Recent comments from the former Clueless actress have sparked a debate as to whether the diet is optimal for children.
Alicia Silverstone was recently invited to be the keynote speaker at Good Housekeeping’s #RaiseTheGreenBar sustainability summit at Hearst Tower in New York City. While she was there she spoke about her seven-year-old’s vegan diet.
Alicia herself has been vegan for over two decades and is raising her son on the same plant-based lifestyle.
Speaking to Page Six during her New York trip, the forty-two-year-old said that her son rarely gets sick and credits his eating habits for this:
“He’s never had to take medicine in his life.
He can get sniffles and a runny nose but he’s not down, he still goes to school. Two times in his life has he been like ‘Mommy I don’t feel good,’ and it was only for a few hours and he was back running around.”
Alicia is raising her son, Bear Blu, with her ex-husband, Christopher Jarecki. The couple were together for thirteen years, but filed for divorce back in May.
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Alicia’s comments regarding her choice to raise Bear as a vegan have sparked some concerns amongst parents, in the comments section of a Facebook article published by People.
One woman critiqued Alicia’s claim that being vegan means less risk of falling sick, saying:
“I’ve been a vegan for more than 30 years and my 2-year-old twins are vegan and eat very clean – no processed foods, no dyes, etc. They both have had strep and now that they are in preschool, both have been sick with ear infections and colds. Being vegan is healthier for the gut but you’re not immune from catching airborne illnesses. I wonder if Alicia Silverstone’s son was only around a nanny until kindergarten (and not in preschool) so maybe that’s why he didn’t get sick when he was young.”
Whilst another said:
“My friend’s vegan and her and her kids don’t seem to get sick as long but they get sick just like everyone else. I’m all for whatever way of life you live but don’t pretend it makes you superior.”
Other mums supported Alicia’s claim, saying that switching to a plant-based diet has led to “better health” for their children.
Diet is such a personal thing, so we reckon the mum-shaming should stop. Alicia was only making a point about her own child. It’s a case for the old saying:
“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
