new york times most emailed article today

[Guest guest]

[[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. ]]

 

If this is true, then it seems to me that anyone who didn't eat fish would be equally at risk. I know lots of people who eat meat but who don't like fish. Odd that nobody mentioned flax as another source of DHA.

 

[Guest guest]

It would be a good idea if one of us, writes a letter to the New York Times, as this article is

currently their most emailed article.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/opinion/21planck.html?em & ex=1179892800 & en=3b1632f1a23d4ceb & ei=5070

 

Death by Veganism

By NINA PLANCK

Published: May 21, 2007

 

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.?

[Guest guest]

At 2:36 PM -0400 5/21/07, zurumato wrote:

It would be a good idea if one of us, writes a letter to the New

York Times, as this article is currently their most

emailed article.

Death by Veganism

By NINA PLANCK

//

 

My favorite line: " babies are built from protein, calcium,

cholesterol and fish oil " !!?? It's tragic that the baby was fed

this way (apple juice for an infant?!), but I'd guess the baby was not

getting enough calories and that there were other factors as well. As

Dr. McDougall has pointed out, every time a vegan baby dies it makes

the front page (all 5? cases in the past 20 years), but 1.x million

preventable heart-disease deaths each year from the standard american

diet are not news at all.

 

Whenever I read something derogatory about soy, it somehow leads

back to the weston price fdn. [wapf] and its apologists for

cholesterol -- they're sort of the anti-Peta, in that they're really

good at getting lots of attention from the press by saying outrageous

things (and " anti " because they're pushing lard and an

aggressively carnivorous plate), and being very aggressively

on-message and in-your-face. The difference is that many people accept

what wapf say because they want to have a rationale for eating fatty

junk, even if the data wapf uses is profoundly dishonest, and because

they talk about " traditional " foods, " nourishing

traditions, " eating sensibly and going back to our roots and

eating unprocessed, natural, etc. (but they're not talking about

vegetables). One website did say Planck was a writer for wapf --

perhaps it's a consortium of like-minded individuals, but they all

seem to follow a similar script. They are also successful because most

people don't know that most of the soy, corn, and wheat is not grown

for human consumption, so they can say that x acres of soy are grown

in the U.S. and it has grown y percent, suggesting that *people* have

been eating soy in hugely increasing amounts, when in fact it's grown

as animal fodder. (On the other hand, soy has been showing up in lots

of processed " foods, " which I think traces back to the

high-protein, low-carb diet fad.)

 

I also have a problem with uncredentialed people writing books

about nutrition. On nonveg forums, when I have pointed out that the

wapf spokesperson has no expertise in the area (vs., say, Colin

Campbell who has spent his whole life in the field and has published a

great deal of peer-reviewed research), I've been shouted down as

making " ad hominem " attacks.

 

If you write a letter to the newspaper of record, check and

double-check any assertions you make, and keep a calm, civilized tone,

rather than (it's so tempting) making fun of this stuff.

 

Here's more info on the book and author:

 

review From Booklist

A successful manager of urban green markets, Planck presents a

contrarian view of what constitutes sound nutrition. She urges readers

to think back to the kinds of diets that their grandmothers ate,

regimens full of foods fresh from farms and from individual purveyors:

meats, dairy, and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Planck has a lot to

offer about the role of fats in a healthy diet. Although most

nutritionists worry about people consuming too much fat, Planck

distinguishes good fats from bad, noting that many vital nutrients are

absorbed into the body only dissolved in fat. She describes the

differences between industrial fats that have been chemically

saturated and hydrogenated and those fats that occur naturally in

vegetables, fish, and meats, especially lauding the benefits of

homemade lard. Planck draws a similar line between natural and

industrial soy foods. She also encourages people to consume much more

seafood, finding the threat of mercury contamination a bit overblown.

Above all, Planck links good nutrition to sensible enjoyment of food

in all its variety. Mark Knoblauch

American Library Association. All rights reserved

 

 

 

 

http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/17130/

The Farm Girl's Paradox

 

Nina Planck takes on the industrial-food juggernaut and the

Greenmarket Goliath, all in the same week.

