Meet Australia’s happy vegan parents and their healthy vegan babies.
They are not pleased about being lumped in with the couple who faced a Sydney court on Thursday, to be sentenced over the neglect of their baby girl after feeding her what was described as a “vegan” diet.
“There are plenty of cases of abuse and neglect of babies and children and the dietary preferences of the parents are never mentioned,” former Sydneysider turned Gold Coast-based nutritionist Robyn Chuter told 7NEWS.com.au
She raised her son and daughter as vegans and at the ages of 18 and 14, they remain so.
At 62, Sydney mum Trish Haywood – creator of the plant-based cooking show Chefs In The Raw – was a rarity when she raised her two boys as vegans decades ago. But they’re now aged 30 and 38 and still vegan.
These brothers are now 30 and 38 and have been vegan since before they were born.
“I absolutely felt the whole case was misrepresented – clearly it was a case of abuse and had nothing to do with veganism. I think veganism was used as an excuse and not the reality,” Haywood said.
Meanwhile, South Coast social scientist and writer Anita Ahmadizadeh has been raising her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter as a vegan after she and her husband made the shift seven years ago.
“There was never any doubt in my mind, because we were already healthy, and there was plenty of literature available on vegan pregnancy and infancy,” she said.
“It wasn’t always met with open arms …. But when there are questions we answer them and answer them well.
“It’s not like we’re flaky teenagers just following a trend, we have consciously made this decision because we believe it is right and we can back it up.”
Melbourne neuropsychologist Dr Ash Nayate is raising her four-year-old and three-month-old sons on vegan diets after making the shift a decade ago.
Dr Ash Nayate and her vegan youngsters.
“I was very healthy during pregnancy, with no high blood pressure or gestational diabetes,” she said.
“I am very evidence-based so that’s what led me to become vegan in the first place.”
Nutritionist Chuter has helped vegan parents with diets for dozens of babies, without any problems and says careful planning is the key to good health.
The Federal Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Dietary Guidelines and NSW Health sites offer the same advice and recommend consulting a dietician, to make sure mum and bub are getting all the nutrients they need.
Sydney-based vegan pediatrician Dr Leila Masson also stresses the importance of careful dietary planning to her patients.
“Those I see do it very well,” she said.
“The standard Australian diet is hardly a good role model as we have a huge obesity problem and those eating a plant-based diet have much less risk of weight problems,” she said.
Shift to vegan diets
After 22 years of practice, Masson is noticing more of a shift towards vegan diets among her new patients and her younger colleagues.
“There are definitely more young people inspired by climate change and the impact of animal farming on climate change and want to raise their children in a more eco-friendly way,” she said.
However, she said there was something of a generational divide among her colleagues.
“The older paediatricians think it’s crazy for anyone to be vegan and eating a plant-based diet but the younger ones are interested and considering it for their own children.”
This article originally appeared on 7News.
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