Baby fed raw vegan diet died from malnutrition - Vegan Soc official response

[Guest guest]

vegan-network, Sergio Baca <vegan@r...> wrote:

> Hello,

>

>

> What do you think about this?

>

> Baby fed raw vegan diet died from malnutrition

> A couple whose baby died of severe malnutrition because of their

raw

> vegan diet were spared a jail sentence yesterday after an Old

Bailey

> judge told them that the " crushing burden " of their guilt was the

> greatest punishment they could suffer.

>

> full article here:

> http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,552227,00.html

 

 

Vanessa Clarke posted the official Vegan Soc response to the other

I am on, just so you all know the Vegan Society has

responded to several anti-vegan-family articles in the press

recently, following the tragic death of the baby brought up on a

restrictive fruitarian raw food diet.

Do any of you actually know the family and whether the mother was

still breastfeeding - I would be curious?

 

 

Following are two letters responding to the recent news item. The

first

replies to the versions appearing in the English national press. The

second refers to a very much more hostile article in The Scotsman.

 

--------------------

The Vegan Society

7 Battle Road

St Leonards-on-Sea

East Sussex TN37 7AA

info

tel. 0845 45 88244

 

 

Sir,

 

The tragic death of Areni Manuelyan highlights the profound dangers of

letting ideology triumph over reality. Areni's parents appear to have

been so convinced that their particular fruitarian diet was healthy

that

they could not respond to her declining health in time to prevent her

death. Your article " Vegan parents spared jail after letting baby die "

could however give the impression that a vegan diet in itself is an

irresponsible diet that endangers children. This is not the case.

 

The Vegan Society has provided advice on appropriate vegan diets for

over 50 years. It has enthusiastically collaborated with nutritional

scientists in investigating the healthfulness of vegan diets,

particularly for children to whom we all owe a very special duty of

care. Prof. Tom Sanders of King's College London concluded that " if

known pitfalls are avoided, the growth and development of children

reared on both vegan and vegetarian diets appears normal. " The known

pitfalls are failing to include a reliable source of B12, such as

fortified soya milk or nutritional yeast, and relying too much on low

calorie fruits and vegetables so that the diet is insufficiently

calorie

dense for a young child.

 

Thousands of healthy children raised on a vegan diet confirm the above

advice. Research has also confirmed the beneficial effects of a vegan

diet in reducing risk of heart disease. An appropriate vegan diet is

therefore a safe, compassionate and caring way to raise a child.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Stephen Walsh

Vegan Society Trustee

On behalf of the Vegan Society Council

 

 

------------------------------

 

 

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/health.cfm?id=108668 & keyword=the

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

The article " Fed on ignorance " takes the tragedy of Areni Manuelyan's

death and uses it as a launching pad for a general attack on vegan

diets. " Independent researchers say some vegans and vegetarians can

lack

necessary nutrients such as B vitamins and iron. " This statement

would

be equally valid if the word " people " was substituted for " vegans and

vegetarians " . It is therefore misleading. Within any type of diet

inappropriate choices can lead to insufficient levels of many

important

nutrients.

 

Vegans can readily meet the UK recommended intakes of all nutrients by

following the recommendations of the Vegan Society and other

responsible

nutritional advisers. Vegans also show lower levels of heart disease

than their meat-eating counterparts reflecting their lower cholesterol

levels due to the avoidance of animal products.

 

The suggestion the protein found in soya is of a different quality to

that from animal sources is true, but not in the adverse sense

suggested. The American Heart Association recommends the consumption

of

soy protein due to its cholesterol lowering properties. The same

cannot

be said for meat, dairy products or eggs.

 

The Vegan Society has provided advice on appropriate vegan diets for

over 50 years. It has enthusiastically collaborated with independent

nutritional scientists in investigating the healthfulness of vegan

diets, particularly for children to whom we all owe a very special

duty

of care. Prof. Tom Sanders of Kings College London concluded that if

known pitfalls are avoided, the growth and development of children

reared on both vegan and vegetarian diets appears normal. The known

pitfalls are failing to include a reliable source of B12, such as

fortified soya milk or nutritional yeast, and relying too much on low

calorie fruits and vegetables so that the diet is insufficiently

calorie-dense for a young child.

 

The tragic death of Areni arose not from any problem with vegan diets

as

such but from failure to provide suitable calorie-dense solid foods

to

supplement breast milk. Areni's parents adhered to an extreme diet

that

bore no relation to Vegan Society recommendations. Parents feeding

their

children an appropriate vegan diet can be confident that they are

meeting their nutritional needs while providing them with protection

from heart disease and from animal-borne infections ranging from

salmonella to vCJD.

 

Given Scotland's leading position in the heart disease stakes you do

not

serve your readers well by denigrating the healthfulness of

appropriate

vegan diets.

 

 

yours faithfully,

Stephen Walsh

On behalf of The Vegan Society Council