Alicia Silverstone did an interview with Page Six when she was speaking at a Good Housekeeping sustainability conference. She’s also promoting her new vitamin line. Alicia talked about being a vegan and how there’s a greater awareness and understanding of it now. She also told them that her son Bear, 7, hasn’t had to take medication ever, which she credits to their veganism. The last time I covered her she was giving Women’s Health a tour of her fridge and emphasizing the versatility of tofu. This is her thing and she’s passionate about it.
She credits veganism with keeping her son healthy.
“He’s never had to take medicine in his life,” she told Page Six of her 7-year-old son, Bear, on Thursday. “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.”Her big indulgence is granola
“I can’t keep it in the house,” she said. “I let [ex-husband and Bear’s father] Christopher [Jarecki] have it at his house. I’ll make it and then give it to him because if it’s in the house, I can’t stop eating it.”On being vegan for over 20 years
“I remember when I would go on David Letterman and go on Jay Leno and they’d be like ‘Vegan?! What’s a vegan?’ And they would just make a whole fun riff on it because it was like I was an alien, no one was talking about being vegan on television,” she recalled.“I’m just so excited that there are people in the world that see it,” she explained. “Maybe they’re going to take baby steps to get there [but] that’s a way better place then being like ‘Are you OK? Are you gonna die?’”
To be fair to her, she’s not saying medicine is bad or that other moms shouldn’t give it to their kids. She’s only saying her son has been mildly sick just twice and that’s it. I get not wanting to over medicate your child or use Tylenol for every headache and sniffle, but I also want to make sure my son is comfortable and doesn’t suffer needlessly. Modern medicine has its drawbacks for sure but the infant and child death rate was extremely high up until the 20th century. Let’s not go back there. Hopefully she would take Bear to the doctor if he was ever very sick and hopefully he has his vaccinations, although I doubt that. I’ve read that her parenting book, The Kind Mama, is antivax. At least she doesn’t continue to talk about that. As for the other stuff she says, it’s a little extreme to tout veganism as a cure all but eating more vegetables and whole foods is a good thing.
Photos credit: Avalon.red, WENN, Getty and via Instagram
Does it cure Asthma? Because that’s what my daughter took medicine for.
Touche.
👏👏👏
I side-eye vegans so much for this incessant advertising of their lifestyle.
The good health of her son is clearly related to other reasons.
My husband never saw a Dr in the last 20 years, never got sick or anything, not even a cold. He always ate meat in droves and had never touched a lettuce leaf until he met me in his late twenties.
On the contrary, I was sick for almost all my life (I had pneumonia at 4) and rarely ever ate any meat as it was too expensive to buy.
Silver
I’m vegan. But i hate people who think that makes them better than the rest. It is a choice. Some people need to eat meat, some don’t like it or don’t wanna eat it. For me, vegan food finally got my iron up, but it’s not for everyone. Vegans are not bad people, but some are making us look like idiots. Thank you Miss Silverstone
@milla, just curious on how it got your iron up. My daughter is vegetarian and one problem she has is her iron level being too low.
@Milla- you must eat bags and bags of spinach daily to get your iron up. Since meat is the biggest source of iron, I’d expect that along with a need to supplement vitamin B-12 (for which meat is the main source), you’d also have to supplement iron.
My daughter was never sick either, and she’s not a vegan. I don’t remember giving her anything except something for a cold when she was like 11. Alicia’s son has a few years to beat her. In fact my daughter learned how to swallow a pill at 15. Periods, hormones and school stress finally got to her, and excedrin helped.
My daughter was interested in becoming a vegan, and her doctor actually has a seminar on how to do it safely. I think it is a thing with teens now. If it’s purely for health the Dr. said it was easier for a lot of teens to do the 80/20 rule. Try to eat 80% vegan the other 20% not. She also stated it’s easier to start that way for teens especially, and you get a lot of the benefits of the diet without the side effects on growing teens. Apparently, a purely plant based diet does need some vitamin supplements for most people. I was surprised the Dr. was so anti-dairy too. She stated if people have digestive issues start with eliminating dairy as a whole lot of people are either lactose sensitive, intolerant or just allergic and don’t know it. Whereas, Alicia is making a pretty big leap here, I don’t think her lifestyle is unhealthy either.
I eat lots of greens and chia seeds. I take b12 and mg. Usually your body knows what it needs and i really do feel great just eating like a goat🙌 I drink almond milk, start a day with smoothie from milk, peanut butter, cale, carrots, avocado and oranges. I need to add that my sis has type1 diabetes and i learned a lot from her, before that i didn’t care about food at all
Joke time:
How can you tell someone’s vegan?
Oh don’t worry, they’ll tell you.
Or fevers? Or chicken pox? Pretty irresponsible comments from her…
Let me enlighten everyone, a rich I have a -cook assistant personal shopper- vegan is likely way healthier than the peasant variety. If I could feed MY kids picked at the full moon farm fresh buddhist blessed veggies on a harmonically resonant plate…guess they’d receive better nutrients?
Um, no. Being vegan doesn’t prevent children from getting the flu or a virus from other children and run fevers. He has never run a fever? Kids run high fevers like crazy and they need the Tylenol, or something similar, to bring those down. This sounds like the ramblings of an idiot and I say that as someone who likes her. Of course I did not know about the anti-vac stuff which would change my view of her fast.
