Parents of girl brought up on vegan diet may face charges

In my opinion being vegan, can be a very positive, healthy choice for some adults. I applaud those who can stay on the diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

However, as a former health care practioner it is impossible for me to believe that this family did not see the signs and symptoms of their childs illness (maybe rickets) for months maybe even years. This is not a case of ignorance but severe abuse and neglect.

These parents should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

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Anyone who bashes these parents are ignorant themselves and should not have children. Anyone who tries to achieve a noble goal, such as optimal good health, and makes some errors along the way should not be condemned but helped. Their motives and intentions were good ones, they just needed help. I don't blame them for not wanting to give their child pus in the milk/dairy products from sick and overused animals. Or sick meat from the grocery shelves, meat with tumors, cancer, hormones and chemicals. Real ignorance is eating something without finding out if it is good for you and does it come from a good source. I applaud this family for doing your best in being part of the solution. Someone has to stand up and make a difference to makes things better for all of us. Martin Luther King was assassinated, someone has to pay the price to effect positive change. Thanks again to this brave family, I will pray for your daughters healing and recovery.

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Children need everything growning up. They need fat more than adults do. Good fats of course. Their bodies are growing and developing at a fast rate. So they need all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients they can get into their little bodies. If you want a beautiful rose bush, you feed and nourish it. Right ?

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We do not know enough from this article if this is a case of criminal neglect of this child or a sad and simple matter of ignorance on the part of the parents about the proper planning and implementation of a vegan or vegetarian diet. Comments and judgements like, "hanging is too good for some people," and "vegetarianism is not a good diet for anyone," are also signs of ignorance. While it is true that some people have hopped on the vegan or vegatarian fad-train because they think its "cool" or a response to new found spiritual understanding without properly educating themselves about the lifestyle and how to avoid the health risks of not providing complete protiens, vitamin D and other essentials to any good diet. But there are both health and spiritual benifits of boths diets. While animals do provide a good source of protien there are also helath risks in the consumption of meat. But there are numorous sources for quality complete protiens available, such as the combination of legumes (beans) and rice and most vegatables are chuck full of essential vitamins and minerals. Health reasons are not the only reason for choosing a vegatarian or vegan diet. Many spiritual traditions oppose the eating of meat because of the karmic result of slaughter and killing. As one evolves on such a spiritual path, the purification of the body and the mind become important. However, along with the decision to follow such a path, comes the responsibility to educate oneself. To follow any path "blindly" is folley and ignorance.

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The parents were probably dumb enough to think that human breast milk is not vegan. It is! Humans lose the enzyme that digests milk at the age of three. 95% of african americans are lactose intolerant. The majority of the people in the world are lactose intolerant in fact, according to my biology book. Plenty of kids have been raised safely on a vegan diet. This is one case where the parents must not have given the kid a varied diet. Children are growing, so they need a lot more vitamins than adults do. This can be done on a vegan diet, you just need to put more thought into it than you do with an adult. I know that once you get used to being a vegan you get used to not having to think much about what you eat in order to get the nutrients you need. I'm studying to become a nutritionist and I am also a vegan. A vegan diet has done nothing but good for my body. I havent' been sick since I made the transition, I gain muscle quickly when I work out, and I'm more active than ever!

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Some people should not have children!!!!!!!!!!!

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I know vegetarian and vegan people who are healthy, but the more restricted the diet, the more SERIOUS effort has to be made to make up for the things the body needs, even as an adult. Human beings are designed to eat meat, but we can (as rational creatures) change our conditions if we plan carefully.

Unfortunately, I'd have to say that most of the vegans I have met are young girls looking for a way to practice anorexia without getting caught. They can always say "That isn't Vegan" and spend their time only eating salads. Whenever I hear a young woman is vegan it throws up a red flag in my mind, as I've seen it far, far too often.

Don't get me wrong, I know some serious and careful vegans as well, but as I've said and others here have said - you can't just start eating salads and call it healthy.

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Vegetarians should be shot!!
God made us meat eaters for a reason. People who don't eat meat are stupid and parents who don't feed there kids meat should be punished.

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My best friend is a vegitarian and he has been so for a year now. Everybody in his family eats meat, but he doesnt. He isnt being forced to be that way, it was his own choice. And he is perfectly healthy too. But I have to say, soy milk is disgusting.

