Vegan Health Tips with Michael Klaper, M.D.

Michael Klaper, M.D. is the author of Pregancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet; one of only a few books that covers vegan pregnancy on the market today. He has postgraduate training in medicine, surgery, anesthesiology, and obstetrics. He continues to educate people on the benefits of a vegan diet.

Disclaimer: The medical opinions stated here are for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

Question:

Today's NY Times (Monday, May 21) contains an editorial from someone peddling a nutrition book, which condemns a vegan diet for babies. This piece demands a rebuttal, and I think you are the person who should write it.

Answer:

Among the many misleading statements in "Death by Veganism," the title is most sad and unfair. Crown Shakur did not die because he was fed a vegan diet, but because he was deprived of what is available in a full, balanced and properly supplemented vegan diet. His death was a tragedy [which] was totally avoidable.

Contrary to Ms. Plank's statement that "You cannot create and nourish a robust baby merely on foods from plants," one certainly can, as thousands of vegan parents who have done precisely that can attest, and which the scientific literature can confirm. The fats, proteins and other nutrients required for health and growth can be found in a full, balanced vegan diet, with supplemental vitamin B-12, iron and DHA provided, if "nutritional insurance" is desired.

It is up to each parent to learn enough about nutrition—omnivore, vegetarian or vegan—to meet their child's nutritional needs without injuring them through excess or deficiency of any nutrient. Crown Shakur's parents should have acquired such knowledge, as should the parents of so many of today's obese children and teens who are offered overly fatty, salty and sugary foods that invite diabetes and hypertension at early ages and hasten them to diabetes, high blood pressure and other illnesses and, ultimately, premature death. Knowledge of how to correctly raise a child as a vegan is available through vegan registered dieticians affiliated with the Vegetarian Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association, the Vegetarian Resource Group, NutriSpeak, or the American Vegan Society.

Michael Klaper, M.D.
Kahului, HI

References:
South Med J. 1987 Jun;80(6):692-7 Preeclampsia and reproductive performance in a community of vegans. Carter JP, et.al.

Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Sep;48(3 Suppl):822-5 Growth and development of British vegan children. Sanders TA, et.al

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