She’s been saying this kind of BS for years now. I can’t stand the woman. Good for her for eating healthy, and if she wants to promote veganism that’s perfectly fine. But don’t make up lies about vaccines and claim that your diet can cure or prevent any illness.
She’s like the people who push the essential oils claiming they can cure/prevent autism and ebola. I think that was young living specifically, but still.
@ERINN:
Exactly!
OMG I can’t even tell you how much I HATE young living.
Omg yes!! The essential oil bs kills me! “When my toddler has a tantrum I just use oils and about five minutes later the tantrum is gone!!”said one momma selling this stuff. Face palm. I wanted to let her know nicely the oils had nothing to do with that but oh well. Lol
Her son’s either super lucky or hasn’t been to public school yet. My son never got sick until he was 2.5 and we started sending him to a daycare/learning center. We were at the doctor almost every other week for the first year and got everything under the sun. He had constant sinus infections that would move into his eyes and ears. When we would drop him off the room is just full of kids with snot running down their faces when they are that age. It was horrible but the next year was better and the last winter we hardly got sick and hoping for the same this winter. Maybe it’s because we live in the Midwest and the winter sickness is worse, idk.
Anyway, I actually am a member of Young Living but I don’t believe all the hype about most of it. There are a few products I’ve tried that work and so I just buy those and that’s it. I don’t sell and I don’t shill for it. I’ve never heard of the cure for Ebola or autism and if I would’ve I wouldn’t have believed it, who would??
Mel – I think that it’s probably the lack of public school. I assumed she probably home schooled. I was pretty sick as a kid with seasonal allergies, recurring ear infections and strep throat. I was always vaccinated, but unfortunately was prone to certain things. Got my tonsils removed and tubes in my ears before I was 10, which seemed to fix a lot. EVERY year at work (I work in a large office) you can watch colds spread like crazy about a week and a half after the school year starts – it’s almost clockwork.
doTerra was another one that was sent FDA warnings, but regarding YL specifically: ” Young Living essential oils products were being sold on various websites with claims including, “Viruses (including Ebola) are no match for Young Living Essential Oils,” and “Ebola Virus can not live in the presence of cinnamon bark (this is in Thieves) nor Oregano.”
“Thieves” is one of the oils Young Living sells. The company’s website says “It is highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health.” The listed ingredients are clove, lemon, cinnamon eucalyptus and rosemary.”
One of my best friends mothers took a course for therapeutic use of essential oils and things like that. She never promotes anything as a cure or a preventative – but she does recommend certain things to help ease specific symptoms. IE: some oils can help ease the nausea and pain if you use them right away during a headache. I don’t have issue with some things like that – it’s the people that are shilling for profit and misleading people on what oils can actually do. I have purchased some and used them in a diffuser at home just for the scent. I ran some bergamot and vanilla oil last night and the house smelled like a creamsicle – I’m super sensitive to a lot of scents so I can at least customize what I want for air freshener purposes and avoid getting sick from the perfumeyness this way.
@Erinn- wow that’s so irresponsible and just crazy. I do think plants have a lot to offer and, like you said, can help alleviate symptoms or support you. I don’t think they are magic cures in a bottle like a lot of people think. I do love the smell of thieves because it smells like Christmas or fall to me and I use it as support but I don’t by any means think it’s going to be the thing that prevents me from getting sick. I think the ingredients in it have a lot to offer but it doesn’t replace good hygiene or eating right and taking care of yourself. Support, to me, is different and if you are immune compromised for any reason like lack of sleep or stress I think you are still going to get sick every now and then. I too love diffusing and I use mostly the basics like lavender, lemon, orange, peppermint, eucalyptus and I love bergamot with some lime. I totally get the purfumyness you’re talking about and it’s nice to be able to change it up all of the time instead of smelling the same scent everyday when you burn a candle.
I also have a problem with people who are selling it for profit and mislead people that may be desperate for something to help them. It’s the same with so many MLMs. I take all of it with a grain of salt and if something works for you or you think it does, great but it doesn’t mean it will for everyone.
My son (now 10) began day care at 5 weeks old. Yes, public day care, 5 weeks old. He has a ballin’ immune system, so you may be on to something there.
IIRC, she also favored feeding him directly from her mouth, after masticating the food.
I’m disabled because of severe orthopedic issues, but still have an active massage therapy license and have completed additional education re: essential oils… I can’t stand how irresponsibly essential oils are often promoted. If not used correctly, they can cause serious harm (such as photoxic chemical burns to the skin following exposure to sunlight, painful and persistent rashes, allergic/anaphylactic reactions, and even death if used incorrectly.
I know a massage therapist who recommended DoTerra’s Deep Blue blend to EVERYONE without considering that one of the primary ingredients, wintergreen, is extremely dangerous to use on (or even nearby) people with asthma (since it is chemically similar to aspirin, it can cause severe asthma attacks). She sold DoTerra, and was never taught that this could be a serious problem. Apparently, even after seeing what happens to an asthmatic firsthand, she still cares about selling these oils more than she cares about the harm she could inflict on someone because she still recommends it without asking/warning her clients. Like many who sell EOs, she presents herself as an expert just because of her DoTerra training, but has had no REAL education from a non-company sponsored educational provider.
