The couple claimed to be feeding their daughter a vegan diet but the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says this case has confused the public about the healthfulness of a vegan diet.
"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. Amy Lanou, PCRM's nutritional director. "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."
Leading baby expert Dr. Benjamin Spock embraced the use of vegan diets in the 7th edition of Baby and Child Care.
Spock's book says 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.
"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 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."
Founded in 1985, PCRM is a non-profit health organization that promotes preventive medicine and good nutrition. PCRM also conducts clinicalresearch studies, opposes unethical human experimentation, and promotes alternatives to animal research.
KID'S NEED MOM'S MILK NOT COW'S
The director of paediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Frank Oski, says, "There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time. It was designed for calves, it was not designed for humans, and we should all stop drinking it today, this afternoon." Dr. Benjamin Spock agrees that although milk is the ideal food for baby cows, it can be dangerous for human infants.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants under one year of age not be fed whole cow's milk because dairy products are the leading cause of food allergies.
More than two-thirds of Native Americans and people from Asian and Mexican ancestry are lactose intolerant and as many as 15 per cent of Caucasians suffer from this ailment. The symptoms include bloating, gas, cramps, vomiting, headaches, rashes, or asthma.