 

 

* By Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite

 

(Photo: Donald Bowers)

 

Revenge is a dish best served cold-unless, that is, you're

launching a new pair of farmers' markets outside the jurisdiction of

the agency that unceremoniously fired you two and a half years ago, in

which case it looks more like a bowl of guacamole. That particular

dip, heretofore unavailable at local farmers' markets (avocados,

after all, aren't exactly local), is only one of the eyebrow-raising

foodstuffs that will appear at the two pocket-size Real Food Markets

opening in downtown Manhattan (at Petrosino Square at Lafayette and

Spring Streets, and at Sixth Avenue near Bleecker Street) on June 17.

The markets are run by Nina Planck, the Virginia farm girl and market

maven whose brief tenure as Greenmarket director was marked by

resistance to the stricter rules she'd tried to enforce on peevish

farmers. It's ironic, then, that her new venture takes a more

lenient approach, permitting such Greenmarket taboos as farmer co-ops

and items made with ingredients grown elsewhere. The markets' name

ties in to Planck's equally controversial new book, Real Food: What

to Eat and Why, an ode to the nutritional glory of animal fat, raw

milk and eggs, butter and cheese-everything, basically, we've been

told to avoid for years (catastrophically, according to Planck). Here,

she explains herself and makes a strong case for lard.

 

What's Real Food?

Food we've been eating for thousands of years. Not industrial food.

I grew up on chicken and liver and eggs and whole milk-and then I

became a vegan and a vegetarian and my health suffered. I started

eating beef and crème fraîche, eggs and raw-milk cheese, and my

health improved. I thought, Hmmm, this is interesting. I wonder if

I'm going to get a heart attack. So I started to do some homework. The

book is the result, and I concluded that Real Food isn't going give

you a heart attack, despite what they say.

 

You avoided cardiac arrest, but how did your health improve?

I'm 25 pounds thinner, my cholesterol and lipids are off-the-charts

healthy, I'm less depressed. My digestion is better. And I exercise

half as much as I used to-instead of six miles a day, I run

three.

 

Does Real Food have the potential to become the next fad diet?

The book is not written for weight loss-but I think you can be fit

and healthy eating this way.

 

Lard-you can't seem to get enough of it. How can you get more lard

into your diet?

Well, I bake with lard-biscuits and pie crusts. Mostly, I think one

shouldn't be afraid of the lard that's in bacon and sausages. The

thing about lard is that it's mostly unsaturated fat, which nobody

knows, and the monounsaturated fat in it is the same one in olive

oil.

 

What did you have for dinner last night?

Braised pork belly in some red wine and beef stock.

 

What would you do if you were invited to a vegan restaurant?

That'd be fun; I used to go to so many. The thing that I think is

funny is the raw-food people. They have it exactly right-nutrients

are destroyed when you cook food. But they have the foods upside down.

We should be cooking broccoli and carrots to make them more

nutritious. And we should be eating raw beef, raw fish, raw egg yolks

in Caesar salads, and raw milk.

 

Do you ever order in?

Never.

 

What's always in your refrigerator?

My own pickled hot peppers. And there's always buttermilk, yogurt,

stone-ground grits and eggs, and always greens. Right now I have beet

tops.

 

What vegetable do you hate?

White asparagus. Totally overrated.

 

What will people find at Real Food Markets they won't find at

Greenmarket?

Farmers who can't get to Greenmarket for one reason or another.

We're going to add to the variety and diversity of local and

traditional farm foods. We'll have pastured pork, beef, and chicken

from a co-op in the Hudson Valley. Trout and wild New York landed fish

from Eden Brook Fish Co. Artisan pickles. And Murray's Rob Kaufelt

is doing a line of buttercream and eggs and raw-milk cheeses, called

Cowfelt's, that come from all over the Northeast.

 

You've said some farmers are not being served by Greenmarket. How

so?

In the farmers'-market world, we say no a lot. At Real Food, we're

lengthening the food chain a tiny bit. We're adding co-ops and

people repping other farmers and even purveyors. Meat, poultry,

produce, and dairy have to be from the region because we raise all

those things, but we allow you to buy minor ingredients and spices

from outside the region.

 

Some might consider these markets your idea of revenge.

Oh no, I love Greenmarket. I buy tons of food there. I have nothing

but the best wishes for Greenmarket. I just want to serve another

niche.

 

 

*

[Guest guest]

hi yarrow,

 

is it ok, if I use some of your points to write a letter

to the nytimes? I am asking for permission,

of course, I will not copy word for word

just a few things that your wrote, to make a point or two.

