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Comment by axblount | Hacker News Reader

I am vegan and have been for about a year and a half. Animal products are not necessary for a healthy diet. That goes for adults and infants.

http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20070523.html Crown Shakur did die because he parents didn't supply him with adequate nutrition, but there's no reason he couldn't have gotten what he needed on a vegan diet.

Plenty of children are raised on a 100% vegan diet and thrive just like children fed with animal products.

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>Plenty of children are raised on a 100% vegan diet and thrive just like children fed with animal products. //

Citation? The only children I know [that I can recall] that are brought up in vegetarianism are noticeably "weedy". Shorter than average, low muscle tone, paler skin than their peers. That's completely anecdotal and a very small sample but it informs my demand to see your support for this claim.

Now it's probably quite possible to create a vegan diet with all required nutrients a child needs; but how practical is that and does it happen.

There's a reason why there are practically no vegan power athletes. I was vegan for nearly ten years and I regret it immensely as I now see how badly it set me back.

That said, you're right, with a properly-designed diet you can be healthy and happy. I don't believe you can ever be athletically optimal, however (aside from perhaps pure cardio sports).

Mac Danzig seems to counter your argument that's it isn't possible.

http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Mac-Danzig http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-traini...

Not really. First, mma isn't a power sport. Second, notice the protein supplementation. Clearly the diet alone isn't cutting it.

Aren't supplements part of your diet? Maybe this is a domain term that operates differently. Many people who aren't vegan that I know take a daily multivitamin, does this demonstrate that their diet alone isn't cutting it either?

I expect the primary reason there are practically no vegan power athletes is that there are few power athletes and few vegans.

Strongest German, vegan: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrik_Baboumian

He became vegan in 2011, after setting records.

Can you link to a study or two that at-least suggest that infants can be raised vegan?

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf

"It is the position of the American Di- etetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian di- ets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, in- cluding pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes."

Also, http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yjada/art...

Just breastfeed! Breast milk is the ideal infant food after all. Crown Shakra was fed just apple juice and soymilk.

that nytimes link showed that vegan breast milk isn't adequate

The second sentence of the article is "His vegan parents, who fed him mainly soy milk and apple juice, were convicted in Atlanta recently of murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty."

right but the article goes on to say:

"Yet even a breast-fed baby is at risk. Studies show that vegan breast milk lacks enough docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, the omega-3 fat found in fatty fish. It is difficult to overstate the importance of DHA, vital as it is for eye and brain development."

There are vegan sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds being the most common. And yes, vegan mothers should pay attention to their diet, just like omnivore mothers.

"It is suggested that vegans and vegetarians should use oils with a low ratio of linoleic to linolenic acid in view of the recently recognized role of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] in visual functioning. If known pitfalls are avoided, the growth and development of children reared on both vegan and vegetarian diets appears normal." http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/1176S.short

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