I’ve also heard horror stories about people using essential oils “neat” (undiluted), causing severe burns on their infants and young children, or ignoring medical advice and using EOs instead of antibiotics for serious infections. Do what you want with your own body, but it’s irresponsible to use them on or near others without PROPER training (not training offered by DoTerra or YoungLiving or from any company trying to sell oils). Don’t buy into what these MLM essential oil companies are saying about their superior “sourcing”: essential oils are NOT safe to ingest orally (unless directed by a CERTIFIED aromatherapist, and only in certain situations). And certain oils like lavender have been shown to have endocrine disrupting properties, so even “safe” oils can do real harm to one’s health.
Anything that can help us also has the ability to harm. More is not better, and “natural” doesn’t always mean “safe.”
Completely agree. I remember having a conversation with a mom who took a similar stance. She bragged she never gave her kids medicine not even with a fever. All I could think was poor kids because I would give my daughter a dose of Tylenol when she ran a fever and in 30 minutes she would go from miserable blob on the couch to running around and making me question whether she was sick enough to stay home. LOL I hope she isn’t against antibiotics because I’m pretty sure all 3 of my kids would have landed in the hospital at some time without an antibiotic.
My kids don’t need medicine because they were vaccinated (enjoy the herd immunity they help provide for you and yours, Alicia).
I didn’t know she was anti-vaccine. That is just dumb, and kind of explains her big leap here. Like I said above veganism is a healthy lifestyle, if you add some vitamins. Being healthy does probably make you less suceptible to viruses and other illnesses, but not immune. She’s just been lucky
My daughter has never been sick either. She is three now, and had only once had a high fever and that was due to a virus and has never had a need for antibiotics so far, which some doctor tried to push on me for an “ear infection” that another doctor completely disputed. But clearly this has nothing to do with veganism or a very healthy lifestyle, we are not even vegetarians we just try to not eat junk food, but that is about it. She (we) just lucked out, and I hope it will stay that way.
Also she is freaking vaccinated against everything but the Flu.
She just sounds so much like a snake oil salesman. “Never get sick!” “Live forever!” “Just step right up and get a bottle of Dr Good.”
Just because it works for her family doesn’t make it the cure for everyone. Many people can’t consume soy, or just don’t do well on vegan diet. As long as you’re eating well (meat or not) and balanced you will be healthier than eating poorly.
Medicines are life saving. Even if a baby is watched at home and gets sick less often they still get fevers which can be dangerous. Illness will happen, and they make a stronger immune system. It’s how our bodies learn to fight. It’s natural.
It’s something to feel good about, if you feed your kid so well that his immune system is doing amazingly well like that! I also think less sugar contributes to less illness. I give my children far less sugar than the average American mom (and boy do I get some shit for it from people who don’t need to be giving me their input!), and my kids get sick far less than average. They also only get organic meat and animal products, and less than average processed and grain foods.
I do think that how we feed our kids impacts their immune health. She isnt being pushy she’s just talking about the positive results of her efforts. I think it’s great and it if gets some parents to reflect on how they are feeding their kids and make some changes then good for her. I don’t think full on veganism is necessary but hey, that’s each person’s final conclusion to draw
I mean, to each his own and I won’t disagree that feeding children well is better for their health, but not everyone has the money to do an all organic/vegan diet. That is something a lot of people don’t want to admit, that eatting healthy can be costly and a lot of people don’t have the means to feed their family well, even if they want to. I mean good for Alicia, but she is rich and privileged, so giving her kid an excellent diet is easy for her.
Absolutely Heysandy. It’s a privilege to be able to feed my children food I feel good about. We do make sacrifices to prioritize this because we are currently a one income family. My kid goes to school wearing 90% secondhand clothing, but with homemade organic almond flour muffins in his snack box. It’s a balance. I know we are blessed and that some families, despite all prioritizing, will not be able to do this.
I get so sad when I see the request list from the food pantries I support. Their “most needed items” are often sugar, white flour, syrup (????). Poverty is a huge contributing factor to eating a diet that is detrimental rather than nourishing.
Except organics use pesticides as well, so no big benefit there. Some organic certified pesticides are worse than their synthetic counterparts. Read up on copper sulfate, for instance. And since organic pesticides are often less effective, they are often applied at higher rates. Avoiding extra sugar is awesome, though.
I’m sorry, but you can’t say a vegan diet is more expensive then eating animal. That’s just true. I tin if lentil compared to meat is so much less $$.
I think it good someone talking about vegaism. Meat eating is one if the biggest enviomental issues and many other thing plus the fact that cruel and inhumane.
It’s a common misconception that eating healthy is more expensive. A whole food plant based diet can be much cheaper than a typical Standard American Diet due to the fact that meat tends to be expensive. Meal planning and buying things like rice, quinoa, and dried legumes in bulk help keep costs down. Also, new evidence is suggesting that organic isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, so probably not worth doling out the extra bucks for organic produce.
@JJ the problem isn’t necessarily just expense, it is also the ability to get healthy food. Food deserts are a thing. Some people don’t have easy access to a variety of foods, especially in impoverished yrban areas. To ignore this fact is frankly, a bit obtuse and privileged thinking. It’s fine if you have the privilege to afford/obtain healthier foods, but because you can does not negate the fact that it isn’t easy for everyone.
Exactly, HeySandy, I’d also add that it takes a great deal of time to plan out, prep, and cook meals that are not only healthy but fulfilling so you aren’t reaching for the salty and sweet stuff later. Many poor families aren’t just poor in money or resources but also in time. I think vegan diets are wonderful, but a lot of vegans themselves frankly seem more interested in virtue signalling a lifestyle of inconspicuous consumption over actually helping poor people have access to better resources to be healthy.