 

I'm afraid I am too emotional, to write a coherant letter that might

get printed.

I believe that you made some good points.

Or you can send one yoursef

 

 

 

 

, yarrow wrote:

>

> At 2:36 PM -0400 5/21/07, zurumato wrote:

> It would be a good idea if one of us, writes a

> letter to the New York Times, as this article is

> currently their most emailed article.

> Death by Veganism

> By NINA PLANCK

> //

>

> My favorite line: " babies are built from protein,

> calcium, cholesterol and fish oil " !!?? It's

> tragic that the baby was fed this way (apple

> juice for an infant?!), but I'd guess the baby

> was not getting enough calories and that there

> were other factors as well. As Dr. McDougall has

> pointed out, every time a vegan baby dies it

> makes the front page (all 5? cases in the past 20

> years), but 1.x million preventable heart-disease

> deaths each year from the standard american diet

> are not news at all.

>

> Whenever I read something derogatory about soy,

> it somehow leads back to the weston price fdn.

> [wapf] and its apologists for cholesterol --

> they're sort of the anti-Peta, in that they're

> really good at getting lots of attention from the

> press by saying outrageous things (and " anti "

> because they're pushing lard and an aggressively

> carnivorous plate), and being very aggressively

> on-message and in-your-face. The difference is

> that many people accept what wapf say because

> they want to have a rationale for eating fatty

> junk, even if the data wapf uses is profoundly

> dishonest, and because they talk about

> " traditional " foods, " nourishing traditions, "

> eating sensibly and going back to our roots and

> eating unprocessed, natural, etc. (but they're

> not talking about vegetables). One website did

> say Planck was a writer for wapf -- perhaps it's

> a consortium of like-minded individuals, but they

> all seem to follow a similar script. They are

> also successful because most people don't know

> that most of the soy, corn, and wheat is not

> grown for human consumption, so they can say that

> x acres of soy are grown in the U.S. and it has

> grown y percent, suggesting that *people* have

> been eating soy in hugely increasing amounts,

> when in fact it's grown as animal fodder. (On the

> other hand, soy has been showing up in lots of

> processed " foods, " which I think traces back to

> the high-protein, low-carb diet fad.)

 

>

>

> *

>

[Guest guest]

anouk,

what, specifically? I wouldn't send them anything I wrote because

it was too much of a rant. I don't have time to do the research (and

calm down) -- deadline tomorrow. But here are some places to find

better info.

 

If I were going to write a letter, I would first find as many

details of the original story as possible, and then recap the salient

details. I would not rely on Planck's rant. I suspect that the

" vegan " angle is not the most important part of the story,

but I'd do some research first.

 

I do think the point about every vegan-baby story making the

headlines is important. Here's a quote from Dr. John McDougall's Feb.

2003 newsletter (available online): " Whenever a story surfaces

condemning eating vegetables, especially when the focus is on those

eccentric vegetarians, it makes front page news and is welcome reading

for people longing to hear their meat- and dairy- centered diet is

better than all that "health food nonsense.".... If you search the

medical literature carefully, you will find about a dozen cases

ascribed to a vegetarian diet (search www.nlm.nih.gov) - and

almost every one of these has made front page news. Compare this

risk to 1.25 million heart attacks (half fatal) annually in the USA

that get almost no media attention and are accepted as part of our

modern way of life. " I'd look for more up-to-date numbers for

heart attacks and confirm the nih datum.

 

I'd do some research on soy grown for human vs. livestock, and

get up-to-date numbers, and mention the centuries-long tradition of

soy-eating of Asian cultures. IIRC McDougall also has some good

articles on this last part.

 

I'd leave out the wapf/peta stuff entirely. I'd mention, in

passing, that Planck is not a nutritionist and thus no more qualified

to offer advice on nutrition than you or I.

 

I might also add something about how this is a failure of the

" health " care system in the U.S., where well-baby visits and

prenatal counseling could have prevented this (assuming the parents

did not have these), and that the cost is prohibitive to people who do

not have employer-provided medical insurance. That it was not the

vegan diet per se that caused this tragedy, but the lack of knowledge

of new parents and the lack of access to health care.

