Death by Veganism

[alocispepraluger102]

Op-Ed Contributor

Death by Veganism

By NINA PLANCK

WHEN Crown Shakur died of starvation, he was 6 weeks old and weighed 3.5 pounds. His vegan parents, who fed him mainly soy milk and apple juice, were convicted in Atlanta recently of murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty.

This particular calamity — at least the third such conviction of vegan parents in four years — may be largely due to ignorance. But it should prompt frank discussion about nutrition.

I was once a vegan. But well before I became pregnant, I concluded that a vegan pregnancy was irresponsible. You cannot create and nourish a robust baby merely on foods from plants.

Indigenous cuisines offer clues about what humans, naturally omnivorous, need to survive, reproduce and grow: traditional vegetarian diets, as in India, invariably include dairy and eggs for complete protein, essential fats and vitamins. There are no vegan societies for a simple reason: a vegan diet is not adequate in the long run.

Protein deficiency is one danger of a vegan diet for babies. Nutritionists used to speak of proteins as “first class” (from meat, fish, eggs and milk) and “second class” (from plants), but today this is considered denigrating to vegetarians.

The fact remains, though, that humans prefer animal proteins and fats to cereals and tubers, because they contain all the essential amino acids needed for life in the right ratio. This is not true of plant proteins, which are inferior in quantity and quality — even soy.

A vegan diet may lack vitamin B12, found only in animal foods; usable vitamins A and D, found in meat, fish, eggs and butter; and necessary minerals like calcium and zinc. When babies are deprived of all these nutrients, they will suffer from retarded growth, rickets and nerve damage.

Responsible vegan parents know that breast milk is ideal. It contains many necessary components, including cholesterol (which babies use to make nerve cells) and countless immune and growth factors. When breastfeeding isn’t possible, soy milk and fruit juice, even in seemingly sufficient quantities, are not safe substitutes for a quality infant formula.

Yet even a breast-fed baby is at risk. Studies show that vegan breast milk lacks enough docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, the omega-3 fat found in fatty fish. It is difficult to overstate the importance of DHA, vital as it is for eye and brain development.

A vegan diet is equally dangerous for weaned babies and toddlers, who need plenty of protein and calcium. Too often, vegans turn to soy, which actually inhibits growth and reduces absorption of protein and minerals. That’s why health officials in Britain, Canada and other countries express caution about soy for babies. (Not here, though — perhaps because our farm policy is so soy-friendly.)

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.

Nina Planck is the author of “Real Food: What to Eat and Why.”

[J Larsen]

I believe the court said that it wasn't the vegan diet that killed the baby, but rather the fact that the parents were hardly feeding it anything at all.

I had some roommates who were forcing their cats to be vegans which I found appalling (and I was a vegan myself at the time). I snuck 9 Lives into the house and fed them late at night in the bedroom. The roommates could never understand why the cats liked me so much. They ran to the door whenever I came home and followed me around all over the house, while hardly giving my roommates the time of day.

[alocispepraluger102]

i attended a vegan easter brunch, orchestrated by a well meaning trendy wife, just once.

it was indeed a solemn affair.

as you fed the cats their 9 lives, i would sneak her hubby big macs at work, so he wouldnt be seen coming or going from the big mac joint.

Edited May 21, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[Unk]

30 years a vegan (and now-retired elite athlete), I'm evidence that it can be done. But it's not a diet to be undertaken lightly. Education and diligence is a key. I would NOT recommend this diet to anyone. It's like playing music as a living, IMO: do it only if you it's a spiritual/emotional necessity.

By the way, I HATE militant vegans, or militant anything elses. I regularly dine with friends eating meat. Don't bother me one iota.

[Niko]

CHEESE! Firm or soft, aged or new. Gotta have it.

been a vegetarian for several years now and never felt like i was giving up anything - but if it was about cheese instead of meat i don't know whether i could do it

[alocispepraluger102]

30 years a vegan (and now-retired elite athlete), I'm evidence that it can be done. But it's not a diet to be undertaken lightly. Education and diligence is a key. I would NOT recommend this diet to anyone. It's like playing music as a living, IMO: do it only if you it's a spiritual/emotional necessity.

By the way, I HATE militant vegans, or militant anything elses. I regularly dine with friends eating meat. Don't bother me one iota.

what diets did your children, if any, use?

