Ombudsman from Tatarstan proposed banning vegetarianism for minors

Children’s Ombudsman of Tatarstan Irina Volynets proposed banning vegetarianism and raw food diets for children. She addressed this initiative to the relevant committees of the State Duma. Ms. Volynets referred to “tragic cases” where children died because their parents did not give them meat. The deputies interviewed by Kommersant considered such a ban unrealizable.

Irina Volynets sent appeals with a request to “consider the issue of prohibiting vegetarianism and raw foodism at the legislative level in relation to minor children” to the State Duma committees on women, family and children’s affairs and on health protection (Kommersant has copies). Ms. Volynets is concerned that “veganism and its various variations have become a global trend.” “The choice of diet and type of nutrition is a personal choice for everyone, but it must be done consciously,” says the commissioner. She pointed out that vegetarians are deficient in vitamins B12 and D, which are involved in the formation of the musculoskeletal system, in particular the bone skeleton. In addition, according to her, vegetarian children are more likely to experience a deficiency of protein, iron, calcium, zinc, iodine: “This causes anemia, neurasthenia, severe retardation in growth and development, impaired motor skills, neurological dysfunction, imbalance of thyroid hormones, constipation, tooth decay.”

Irina Volynets referred to scientific research, according to which “in families of radical vegetarians, the risk of having a premature baby increases by 21%, as well as the development of prenatal fetal malnutrition and infant mortality.”

According to her, this is due to a lack of amino acids, found mainly in red meat: “The deficiency of vitamins and minerals not received in childhood leads to difficulties in learning, concentration, problems with short-term memory, inability to think abstractly, make decisions complex tasks in adolescence and young adulthood.” Ms. Volynets also says that “obsessive-compulsive eating behavior is more common among vegetarian teenagers,” which also causes mental illness (for example, orthorexia nervosa—the desire to eat exclusively healthy foods).

The Children’s Ombudsman of Tatarstan cites cases of “tragic outcomes.” So, in Krasnoyarsk, according to her, parents practiced a raw food diet and excluded meat, fish, eggs, milk and other necessary products from the diet of their two-year-old daughter. The child developed chronic malnutrition and anemia and died as a result. And in March in Sochi, she adds, died a newborn who was taught a raw food diet from the first days of life. Let us remind you that the criminal case under Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (causing grievous bodily harm resulting in death by negligence) was brought against blogger Maxim Lyuty.

Irina Volynets recalled the norms of the Family Code, according to which “parents, on the one hand, have a priority right to raise their children, on the other, they are responsible for their lives.”

“At the same time, there are no provisions in the legislation that would threaten punishment for parents whose families force their children to a raw food diet and vegetarianism without medical necessity. Moreover, the diet of children on a strict vegan diet is not controlled in any way,” she emphasized.

“We have not yet received an appeal. But the Ombudsman of Tatarstan is not a subject of legislative initiative. If in Tatarstan deputies of the republican parliament support the initiative and send it to the State Duma, we will consider it,” Nina Ostanina (Communist Party of the Russian Federation), chairman of the State Duma Committee on Women, Family and Children, told Kommersant. She emphasized that deputies “do not have a mechanism for interfering in family affairs”: “How does the ombudsman imagine this? Is she going to come and look at the plate? Should I check the menu?

Mrs. Ostanina emphasized that “we can only recommend how to feed and educate parents.”

“Vegetarianism and a raw food diet are contraindicated for children. Children should receive adequate nutrition: meat, vegetables, and fruits. This is according to all the canons of medicine and common sense. But it is impossible to ban it. How to control this? — Deputy Head of the Health Protection Committee Sergei Leonov (LDPR) told Kommersant. In this regard, he considers the initiative of the children’s ombudsman “unrealizable.” “There is only one option here – public control. If a child in kindergarten or school says that he is fed only grass at home, there should be a reaction from educators, teachers, and an appeal to the guardianship authorities,” points out Mr. Leonov.

Another deputy head of the Health Committee, Alexey Kurinny (KPRF), notes that among doctors “there is no common opinion to necessarily ban vegetarianism among children.” “It all depends on how it is done: with or without simultaneous intake of vitamins. Parents are responsible for the health of children, and control is exercised by health authorities and guardianship authorities. Their normal work is enough to prevent the tragic cases that the Ombudsman is talking about,” he says.

Kirill Antonov, Kazan