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
If the parents could not tell something was wrong with their child before it died, then they should be charged. That baby suffered for days, if not weeks before passing. How could they not tell something was wrong with their baby?!
I also agree with most. A parent’s diet should never be imposed on a infant-child unless their knowledge is superior regarding that “particular diet”. It is absolutely important to know what food group has what vitamins,minerals and good fats and better pray the child isn’t a picky eater. It is a challenge alone to feed children healthy foods- let alone on a particular diet. It is heartbreaking that not only did they lose this child, the 12 y/o daughter was also taken away by social services, then jail time.
We have to make a conscious decision at the time wanting to have children whether we want to feed them a whole-balanced diet or jeopardize their health and the rest of the family. I by all means advocate breast-feeding, and natural remedies as I do with my son. However, where she fail was to “combine” the breast-feeding with healthy solids. Hope the find comfort in knowing the baby is in a better place :/ .
This article is incredibly frustrating. Breastfeeding a child (and being a healthy person, period) means educating yourself on the food you are eating and educating yourself on your personal nutrition. While this article had the potential to be a powerful lesson in nutrition and food education (something this website seems to strive for), it is instead a slam of “stupid vegans” who idiotically failed to notice that traditionally sacred foods aren’t plant based? What?
Let’s note that this tragedy has occurred in families who primarily eat animal based, fatty- and glucose-rich foods too. It wasn’t the label on the mother’s food choice that caused this; it was her negligence in balancing her own and her baby’s nutrition – something that’s possible across diet choices, when done correctly.
I don’t think the problem was necessarily the vegan diet. A child should be on solid foods well before 11 months. I’m very sad for this baby but putting the parents in jail is a STUPID consequence for their “crime”.
This is not veganism, but stupid! People who really are vegetarian or vegan always seek the help of nutritionists and doctors from another area to check if your health is ok! And usually worry more with health than omnivorous. Parents omnivorous and irresponsible as these also do that with your kids. You can not blame the vegan diet so but the irresponsibility of these parents! These parents are a disgrace to all vegetarians (like me) and vegan!
Isso não é veganismo, e sim idiotice! Pessoas que realmente são vegetarianas ou veganas sempre procuram o auxilio de nutricionistas ou medicos de outra area para verificar se sua saúde está ok! E normalmente se preocupam muito mais com a saude do que os onivoros. Pais onivoros e irresponsaveis como esses tambem fariam isso com seus filhos. Não se pode culpar a dieta vegana por isso, mas sim a irresponsabilidade desses pais! Esses pais são uma vergonha para todos os vegetarianos (como eu) e veganos!
I have been saying this all along about vegetarianism…..yet vegetarians only hear and see what they want too. the child was starving in front of their EYES. there are signs of malnutrition. there are way too many FREE resources out there …..yet the parents saw what they wanted to see and hear blocking anything that went against what they thought. ignorance is bliss till something happens. yes they belong in jail. because of their negligence their child died. man slaughter. what because they are vegetarian they are above the law? This has happened way to many times for this to continue. there is clear evidence look there are more cases here http://naturalhygienesociety.org/diet-veganbaby.html that have happened over the years so why does this continue? stupidity?
This is very sad. As a vegan, my doctor has always considered me healthy and its helped me loose a lot of weight. B12 is VERY VERY easy to get as a vegan. Nutritional yeast is PURE B12 and can be added to ANYTHING at all that you cook. Vitamin A is found in things like carrots, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens and butternut squash. This is a fluke and very, very upsetting. It furthers the stereotype that someone cannot eat healthy vegan and, if they can, its very hard or complicated. None of this is true. Its a personal choice I made with my doctor due to my allergies and personal morals. I don’t expect anyone else to share my morals but I have to say something when I see articles like this that claim vegan diets are dangerous and/or complicated for those that choose them.
Also, not all women produce good breastmilk and it’s the parent’s responsibility to be sure that their child is healthy. Some of my friends who eat meat and drink milk (even my aunt) didn’t produce good milk and were instructed to stop breastfeeding. It’s definitely the parent’s neglect and ignorance to blame however not the veganism. When you get your vitamins from meat it is diluted, and not from the natural source. Vegetables and fruit contain the most potent of all vitamins, and especially the meat that is sold these days is so processed and full of hormones that the vitamins are hardly being preserved in the process, and then to top it off, cooking the meat just gets rid of more of the vitamins you could be ingesting. So I don’t think it’s fair to blame being vegan…there is so much more to this story that isn’t being said and it’s important to keep an open mind and consider all the factors.
lol drinking milk doesnt make breastmilk
It’s people like her that give us vegans a bad reputation. This woman is not vegan, she’s just a junkie.
First off, I’m not in favor of a vegan diet, I like eggs and dairy way too much (my family is vegetarian for ethical reasons), but for all those standing on their soap boxes about how you need to consume dead animals (fish, mammals and fowl) to be healthy, you are grossly mis-informed. I am the child of ovo/lacto vegetarians and my mother breastfeed me and my siblings, and we were all (and still are) very healthy. My parents raised me vegetarian and in turn I am raising my children vegetarian.
My first children were twins who were born early (this had absolutely nothing to do with my diet, rather the weight of two babies confusing my body) and they were on breastmilk from the moment they were able to (maybe three or four days after they were born). And now I have healthy, almost three year old twins, who people are surprised to find out were preemies.
My third, was born full term at a hefty 9lbs 13oz. And has since grown like a weed. He is very healthy and the doctors are very happy with his development.
I do take vitamins, but so does my meat eating husband. So don’t go blaming the diet. Blame the person on the diet and the lack of following up with the doctor. The mother neglected her own health and, in doing so, neglected her baby’s. It is tragic, but as someone else mentioned earlier, this is being sensationalized because she was vegan. If the same thing happened when the mother was consuming meat, it would have just boiled down to neglect and people wouldn’t be making the same amount of fuss.
*BTW vegetarianism is almost always classified as excluding meat and by-products that come from a dead animal, which means that eggs and dairy are allowed. Vegans are those vegetarians who have chosen not to consume any animal product/by-product regardless of whether or not the animal is still living.
Yes Shan that is true but you admitted to taking vitamins! That is what a responsible parent does when she has young ones to care for. I admire you for thinking of your children. You say your husband is a meat eater. I’m just wondering are the children considered meat eaters too? Then they can decide what they want to do in the future? Like I said just wondering that’s all.