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 Æ gmail.com
> Date: May 22, 2007 10:56 AM
> Subject: NYTimes.com: Death by Veganism
> To: ckapoo Æ gmail.com
>
> [image: The New York Times]
> [image: E-mail
> This] *This page was sent to you by: * jjk514 Æ gmail.com
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> Message from sender:
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> * OPINION * | May 21, 2007
> * Op-Ed Contributor: Death by Veganism
> ex 80497600&en=f83902b3c8513583&ei 70&emc=eta1>
> *
> By NINA PLANCK
> You cannot create and nourish a robust baby merely on foods from
> plants.
>
> [image: Most E-mailed]
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