You guys raise good points, but to be fair, I didn’t think JJ’s comment was judgemental. It’s true that a lot of people-even some who are comfortably middle class- complain that it’s just too expensive to eat healthily. I think many have been lead to believe that it’s cheaper to purchase these highly processed, pre-packaged foods, when in actuality there are many whole foods that are about the same price or even cheaper than junk food.
I understand that there are other obstacles people face, such as food desserts and lack of time. I’m currently living without a working stove, which makes cooking a challenge. But I don’t think anyone here was being dismissive.
In places that are food deserts, it absolutely can be. Poor people have to make calories stretch. The cost of fresh, healthy food is significantly higher than cheap, processed food, so being able to match things calorie for calorie is exorbitantly expensive for some people. That’s not even getting into issues like food accessibility and price jacking in low income neighborhoods. The link between poverty and health has long been studied and known and the government would rather let people starve than address it.
I agree CP.
Anyone know if washing fruits and veggies in a baking soda solution removes pesticides?
Charliepenn, same here! All organic, “controlled” sugar, no fake ingredients. We’re a Paleo household. I make about 95% of everything we eat and am very selective about the “treats” he eats (like the occasional organic Larabars with like four ingredients or home baked goods). I read the label on every single packaged thing that my child eats. I think that people would be appalled by the ingredients if they actually read labels.
You can feed your kid organic, low-sugar food as much as you want, it won’t prevent your kid from getting allergies, asthma, lupus or any other immune disease. It won’t also prevent your kid from getting the flu or meningitis, that’s just not how your immune system or infections work! Being healthy helps and a good diet helps you stay healthy but that’s about as far as the correlation goes. Everything else; organic, massive doses of vit C, vegan vs paleo vs omnivor, etc is just plain old quackery
Angeppi I don’t think anyone is saying that it will prevent something like asthma and lupus. But within those illnesses, eating less inflammatory foods will certainly help the child thrive better.
And for a child that does not have a condition like those you mentioned, the way they eat also affects their immune system. So it can indeed help them stave off things like the flu. Some foods support the immune system, some slow it down.
Paleo is not quackery. Again referring to some of the illness you mentioned, it can help people with lupus and other autoimmune diseases to thrive. Several of my family members do this. Does it cure their illness? No. But it makes each one live a better and healthier life. Paleo works for some, veganism works for some .
I just wanted to respond to you calling it quackery. Take another look. These diets help many people. Eating less sugar and processed foods helps absolutely everyone, especially little children.
You can’t really “stave off” things like the flu. You either are exposed to a high enough viral load of the influenza virus to develop infection or you were not. The people who fall into the former category fall into two different groups: a.) they had partial or full immunity due to vaccination or previous infection with the virus that allowed their system to mobilize faster and more effectively to either cut off the attack immediately or resolve it faster, b.) they got very, very lucky and didn’t have enough viral particles take hold for infection. That’s it. That’s the most simplistic explanation of how infection works.
Unless serious malnutrition is involved, there’s not a whole lot of data out there that says diet significantly improves immunity. Information about Vitamin C varies depending on the study. (Moreover, from an evolutionary perspective, it makes *sense* that we wouldn’t have “special” diets required for better immune systems: look at how different the geographies we inhabit are!) There’s nothing that really “slows” or “speeds up” your immune system. Persistent stress will activate the adrenergic system, which can decrease GI *secretion* and inhibit immunity, but otherwise that stuff is always floating around in your bloodstream ready to do its job. It’s just a matter of how vicious the invader is and how much backup it brought with it.
Paleo may work for some people, but it lacks any substantive data suggesting it’s particularly effective or has uniquely successful properties outside of any other diet. If people are claiming otherwise, that is, in fact, quackery. It’s far more likely that in going “paleo,” some people are just fortunate enough to be coincidentally eliminating triggers that are increasing immune response. I’m sure it does help some people, but for what reasons or why are still completely lost to science and completely incidental to what we actually know.
Hey @Veronica S., thanks for the ELI5 on infection and immunity. Very informative. Escapism really can be smart! 🙂
Thanks Veronica! I didn’t have much time to develop with scientific evidences this morning so your explanation is more than welcomed!
Exactly. The last thing you actually WANT is an super strong immune system. That’s how I got rheumatoid arthritis.
Um, yeah, all this tells me is that her kid was never in daycare and wasn’t exposed to a lot of other sick kids. Because I can tell you when RSV or HF&M goes around, it doesn’t give a crap if you are vegan. Good for her for being wealthy, I guess. Kudos.
Definitely never been in daycare, I agree! That was the first thing I thought of. But, isn’t he in school by now? Unless she’s home schooling.
Exactly my thoughts.
Also, a little concerning. Her child has never ran a fever? If he has and she just chose not to give him tylenol or some type of medicine for that…she doesnt even realize the alarm bells that go off in my head when she said this. I think she is nutty.
Exactly. If you keep your kids away from other kids, they will stay healthy, especially when they are young.
But they’ll get sicker later on in life when they’ll finally interact with others while having a fairly naive immune system…
Getting mono at 3 is nothing, you won’t even notice it; get mono at 15 or 20 though and you’ll spend 6 months wishing you were dead. Eating dirt, playing with other kids and animals is actually a great way to tame your immune system and make sure it doesn’t freak out for nothing
That’s what I thought too – either that kid isn’t around a lot of other kids, or they’re all just very lucky he hasn’t been sick yet. I hope they do realize how fortunate they’ve been – lots of parents do everything right with healthy food, etc, and their kids still have health issues. Genetics.
