Baby fed vegan diet removed from parents

A 14-month-old boy is found weighing little more than a newborn.

A baby who has been fed a vegan diet has been removed from his parents after arriving in hospital seriously malnourished.

The child, whose name has not been released, was taken to an Italian hospital by his grandparents and doctors were shocked by his health and weight.

Tests revealed the child was severely malnourished and his calcium levels were so low it was questionable how he could have survived. He was also suffering from a congenital heart condition which required surgery.

Doctors have sent a warning to parents who place their children on diets or restrict food groups. ‘This forces us to reflect on uncommon feeding regimes, even if in this case it was complicated by a cardiac malformation,’ said Luca Bernardo, director of paediatrics at the hospital where the child is recovering.

The hospital reported the case to the police and the baby was removed from his parents.