 

 

At 10:31 PM +0000 5/21/07, flower child wrote:

>hi yarrow,

>

>is it ok, if I use some of your points to write a letter

>to the nytimes? I am asking for permission,

> of course, I will not copy word for word

> just a few things that your wrote, to make a point or two.

>

>I'm afraid I am too emotional, to write a coherant letter that

might

>get printed.

>I believe that you made some good points.

>Or you can send one yoursef

>

>

>

>

> , yarrow wrote:

>>

>> At 2:36 PM -0400 5/21/07, zurumato wrote:

>> It would be a good idea if one of us, writes a

>> letter to the New York Times, as this article is

>> currently their most emailed article.

>> Death by Veganism

>> By NINA PLANCK

>> //

>>

>> My favorite line: " babies are built from protein,

>> calcium, cholesterol and fish oil " !!?? It's

>> tragic that the baby was fed this way (apple

>> juice for an infant?!), but I'd guess the baby

>> was not getting enough calories and that there

>> were other factors as well. As Dr. McDougall has

>> pointed out, every time a vegan baby dies it

>> makes the front page (all 5? cases in the past 20

>> years), but 1.x million preventable heart-disease

>> deaths each year from the standard american diet

>> are not news at all.

>>

>> Whenever I read something derogatory about soy,

>> it somehow leads back to the weston price fdn.

>> [wapf] and its apologists for cholesterol --

>> they're sort of the anti-Peta, in that they're

>> really good at getting lots of attention from the

>> press by saying outrageous things (and " anti "

>> because they're pushing lard and an aggressively

>> carnivorous plate), and being very aggressively

>> on-message and in-your-face. The difference is

>> that many people accept what wapf say because

>> they want to have a rationale for eating fatty

>> junk, even if the data wapf uses is profoundly

>> dishonest, and because they talk about

>> " traditional " foods, " nourishing

traditions, "

>> eating sensibly and going back to our roots and

>> eating unprocessed, natural, etc. (but they're

>> not talking about vegetables). One website did

>> say Planck was a writer for wapf -- perhaps it's

>> a consortium of like-minded individuals, but they

>> all seem to follow a similar script. They are

>> also successful because most people don't know

>> that most of the soy, corn, and wheat is not

>> grown for human consumption, so they can say that

>> x acres of soy are grown in the U.S. and it has

>> grown y percent, suggesting that *people* have

>> been eating soy in hugely increasing amounts,

>> when in fact it's grown as animal fodder. (On the

>> other hand, soy has been showing up in lots of

>> processed " foods, " which I think traces back to

>> the high-protein, low-carb diet fad.)

>

>>

>>

>> *

>>

>

>

>

>

>To send an email to

-

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Yarrow,

 

Here is the draft I am writing, possibly with grammar errors. There is

one sentence that is yours, which I used. (the one that says, i have a

problem with an uncredential person writing about nutrition)

the rest is research and former emails written by me on veganchat.

 

Thanks for the advice and info, I will research your links too.

It's kinda tricky because they want it to be short, but I think it is

important that they hear from a vegan person.

 

 

Dear New York Times,

 

Nina Planck writes that the recent death of an infant by Vegan Parents

should prompt frank discussions about nutrition. I agree with her.

However, I have a problem with an uncredentialed person who is not an

actual nutritionist, discussing nutrition in a major paper.

 

As a parent of two vegan boys, having had a successful vegan

pregnancy, I have spent a large amount of time researching what the

best choices for my children are. Here are some of the major flaws

which I have found in her article:

 

Planck says that animal products contain all of the essential amino

acids needed for life. Plants, not animals, make all of the amino

acids that humans need; therefore, the amino acids found in meat are

second hand. The protein that cows and chickens get from grasses and

grains, are the same protein that ends up in our plate as meat. The

biggest and strongest animals in nature get protein in their bodies

from plants only, for example elephants, horses, and even

brontosauruses. Vegans need not to worry about meeting protein needs

since protein is found in almost every food. A six-ounce steak is a

source of thirty-eight grams of protein, but it also delivers sixteen

grams of saturated fat. One cup of cooked lentils has eighteen grams

of protein but less than one gram of fat

 

Planck also notes that B12 is found in animal foods.