During the school year it’s like a germ factory here. I don’t even have kids but I’ve been sick multiple times since September just from all the crap going around.
I just made that comment up thread. The first winter my son was in daycare was horrible and the receptionist at his pediatrician knew us by name. We should’ve just gotten a keg of amoxicillin because the sinus infections/ear infections/cellulitis around the eyes were non stop. And HFM is THE WORST! It’s a virus so there is nothing to be done and there are five strains I think, my three yo twins just got it for the second time a month ago and the blisters are still peeling off. The first time was far worse, they were only 9mo and the girl had it so bad that the blisters burst and crusted over so she had a huge scab covering almost her entire lower calf. She also got them under her fingernails and toe nails and her nails haven’t been the same since, very thin and brittle. I got it then too and it was mild compared to her and it was pretty painful.
My question is why weren’t these childhood diseases that are so common now around when we were kids, 80s-90s? And for the love where is the HFM vaccine!!!!
I can believe it. I’m not a vegan (not even vegetarian) but I can see how the stuff they feed cows and chickens could make one sick. Hasn’t been enough incentive for me to stop eating meat, though. (I credit breasfeeding for making my kid healthy, but it’s probably just luck of the draw.)
Isn’t that special. 🙄
She’s insufferable. I don’t have an issue with veganism in the slightest, I can’t stand her.
I wonder if her child is home schooled? Pretty much the only time one of my grandchildren get ill is from school and they are very rarely ill. I believe eating better helps the immune system as well as genetics and not sitting inside all day on electronics or watching tv. And she is lucky that he doesn’t have (as one poster above stated), asthma or diabetes or some other disease that requires medication.
Actually kids that go to school build up immunities from being around other kids.
I agree minx. My grandchildren are rarely sick. Usually go through most school years unscathed by illness. Interesting story about my oldest brother. When he was five he got really sick. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong (the late 50’s). The doctor told my mom if he would get outside more and play he wouldn’t be so sick (build up that immunity). They eventually took out his tonsils and he was fine after that.
From what I understand, kids who go to daycare initially get sick a lot, but that helps build their immune system. Kids who don’t go to daycare get sick more often when they start preschool because they haven’t been exposed to as many germs. Daycare grads are healthier in pre and elementary schools cause of early exposure.
Genetics certainly contributes, as does proper nutrition, but a lot of it is just…luck. The more you’re sick as a child, the better off you are later in life because your thymus gland slowly decreases in functionality toward puberty and more or less ceases to exist in adulthood. (Hence why we use artificial T-cell induction via vaccines.)
One of my kids was about 12 before he needed any meds, and he wasn’t vegan.
It’s called luck of the draw, sometimes you’re just fortunate.
I always feel sorry for the kiddos who have to endure parental extremism in one form or another. They’re pawns in a grown-up game of self-importance, and they must maneuver the ins and outs of daily life through severe hands-on learning. Not. Fair.
I totally agree. The picture with the kid holding the avocado – his face is the face I would be making if I never got a cupcake or burger once in a while. This parents being hyper controlling of their kids diet thing seems like an extreme form of helicopter parenting.
Agreed! It seems like many parents view their children as extensions of themselves, designed to feed their parental egos (see what a good mom/dad I am?!), rather than viewing their children as people with needs/developing minds of their own.
And with social media, there seems to be so much more pressure to be “performative” and put on a show of perfectionism. When I see parents patting themselves on the back about strictly controlling their children’s lives to this degree, I often wonder what their children will choose down the road, once they are free from such intense parental pressure and control. Hopefully, her son will continue to make healthy choices, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does a 180 and dives deep into junk food when he’s able to decide for himself.
My vegan cousins in elementary school both had the flu this year while the kids they’re always around were also sick, and their vegan dad had pneumonia. I eat anything I want, and I’ve never had either illness. Healthy diet can’t prevent everything
I was a vegan for 7 years (during my teens and early 20’s) and I was severely anemic and felt unhealthy, despite my best attempts to supplement and eat as healthfully as possible. My allergies became much worse, and I was constantly sick with asthma, colds, sinus infections and bronchitis. My individual story doesn’t prove anything, really, but I know that for myself, I feel better and am healthier if I incorporate small amounts of fish, lean meats and eggs into my diet a few times a week (though I still can’t do dairy).
TL;DR- Plant based diets can be incredibly healthy, but some people require occasional animal products in order to maintain their health, so YMMV. 🙂
Same. I was veg for 12 years–and really mostly vegan because I couldn’t eat dairy anyway due to allergies. I also couldn’t eat a lot of beans and legumes because of stomach issues that did not improve over “get used to it” time. I ate as prescribed and had supplements but after a decade or so got really shaky and weak and had to return to animal protein. Immediate improvement. I can’t go more than 48 hours without something like an egg or some meat now (and oddly I can do beans and legumes again). Meanwhile I have vegan friends who can ride bikes up steep hills for 2 hours and not disintegrate. Body chemistry is weird but it’s a thing.
Yeah, you’re absolutely right- there really is no “one size fits all” approach to nutrition. And I also believe that your needs/abilities to digest certain foods can change over time, for whatever reason (medications you are taking, specific health issues, and body chemistry things we have no control over).
