in kindergarten and he's young enough that none of them know there's anything different about him. When there's a celebration in the classroom that involves cupcakes, for example, his mom sends him to school with a vegan cupcake for the teacher to hand out to him. At birthday parties, his mom calls the other mom and asks what she's serving. If it's pizza, she sends the kid with a couple slices of vegan pizza. None of his little friends notice this stuff. I also know a single mom with a vegetarian 12 year old and a vegan 14 year old (she's vegan but she raised them with dairy due to family pressure/lack of support - the older daughter gave it up on her own.) Their peers don't have a problem with their veg*nism. Maybe because it's trendy or they all know a bunch of celebs who are veg*n. So, these girls aren't having a problem being ostracized either. I think a big part of it is keeping open communication with your kids so they tell you if they hear any negative stuff. As long as you know what they're facing, you can help coach them through it. Maybe banning meat WILL make it more attractive and you might just have to be open to the idea that, at some age you deem adequate, they'll have to be allowed to make their own decisions. The 12 year old above has tried chicken at her grandparents' house. She was curious and her mom felt like she was old enough to decide that for herself. So she tried it, thought it was pretty gross, and that was that. No harm done. (deviousfaerie, perhaps you've never had good vegan sweets, but I assure you, if anyone young or old tried my hot chocolate cupcakes, they would no know there was anything "different" about them!)

Answer 5

I want to know why this was brought up as an example of poor nutrition resulting in a child's death instead of, and not in addition to, the countless other nutrition related child death's that occur all of the time. One here in my city just last week.

Newsflash to the world. Just because someone is vegan doesn't mean they do or don't follow a good diet and just because someone consumes dairy, eggs and meat doesn't mean they get all the nutrients they require either.

No matter what kind of diet a person observes or feeds their children they need to be educated and informed and mindful.

You can't blame veganism or vegetarianism or an omnivorous diet on poor health.....but you can blame stupidity.

Answer 6

What's wrong with you? You ignorant fool.

"To feed a 6-week-old a vegan diet" is such an idiotic thing to say.

As far as I know, 6-week-olds do not eat anything other than their mothers' milk. They don't eat cheese or meat or eggs or fish - none of that. Just milk, either their own mothers' or the one you buy at any pharmacy.

The problem here is not that these parents were vegans. They were stupid and irresponsible.

And you've missed a wonderful chance to keep quiet and avoid embarrassing yourself.

EDIT -- No, I don't resort to insults simply to hide my alleged lack of "brilliance and facts". I do it for my own amusement - I get a tiny thrill out of it. Besides, foolish and hateful posts like yours really get on my wick.

And how DARE you talk to *me* about facts when what *you* are doing is intentionally ignoring hundreds (or thousands) of cases of children brought up as vegans right from birth and perfectly healthy? (Of which cases I know a couple myself, so I know what I'm talking about).

You say: Well, bud, the fact is, the way it should be put is like this, "They were stupid and irresponsible VEGANS".

It's true. And you're a silly HUMAN BEING, does that make all human beings silly? I don't think so. Silliness and ignorance transcend categories, races, religions and lifestyles, that is why there can be stupid and irresponsible vegans just as there can be stupid and irresponsible "anythings". Attributing the faults of two idiotic vegans to the whole category (which is what you have done) when thousands of other examples give you the lie, is not something that makes you appear bright - on the contrary.

*Your* argument is "not valid and without merit" because it's irrational and prejudiced. *Mine* is rational and corroborated by scientific analyses and experience.

EDIT -- Reading your edits is like watching a ship sink.

Answer 7

I believe they deserved to go to prison, although life sentences seem excessive.

Everyone should keep in mind that:

1. The mother did not breastfeed. Sorry, but we are mammals, and mammal mothers feed their young by breast milk. If they did not want to go that route, there are artificial formulas they could have used.

2. They did not consult anyone. A Pediatrician would have helped with feeding the baby under vegan guidelines, at least would have told them not to feed the baby apple juice yet. A doctor would have been able to tell them that the baby was become malnourished.

This should not become a matter of persecuted vegan, it is a matter of good parenting. Loving a baby is not enough, you have to do the right things as well. They did not and are paying a steep (and remember, I think life is too harsh) price.

Answer 8

This is not a wake up call for vegans, It is a miscarriage of justice. The baby was born at home without a doctor or nurse. It probably should have been in a neonatal unit. A first time mom and vegen probably didn't know to eat more to make milk. Manslaughter maybe not felony malice murder.

Answer 9

Seriously that was stupid. They fed the baby apple juice and soy milk. You have got to be kidding me, right? They couldn't figure out that maybe they should chop up some fruit and vegetables and make their own organic baby food. How stupid are these people?

Answer 10

I often wonder about what we eat may effect us later in life.
There is a reason women develop breast milk when pregnant.
If anyone knows anything about biology you would feed your child nothing but breast milk, there are things in it that you must have for proper brain development; cows a soy do not have all the things you need for this.
Sure you may survive drinking other types of milk, but it wasn't natures formula for mankind.

Answer 11

It sounds to me like there were just some ignorant choices made by the parents. I am pretty sure there are a lot of babies nowadays on a vegan diet and are perfectly fine. (though I am not a vegan)
It's just sad that a baby had to lose it's life because of someone else's stupidity.