Vegan breastfeeding has caused an 11-month-old baby to die and the parents are charged with neglect after an autopsy indicated the baby suffered from severe deficiencies in Vitamin B12 and Vitamin A. Both these nutrients are known to be critical to a child’s development and sorely lacking in a vegan diet. This is why doctors strongly advise against nursing mothers and growing children following a vegan diet (1).
Vegans have long been advised to take B12 supplements as long term veganism runs the huge risk of serious B12 deficiency as well as other nutrients only found in animal foods such as true Vitamin A. Â Beta carotene is not true vitamin AÂ nor does it easily convert to adequate amounts of Vitamin A in the body to sustain optimal health.
While charging the parents in this tragedy is questionable as it smacks of too much interference by government into private life, it does communicate a clear message to other vegans:Â abstinence from all animal foods is a danger to one’s health and most particularly, your baby!
It also sends a clear message that what a nursing Mother eats definitely DOES affect the quality of her breastmilk, particularly with vegan breastfeeding. Many breastfeeding advocates insist that breastmilk will include all a baby needs despite what the Mother eats, but clearly this is not the case.
Traditional cultures took great care to ensure that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers consumed ample amounts of animal foods rich in vitamins A, D, E, K2 and of course B12. These foods included grass-fed butter, pastured eggs, liver, seafood, and fish eggs. Notice that none – NOT ONE of these traditionally sacred foods is plant-based!
Incidentally, the 2017 vegan film What The Health was unable to cite a single successful vegan population group either. Why? Because there are none. Ever.
If you are pregnant and breastfeeding and would like to learn what foods will maximally support the health of your baby while nursing, please check this link for the complete listing of traditionally sacred foods for optimal fetal and baby development. These foods will also ensure the preservation of your own health during pregnancy and lactation which can easily deplete a Mother’s nutritional stores leaving her vulnerable to exhaustion.
Vegan Parents Convicted
The vegan breastfeeding mother and father whose baby died as described in this article were convicted by a French court to 5 years in prison due to the imbalanced vegan diet the mother ate which led to nutrient-poor breastmilk and a failure to thrive child who eventually fell ill from severe nutrient deficiency and died without the parents ever seeking proper medical attention (source).
For more information on how vegan breastfeeding and also a vegan diet devastate the health of children, read about how a 12-year-old vegan was diagnosed with the degenerating bones of an 80-year-old.  Dr. Faisal Ahmed MD, a pediatrician treating the child, said that the dangers of forcing children to follow a strict vegan diet need to be publicized.
Unfortunately, vegan parents don’t seem to be getting the message quickly enough. The latest case involves vegans who nearly starved their 5-month-old baby to death feeding him potato mash instead of the doctor advised organic formula.
The child, who weighed just over 8 pounds and had sunken eyes and protruding ribs, is recovering but will likely suffer long-term damage from the experience (source).
References
Angelina Jolie says veganism nearly killed her
Supersize Me Girlfriend Quits VeganismÂ
Vitamin A Vagary
Vitamin B12: Vital Nutrient for Good Health
French vegan couple whose baby died of vitamin deficiency after being fed solely on breast milk face jail for child neglect
We eat meat, but personally, I’d rather supplement my children with B12 and Vitamin A then feed them spoonfuls of antibiotics and steroids commonly present in grocery store meat.. probably the same steroids that caused the author of this article and the meat eater advocating commenters to become so angry with Vegans, that they would take advantage of a tragedy to make an invalid point. The parents of this child were obviously not educated, plain and simple.
I’ll probably get a lot of hate for this, but the parents really should be charged in this case. Babies don’t just die from malnutrition. You’ll see the signs in their bodies, unresponsiveness, lethargy, and changes especially in their eyes and skin with Vitamin A deficiency. The child was 11 months, almost a year if they had been observing those symptoms for at least three months and not doing anything then they murdered their child. A dietitian or a doctor has that title for a reason. Four or five years of study on their field. Guy that stopped in high school and is claiming to know more than any of them in the comments section might need to go back to class as you clearly didn’t understand what you were being taught. Blood sugar is toxic? and they’re all “empty carbohydrates” that don’t provide any fiber or minerals like thiamine right? Where did you get that? For all those people arguing that you don’t need animal based foods to survive what are your qualifications? If none, you’re just sprouting something you heard on the Internet. Please do some research before costing another baby his/ her life. P.S. No one said she had to eat it if it was soo against her belief but at least give the child an enriched formula.
