TikTokker, 36, who only feeds her one-year-old vegan food insists he’s ‘perfectly healthy’ on a diet of seeds, prunes, silken tofu and lemon juice – as she blasts parents for giving their kids ‘cruel’ ice cream

A mum who only feeds her one-year-old vegan insists he is “perfectly healthy” on a diet of seeds, prunes, silken tofu and lemon juice – while condemning parents for “cruelly” feeding their kids ice cream.

Annabel Fenwick Elliott, 36, from London, said she always intended to raise her child vegan and wished she had had the chance to grow up on a plant-based diet herself.

Now she insists that her son, Jasper, eat a varied diet with pureed meals such as oatmeal, coconut yogurt, cinnamon, chai seeds and prunes for breakfast, potato, sweet potato, peas, carrot, silken tofu and other ingredients such as lemon juice. for lunch, meals of chickpeas and beans, as well as her breast milk and vegan baby supplements.

While Annabel intends to give Jasper the choice of veganism when he is old enough to understand, she will be very surprised if he chooses to become a carnivore or even a vegetarian.

She explained, “I’ll be surprised if he turns out to love animals and doesn’t choose to go vegan because that’s how he’ll be informed about it.”

She said: “I always expect caregivers to raise an eyebrow when I say he’s vegan, but he’s a healthy kid.

“He’s never been sick and hit all the milestones, so it’s clear his diet is benefiting him.

“Strangely, I haven’t had any criticism for raising him vegan. At least not yet, or to my face.’

Annabel explains: ‘As a child I asked the questions ‘Where does meat come from?’ and “Isn’t it wrong to kill animals?” but the answers were always vague.

“No one has ever explicitly said, ‘We are gentle with dogs because they have feelings and we don’t want to hurt them.

“Pigs have feelings too, but it’s okay to hurt them.” But that’s the subtext when you feed your kid sausages.

‘I’ve never had any lessons about dairy either. I thought cows just produced milk all the time and we siphoned off the extra milk.

‘No, they are systemically impregnated again and again, only the calves are removed so that they can be milked intensively until they no longer produce enough, after which they are slaughtered.

“It makes me sick, especially as a mother now. If my parents had told me all this when I was five, I would have gone vegan by then.

“I’m putting Jasper on a plant-based diet until he’s old enough to explain why. Then he can make his own choices about what he eats.’

Annabel has been an animal lover since childhood and looking back, she is amazed that it took her so long to realize that veganism was the lifestyle choice for her.

She also revealed that while she believes eating meat is wrong, she thinks dairy is worse.

Annabel said, ‘I’ve always loved animals, so it’s amazing it’s taken me so long to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. It wasn’t until 2011 that I stopped eating meat.

‘But discovering the truth behind dairy farming through the documentary ‘Earthlings’ was the most shocking.

‘You can’t be a vegetarian for ethical reasons and still eat dairy. It’s so much worse than the meat industry. I was so devastated I had to give up the cheese.’

“We teach our children to be kind and gentle to animals while feeding them the products of animals that have been abused beyond belief.

“It takes a lot of restraint not to say to moms I know, ‘Would you like your dog or cat to live the life of a factory cow? No? Then don’t buy ice cream!’

“I’m not trying to lecture people about this unless they ask, but I wish this stuff was taught in school—horrific imagery and all.”

Annabel advised all other parents considering raising their children vegan to educate themselves as much as possible and allow the occasional treat.

She said, “For example, you need to supplement with vitamin B12. And don’t deprive them of treats! Fake chicken nuggets and dairy-free ice cream are delicious and completely indistinguishable from the real thing.

“The most important thing is to be honest when they ask tough questions about where food comes from. They are never too young to understand the facts.’

The mom is so against the dairy industry that she’s created a TikTok about why she’ll never give Jasper ice cream — a food that “infuriates” her because it’s so often given to kids by parents who don’t think about its production.

She said, “It really makes me sad and furious. All those kids are eating something that comes from such a cruel, dark place and they have no idea, mostly because their parents don’t know.’

Meanwhile, she explained that she’ll give him the option to eat meat when he’s older: “Maybe he doesn’t care, and then I’m fine with it.” Maybe he will become a hunter (I have huge respect for hunters – they catch from the game and consume the meat, which I see nothing wrong with).

‘All I want is for people to have all the information. If you can’t bring yourself to do those things to those animals yourself, don’t pay someone else to do it for you. That’s the message I want to install in my son.’

Sas Parsad, nutritionist at The Gut Co, said: ‘Raising children on a vegan diet can be done safely when proper planning and attention to the child’s needs is taken into account.

‘Healthy guts can still be supported by a well-balanced diet, as long as the child is provided with essential nutrients such as protein, iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids.

While there is no definitive answer to the question of whether children raised on a vegan diet are less likely to get sick, a well-planned vegan diet that promotes good gut health can provide many health benefits.

“These benefits include a lower risk of heart disease and certain cancers and supporting a strong immune system.”

‘However, it is important to ensure that children receive all the necessary nutrients for their growth and development, as deficiencies in key nutrients (such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids) can potentially impact their immune systems. and general health deteriorates.’