malnutrition trial

[Guest guest]

>Silva Swinton, seen here in court earlier this week,

>testified Wednesday that her baby daughter was fine

>until others intervened.

 

 

I don't know the purpose of your posts, but it may be that the baby

was malnourished, even by (cooked) vegan standards:

 

http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/national/ap_starve04052003.htm

 

" The child was discovered by authorities in November

2001 weighing just 10 pounds at age 16 months. "

 

" ...feeding her a diet of ground nuts, juice, herbal tea, beans, cod

liver oil and flax seed oil and no breast milk or formula "

 

 

10 pounds at 16 months does not sound too healthy. Ground nuts and

tea certainly aren't things I would feed an infant

 

Even PCRM was willing to testify as the parents were not following

proper vegan nutrition. The baby was not fed a vegan diet. The baby

was not even breast fed!

 

Below is the 3/17/03 article.

 

Note: Neal Barnard, MD, President of PCRM is supportive of a raw vegan diet!

 

Jeff

 

 

http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=displaynews & doc_id=NR2003031

71680.2_a1d6000976e10809

 

Vegan Nutrition Expert to Set Record Straight at Baby Neglect Trial

March 17, 2003 8:31am

 

WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Nutrition experts with the

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) are available

for comment on the so-called " vegan " trial beginning this week in

Queens Supreme Court. PCRM is troubled that news reports about the

New York couple who nearly starved their infant daughter are

confusing the public about the healthfulness of vegan diets. PCRM's

nutrition director, Amy Lanou, Ph.D., author of Healthy Eating for

Life for Children, is scheduled to testify at the trial.

 

" Unfortunately, the Swintons were misguided and did

not breastfeed or provide formula for their infant

daughter, the first step in good vegan nutrition, " says

Dr. Lanou. " With all the information now available about

the long-term health benefits of plant-based diets, there

is really no question that the vegan diet is safe-in fact, it

offers the most disease-fighting protection of any

dietary pattern. "

 

" Studies show that a meat-free vegan diet rich in fruits,

vegetables, whole grains, and legumes offers clear

advantages to growing bodies. In fact, some research

has even shown that vegan diets may offer advantages

for developing minds as well, " says Dr. Lanou. " The

Swintons weren't even following a real vegan diet

because they reportedly gave their child cod-liver oil,

which is derived from fish. "

 

Leading baby expert Dr. Benjamin Spock embraced the

use of vegan diets in the 7th edition of Baby and Child

Care, the leading guide for parents. Vegan babies, like

all infants, should be raised on mother's milk or formula,

eventually followed by fortified infant cereal and

mashed fruits and vegetables. At approximately eight

months, parents can begin introducing additional foods.

To ensure adequate vitamin B-12 after weaning,

parents should also introduce any common children's

multivitamin.

 

For more information on vegan diets for children and adults, visit

www.pcrm.org. For an interview with a PCRM nutrition expert, please

call Ms. Simon Chaitowitz at 202-686-2210, ext. 309, or

simonc.

 

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is

a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine,

especially good nutrition. PCRM also conducts clinical research

studies, opposes unethical human experimentation, and promotes

alternatives to animal research.