Death by Veganism
You don't have to be a vegan-basher to applaud Nina Planck's clear-eyed, sobering piece about the explicit, deadly dangers of feeding an infant a vegan diet. Planck notes that three times in recent years (most recently in Atlanta) vegan parents have been convicted of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty charges. These parents misguidedly fed their infants a vegan diet with tragic results.
I have been on panels with Nina Planck and found her to be forceful, compelling figure whose views can often be polarizing. But on this particular issue there can be no doubt about the legitimacy and truthfulness of her point of view.
The last two paragraphs of the piece tell the whole story:
Historically, diet honored tradition: we ate the foods that our mothers, and their mothers, ate. Now, your neighbor or sibling may be a meat-eater or vegetarian, may ferment his foods or eat them raw. This fragmentation of the American menu reflects admirable diversity and tolerance, but food is more important than fashion. Though it's not politically correct to say so, all diets are not created equal.
An adult who was well-nourished in utero and in infancy may choose to get by on a vegan diet, but babies are built from protein, calcium, cholesterol and fish oil. Children fed only plants will not get the precious things they need to live and grow.
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29 Comments:
There is a reason that article is in "Opinion".
Prairie at 9:24AM on 05/21/07
Yeah - I've read similar articles about this same topic, and they've all been opinion pieces, and none of them have offered any success stories of vegan or vegetarian infants and parenting, which must obviously exist. Well-balanced reportage on the subject would be quite illuminating. I'm not vegan, but the assumption that there are certain nutrients that are simply inaccessible to non-meat/dairy-eaters has been proven, again and again, to be untrue. Getting adequate protein, calcium, B vitamins, et al. as a vegan may be more difficult, but then again, so is getting too much cholesterol and saturated fat. And obesity among children is running a lot more rampant in the USA than vegan-infant fatality!
producestories at 9:53AM on 05/21/07
How many stories exist where children become malnourished, when the parents are not vegan? More than none, right? We just don't hear about it unless the children have also been kept in cages.
Keely at 10:06AM on 05/21/07
I plan to breastfeed my unborn baby. Human breast milk is, in fact, vegan. It is also a fact that a mother's breast milk is the single most nutritious food you can give a baby. It's so nutritious that you don't need to feed the child anything else until they are 3 years old if you so choose.
Summary: the most nutritious food for a baby, breast milk, is also vegan.
savvy at 11:05AM on 05/21/07
Humans are mammals. We produce milk which is tailor -made for our children. Children can and do survive solely on breast milk for at least 6 months and sometimes longer, depending upon the child. It is unusual for a child to do so far beyond a year. I am a great champion of the value of breast milk however to call it vegan is a new one. Humans are mammals after all.
izzy's mama at 11:27AM on 05/21/07
the above comments are all well-said. the death of these children results from bad parenting, not veganism. a well-balanced vegan diet (which certainly includes breast milk) is healthy for people of all ages. there are plenty of cultures around the world with healthy children who don't drink cow's milk or eat meat.
altosaxchica at 11:29AM on 05/21/07
Maybe I'm being thick here, but how on earth could human breast milk be considered vegan? My understanding is that vegans do not consume any animal products, which surely would rule out breast milk.
QueenCeleste at 12:11PM on 05/21/07
Maybe I'm being thick here, but how on earth could human breast milk be considered vegan? My understanding is that vegans do not consume any animal products, which surely would rule out breast milk.
QueenCeleste at 12:12PM on 05/21/07
To QueenCeleste:
As a non-vegan, my impression is that veganism is generally a statement against the cruelty with which animals are often treated in the dairy and egg industries. I'm sure there are vegans who will disagree, but that's how I understand it.
Under this interpretation of veganism, a mother can nurse her child without at all violating her vegan ethics.
Keely at 12:29PM on 05/21/07
More info about breastfeeding and veganism....
http://www.vegfamily.com/babies-and-toddlers/breastfeeding-vegan-baby.htm
savvy at 12:38PM on 05/21/07
What if the mother can't breast feed ? Then what ? To me, any parent willingly denying their child required nutrition to promote their political views is a mental case. I am not picking on vegans in particular, I firmly believe that your lifestyle is your own business, but that should apply to you as an adult, and not to a helpless child who depends on you for its very survival.
Mr. K at 1:46PM on 05/21/07
Milk banks are available for those that can't breastfeed.
I am not a vegan (not even a vegetarian), but I do think that this argument has nothing to do with veganism. Vegans breastfeed, so using veganism as an excuse for starving a child is absurd.
savvy at 3:19PM on 05/21/07
Human breast milk is made for human babies, not cows.
Cow milk is made for baby cows, not humans.
