PARENTS ARE GIVEN PRETTY BIG DISCUSSION ON HOW THEY
RAISE THEIR KIDS, AT LEAST FOR A FEW YEARS UNTIL THE STATE
STARTS LOOKING IN.
BUT WISH OF THE LINE BE DRAWN?
SOME DIETARY DECISIONS PARENTS ARE MAKING OUR LANDING THEM
IN THE HOSPITAL.
ONE BABY WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL BY HIS GRAND PARENTS A WEEK
AGO AND DOCTORS WERE SHOCKED TO SEE THE POOR STATE OF THE BABY'S
HEALTH AND BODY WEIGHT JUST SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN A NEWBORN.
THE CHILD WAS SEVERELY MALNOURISHED WITH CALCIUM LEVELS
BARELY ADEQUATE TO SURVIVE AND THE BABY WAS ALSO SUFFERING FROM
A CONGENITAL HEART CONDITION WHICH REQUIRED EMERGENCY
SURGERY.
ONE OF THE DOCTORS SAID, "IT IS NOT A PROBLEM TO CHOOSE
DIFFERENT OR UNUSUAL KINDS OF NUTRITION AND WE CERTAINLY
DO NOT WANT TO ENTER INTO A DISCUSSION OF THE MERITS OF
THE DECISION.
BUT SINCE BIRTH, THE BABY SHOULD HAVE HAD SUPPORT IN THIS
CASE WITH CALCIUM AND IRON."
HE DOESN'T WANT TO INVOLVED IN A DISCUSSION LIKE THIS, BUT I
WILL.
FIRST OF ALL I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF THE VEGAN DIET, JUST
LAYING OUT MY PERSPECTIVE HERE.
I THINK THAT A THIRD OF THE FOOD, AND I'M BEING
GENEROUS, TASTES LIKE SAWDUST TO ME.
AND I'M A BIG MEAT EATER.
I'M NOT PROUD OF IT, THAT'S A LIE, I KIND OF THEM.
CHRIST OUT OF IT?
YEAH, BUT SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE VEGAN AND SOME
YOUNG TURKS HOSTS ARE VEGAN.
MUCH LOVE TO THEM, IN ALL HONESTY I THINK THEY ARE
BETTER PEOPLE THAN WE ARE.
THEY CARE ABOUT THE WORLD, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THOSE
ANIMALS, AND THOSE ARE GOOD TRAITS.
IN THIS CASE, SHOULD YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOUR KIDS HAVE ENOUGH
NUTRITION NO MATTER WHAT YOUR PHILOSOPHY AROUND VEGANISM IS?
OF COURSE.
BUT I ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE BEING A LITTLE
SENSATIONALISTIC HERE.
FIRST OFF, THE KID ALSO HAD, AS YOU POINTED OUT, A CONGENITAL
HEART CONDITION.
THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD A LOT TO DO WITH IT.
MAYBE IT WAS CAUSED BY THE VEGANISM.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S A REAL THING.
SECONDLY, AS JOHN IS ABOUT TO TELL YOU, THERE'S A LOT OF
HYPE AROUND THIS, PARTICULARLY IN ITALY.
IT WOULD BE A CURIOUS THING IF THERE WERE ALL THESE
MALNOURISHED BABIES AND OTHER COUNTRIES BUT THE OTHER
COUNTRIES DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT IT AND THE ITALIANS
WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO CARED.
OR MAYBE THERE ARE MORE VEGANS IN ITALY.
THEY SAY TO .8%
OF ITALIANS HAVE BECOME VEGAN, WHICH I'M AMAZED BY.
THE OTHER PART OF THE ANSWER MIGHT BE THAT THERE'S A BIT
OF HYSTERIA BECAUSE OF THAT IN ITALY, SO THEY ARE FINDING
CASES AND INTERPRETING THINGS MAYBE THEY SHOULDN'T ATTRIBUTE.
YES, THAT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.
WE DO KNOW THAT FOUR CHILDREN HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED
WITHIN THE LAST 18 MONTHS AND A MALNOURISHED TODDLER SPENT
SEVERAL DAYS IN AN INTENSIVE CARE."
IN A COUNTRY AS LARGE AS ITALY, FOR PEOPLE IS NOT A LOT.
IT'S FOR PEOPLE, SO IT DOES MATTER.
AND ANY CHILD, IF WE FEEL LIKE THEIR PARENTS ARE SORT OF
INTENTIONALLY PUTTING THEM IN HARMS WAY, THAT BOTHERS US,
WHICH IS WHITE VERY OFTEN WE WILL COVER THE STORIES OF
CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT NOT GIVING
LIFE-SAVING MEDICINE TO THEIR CHILDREN.
