Comments on: Vegan Parents Jailed for Baby’s Death

By: Louise

Louise — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:18:31 +0000

Hi guys, I think the point of the article was to highlight the dangers of feeding soymilk to infants, not to persecute vegans. There is so much new science to suggest that soy is dangerous not only to children, but to adults too. Traditionally, Asian cultures used soy more like a condiment to supplement the meal, not as a replacement for protein. They also ate fermented soy foods like soy sauce, natto, miso and tempeh. Here’s a few links you might be interested in reading.
http://www.greenlivingonline.com/HealthNutrition/dangers-of-soy
thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm
http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/ploy.html
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/esfh-sfa072208.php

By: danakscully64

danakscully64 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:56:21 +0000

Fromper and Gypsy, VERY well said. I’ve had 4 years of nutrition training and can say that they are correct. You never hear stories of parents giving their newborns cow’s milk and dying from it. It happens, it just doesn’t make the news because the parents don’t give themselves the”vegan” title. I am not a vegan and can honestly say that a balanced vegan diet is much healthier than a balanced meat eating diet.

Fortified soy milk is HEALTHIER than cow’s milk.

“Doctors say cow’s milk can lead to iron deficiency anemia, allergies, diarrhea, heart disease, colic, cramps, gastrointestinal bleeding, sinusitis, skin rashes, acne, increased frequency of colds and flu, arthritis, diabetes, ear infections, osteoporosis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and more, possibly even lung cancer, multiple sclerosis and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

I would go into more detail on this case, but Fromper has said it all :)

Do you remember the story of a “vegan” family who starved their 3 kids? The word VEGAN was plastered everywhere, yet if you read the story, you KNEW it wasn’t the vegan diet, it was the insane parents. They would time their kids eating, make them get up the second the timer went off, they didn’t give them a variety of foods, etc. They were obsessed with the obesity problem in America and their only thoughts were to prevent it in their family. They kept their kids on low-calorie diets. It wasn’t enough food, period. Even if they were feeding them chicken or beef, it wouldn’t have mattered.

I just think it’s funny how many people poke fun at the vegan lifestyle, yet I worked as a waitress for more than 3 years and 19 out of 20 kids who came in ate chicken strips with extra ranch, french fries, and soda. Wow, healthy. And judging by their size and the size of their family, it wasn’t a special occasion thing. I even had a 1 year old who was at least 2 times the size she should have been. The parents fed their 1 year old an ADULT sized breakfast, something I couldn’t even finish if I had it over 2 meals.

The fact is: VEGAN is not the issue. SOY MILK isn’t the issue, STUPID PEOPLE are. Period.

By: Gypsy

Gypsy — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:42:27 +0000

I am not sure what Karen could possibly be disagreeing about here. Facts are facts separating veganism and soymilk from pure and outright stupidity at the hands of supposed vegan parents. Usually when you see and hear stuff like this, the people in question aren’t what they appear to be. It usually take a lot of researching and thinking things over when before the vast majority of vegans become vegan. So, in that respect I doubt the couple were truly vegan or vegetarian for that matter. Is is a fact that many are in error. Vegans are label readers to the core and information hounds, so this is not typical of a true well versed and responsible vegan. Most vegans are serious about nutrition and health and these parents can’t be classified as the same.

Like mentioned from Fromper, it should be common knowledge that infants lack the proper digestive abilities for any liquid that is not formulated specifically for them and their special needs for proper growth and development. Which is why it is contraindicated to give a newborn juice or water, because their system cannot support or digest it either. If ANY licensed medical or health profession was not clear or did not correct their errors before this tragedy happened, then they should have their license or certifications stripped. Makes you wonder if this couple was even seeing a pediatrician, because they (drs and nurses during well child visits) are always asking what, how much, how often the baby eats, poops, pees, and etc. And formula and breast milk is thoroughly discussed so there is no confusion, except when parents are just plain dumb.

It would be nice that if someone is going to tell a story to get it right. It is a known fact that veganism is okay for all stages of life, to include pregnant and lactating women. The ADA supports and encourages it. It also encourages all health care individuals to be versed in it and support those that are or wish to be. It is not only the American side, but also the Canadian as well.

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:48:30 +0000

Thank you for your clarification Fromper. I disagree with much of what you say, but will prod you no more. :-) We could be here arguing and nit-picking for the next week otherwise!
Take care,
Karen.

By: Fromper

Fromper — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:14:11 +0000

Karen - “So you agree soy is not good due to lack of nutrients.”
Where did you get that from my post? Like most foods, soy is perfectly healthy in moderation, though it’s not the miracle food that the soy industry tries to claim, nor is it the root of all evil as this author claims.
But soy milk is definitely unhealthy FOR INFANTS. Most foods are. And most parents are smart enough to ask their pediatrician or other experts what they should be feeding a newborn.
My point is that this author used this tragic case of parental stupidity to advance her anti-soy agenda and sell her anti-soy book, despite the fact that soy wasn’t the problem here.
She also took a swing at veganism along the way, although she was more subtle about it than most of the articles I’ve seen about this tragedy. Once again, veganism isn’t the problem, either. There are plenty of healthy vegan parents out there with healthy vegan babies.

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:50:18 +0000

So you agree soy is not good due to lack of nutrients. And you state the parents are morons for not knowing this, despite incredible ’soy is healthy’ propaganda which is everywhere. Personally I can’t imagine any parent anywhere deliberately wanting to starve their child to death when there are plenty of vegan alternatives as you say. On the whole, an interesting rant, Frumpy.. sorry, Fromper. :-)

By: Fromper

Fromper — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:50:17 +0000

While it’s tragic that this baby died, I find your reporting in this case to be incredibly biased.

This infant didn’t die because of soy milk, and he didn’t die because of his parents’ veganism. He died because his parents are morons. Nothing less, nothing more.

Obviously, the healthiest thing to feed an infant is breast milk. Contrary to what you imply, most vegan mothers have no problem generating enough breast milk for their babies after childbirth. The fact that this particular woman had problems with that has nothing to do with her veganism. That problem can happen to anyone, regardless of diet.

Given the lack of breast milk available, there were still vegan options that these parents could have used that are safe and healthy for babies. That they didn’t consult a pediatrician or nutritionist, but instead fed their baby things that don’t meet the needs of an infant, is entirely their own fault. Again, veganism and soy milk aren’t to blame for the stupidity of the parents.

You also mention that soy milk usually contains warning labels that it’s not good for infants. Infants less than a year old aren’t supposed to get whole dairy milk, either, but I don’t recall ever seeing a warning label on that. Nor do I recall ever seeing a warning label on apple juice, which is the other thing these parents were giving their baby. Should every liquid in the supermarket carry a statement of whether or not it’s safe for infants, or should we assume that parents are supposed to have brains?

Also, for the sake of full disclosure, does your anti-soy book mention exactly which of the soy market’s competitors signs your paychecks?