[Unk]

30 years a vegan (and now-retired elite athlete), I'm evidence that it can be done. But it's not a diet to be undertaken lightly. Education and diligence is a key. I would NOT recommend this diet to anyone. It's like playing music as a living, IMO: do it only if you it's a spiritual/emotional necessity.

By the way, I HATE militant vegans, or militant anything elses. I regularly dine with friends eating meat. Don't bother me one iota.

what diets did your children, if any, use?

No kids, though I did have a vegetarian dog. (Long story...about the dog, that is.) I wouldn't think of raising a kid vegetarian or vegan until: (1) he/she was physically and psychologically developed and (2) he/she was informed and responsible about nutrition and (3) he/she independently wanted to adopt such a foolish life choice*. I see all these college kids adopting vegetarian diets that consist of candy bars, cheese pizza, white bread, donuts (assuming one can find vegetarian donuts), falafel, tofu** and other such TRASH. They're holier-than-thou for a while.

* I'm being a bit facetious here. Ethically or nutritionally, veganism and vegetarianism CAN be fine, and they're a lot easier to live with than 30 years ago, but maintaining a sound diet under such restrictions can be challenging.

** Okay in moderation, I suppose.

[alocispepraluger102]

30 years a vegan (and now-retired elite athlete), I'm evidence that it can be done. But it's not a diet to be undertaken lightly. Education and diligence is a key. I would NOT recommend this diet to anyone. It's like playing music as a living, IMO: do it only if you it's a spiritual/emotional necessity.

By the way, I HATE militant vegans, or militant anything elses. I regularly dine with friends eating meat. Don't bother me one iota.

what diets did your children, if any, use?

No kids, though I did have a vegetarian dog. (Long story...about the dog, that is.) I wouldn't think of raising a kid vegetarian or vegan until: (1) he/she was physically and psychologically developed and (2) he/she was informed and responsible about nutrition and (3) he/she independently wanted to adopt such a foolish life choice*. I see all these college kids adopting vegetarian diets that consist of candy bars, cheese pizza, white bread, donuts (assuming one can find vegetarian donuts), falafel, tofu** and other such TRASH. They're holier-than-thou for a while.

* I'm being a bit facetious here. Ethically or nutritionally, veganism and vegetarianism CAN be fine, and they're a lot easier to live with than 30 years ago, but maintaining a sound diet under such restrictions can be challenging.

** Okay in moderation, I suppose.

hope to hear here of the vegetarian dog someday. thanks.

Edited May 21, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[7/4]

I see all these college kids adopting vegetarian diets that consist of candy bars, cheese pizza, white bread, donuts (assuming one can find vegetarian donuts), falafel, tofu** and other such TRASH. They're holier-than-thou for a while.

A excuse to eat candy bars!

[Free For All]

I avoid green meat. Also blue meat. That's worked out pretty well.

[rostasi]

That's just inept parenting.

Dogs can be vegetarian.

Cats cannot (due to absolute need for taurine -

tho there's been some debate on the source of most taurine).

[catesta]

I avoid green meat. Also blue meat. That's worked out pretty well.

haha

My girlfriend's son doesn't eat meat but does eat all the shit like Cheeze-its, french fries, pizza, white bread and peanut butter, but not nearly enough fruits and vegetables.

Biggest problem is he is way too thin for a 16 year old boy and has no muscles. His doctor say he his healthy but advised him the importance of protein from meats at his age. We tried to tell him over the weekend to cut the crap and at least start eating chicken and fish. We'll see if he follows the word of the wise.

[rostasi]

Send him to my house.

I'll fatten him up with vegetarian food

from all over the world.

Rod

---

Now playing: Ravi Shankar - Raga: Malaya-Marutam

[Shrdlu]

I recently checked into what a vegan (as opposed to a vegetarian) can eat, and, man, there's hardly anything!

I support their right to eat (and not eat) whatever they like, and I treat vegans with courtesy, but it seems to me like a form of bondage, even a religion.

One reason given for being a vegan is that heart disease is more likely to occur if you eat meat, but look, you're going to die one day, anyway.

Here's what God has to say about it:

"Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; ... commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving ... for every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving." (I Timothy 4:1-4.)

So there you have it. You can eat meat, eggs, fish, dairy products etc.

[i'm not making a comment about the court case, as I don't know anything about it.]

