The baby of a vegan couple in an advanced state of malnutrition: his parents arrested

In the United States, a five-month-old baby in a serious state of malnutrition was narrowly saved. His parents were incarcerated on Wednesday February 13 in Titusville, Florida. “I have never seen a child in this state, so close to death,” said an investigator to the chain ABC. The infant, hospitalized in emergency, had the ribs visible and the eyes sunken in their sockets. Found in a lethargic state, his body temperature and his sugar level were struggling to stabilize.

Fed only with mashed potatoes

Since birth, the child had taken only 400 grams, and for good reason: his parents only fed him mashed potatoes. Both vegans, the mother, aged 20, and the father, 31, had however asked a doctor to design a diet in accordance with their principles, but finally abandoned it, for reasons still unknown.

“At some point, and when the child was fine, healthy and gaining weight, they changed his diet,” said Inspector Lauren Watson of the police department of Titusville. At the hospital, the baby, fed and hydrated by tube, had already gained more than 200 grams the next day, but could have serious consequences from this malnutrition (infirmity, chronic vulnerability to disease, intellectual disability, etc.)

Do not diversify the diet before 6 months have passed

At five months, a child takes an average of four meals a day and drinks 180 to 210 ml of milk per meal (180 ml of water + 6 measures of milk or 210 ml of water + 7 measures of milk). At this age, it is possible to begin to gently introduce solid foods. For breastfed children, the WHO recommends not to diversify the diet before 6 months of age.

The vegan diet involves not consuming meat (red, white, fish, seafood), nor any animal products (eggs, cheese, milk and honey). It is therefore not suitable for young children, and must, if it is subsequently adopted, be supervised in such a way as not to suffer from nutritional deficiencies.