Actually, B12 is a bacteria found in soil. A cow, does not " wash " her

grass when she eats it, therefore cow's meat has B12. The sterilizing

effects of modern sanitary practices, such as tripled washed salads,

have made B12 in fruits and vegetables almost nonexistent. Since

vegans are not ingesting this bacteria, a reliable source of B-12 is

needed. The microorganisms found in B-12 vitamin supplements are the

same ones found in the bacteria that the animals get from the soil.

 

Planck mentions the importance of Vitamin D found in animals foods.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone, generally obtained through exposure

to sunlight. Vitamin D is not naturally present in cow's milk; it is

added at the dairy plant. This makes the choice for vitamin D

fortified rice or soy milk much healthier since plant-based milks do

not contain the contaminants such as antibiotics, hormones or

pesticides found in cow's milk.

 

Planck mentions that breast milk from vegan parents, lacks DHA. My

question to her would then be, where are the studies which would back

this generalizing statement. She notes that fish are a good source of

Omega-3's, however, she irresponsibly ignores the fact that fish are

also a good source of methyl mercury, PCB's, DDT and dioxins.

 

She fails to mention that The EPA has put out a list of the few fish

that are okay to eat. Cans of tuna fish contain warnings, that tuna

fish should not be consumed by pregnant women or young children

because of the dangers of the high levels of mercury poisoning and

other toxic heavy metals. This does not even address the fact that

right now our oceans are being depleted of fish, endangered or not.

 

Another fact which she ignores is that fish do not have Omega-3's in

them; no animal manufactures it. Fish get their omega-3's into their

body by eating sea plants such as micro algae and plankton. A salmon

living in clear water, without any algae, will not manufacture

Omega-3. This is the reason that fish farmers add omega 3's to their

fishmeal. Since the plants that they consume are the only reason that

they carry these oils, fish are not intrinsically a health food.

Vegans seeking to benefit from these oils cut out the fish and get

their omega threes directly from algae plants in the form of supplements.

 

She mentions that eggs are healthy. Let's see, chickens do not have

omega-3's in them. Eggs rich in omega-3's come from chickens that have

been fed an altered diet of 20% flaxseeds. The fat and cholesterol

level remain the same in these eggs. Vegans skip these eggs and get

the same benefit by drinking flax seed tea or a plethora of omega

three enhanced cereals, or hemp-enriched foods such as waffles and drinks.

 

One last point, she equivocates Veganism to a fashion. The actual

philosophy of harming none was commenced over five thousand years ago

by one of the oldest recorded religions, the Jains. There are

currently about six to eight million Jains living in India.

 

Currently, there are at least twelve diseases associated with eating

animal products. These include heart disease, different types of

cancers, strokes, obesity, impotence, Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Mad Cow

Disease, Bird Flu, Crohn's Disease and SARS.

 

Phytonutrients found only in plants, act as antioxidants fighting free

radicals and repairing DNA damage to our cells. Animal products are a

big part of the Standard American Diet. Despite all of our advances in

medicine, the American people are one of the physically sickest people

in the planet, and with very expensive medical bills.

 

 

Sincerely,

Anouk Sickler

Sarasota, FL 34232

 

 

, yarrow wrote:

>

> anouk,

> what, specifically? I wouldn't send them anything I wrote because it

> was too much of a rant. I don't have time to do the research (and

> calm down) -- deadline tomorrow. But here are some places to find

> better info.

>

> If I were going to write a letter, I would first find as many details

> of the original story as possible, and then recap the salient

> details. I would not rely on Planck's rant. I suspect that the

> " vegan " angle is not the most important part of the story, but I'd do

> some research first.

>

[Guest guest]

At 3:33 AM +0000 5/22/07, flower child wrote:

>Actually, B12 is a bacteria found in soil.

 

correction: B12 is *made by* bacteria found in soil.

 

To increase the odds of the letter getting published, I'd try to

limit it to 200 words.

[Guest guest]

Published: May 23, 2007

 

To the Editor:

 

Related

 

Op-Ed Contributor: Death by Veganism (May 21, 2007)

 

Re "Death by Veganism," by Nina Planck (Op-Ed, May 21):

 

I am a nutritionist who testified as an expert witness for the

prosecution in the criminal trial of the parents of Crown Shakur. As

the lead prosecutor in this case told the jury, this poor infant was

not killed by a vegan diet. He was starved to death by parents who did

not give him breast milk, soy-based infant formula or enough food of

any kind.

