Sender: 0.3 (spamval) -- NONE
DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws;         d=gmail.com; s=beta;         h=received:in-reply-to:references:mime-version:content-type:message-id:cc:content-transfer-encoding:from:subject:date:to:x-mailer;         b=nwHMQV2034oI0Nh5TdDkXhCyWASmNb7/ISl2/Bdp4ItibEsXHR9PlZ+hhQswHgpM+ONrA5A8x0HTa3P5/ChlhsrGzRmcZ9Lebu12Hz7/qQyiKmwSMZVauw2UQ8eFaS909lcDhJrz0SUQQ/9kvbOrGG6wQPmpblEiZB+MNX84E/0=
In-Reply-To: <56e157e80705221227u59a5c1eawce5c05b02711d120 &AElig mail.gmail.com>
References: <46532eb6.17cf4c70.68dd.ffffdd80SMTPIN_ADDED &AElig mx.google.com> <56e157e80705221227u59a5c1eawce5c05b02711d120 &AElig mail.gmail.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v752.2)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Message-Id: <BBC5CE50-7EB7-4275-88FD-1CC158767ACC &AElig gmail.com>
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 10:08:14 -0400
To: improvetheworld &AElig umich.edu
Cc: ian moore <ian.tadashi &AElig gmail.com>, Daniel Reeves <dreeves &AElig gmail.com>,         bethany soule <bsoule &AElig gmail.com>,         Clare Dibble <clare.dibble &AElig gmail.com>,         Christine Kapusky <ckapoo &AElig gmail.com>
From: Robert Felty <robfelty &AElig gmail.com>
Subject: Re: NYTimes.com: Death by Veganism

Kapoo sent a link to an article which I think is worthy of  
improvetheworld discussion. The text of the article and a link to it  
are at the bottom. Here is my 2 cents:

Interesting article, but lacking in one very crucial aspect --  
references.

I have several books on vegan nutrition which address issues of  
Vitamin B12 deficiency and lists way in which it is possible to get  
the required nutrients. Certain types of Omega 3 fatty acids are very  
difficult to get as a vegan. However, one must also keep in mind that  
comparisons between vegetarians and meat-eaters should be made  
comparing average health of vegetarians to average health of meat- 
eaters, and many such studies show vegetarians to be healthier  
overall than omnivores.

I would very highly recommend "Becoming Vegan"  by Brenda Davis and  
Vesanto Melina. It has lots of useful nutrition facts, cites many  
studies in highly-regarded journals, and lists all references.

In regards to giving infants soy milk instead of formula, it is well  
known that this is a bad idea, and most soymilks have a warning on  
the package that it should not be used as infant formula. There are  
soy-based formulas though. Here's a link to a page listing a variety  
of different formulas:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/formulafeed/1334669.html

I also read a bit more about Crown Shakur on some other blogs. There  
were many atypical circumstances in the case. The parents were a  
black, vegan couple in Georgia, who gave birth at home, and were  
apparently also quite poor. I do think that they probably made some  
mistakes, but from my cursory knowledge of the case, it does not seem  
that they intentionally killed their baby. I also think it is nearly  
impossible to say "beyond the shadow of a doubt" that had they fed  
their child differently, it would have lived. One of Clare's friend's  
sisters recently lost a child. The child was about 3-4 weeks old, and  
was sleeping on the father's chest. Apparently the father dozed off  
for a bit, and when he awoke, the baby was cold and blue. I can only  
imagine how traumatic this could be, and I cannot imagine having to  
go through a trial after such an event. These parents did have to go  
through some sort of social services thing, but they were not  
punished by law.

The young and old are both very vulnerable, and much more likely to  
die unexpectedly than those in the prime of their lives. Unless there  
is reason to believe that the parents of Crown Shakur really did not  
want children, I do not think that they should be viewed as  
murderers, but rather as parents who just lost a child, and they  
should be consoled instead of jailed. Some of this also boils down to  
philosophy about the penal system. What is the role of punishment in  
the penal system? Is it to deter people from committing further  
crimes? Is it to get revenge on the perpetrators? Is it to protect  
citizens from being harmed by the criminal? In this case, I think it  
is unlikely that the parents of Crown Shakur would harm the child of  
other parents. I also find it hard to believe that they would  
intentionally kill another child of their own. I think the system is  
failing here. These parents should be monitored by social services,  
and if they choose to have other children, should be guided as to how  
to raise a healthy child within the constraints of their beliefs.

One final note: Consider an alternative situation: an infant gets a  
high fever, but is not taken to the hospital or given drugs because  
the parents are Christian Scientists, and do not believe in modern  
medicine. The baby dies. Have these parents committed murder?

Rob

ARTICLE TEXT
------------------------------------------
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.
Skip to next paragraph
Jacob Magraw-Mickelson

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.”


On May 22, 2007, at 3:27 PM, Christine Kapusky wrote:

> Interesting...
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: jjk514 &AElig gmail.com <jjk514 &AElig gmail.com>
> Date: May 22, 2007 10:56 AM
> Subject: NYTimes.com: Death by Veganism
> To: ckapoo &AElig gmail.com
>
>        [image: The New York Times] <http://www.nytimes.com/>  
> [image: E-mail
> This]       *This page was sent to you by: * jjk514 &AElig gmail.com
>
> Message from sender:
> fyi.
>
> * OPINION *   | May 21, 2007
> * Op-Ed Contributor:  Death by Veganism
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/opinion/21planck.html? 
> ex=1180497600&en=f83902b3c8513583&ei=5070&emc=eta1>
> *
> By NINA PLANCK
> You cannot create and nourish a robust baby merely on foods from  
> plants.
>
> [image: Most E-mailed]
> 1. Op-Ed Contributor: Death by
> Veganism<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/21/opinion/21planck.html? 
> ex=1180497600&en=f83902b3c8513583&ei=5070&emc=eta1>
> 2. This Is Your Life (and How You Tell
> It)<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/health/psychology/22narr.html? 
> ex=1180497600&en=12d9da8976db7071&ei=5070&emc=eta1>
> 3. Mysteries to Behold in the Dark Down Deep: Seadevils and Species
> Unknown<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/science/22deep.html? 
> ex=1180497600&en=1f342008210cb27f&ei=5070&emc=eta1>
> 4. Books of The Times: Al Gore Speaks of a Nation in
> Danger<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/books/22kaku.html? 
> ex=1180497600&en=b05d19a086e3f485&ei=5070&emc=eta1>
> 5. Executive on a Mission: Saving the
> Planet<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/science/earth/22ander.html? 
> ex=1180497600&en=64e3c95b9e4bc5cc&ei=5070&emc=eta1>
>
> »  Go to Complete List <http://www.nytimes.com/gst/mostemailed.html? 
> type=1>
>
>         Copyright 2007
> <http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html> The  
> New York
> Times Company <http://www.nytco.com/> | Privacy
> Policy<http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/privacy.html>
>
>
>
> -- 
> "Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans."  
> John
> Lennon