‘For me, veganism is a promise I made to the animals, one I will never break’
A reality TV star has been criticised after revealing she plans to raise her unborn baby as a vegan.
Former Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson recently announced on Instagram that her and her husband James Dunmore were expecting their first child.
On Friday, she opened up about the pregnancy by doing a Q&A with her Insta followers. During this, she revealed that she planned to raise her baby as vegan.
The 32-year-old decided to become a vegetarian when she was a child growing up on a farm. After being exposed to the farming industry at an early age and watching a lamb be slaughtered, she decided to give up meat when she was just six-years-old.
In 2016, she decided to become vegan after doing some research into the dairy industry and watching the documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret.
Since then, Watson has written two bestselling plant-based recipe cookbooks.
When she was asked by a fan during the Q&A whether she would maintain her vegan diet during her pregnancy, Watson said she would be sticking to plant-based foods for the health of both her and her baby, the Mirror reports.
She explained: “For me veganism is a promise I made to the animals, one I will never break. No matter what. In terms of my diet, I’ve made a conscious effort to eat less processed food and more whole foods. Also – protein. I made sure I got at least 60g a day, protein is the building blocks of life and essential to grow a baby.
“Very achievable to get everything you need on a vegan diet, you just need to make a conscious effort, such as with any diet, to meet all your nutritional needs.”
She reassured doubters that a following a vegan diet whilst pregnant is “can be a very healthy approach to pregnancy,” before revealing that her baby would be raised on a vegan diet.
“There are people who are crack addicts who get pregnant,” she reasoned. “Being vegan is not going to stop you. And yes, our baby will be vegan.”
This prompted some to mum-shame Watson, criticising her for choosing what her child eats and suggesting the baby could end up ‘malnourished.’
One person wrote: “Surely the kid should get to choose?”
Another said: “No midwife will agree to this so she can plan it all she likes but it will be considered child neglect.”
“This really is not a good idea… yes they can choose when they’re older but as babies and toddlers they need as much of a varied diet as possible,” shared a third.
Someone else urged her to “rethink” her plans, whilst another user commented: “Shame on you! Unfit mother. Let the child decide when they are old enough. Babies and children NEED proper food, not grass.”
However, it is widely accepted that it is safe for a newborn baby to be raised on a vegan diet, as long as they still get enough protein and fat in their diet.
Pediatric dietitian Amy Chow told Healthline that “in general, it’s safe and healthy to offer a plant-based diet” for children aged 0-12 months.
Whilst vegan meal planning might be slightly more complicated once the child is able to eat solids, a vegan diet is unlikely to cause any health problems. But it is important that protein usually provided by meat is incorporated into the child’s diet through foods such as beans, peas, lentils and tofu.
Meanwhile, fat should be provided through plant-based sources such as vegetable oil, nut and seed butters, hemp hearts, ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and avocado.
Related links:
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