IT'S NOT A HUGE NUMBER OF CASES, BUT EVERY CASE MATTERS AND
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE YOU WANT TO SHED SOME LIGHT ON IT.
I THINK THE OLD GUARD IN ITALY, WHICH CARES A LOT ABOUT
EATING ñ EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT CULTURES, AND ITALY IS A CULTURE
THAT VALUES THEIR CUISINE, EATING AS A PART OF LIFE ñ
IS PROBABLY ANNOYED BY NOW A GROWING PERCENTAGE OF ITALY
THAT ARE NOW VEGAN.
THERE'S NO REASON TO BE, TO EACH HIS OWN.
I THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE VEGANS ARE FANTASTIC.
IT'S NOT FOR ME, IF I BECOME A VEGAN SOMETHING TERRIBLE
HAS HAPPENED IN MY LIFE.
I HAVE SOME SORT OF HEART CONDITION WHERE HAVE TO EAT
SAWDUST ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO IT'S NOT FOR ME, I'M BEING A DICK ABOUT IT BUT I'M BEING
HONEST, AND I THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE VEGAN ARE GREAT.
BUT SOME PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, IF YOU ARE AGAINST THE OLD
WAYS, I FIGHT YOU.
SO AS I READ THE STORY I GOT A SENSE OF SOME UNDUE
HYSTERIA IN ITALY.
SO, DOWN EVERYONE, TAKE A DEEP BREATH.
OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO GIVE YOUR KIDS THE RIGHT NUTRITION,
THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT, BUT I WOULD BE VERY
SURPRISED IF A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF VEGANS WERE GUILTY OF
THAT THAN A REGULAR POPULATION.
I BET YOU, IF 2.8%
OF ITALIANS ARE VEGAN, AND ONLY FOUR KIDS ARE BROUGHT INTO A
HOSPITAL AND THEY ARE ALL PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS, HOW MANY
NON-VEGAN KITS WERE BROUGHT INTO A HOSPITAL FOR MALNOURISHMENT?
IT'S PERFECTLY FINE, PHILOSOPHY ASIDE, THE HUMAN BODY
NEEDS DIFFERENT THINGS AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF ITS
DEVELOPMENT, AND WHAT YOU AS AN ADULT HAVE CHOSEN TO EAT MIGHT
SUSTAIN YOU IN THE SHORT RUN, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT'S
WHAT A BABY NEEDS.
BABIES OBVIOUSLY HAVE VERY DIFFERENT NEEDS IN TERMS OF HOW
MUCH FAT THEY NEED TO DEVELOP.
THE BRAIN NEEDS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FAT.
IF YOU ARE EATING A DIET THAT IS MOSTLY VEGETABLES, YOU ARE
PROBABLY NOT GETTING THAT.
YOU CAN BE FINED TO SAY, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE MY CHILD TO BE A
VEGAN MAYBE WHEN THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH AND CAN MAKE CONSCIOUS
DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN, BUT ANY SORT OF DIET THAT HASN'T BEEN
SHOWN TO NURTURE A GROWING CHILD I WOULD PROBABLY BACK OFF FROM.
I AGREE.
GRACE AND I AM AN EXPERT ON THIS BECAUSE I HAVE A DIET THAT
DOES NOT NURTURE HUMAN GROWTH.
I AM DYING RIGHT NOW.
BUT THAT REQUIRES AN ACTUAL ANALYSIS AND THAT REQUIRES
DATA AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT AT THIS TIME.
WE DON'T KNOW IF THE VEGAN DIET IS ACTUALLY LEADING TO
MALNUTRITION FOR KIDS, DON'T MAKE THOSE ASSUMPTIONS.
BUT IF THE SCIENCE COMES IN ON THAT, THEN BE OPEN TO THAT
SCIENCE.
YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE OBVIOUSLY THAT YOUR KIDS ARE OKAY.
THAT'S WHY AS SOON AS MY KIDS COULD EAT ANYTHING I IMMEDIATELY
FORCE-FED THEM BACON DOCTORS I WANT THEM TO BE MALNOURISHED.
I WILL SAY, I AGREE WITH YOU ON THE POINT ABOUT, I'M NOT A
VEGAN, I'M NOT EVEN A VEGETARIAN NOW, ALTHOUGH I HAVE BEEN AT
VARIOUS POINTS, MOSTLY LAZINESS.
I DO THINK THEY ARE BETTER PEOPLE.
I DO THINK ANYONE WHO CAN EXERCISE SOME SORT OF
SELF-CONTROL OVER WHAT THEY EAT IS A FAR BETTER PERSON THAN
ME BECAUSE I HAVE A TOUGH TIME.
ESPECIALLY SUGAR.
I HAD AN ITALIAN SUB AND IT WAS FUCKING DELICIOUS.