A young couple in my practice are convinced that a diet of only raw foods is
the ideal way for humans to eat. There are several proponents of this "raw
foodism" who have published on the Internet, but I can't find references for
infants. This couple is not following the diet themselves, at least not yet,
but they are using it now for their 6-month-old breastfed infant as they
introduce solids. The parents are concerned that the baby is in the 12th
percentile for weight, having dropped from the 25th percentile where he was
at 3 months. The baby looks terrific to me, and the pediatrician has no
concerns regarding weight or the baby's overall health.

So far they have introduced avocado, banana, artichoke (baby likes to chew
on the raw leaves), peaches, pineapple, apples and pears. They insist that
raw foods preserve the sweet smelling stools typical of breastfed infants,
and this they regard as proof that the raw diet is what humans "should" eat.
They say they cannot use bread or cereals -- since these must be cooked? I
gather that cooking is felt to corrupt the food, making it difficult for
humans to tolerate, and leading to various bodily ills.

Are any of you expert or knowledgeable about the use of this regimen for
infants? I could refer them to a nutritionist, but I suspect they would not
find support (correct me if you think otherwise). The parents have asked for
my opinion and I admitted I don't know. I told them I'd ask my
international colleagues. Answer by email, if you think the discussion isn't
appropriate to this list.

Margery Wilson, IBCLC
Cambridge, MA
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