 

Well-planned vegan diets are healthful for pregnant mothers and their

infants, as well as for older children, according to a large body of

scientific research. Contrary to Ms. Planck's assertions, there are

healthy plant-based sources of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA; calcium

can be absorbed about as readily from soy milk as from cow's milk;

and soy does not inhibit growth.

 

Studies have found that vegan children are within the normal ranges

for weight and height, and I personally know vegan mothers and vegan

children who are healthier than many of their omnivorous peers.

 

Amy Joy Lanou

Washington, May 21, 2007

The writer is senior nutrition scientist, Physicians Committee for

Responsible Medicine.

 

*

 

To the Editor:

 

Nina Planck's article touches on a particularly important topic. Her

use of the term food "fashion" is appropriate: many people today

do not make informed choices about their diet; rather, they are

influenced by trends, advertising and the political correctness of

food.

 

Many adults do not understand the difference between feeding a baby, a

child and themselves. Babies and young children who do not receive a

balanced diet, with complete proteins, fats and vitamins, face

potential lifelong developmental and cognitive delays. The medical

journal Lancet recently published findings showing that children who

are not adequately nourished in the first five years of life sometimes

never catch up to their peers.

 

A diet that may be adequate for an adult is not always good for a baby

or a child. Feed your children properly now; they will thank you

later.

 

Ross Smith

New York, May 21, 2007

 

*

 

To the Editor:

 

I am shocked by the ignorance of the recent outcry against vegan diets

in the media, most recently Nina Planck's article about the dangers

and irresponsibility of vegan diets during pregnancy and infancy. What

these naysayers consistently neglect is that vegan diets, as with all

other restricted diets, must be well planned.

 

It is not enough to simply cut animal products (or carbohydrates, or

calories) out of one's diet. Without a concerted effort by the

consumer, restricted diets of any kind may fail to provide adequate

nutrition.

 

Generalizing from a handful of ignorant vegans to the entire vegan

population does a disservice to those of us who have spent years

educating ourselves on human nutritional needs and how to meet them on

a plant-based diet.

 

Well-planned vegan diets have been shown repeatedly to be sufficient,

and even beneficial at all stages of life, including during pregnancy

and infancy.

 

Nicole Speer

Boulder, Colo., May 21, 2007

 

*

 

To the Editor:

 

"Soy milk and apple juice" is not a vegan diet. Such a regimen

would jeopardize anyone's health, whether infant or adult.

 

Although vegans do not eat foods derived from animals, we do eat

everything else - and enjoy a delicious array of high-nutrient

foods, including grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits and herbs

prepared in tantalizing combinations and textures. It is well settled

that a balanced diet of these foods provides the same essential amino

acids that Nina Planck finds in an egg.

 

I'll leave the question of infant care to the physicians, but I know

firsthand that an adult vegan can enjoy robust physical health without

contributing to the cruel suffering of animals on today's factory

farms.

 

Lynette C. Kelly

New York, May 21, 2007

 

*

 

To the Editor:

 

Thank you for publishing Nina Planck's excellent article, "Death

by Veganism."

 

It's appalling that anyone would think that a diet based on a

dubious morality would build a human infant. Children need

protein.

 

George Mazzei

St. Petersburg, Fla., May 21, 2007

 

*

 

To the Editor:

 

"Death by Veganism," by Nina Planck, strays far from the truth

about vegan diets. I've raised a vegan child since conception.

Although I am a 5-foot-1, 98-pound woman, and my husband is 5-foot-8

and 145 pounds, both of us having grown up on meat and dairy, our son

was a long 22 inches and 8 pounds 9 ounces at birth.

 

His pediatrician marveled at his outstanding health. She warned us to

expect him to have colds and fevers regularly once he started day

care, but he got sick only once during his first three years of life.

He's now 13 and remains healthy and strong.

 

Yes, vegans need to ensure that their children get proper nutrition,

including vitamin B12 and omega-3s, but this is easy to do. What's

harder is having a child who eats the typical American diet stay

healthy.

 

Zoe Weil

Surry, Me., May 21, 2007

[Guest guest]

Hi Yarrow

 

Thanks for forwarding this. It gives me some small hope that there is a possibility of unbiased reporting! I think it's particularly good that this person was an expert witness for the prosecution, as it really shows how badly reported the case has been. Perhaps vegans in America could take a class-action suit against New York Times for defamation through inaccurate reporting of the case?