I’m now able to digest gluten and eat beans and cruciferous veggies like broccoli again, even though I couldn’t go near them before- experiencing EXACTLY what you just mentioned! I can’t explain why I can suddenly eat “off limits” foods now, but I’m wondering if my microbiome in my gut has changed in the past few years (especially since it’s been 3 years since I’ve had antibiotics, and I previously needed to take them at least several times a year). Probiotics never made a difference for me, but it might be something to consider (or even a different strain/brand from the health foods store) if you’re interested in giving those foods a try again. Idk, but my gut is telling me that my gut has changed lol.
Your vegan bike riding friends sound like they would annoy me 😉 My body just isn’t that strong, no matter what I do!
Honestly, it’s more likely that her kid was blessed with a good immune system, but I’m no doctor (although neither is she).
And never went to daycare! I am bracing myself for cold and flu season because i help care for 3 little ones under 3 years old, 3 times a week. The bugs they bring back from daycare are brutal!
Bingo! You nailed it, Tootsie McJingle!
Hehehe, I am going to go debbie downer on Alicia here; if she were a pure vegan, she really shouldn’t be eating avocados, unless she is sure that they have been produced without the assistance of migratory bee keeping. Other fruits and nuts to avoid are almonds, apples, plums, cherries, alfalfa, blueberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, pumpkin, lettuces, squash and tangerines. Migratory bee keeping is very damaging for bees, and should be viewed as equal to dairy production. But it’s no fun to be vegan, when you can’t eat almonds or avocados 😉 And yes, I am writing this as I am eating my lunch, which include a (free range? Organic?) steak.
Uh, yeah, that’s a bit of a stretch. Gimme a break.
jj _ It sounds like a stretch, but this is now a commonly debated topic amongst the vegan community (which tbh can feel more focused on perfectionism, rather than one’s intentions, so I keep my distance). Vegans are often militant about not taking medications in gelatin capsules, wearing leather, silk, etc., or eating certain candies because the colorings are often made from insects or tested on animals (synthetic food grade colorings). And I remember back before digital photography, many vegans protested the use of photo films because they contained gelatin!
I was a vegan for 7 years, and still choose to eat vegan/vegetarian for most of my meals, but this kind of detailed hyper vigilance is one of the reasons I hesitate going back/labeling myself vegan again. I just don’t have that kind of energy anymore! Plus, I enjoy an occasional burger/steak/omelette/piece of well prepared fresh fish too much to go 100% veg again!
Sheila _ I totally get what you are saying and I agree! When people are so 100%, all-or-nothing about their life choices, this kind of “little oversight” makes me giggle a little bit, too!
It’s called luck and luck and luck can change at any moment. Those of us with kids that are or have been sick, know that.
This exactly! Just because they have had extraordinarily good fortune, this does not necessarily mean that it is all because of their life choices… and you’re absolutely correct that anything could change in an instant.
It almost feels superstitious in a way, like if I just do this 100%, nothing bad will ever happen… until it does.
It makes me feel bad for other families who are doing their best, because the implication is that if your child isn’t 100% healthy and fever free/medication free, you MUST clearly be doing something wrong. Life isn’t so black and white, unfortunately.
I call Bravo Sierra
i had a friend that liked to portray her ‘picture perfect pinterest life’ meanwhile I knew she had all the same problems as everyone else.
Her kids are ALWAYS well behaved, never sick because she was such a great mom etc….
Elizabeth – Yeah, and because you know that it’s all for show, I’m sure it can be really annoying to see her brag so much! There was a sketch on the IFC show Portlandia related to your comment- one of the characters said that when curating/posting pics on social media, you just “crop out all the sadness,” too.
That observation really hit home to me because my life was a mess a few years ago, and it hurt to see so many “perfect” people in my Facebook feed. I haven’t posted or shared a single thing in over a year (and virtually nothing for the 3 years prior to my last post), and I couldn’t be happier about staying away. My life is still a mess, but I’m not constantly feeling “less than” my fake Facebook friends. 😉
Alicia, I love you, but please…read a book. Read any book that isn’t a vegan cookbook. That’s not how immunity works.
I’ve been a vegan for nineteen years and I say this honestly and with love: she exhausts me. I feel like part of the work of a vegan is to fight the stereotype that you’re a crazy hippie. Then maybe you can open people’s eyes a bit to the enormous good plant-based diets can do for our planet. She just has a way of saying things that never come out right.
Also, @Sheila, I don’t understand the snark.
“Trying to go through life, including every meal, avoiding any material or food item that doesn’t exploit a living creature is near-impossible, but the attempt is admirable. There will certainly be some hiccups and missteps along the way. Besides, not every farm in the country uses this practice, and it would be difficult to tell, at your average grocery store, where exactly the avocado in question came from.” – The Kitchn
Amen @Larissa!
I’ve been plant-based (I don’t say vegan, because my focus is on my food, not necessarily my every day life) for a few years, now. And I hate to even mention it, because there ARE some crazies out there who embrace that stereotype and make things harder for the rest of us.
OMG- sososososo dumb. She really is Clueless.
So much BS she’s starting to smell.
So I found out that my boyfriends parents are ‘conscientous objectors’ to vaccines. Because we are going to Cambodia together I freaked out. It’s now become a week long argument that ended with me insisting he see a GP.