You know i’ve dated three veggy eaters in my day, no offence to you guys but all three had these issues. Bad breath, pale skin, got sick a lot, allergies, sun burnt easy, and honestly had a bad oder. The best part they would bug me for eating meat. Very uncool, eat your veggies but don’t push your bs on others. And let your child choose thier own lives. I like hunting wild meat is the best tasting food in the world. I don’t care if its a new age, we were designed to eat meat so stop trying to change it. It’s a fact vegans don’t get the right nutritional value and that is why you look pale and sick all the time. Yes you do, and how skinny some of you are is gross. Sorry but it’s true. I mean what next? Teaching tigers to eat leaves because of the poor little dear he ate had feelings. Oo It’s the natural way of life leave it alone.
The parents chose veganism..the child did not!!
First thing for vegetarians and vegans to note: Infants are INCAPABLE of processing Beta Carotene. The ability to process beta carotene to vitamin A only develops later as a person matures (and even in adults, it’s a laborious process; this is a primary reason why it is difficult to OD on vitamin A from beta carotene; another is demand switching; eating liver, on the other hand, is a fairly easy way to OD on vitamin A as it is a very concentrated source of retinol… that is, vitamin A). Plant based food contains beta carotene, not vitamin A, and thus plants are useless to infants as a source of Vitamin A. Infants must get vitamin A from an animal based source.
Second thing to note. B12 is only found in animal sources, and rapidly developing infants need a regular source of B12. Vegetable “almost” B12 will not work for infants. Adults can get away with low B12, but infants can not. The reason vegan Indians can get away without animal based B12 for so long is because of the lower standards for vegetables in India (there are far more permissible insect and insect egg levels in India than in Westernized vegetables… This is why Indian immigrants can often have nutrition issues when they move to a Western country while maintaining a vegan diet). If your veganism allows for insects, throw in a fried grasshopper once in a while. It does not take a lot of B12 to meet requirements. If you are breastfeeding, throw in 2 gh’s once in a while… Infants need B12 since they are developing FAST… you, as an adult, are not.
Ever wonder why high Calcium in plants seem to always be accompanied by oxalates? It is because calcium (in the form readily accessible to humans) is pretty much toxic to plants. Thus, calcium in plants is usually in the form of calcium oxalate. Here, at least, a hope for vegans, you can get readily absorbable calcium from a (mostly) non animal source (that is, straight calium bicarbonate). Although, it *may* be be better to first soak sodium bicarbonate in lemon juice (producing calcium citrate) and taking the calcium citrate (it settles as a milky cloudy layer above unprocessed and gritty calcium bicarbonate, and below what remains of the lemon juice. If you are ovo-vegetarian, you can use egg shell and get a little extra magnesium in the process. Note, you need appropriate ratios of magnesium and animal vitamin D to go with your consumed and absorbed calcium… These 3 work together. If you get plenty of sun-exposure, you can get by without an animal source of vitamin D (animal and plant forms of vitamin D are different, and in infants, the difference can be severe).
And, lastly, just a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I hear a lot of poorly informed vegetarians and vegans (and, yes even the more-carnivorous folks) make claims that vegetables are the best source of vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately for us vegetarian folks (and vegan folks), this is actually a myth. Animal meats (most especially, organ meats, which most Westerners don’t even eat, BTW) are actually the greatest sources of just about every vitamin and mineral. So much so, that you can actually overdose on some vitamins and minerals from organ meats (I already mentioned, above, the possibility to OD on vitamin A from liver). Be an INFORMED VEGAN and an informed vegetarian. It is not a crime a violation of some ethical code to recognize that animal meats may have better sources of vitamins and minerals far above plant sources. If you are vegetarian, recognize that fact so you don’t come off looking like some ignorant arse to someone who knows better. Recognizing the fact does not invalidate vegetarianism. As a vegetarian/vegan, be informed, especially about the limitations about plant based foods, to protect yourself (and, as applicable to this article, any child you breastfeed). If you can tolerate insects into your veganism/vegetarianism, please do. If not, maybe eat a bunch of figs and pretend there’s no insect material in them (they contain dissolved wasps, an integral part of the fig fertilization process).
