A Belgian couple had been sentenced to 6 months in jail after they were found guilty of unintentionally causing their 7-month-old baby's death.
He was dehydrated and malnourished
The 7-month old Lucas weighed only 9.5 pounds when he died. According to reports, the child was severely and malnourished. The child's parents ran a health food shop in Antwerp.
His parents reportedly fed him vegetable milk made from oats, buckwheat, rice, and quinoa. According to the child's mother, she was unable to produce breastmilk, and the child had refused to drink formula milk.
Sadly, the baby died on the way to a hospital on June 2014.
Vegetable milk is not recommended for newborns
According to Lucas' parents, they fed him vegetable milk since they believed that their son was lactose or gluten intolerant. However, during a child's first year, vegetable milk is not recommended since it does not have the essential nutrients that infants need for their growth and development.
The parents' lawyer said that the child's mother took care of Lucas, and even got up several times in the night in order to feed him. However, the fact still remains that the child passed away due malnutrition because his parents wanted to give him a vegan diet.
It's important for parents to always consult first with their child's pediatrician before making any drastic diet changes such as giving their child vegetable milk. Children are still developing, so they need all of the nutrients and minerals that they can acquire from various types of food, not just from vegetables.
Hopefully, Lucas' death will serve as a wake-up-call for parents to think more about their children's nutrition and dietary needs instead of their personal beliefs.
Source: bbc.com
READ: 11-month-old left severely malnourished after strict vegan diet
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