I hope Silverstone is not an anti-vaxxer. Her strict vegan diet only impacts her and her son. Herd immunity only functions if 95% of the population are vaccinated.
She’s the mom who lets her kid have a cold or other virus and still attend school or other events because “oh, he’s not sick; he just does this thing lately where he sniffs a lot” or some other such bullsh*t. My kid goes to a wonderful school but there are a lot of Alicia Silverstone types there who pull the same crap on the reg.
I thought the same thing when she said that her son still goes to school when he has a runny nose. Just because you ignore something doesn’t mean it isn’t real, Alicia. It’s pretty likely he has been sick, but she ignores that, still sends him to school, and won’t give him meds to soothe his symptoms.
Marigold and Sophia’s Side Eye –
Yessssssss! Exactly this! That’s just like me saying I KNOW 100% that I don’t have diabetes (since I’ve never had my blood sugar checked) lol.
Usually when they say “medication,” they mean antibiotics and the like, which is…purely luck. Children have superior immune systems to adults, which improves their outcomes with a lot of viral infections, but antibiotics are given for *bacterial* infections. Completely different animal and purely a matter of extent of exposure/circumstances.
I don’t know. The best part of childhood is being able to eat candy and other junk food (with limits of course). When this kid turns 18 and she can no longer control him, I have a feeling he’ll probably binge on all the food he wasn’t allowed to eat. I could be wrong though.
my aunt tried that ‘no sugar’ for her kids.
my cousin hoarded donuts under her bed
LOL !
Not true. The only time we had sweets were at special Indian festivals. Rest of the time we ate fruits and lots of nuts and dried fruit. Same with fried foods-only made once every few months. And that’s typical for millions of famillies and I promise you we don’t grow up to hoard donuts under the bed:-)
Food in the rest of the world is sacred-it keeps us healthy and fed. It’s not a wierd outlet for other obsessions like here and in modern day Asia.
Nuts and fruits are my kryptonite! They’re definitely my go to snack. I wasn’t allowed candy, or sweet cereals as a kid, and that helped me to not developed an addiction to sugar.
That said, we’re all different and I’m sure that some kid’s reaction, to not being allowed sugar, would be to just want it more, and hoard donuts. lol
Yeah, putting a ‘danger zone’ label on foods or anything is as likely to intrigue kids as scare them. Anecdotal, but my dad let me and my sibling drink small amounts of beer and wine as kids, and neither of us drink now. He took the mystery and glamour out of it basically.
Agreed! The more you protest/forbid, the more enticing something can become for most children. My mom was very casual about letting me taste alcohol when I was a kid, and so it never appealed to me.
I have a friend whose mom was a health nut in the ‘70s, and she never had anything with sugar in the house… so he would sneak bites of bitter baking chocolate and sips of Pepto Bismol when she wasn’t paying attention (because I guess that would taste sweet if you’ve never had sugar?) Today, he is overweight and has a terrible diet, which is funny since he is also an MD. 😉
I wonder if the fact that he didn’t go to daycare and is in an “elite” school contributes to his lack of sickness? Also, he’s super pale for a Cali kid…is he getting enough vitamin D?
Let food be thy medicine! I bet they eat really really healthy and so that is reflected in their good health. He needs a hair cut though.
I babysat in my teens and was a nanny in my 20s for many families and regularly was told by parents, ‘our kid has medicine in the refrigerator please give it to them at this time’ pink stuff you’d take orally. kids are gross, they don’t know how to cover their mouths when they cough, sneeze, etc. you can teach them that but it takes time for them to be old enough to do it and make it a habit. in the meantime they pass along germs to everyone. how has he never been sick?
Adults are just as gross. I see so many adults cough and sneeze without covering their mouths. It makes me so upset. They don’t care about getting others sick !
True! A few years ago in the grocery store, some lady walked by me and coughed without covering, that “hey, i’m sick and should be at home” cough, and sure enough, I got it and was sick through my whole holiday break.
A healthy diet is of course essential for well being, but it’s not the only factor. My teenagers have had Tylenol/Advil in their lives but no other medications. They’ve had the occasional virus but nothing serious, not even dental issues. Their diets are OK. Not ideal, and my son’s diet in particular isn’t stellar as he seems to be on a first name basis at the local fast food joint, but I’ve always insisted green leafy vegetables are a part of our diet. I’m not militant. Despite this my teens are healthy, active, academically successful. It’s probably because of lucky genetics and favourable socio-economics and not their diet.
Human health varies considerably. Diet is only one factor. I do not personally believe her child is healthy because he’s a vegan.
I am in a monthly meditation group where one person stated recently you can’t be a proper yogi without at least being vegetarian..but preferably vegan. I was a bit offended because I have tried to go vegetarian before but my b 12 dropped too low and I have an absorption issue in general I found out with regards to b 12. The judgment I find scary.
I had the same thing happen! I’m Buddhist, and a meditator also. And yes eating no meat would be the ideal. The Dalai Lama urges pragmatism, he even eats meat at times for his health!
When I was vegetarian was the sickest year of my adult life. I did everything to get my body in balance and couldn’t. That’s not the path for me, so I always buy humane certified meat and animal products. The middle way.
That’s great for her, but I side-eye these, “vegan never been sick” stories. I think a lot of people just have good genetics that way honestly. I’m rarely sick and both of my sons are also rarely sick. The last time my younger son got sick I was so surprised I assumed he was faking at first until I checked. Most of my family is like that. But I have a few friends who, while overall healthy (nothing major) have some kind of minor ailment every time they turn around. None of us are vegan. It’s all anecdotal, but I honestly think it’s all down to genetics more than vegan versus non-vegan.