Dr. Fuktard said Vegan diet is natural research it it’s legit, but don’t forget Dr. shytestain said Vegan DIEts will require the all natural and locally grown capsuled supplement of B12 and vitamins A,C,D, AC/DC, R,E,O,SPEEDWAGON and Omega 3. You know I would love to just say it straight whether you are vegan or omnivores or carnivores or whatever if you want to have a natural diet….. like really natural…… learn from nature….. it’s a balance ok the circle of life…. now we don’t have to go pick off what our monkey and chimp cousins are eating or how many gazelles the tiger ate we can just look how nature runs it self…..balance. People keep talking about dental work and well we have both molars and incisors . Anyhow i feel a bit better for wasting my time but ill leave you with this…. no matter what side you are on in this argument you will always be able to find some doctor to say “no there wrong and i am right”. It has been that way since you were in grade school and you were unpopular. I am right you are wrong nah na nah na boo boo
This is horrible…however…was the baby not eating food by then? I am confused if the baby was almost a yr old should have been eating food?! So sad!
Miranda~ According to the article– No, apparently she was exclusively on breast milk. I agree with your the baby should have been on at least “vegan solids by then”. Sad indeed!
To be honest, I kind of think most people are missing the biggest issue with this case. In my opinion, both the mother’s diet with regards to her own health and the length of time that she was breastfeeding are both her decision. They are nobody’s business but her own and maybe her husband and doctor. Basically, they are subjective, and pretty much anyone you ask will have a different opinion about them. What is not up for debate, and from what I understand, the reason that these parents were sent to prison, is the fact that they neglected their child. The update to the article clearly states that they didn’t seek medical attention for their child even after is was obvious that the child was sick. For whatever reason, they didn’t take the child to the doctor. There is not a single reason that I can think of that would justify not seeking medical attention for a sick child, especially a baby. Further, it is certainly neglectful of the mother to not consider how her diet would affect her baby. A simple google search would no doubt bring up many articles or sources of information about the topic, allowing her to keep her child healthy whilst still being vegan, or at least vegetarian. Surely she would be willing to compromise a little for the sake of her child. And before I get attacked for suggesting that vegans should have to compromise during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding while no one else has to, that is neither what I am saying or at all true. Women with pretty much any kind of lifestyle alter their diet when with child. They add or increase those things that are beneficial and reduce or eliminate those that are harmful. Also, my point is that she should have considered her role in her child’s health. She also should have taken the kid to the friggen doctor. I saw a post earlier about how the doctors should be held responsible as well, and if there were any evidence that they allowed the situation to continue and did nothing, I would agree wholeheartedly. However, there is not a lot that the doctor if the parents refuses to bring the child in or refuse medical advice, short of calling child protective services. I guess this was just a long winded and slightly tangential way of saying that they were sent to prison for being bad parents and allowing their child to die, not because they were vegan or for how long they breastfed.
the importance of dietary factors, multiplied exponentially while nursing, can’t be denied. however, this ‘smacks of’ a new mother not being appropriately guided by her medical advisors. regardless of her dietary choices [which as far as i have heard are still liberties every single human on the planet possesses] there are many, many ways to solidly support diet and nutrition beyond consuming animal products. what government agency could possibly be so dense, and not to mention callous, to consider charges of this nature? how absurd.
Vegetarian = no problem. Eggs & milk to the diet with no harm to any animal…especially if you support your local farm and avoid the mass produced versions of those 2 products.
Veganism = one step too far. Grain fed cows & chickens certainly enjoy the harmony with good farmers. To cut eggs & milk out based on the mass production of said goods(as sickening as it is) is purely a cry on deaf ears.
Create your own harmony without endangering a child. Seriously. Children love cows & chickens…milking & gathering eggs is an awesome & fulfilling experience. Vegans have to rethink their extremist ways. This article just points that out in brutal fashion
Peace