 

BB

Pter

 

-

yarrow

Wednesday, May 23, 2007 8:55 AM

Re: new york times most emailed article today

 

Published: May 23, 2007To the Editor:RelatedOp-Ed Contributor: Death by Veganism (May 21, 2007)Re "Death by Veganism," by Nina Planck (Op-Ed, May 21):I am a nutritionist who testified as an expert witness for the prosecution in the criminal trial of the parents of Crown Shakur. As the lead prosecutor in this case told the jury, this poor infant was not killed by a vegan diet. He was starved to death by parents who did not give him breast milk, soy-based infant formula or enough food of any kind.Well-planned vegan diets are healthful for pregnant mothers and their infants, as well as for older children, according to a large body of scientific research. Contrary to Ms. Planck's assertions, there are healthy plant-based sources of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA; calcium can be absorbed about as readily from soy milk as from cow's milk; and soy does not inhibit growth.Studies have found that vegan children are within the normal ranges for weight and height, and I personally know vegan mothers and vegan children who are healthier than many of their omnivorous peers.Amy Joy LanouWashington, May 21, 2007The writer is senior nutrition scientist, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.*To the Editor:Nina Planck's article touches on a particularly important topic. Her use of the term food "fashion" is appropriate: many people today do not make informed choices about their diet; rather, they are influenced by trends, advertising and the political correctness of food.Many adults do not understand the difference between feeding a baby, a child and themselves. Babies and young children who do not receive a balanced diet, with complete proteins, fats and vitamins, face potential lifelong developmental and cognitive delays. The medical journal Lancet recently published findings showing that children who are not adequately nourished in the first five years of life sometimes never catch up to their peers.A diet that may be adequate for an adult is not always good for a baby or a child. Feed your children properly now; they will thank you later.Ross SmithNew York, May 21, 2007*To the Editor:I am shocked by the ignorance of the recent outcry against vegan diets in the media, most recently Nina Planck's article about the dangers and irresponsibility of vegan diets during pregnancy and infancy. What these naysayers consistently neglect is that vegan diets, as with all other restricted diets, must be well planned.It is not enough to simply cut animal products (or carbohydrates, or calories) out of one's diet. Without a concerted effort by the consumer, restricted diets of any kind may fail to provide adequate nutrition.Generalizing from a handful of ignorant vegans to the entire vegan population does a disservice to those of us who have spent years educating ourselves on human nutritional needs and how to meet them on a plant-based diet.Well-planned vegan diets have been shown repeatedly to be sufficient, and even beneficial at all stages of life, including during pregnancy and infancy.Nicole SpeerBoulder, Colo., May 21, 2007*To the Editor:"Soy milk and apple juice" is not a vegan diet. Such a regimen would jeopardize anyone's health, whether infant or adult.Although vegans do not eat foods derived from animals, we do eat everything else - and enjoy a delicious array of high-nutrient foods, including grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits and herbs prepared in tantalizing combinations and textures. It is well settled that a balanced diet of these foods provides the same essential amino acids that Nina Planck finds in an egg.I'll leave the question of infant care to the physicians, but I know firsthand that an adult vegan can enjoy robust physical health without contributing to the cruel suffering of animals on today's factory farms.Lynette C. KellyNew York, May 21, 2007*To the Editor:Thank you for publishing Nina Planck's excellent article, "Death by Veganism."

It's appalling that anyone would think that a diet based on a dubious morality would build a human infant. Children need protein.George MazzeiSt. Petersburg, Fla., May 21, 2007*To the Editor:"Death by Veganism," by Nina Planck, strays far from the truth about vegan diets. I've raised a vegan child since conception. Although I am a 5-foot-1, 98-pound woman, and my husband is 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds, both of us having grown up on meat and dairy, our son was a long 22 inches and 8 pounds 9 ounces at birth.His pediatrician marveled at his outstanding health. She warned us to expect him to have colds and fevers regularly once he started day care, but he got sick only once during his first three years of life. He's now 13 and remains healthy and strong.Yes, vegans need to ensure that their children get proper nutrition, including vitamin B12 and omega-3s, but this is easy to do. What's harder is having a child who eats the typical American diet stay healthy.Zoe WeilSurry, Me., May 21, 2007