Not hard to understand. :)
Prairie at 3:22PM on 05/21/07
Mr K, I'm with you all the way. I wonder how many of the people who have commented here are actually parents.
QueenCeleste at 4:35PM on 05/21/07
We have a new little one in our house (9 weeks). We are unabashed meat eaters. And for those who go on about 'breast feeding' as if its something easy and obvious that you will feed your child it.
I can just say you either haven't had children or have those rare high volume producing breasts. You can say what you want, but when that kid is born and still hungry and your choice is between your veganism and formula (soy or otherwise)... I think you'll chose the milk. There are real issues with the soy stuff.
More importnatly, erhaps we should get over being preachy about this sort of thing, and realize that we have the eyes in the front of our head because we are designed to eat animal protiens to at least some extent over our life time.
Husband at 4:38PM on 05/21/07
Husband and others - I think some of you are missing the point. The article blames veganism for the death of a child, I and others are merely pointing out that the most healthy food for a baby is in fact part of a vegan diet.
Veganism is merely a scape goat in this case for child cruelty.
savvy at 4:54PM on 05/21/07
More importnatly, erhaps we should get over being preachy about this sort of thing, and realize that we have the eyes in the front of our head because we are designed to eat animal protiens to at least some extent over our life time.
---
...what?
Prairie at 5:03PM on 05/21/07
Shoot me down if you want, you won't change my mind.
I could state a bunch of nutritional research about these "other cultures" that feed their children vegan diets but throw veganism out the window when they get the rare chance to enjoy meat or dairy, but I won't because people have strong opinions about what is appropriate for children. Most especially those people who don't actually have them but who believe that they would be perfect parents; parents who care if the dog "pre-washes" the baby's face after dinner. Parents who haven't spent the majority of their day working their fingers to the bone just to put food on the table, provide a roof and clothes to their family and then come home to cook, clean and do laundry. People who actually believe they will puree carrots, or whatever, every day if and when the time comes. Trust me, once you have children all those illusions crumble like saltines under a steam roller. People who don't have children just can't understand how much work parenting actually is.
Simply stated, a vegan diet is not an acceptable diet for anyone who is still growing.
Ready, aim, FIRE!!!
Calichef at 3:22AM on 05/22/07
I knew my post was going to generate an interesting discussion, and it certainly has. The purpose of Nina Planck's piece and my post about it was not to attack all vegans. That's why I put the last two paragraphs of her piece in the post. Those paragraphs make it very clear that adults have the right to make any dietary decisions they want for themselves, and that no one should judge them for the choices they make. But adults who are bringing a baby into this world have an obligation to care for and feed that child everything necessary to maximize that child's physical, mental, and emotional development. From what I've read a vegan diet does not provide that. No one is saying that all vegan parents inadequately feed their children. I believe Planck's point is that even responsible vegan parents who decide to breast-feed their infants may not be providing all the nutrients their babies need, because vegan breast milk is not the same as non-vegan breast milk. These are legtimate questions being raised, and that's just what I hoped would happen when I posted about Nina's piece. Let's all remember the Serious Eats mantra: Passionate, Discerning, Inclusive. That goes for carnivores, vegans, and vegetarians alike.
Ed Levine at 7:48AM on 05/22/07
I'm not a vegan but some very good friends of mine are, as are their two small children. These children have never had any health problems related to their veganism and according to their doctor they are average or above average in all of the measurable benchmarks of child development done by pediatricians.
The problem with Planck's opinion piece is that a lot of what she's saying isn't stated as opinion. It's stated as fact. She's not a doctor, she's not a nutritionist, she's not a farmer. What she is is a writer with the paperback version of her book coming out in less than a month.
"Children fed only plants will not get the precious things they need to live and grow." The translation of this sentence is "It's a fact that every single vegan parent is depriving and engaging in the malnutrition of her child." That's simply not true. Vegan parents can and do take care of the nutritional needs of their children. Do they have to work a bit harder to do it than omnivores? Perhaps but that doesn't mean it can't and isn't being done. Are there crazy vegan parents who don't meet their child's nutritional needs? Yes there are. Just like there are meat eating parents who do the same. Abuse is abuse whether the parents eat steak or tofu.
In most conversations relating to food I usually come down on whatever side is opposite of the vegan position. I come from a family of dairy and beef cattle farmers. But "Death by Veganism" is a piece of sensationalist rabble rousing short on fact, long on opinion and high on book selling intent. Count me firmly on the vegan side in this round.
Michelle Jones at 12:55PM on 05/22/07
I still want to know how breast milk counts as vegan. Yes, obviously, some (hopefully most) vegans breastfeed, but how does any kind of milk, even human milk, count as vegan?
thepictsie at 11:58PM on 05/22/07
I'll say again.
Cows make milk for baby cows.