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With today's technology, there is NO excuse for this dear child to have the poor health that she does, vegan diet or not. I am sure there are plenty of healthy vegans out there. There is the Internet, these parents could google 'healthy vegan diet' and get a list of foods that would provide a healthy, well-balanced diet that would still be within the vegan guidelines.

I think these parents should have this child taken away, never to see her again, get the father a vasectomy, the mother a hysterectomy, and make sure they could not adopt a goldfish, let alone a child.

I think these 'parents' should never see a free day outside a prison cell for the rest of their lives. And I hope their cell mates don't like them.

I respect lifestyles that differ from my own, whether it is sexual orientation, diet, religion, politics, etc. However, I cannot respect it when those choices harm anyone, especially a child. They cannot defend themselves.

I sincerely hope that this dear child will

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With today's technology, there is NO excuse for this dear child to
have the poor health that she does, vegan diet or not. I am sure
there are plenty of healthy vegans out there. There is the Internet,
these parents could google 'healthy vegan diet' and get a list of
foods that would provide a healthy, well-balanced diet that would
still be within the vegan guidelines.

I think these parents should have this child taken away, never to see
her again, get the father a vasectomy, the mother a hysterectomy, and
make sure they could not adopt a goldfish, let alone a child.

I think these 'parents' should never see a free day outside a prison
cell for the rest of their lives. And I hope their cell mates don't
like them.

I respect lifestyles that differ from my own, whether it is sexual
orientation, diet, religion, politics, etc. However, I cannot
respect it when those choices harm anyone, especially a child. They
cannot defend themselves.

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Sickening. Not of the parents (as much), but of the sentance.

Life? Honestly? They made a mistake, and didn't know how to run a vegan lifestyle. It's fine for kids, if they have the proper food. Instead of avoiding the food altogether, get vegan versions of the food, and it'll be fine. Life sentance is WAY too harsh.

Yet another example of people in society today not having a clue, I have a hard time supporting either sides of this story.

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I've done vegetarian diets and non vegetarian diets. I got very sick on a strick vegetarian diet because I was ignorant of the fact that we need amino acids that are insufficiently available in vegetables. Slowly I added chicken and fish and tiny bits of red meat. My health improved. People have a right to choose their diet preferences but NOT for an infant or child. Education is absolutely necessary for all people whereever they live in this world so that they don't harm others. There is no excuse for stupidity and ignorance. NONE. I hope that the parents of the children who were involved stay in prison until their last breath and heartbeat. There is no excuse for mistreating a child EVER. NONE.

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I believe that it is up to the parents to raise their children in whatever way they see fit. However, in saying that, they shouldn't do things that harm their children in any way. Spanking, ok. Physical abuse, no. This is just another case of abusing a child through whatever means. I used to know a vegan when I was growing up. We were both the same age and grade, and he looked perfectly healthy to me. That's obviously because his parents knew what they were doing and did the research needed to find out what he needed to be healthy. These parents basically physically abused their children, and there are other people like this in the world. For example, back in the 1990's, there was a couple out in Montana or Wyoming that believed that their baby was the next coming of christ and they fed him nothing but melons or something like that. That baby died, and they got charged with neglect. It just goes to show you that some people just shouldn't have children.

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Some people should just not be allowed to reproduce. This was pure ignorance. You'd think they would have noticed a problem in 12 years. All children need D to make their bowns grow,

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When are we going to start charging parents with pre-meditated murder for feeding their kids a steady diet of McDonalds, Burger King, Checkers, Sonic, Taco Bell and the like, full of empty calories, cholesterol, hypertension cardiac issues and stroke caused by a life of obesity and malnutrition? Until then, we ought to leave the vegans alone. At least they're trying to instill healthy lifestyle in their children. These parents failure is no greater than the average parent feeding the kids fastfood on a regular basis several times a week.

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As a nutritionist who believes in natural healing, I can tell you that a properly balanced vegan diet is healthy for any age. I believe this family was ill-informed on how to maintain a healthy vegan diet.
I've worked with vegans and vegetarians that eat poorly and I've worked with others that don't. The key for any diet is to eat a colorful plate of natural foods. Make sure your getting the proper amount of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

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chicken, fish, and fruits and veggies with the occaisional sweet. THATS what kids should eat.

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