[Guy Berger]

One reason given for being a vegan is that heart disease is more likely to occur if you eat meat, but look, you're going to die one day, anyway.

I'm not a nutritionist (or even know much about nutrition), but if I had to make an uninformed guess, 90% of the reduction in heart disease risk can be achieved without abandoning meat in your diet.

Guy

Edited May 21, 2007 by Guy

[rostasi]

One reason given for being a vegan is that heart disease is more likely to occur if you eat meat, but look, you're going to die one day, anyway.

Yes, let's hasten it's arrival! Maybe we should all drive even faster than we do now!

...and increase our smoking...and drink ourselves under the counter each night...and...

Here's what God has to say about it: "Now the spirit speaketh expressly...{glug, glug, glug...} So there you have it. You can eat meat, eggs, fish, dairy products etc.

Wow, I'm so relieved to know that the WaCkY "God" guy(?) enjoys his meaty stuffs!

Does she(?) stick it on the ol' barbie? Surely it's not too well-done (with all that HELL business, you know...)

Does that mean we can do all of those other groovy things

that...oh, I guess not - it's one of those "do as I say, not as I do" kinda things...oh...OK.

BTW, not eating red meat has everything to do with reduction in heart disease risk.

Edited May 21, 2007 by rostasi

[Dan Gould]

30 years a vegan (and now-retired elite athlete), I'm evidence that it can be done. But it's not a diet to be undertaken lightly. Education and diligence is a key. I would NOT recommend this diet to anyone. It's like playing music as a living, IMO: do it only if you it's a spiritual/emotional necessity.

By the way, I HATE militant vegans, or militant anything elses. I regularly dine with friends eating meat. Don't bother me one iota.

what diets did your children, if any, use?

No kids, though I did have a vegetarian dog. (Long story...about the dog, that is.)

hope to hear here of the vegetarian dog someday. thanks.

Indeed. When my wife decided to cook for our dogs, everything she read and everything she was told by the Vet made it clear that dogs require animal protein. I seriously doubt that if that dog had blood work done it would have made the Vet do somersaults.

[Unk]

30 years a vegan (and now-retired elite athlete), I'm evidence that it can be done. But it's not a diet to be undertaken lightly. Education and diligence is a key. I would NOT recommend this diet to anyone. It's like playing music as a living, IMO: do it only if you it's a spiritual/emotional necessity.

By the way, I HATE militant vegans, or militant anything elses. I regularly dine with friends eating meat. Don't bother me one iota.

what diets did your children, if any, use?

No kids, though I did have a vegetarian dog. (Long story...about the dog, that is.)

hope to hear here of the vegetarian dog someday. thanks.

Indeed. When my wife decided to cook for our dogs, everything she read and everything she was told by the Vet made it clear that dogs require animal protein. I seriously doubt that if that dog had blood work done it would have made the Vet do somersaults.

Perhaps I should have had an autopsy done when he died...at age 18. (A damn good long life for a Black Lab.)

[J Larsen]

Indeed.

[Jazzmoose]

I support their right to eat (and not eat) whatever they like, and I treat vegans with courtesy, but it seems to me like a form of bondage, even a religion.

A very evangelical religion in some cases!

[catesta]

I support their right to eat (and not eat) whatever they like, and I treat vegans with courtesy, but it seems to me like a form of bondage, even a religion.

A very evangelical religion in some cases!

Yeah, them dudes are all over the airport handing out tofu and shit, it's very annoying.

[rostasi]

Wow! Can't say that I've ever seen that!

Now, I've seen Vedantists hawking their wares in airports,

but never anyone that represented Veganism as a religion.

Rod

[catesta]

Wow! Can't say that I've ever seen that!

Now, I've seen Vedantists hawking their wares in airports,

but never anyone that represented Veganism as a religion.

Rod

I usually wave a T-Bone in their face, they run away like little children.

Of course, you know I'm just funnin', don't cha? I've never seen a Vegan hand out tofu at JFK and I very rarely carry a T-Bone in my pocket.

[Jazzmoose]

Wow! Can't say that I've ever seen that!

Now, I've seen Vedantists hawking their wares in airports,

but never anyone that represented Veganism as a religion.

Rod

I usually wave a T-Bone in their face, they run away like little children.

I just make the sign of the cross with a couple of Vienna Sausages...

[LAL]

Better not mess with those PETA members...