Italy - Toddler on vegan diet removed from parents

Toddler on vegan diet removed from parents in Italy

Posted: 3:07 AM, July 13, 2016
Updated: 4:12 AM, July 13, 2016

Various media outlets are reporting the hospitalization of a 14-month-old in Milan for being severely malnourished. The infant was also said to be grossly under weight.

The toddler's grandparents are the ones who brought him to the hospital.

The parents have since been denied custody while an investigation gets underway...

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/baby-on-vegan-diet-removed-from-parents-in-italy

An Italian baby raised on a vegan diet is hospitalized for severe malnutrition and removed from parents

When an Italian baby was taken to hospital in Milan earlier this month by his grandparents, doctors there were shocked by the baby’s condition. At 14 months old, he weighed only slightly more than a 3-month-old, according to the Local Italy.

Upon further examination, a more harrowing picture began to take shape. The baby, whose parents allegedly kept him on a vegan diet without providing dietary supplements, was found to be severely malnourished, suffering from dangerously low calcium levels. Complicating matters, the baby had to undergo an emergency operation because of a congenital heart condition, which was aggravated by his low calcium levels...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...fed-vegan-diet-hospitalized-for-malnutrition/

Those parents were negligent for not seeking medical care when the baby wasn't growing properly.

If the baby was drinking breast milk or formula until at least 12 months, which is the current recommendation, he wouldn't be so malnourished. I don't understand what they were feeding him.

I won't argue against veganism because my daughter is vegan and I'm vegetarian (can't live without yogurt and cheese), but they obviously weren't doing it for health reasons or they would've been vigilant about giving him the nourishment he needed.

SweetCaroline said:

Those parents were negligent for not seeking medical care when the baby wasn't growing properly.

If the baby was drinking breast milk or formula until at least 12 months, which is the current recommendation, he wouldn't be so malnourished. I don't understand what they were feeding him.

I won't argue against veganism because my daughter is vegan and I'm vegetarian (can't live without yogurt and cheese), but they obviously weren't doing it for health reasons or they would've been vigilant about giving him the nourishment he needed.

Click to expand...

There have been a few cases like this in recent years in the UK.

TBH I WILL argue against veganism because it's unnatural as even chimps eat grubs and hunt small game. It's only feasible in a handful of areas without airfreighting foodstuffs for variety.

I was vegetarian for about 18 months but during that time ricocheted from one infection to another. These days I still eat several vegetarian meals a week but choose to eat ethically raised meat a few times a week.

For Brits, I am very happy to recommend Field & Flower meat boxes: http://www.fieldandflower.co.uk/

So sad. This is a great example of how NOT to raise vegan kids.

I'm not vegan, but have known several. In all cases, my acquaintances have been vigilant about nutrition, sparing no expense and spending countless hours making sure that nutritional needs are met for those in their care.

It can be done...but these sorry parents failed.

SweetCaroline said:

Those parents were negligent for not seeking medical care when the baby wasn't growing properly.

If the baby was drinking breast milk or formula until at least 12 months, which is the current recommendation, he wouldn't be so malnourished. I don't understand what they were feeding him.

I won't argue against veganism because my daughter is vegan and I'm vegetarian (can't live without yogurt and cheese), but they obviously weren't doing it for health reasons or they would've been vigilant about giving him the nourishment he needed.

Click to expand...

I really wonder if this poor baby was being breastfed or got any formula at all. All the vegans I've known have been BF advocates, nursing until at least age 2. Considering the vegan diet of the mother, no non-human products are being transmitted. Makes sense to me.

I've never met a vegan that used formula to feed their baby, I have to assume that if it exists at all, it's got to be hard to find and expensive.

Maybe one of those Karo syrup concoctions?

I'm baffled.

Aug 11 2016, 4:17 am ET

Parents Who Feed Kids a Vegan Diet May Risk Jail in Italy Under New Law

by Reuters

ROME — If parliamentarian Elvira Savino has her way, Italian parents who insist on a vegan diet for their children will risk up to four years in jail.

Savino, from the conservative Forza Italia party, has put forward a law that would hold parents legally responsible for feeding their children on "a diet devoid of elements essential for healthy and balanced growth," according to its text.

"I have nothing against vegans or veganism as long as it is a free choice by adults," she told Reuters on Wednesday, days after she presented the proposed law in the lower house Chamber of Deputies...

http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/...d-kids-vegan-diet-may-risk-jail-italy-n627986

I have an M.S. in Nutrition, and sympathize somewhat with parents who don't realize that a healthy diet for adults is not a healthy diet for children. Even for adults, it's hard to have a well-balanced diet on a restrictive diet because we need a variety of foods to get all of the nutrients our bodies require. Because their bodies are still growing, children need more fat, calcium and other nutrients in their diets. I remember reading about a couple who were charged with neglect over 20 years ago for feeding their school-aged children a vegan diet (the same diet they were eating) that resulted in their children showing signs of retarded development. In that case, I believe the parents did take the children to the hospital when they realized they were failing to thrive. But, yeah, when child is greatly underweight and not performing up to the level of their peers, a parent must realize something is wrong early on.

In this case, I'm wondering if the mother didn't breastfeed the child because human breastmilk comes from an animal (a human). Sometimes, people get so engrossed in a cause (e.g., not eating animals) that they don't see the forest for the trees. KWIM? I wonder if these mothers get regular doctor check-ups themselves, especially prenatal and postnatal checkups. If the mothers are eating the same diet while pregnant, their babies are likely failing to thrive even before they're born.

Apparently there is a vegan formula:

https://jet.com/product/detail/aeeb...xw7PlyoWNacar-Draz8l4aAps08P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

Both my kids were vegan at 14 months...they were breastfed until past their second birthday. I introduced a bit of mashed fruits and veggies at 6 months and increased the portions as they wanted. I didn't even do this because of veganism, we weren't even vegan. So to say this malnourished baby is because of "vegan parents" or a "vegan diet" is ignorant. Both my babies were chubby and had lots of rolls and were perfectly healthy. This poor baby was neglected by his parents.period. I'm disappointed that this will cast a negative light on the vegan diet. I've known many vegans and vegetarians who are incredibly healthy, strong and love to read about nutrition and how to get enough vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. It goes along with wanting to do better with how you eat.