Absolute crock of sh#t. I’ve been vegan since I was 8 (my parents disagreed but let me crack on with it as they thought it was a phase that would end within a month) I’m now 24. 3 years ago I ended up in hospital fighting for my life after getting sepsis.
Wow! I’m glad you made it through the sepsis scare. That had to be incredibly scary because so many people don’t survive. So, with what you went through with being SO sick, and your history of eating a vegan diet, do comments like this make you feel like you’re “not doing it right”? Just wondering, since that’s how preachy comments tend to make me feel…
I have a lot of health issues (severe asthma, hypothyroidism, allergies/mast cell activation syndrome, chronic pain from trigeminal neuralgia- which is often called the “suicide headache”, stemming from severe disc degeneration, peripheral neuropathy and radiculopathy, AND I need total knee replacement in both knees at age 45)… It’s a lot to deal with and I often hear well meaning advice (just pray more/don’t eat blah blah blah) that in my case would be hard to do “better,” since I do the right things already 99% of the time, and have for MANY years. Like you, I began eating a vegan diet at a young age (15, so not quite as young) and now I eat a plant based/vegan diet around 75% of the time.
Correlation does not imply causation, as they say… and it’s just frustrating sometimes to see people say that their choices “prove” good outcomes, when for others, those same choices don’t result in the same food fortune.
Kim, hope you are feeling better and stronger these days!
she is a grade A mommy/food shamer.
I’ve never eaten meat and have never taken medicine. To each his own and zero judgements – this is just my personal fact. I have had a few colds and 1 flu but just dealt with it with lemon water cayenne. I’m 42.
I am a vegetarian, I have lots of Vegan and Veggie friends as well as not, my fiance is a grade A carnivore. I struggle sometimes not to barf cooking for him but he loves my cooking, he takes me out to wonderful veggie friendly places, we love each other. I have had some of the most delicious Vegan foods at my friends’ home for dinner, most are super non judgie and proud to tell you their recipes and share. I only know a few people who are Vegan and parents that are also on the antivax/I am superior, my child is a supreme being blah blah etc. Despite passionate dinner party debates and scientific facts and talking until you are blue in the face, it’s like talking to a MAGAt, waste of time. Ms. Silverstone will never be convinced that her child is not ever sick because he has never touched meat. Until he comes down with a major illness (which I would never wish upon Bear) even then she would pull something else out of her butt as the cause. Hopefully Bear is being raised as a critical thinker and has his dad on his side so that he can determine for himself one day and make his own choices.
He hasn’t taken it because she hasn’t given it to him.
Right!? I read horrible stories about anti vac moms letting their kids suffer through bladder infections and ear infections. Can you imagine? Even if your body does naturally clear it you have to suffer so much pain first and you’re risking dangerous outcomes.
Pinetree13, It’s neglect in the name of “natural remedies” for sure! No one should just automatically take antibiotics for every little thing, but untreated infections like strep (which is SO common) can lead to rheumatic fever/heart issues (just one example).
I think she’s been fortunate that her choices have worked out for her and her son. But it’s magical thinking to believe that everyone who eats this way will be 100% healthy all the time. It’s just not that simple.
Ange, I definitely think you’re right!
Another preachy vegan. That kid needs a haircut….
One thing I will say can help your kid if he’s add/ADHD /OCD/ childhood onset bipolar
Is a diet free of artificial flavors, colors and preservatives.
Both of my kids are these things and when they were toddlers and young school age woul have horrible melt downs , mood swings and behavior changes.
Red and blue dyes were the big culprits I found.
The difference in behavior and how they felt was like night and day.
That being said, there is a place for medication. My youngest (13) is severely bipolar and on 5 meds to balance it. And he’s still not good enough to go to mainstream school again yet. Without medication my son was having hourly panic attacks, had to be hospitalized for trying to kill himself.
He eats a very healthy diet but that’s not good enough because Genetics. I’m also bipolar and it big time runs in my family.
So she has just been very lucky so far, my kids didn’t need antibiotics until Jr high when their asthma really kicked in and would develop into bronchitis
CarinaCat, thank you for sharing your experiences. As a mom, that’s heartbreaking for me to hear… I hope you and your son stay healthy and well. He’s lucky to have a mom who understands, and your kids are blessed that you care enough about them to try whatever necessary to keep them as happy and healthy as possible. I’m sorry that you all are living with this, and I hope you all have a good support system when you need it. Sending you a hug from across the internet. 🤗
I have a lot of chronic pain, health issues and severe anxiety and PTSD, and I completely agree with you re: artificial flavors, preservatives and colors. I guess some people can eat artificial garbage food and be ok, but for some of us, it can cause horrible reactions. I guess that’s why countries in the EU have banned so many of these chemicals from their food supply. I’m thankful to know my triggers and that I have access to safe foods that won’t make me feel worse. Wishing you and your family well!
These moron anti-vaxers will be the death of us all.
I didn’t see anything about her saying if you becone Vegan you won’t get sick. She’s saying her son has never been sick and she credits that to being vegan. To which I say whatever floats your boat. It’s like grandmas who swear tonics or ACV keep them healthy and fit. Although, there is some correlation between certain diets and longevity. Check out The Blue Zones.