Humans make milk for baby humans.
Why is that so hard to understand?
Prairie at 4:47PM on 05/23/07
First I am not vegan, in fact I love meat. That said I have to point out some errors, in some of the post here. I happen to know for a fact that there have been Soy formulas since 1975. When I was a baby my body reject animal milk (including my mothers breast milk), and I was prescribed, by a doctor, a soy formula as an infant.
Health effects: Of my 11 brothers and sisters I was the only one not breast feed: some are overweight, I and most are not; I and few others have unbelievable immunes systems, most have okay or less; I am the tallest of my brothers and sisters, and one of the smartest.
So where are my adverse health effects from being deprived animal milk? There are none. Sorry I am healthy as a horse with no diseases, allergies, or any other ailments that I am aware of.
Basically, I have to disagree (from looking at myself) with anyone that says a vegan diet for infants is unhealthy. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian parents malnourish there children every day because of ignorance. I have a neighbor who thinks potato chips, hotdogs, and coke are part of a healthy diet. Consult a doctor to ensure your child gets all the nutrients it needs regardless of your food preferences.
seanpaul at 3:52PM on 06/21/07
Perfect example on why vegan children are at risk for being malnourished: our doctors have no idea on what a balanced diet lacking animal products should look like!
In sharing stories, I have found that advice given to pregnant vegans are not given much (if any) guidance on how to supplement their diet, nor are vegan families given guidance on how children can get all of their nutrients going through the normal channels. OBGYNs and pediatricians know what children who DO consume animal products should be eating, and if they do not know what vegans should be consuming, they should find out.
It is my opinion that the "malnourishment of vegan children" (which I get alot - don't ask about the in-laws) is just a condition of our medical and health professions not having vegan health options readily available.
nicole_740 at 4:42PM on 08/06/07
I just think it's ridiculous that a parent makes a decision about how the child is going to live before they can even speak for themselves. It's one thing for the parents to be vegans or vegetarians because they have their own moral or health reasons and that conclusion has been made through experience but a newborn child has had no experiences and should be able to grow up to make a choice on their own not what mommy and daddy whacko have to say. Just ridiculous, like vegansexuals, ridiculous!
kitchenlove at 11:34AM on 08/07/07
you folks can discuss this issue until the earth finally collapses around itself, bad parents are just that.....let me say it again BAD PARENTS. the good ones ensure that their children are cared for emotionally and physically no matter what their personal beliefs are.
we humans are indeed omnivores and i don't have a problem with vegans because they are not in competition with me over the beautiful porterhouse resting in the butchers case.
olddad at 1:38PM on 08/07/07
All parents make decisions for their children. It's what parents do. Children don't have the experience and knowledge to make many important decisions concerning the way they should live. You can say that a meat eating parent makes the decision that the child will eat meat just as easily as you can say that a vegan makes the decision that the child will not eat meat. As long as the child is healthy, it shouldn't matter. When a child grows up, it will eat what wants to, date who it wants to, become a rock start instead of a doctor, etc. Until the child grows up, mommy and daddy make the rules. Some parents are good at what they do and some are not. Veganism has nothing to do with it. In fact, I can link you to a couple of blogs where vegan parents have raised happy, healthy, and active vegan children.
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
http://frugalveggiemama.blogspot.com/
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/
Check on the recipe archives on some of these and you'll see the range of healthy and nutritious foods a healthy vegan eats. there are unhealthy vegand that eat only veggie burgers and drink cola, but there are healthy vegans who eat a variety of greens, fruit, grains, nuts and legumes. I think that many of the people who dismiss vegan diets are simply uninformed.
There are also the children who cannot drink any form of animal milk, as a previous commented said. I know of such a baby. His mother is currently feeding him a soy formula on the doctors suggestion and he's doing fine. So those parents from the article were ignorant vegans and bad parents. Not all vegan babies need to die of malnutrition.
mercuryhime at 3:16PM on 08/07/07
This may be true, but you must also realize that the child you speak of is genetically different than the majority of people as they are unable to ingest any form of animal milk. So scientifically you cannot compare that child to one who is able to ingest milk products from animals.
kitchenlove at 4:45PM on 08/07/07
We are all genetically different to some degree, but we are all still human beings. You, me, and that baby all need the same nutrients. What makes us different is where we get the nutrients. I can say that I am genetically different from many others in that I cannot drink milk. Do I just kick back and say, "well, I'm genetically different so I don't need calcium."? No, I just get my necessary nutrients from a different source. It's the same for children. If they don't get what they need out of animal milk, they can get it elsewhere. Just cause the kid can't drink milk doesn't mean that he doesn't need his vitamins and fats and proteins.
mercuryhime at 11:23PM on 08/07/07