Posted on 05/12/2005 9:34:27 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy
A Scottsdale couple have been charged with child abuse after their three children, who police said were put on a type of vegan diet, were found malnourished and severely underweight.
The couple’s 3-year-old daughter weighed 12 pounds when she was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital last month after apparently having a seizure, said Scottsdale detective Sam Bailey. All three children remained hospitalized Wednesday, Bailey said.
The parents, Blair Parker, 34, and Kimu Parker, 35, were arrested April 28, and on Wednesday were each being held on $90,000 bail in a Maricopa County jail.
The Parkers were charged by a direct complaint from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, according to court records. Bill FitzGerald, spokesman for the office, said the case is expected to go before a grand jury for possible indictment.
Police said that after Blair Parker took his youngest girl to the hospital, a social worker contacted police.
At the couple’s home in the 300 block of North Miller Road, police found the two other emaciated children. The 9-year-old boy weighed 29 pounds and stood at 3 feet 4 inches tall, while the 11-year-old girl was 3 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 36.5 pounds, a police report said.
Police said the Parkers’ house was immaculate, "organized" and "free of clutter." The refrigerator was stocked with fresh vegetables, roots and mixed grains.
Both older children, who were home-schooled, were well-spoken and welleducated for their ages, though officers thought the children looked young for their ages, the report said.
Dr. Janice Piatt, a pediatrician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, later told police, "I have never seen such stunting before except maybe in Africa. It was beyond severe malnutrition."
Yet Bailey said the couple "weren’t consciously starving their kids."
He noted that the children’s mother also was thin — she weighed 115 pounds and was 5 foot 6 inches tall.
"She was extremely skinny but did not appear malnourished," the report said.
Blair Parker, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds, told detectives his family was on vegan diets and don’t consume animal or dairy products.
Kimu Parker told police the family mainly eats rice, beans and vegetables. She said the two older children were small for their ages because they didn’t have "animal steroids and other products that the average person consumes."
None of the children have been vaccinated, and the family believes in holistic medicine and were in contact with a doctor in Wisconsin who would explain to them how to treat their children after diagnosing them, the report said.
The couple, who have read extensively on health issues, said the girls’ bodies don’t absorb protein and that the holistic doctor diagnosed the problem, according to the report. They supplemented the 3-year-old’s diet with a product that was supposed to help absorb the protein.
In general, vegan diets should be safe for children as long as they get the proper nutrients, two Valley nutrition specialists said.
"With regard to whether it’s appropriate for a child — there are healthy children who eat vegan all the time," said Terry Hughes of Gentle Strength Cooperative in Tempe.
Karen S. Moses, a registered dietitian at Arizona State University, said it’s possible to raise children on vegan diets successfully.
"People can be very conscientious about how they feed their children and can do a vegan diet without compromising the child’s health. It takes a lot of work. You really have to be conscientious about protein and calcium. You have to be really thinking about nutrients in a way that other people may not."
Contact Irene Hsiao by email, or phone (480)-970-2324
FWIW, there were a couple of kids of fanatical vegans in my carpool in elementary school. They were the palest, skinniest, sickliest, dullest children around -- they couldn't pay attention in class, never ran around on the playground. Whatever bug was going around, they caught it first, had it worst, and recovered last. Even we other kids KNEW something wasn't right.
Another kid in the carpool was the daughter of our pediatrician. He was absolutely livid over the whole situation - heard him agonizing with my parents over whether/how to intervene. I don't know what if anything he ever did . . . grownup stuff.
I suppose it may be theoretically possible to raise a kid on a vegan diet . . . although our pediatrician disagreed (said there were certain nutrients that growing children needed that could only be obtained from meat protein). But I don't think most parents are equipped to do the sort of careful dietary regulation that would be necessary to make it work . . . and I wonder if any parent other than the independently wealthy would have the TIME.
A sick human being would do that imho.
These are the kind of people that think Kerry is too conservative.
TWELVE pounds!! My daughter is two and is considered extremely small at 22 pounds, but is rounded and healthy.
Those people should be starved for a while. Children need fat for their brains to develop, especially before age two.
Just Damn!
I weighed almost that much the day I was born.
I would not because they're too young, at least no child of mine will ever eat steak or drink cow milk either.
>>>I would never feed a steak to a young child.
What is your definition of YOUNG?
Oh yes. For instance, I've had customers obsess about vegan ingredients but other aspects of their lifestyle aren't pure. When they get political (vegans), it can be deadly.
Lemon Veal with Lemon-Butter Linguine
Veal sauteed with lemon and butter, alongside linguine tossed in lemon, butter, romano cheese and sage leaves. Served with classic or caesar salad.
I could go for a "boxed" lunch right about now...
Steak is wasted on young kids, but they do need milk. Organic or 2% or whatever, but they do need milk.
Under ten years old.... I just would not give my children steak period but a three year old shouldn't be eating heavy meat like that.
I was eating mostly vegetarian, but I have become too carb sensitive, and now eat a lot of my calories in lean meat (reduced the total calorie intake too). Made me feel a whole lot better.
All this(your and my experience, along with that of other people, especially children) goes to show that diet should fit our metabolism, not our metabolism the diet.
Ping! I wonder if they were feeding them Tofu.
Are you on the Makers diet
I think a small amount once in a while is perfectly OK.
But they feed their daughters plenty of dairy and they're actually a little chubby.
They will openly admit that veganism is only a lifestyle that can be healthily maintained by mature adults.
Goat milk and in some cases organic cow milk with the cream in it. I wouldn't mind that at all. This is the problem with living life citified, no access to fresh food including fresh meat. Ted Nugent is right. The best meat is meat you kill yourself.
Quoting Nugent.
NOW you're talking my language!!!
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