A Vegan Mom Was Arrested After Feeding Her Child Only Fruit And Nuts
An 11-month-old boy from Uniontown, Pennsylvania recently started suffering from strange symptoms: He had a severe rash all over his body, couldn't use his hands, and had issues with his motor system. Authorities now blame his mother, who only fed her son small amounts of food and nuts because she was allegedly obsessed with following an extreme vegan diet, CBS Pittsburgh reports. Elizabeth Hawk, 33, assured family that the child just had "allergies" and that there was nothing to worry about. But her estranged husband didn't believe her and brought the boy to child services, and he ended up being rushed to the hospital.
If he hadn't done that, the boy might have died. Doctors there said it was "inhumane" that the rash was not treated before, because it was so bad that the boy was at risk for septic shock. And on top of that, the boy was malnourished at a "failure to thrive" level, causing him to be developmentally delayed.
Hawk has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The boy is now with his father, along with two other siblings, and his condition is improving.
Of course, not all vegan diets would cause these horrific health effects, but parents raising their kids with a vegan diet need to take far more precautions for their health. For example, if moms themselves are on a vegan diet while breastfeeding, they may need to take vitamin D and B12 supplements, according to the U.K.'s National Health Service. And kids may feel full on high-fiber vegan food, but not get enough calories to thrive, so parents need to give them high-calorie foods like bananas, hummus, and peanut butter.
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