Vegan nutrition, which is one of the most discussed topics of our day, has come to the fore again with an event today. A vegan woman in Florida, USA, was convicted of murder after her young son died from malnutrition. The woman was sentenced to life imprisonment by the court she was brought to.
According to the shared details, 38-year-old Sheila O’Leary followed a strict vegan diet like her family. The woman was convicted of six crimes in June. These crimes were crimes against the death of the woman’s son, Ezra O’Leary, and included first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse, and two counts of child neglect.
The 1.5 year old baby was the size of a 7 month old baby:
According to the information shared by the authorities, the O’Leary family ate only raw fruit and vegetables. But the couple’s toddler was being breastfed. According to the police report, the boy was 18 months old and weighed 8 kilograms at the time of his death. However, according to the report, the baby was only 7 months old, despite his age.
The investigative team determined that the vegan couple had two more children, aged 3 and 5, who were also malnourished. As a result, the mother was sentenced to life imprisonment. Father Ryan Patrick O’Leary was previously imprisoned and is still being held here, and is expected to be tried on the same charges.
So, is vegan nutrition beneficial or harmful for children?
Many studies have been conducted and continue to be conducted on the effect of vegan nutrition on children. But research to date has revealed that non-vegan children enter puberty earlier and grow up faster. A study on intelligence development showed that vegan children had higher intelligence levels.
On the other hand, another study, especially on children who were born vegan, showed that these children may be deficient in vitamins A and D. More research on vegan nutrition and children is essential to a definitive answer to this question. In this case, it would be quite wrong to say that a vegan diet is completely beneficial or harmful for children. No comment can be made at this stage, especially about the situation in infants.
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