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

• e-mail

A mother 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. 

Annabel Fenwick Elliott, 36, from London, said that she always planned to raise her child vegan and wishes she'd had the opportunity to grow up on a plant-based diet herself.

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

While Annabel plans to give Jasper a choice about veganism when he is old enough to understand, she will be very surprised if he chooses to be a meat-eater or even just a vegetarian. 

She explained  'I'll be surprised if he turns out to love animals and doesn't choose to be vegan - because he'll be so educated about it.'

Annabel Fenwick Elliott, 36, from London, has opened up about what her vegan toddler eats in a day and she's revealed why she will never let her son eat ice cream

She said: 'I always expect healthcare providers to raise an eyebrow when I say he's vegan, but he's a healthy kid.

'He has never once been sick and has hit all the milestones, so clearly, his diet is benefitting him. 

'Strangely, I've had no criticism for raising him vegan - not yet anyway, or to my face.'

Annabel explained: 'I did ask the questions as a child "Where does meat come from?" and "Isn't it wrong to kill animals?" but the answers were always vague.

'No one ever explicitly said: "We are gentle with dogs because they have feelings and we don't want to hurt them.  

'"Pigs also have feelings, but it's fine to hurt them." But that's the subtext if you're feeding your child sausages.

'I was never taught about dairy either. I thought cows just produced milk all the time and we were siphoning off the extra. 

'No, they are systemically impregnated over and over, only for their calves to be taken away, so they can be milked intensively until they stop producing 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 turned vegan then.

'I'm starting Jasper off on a plant-based diet until he's old enough for me to explain why. After that, he can make his own choices about what to eat.'

Annabel has been an animal lover since she was a child, and looking back, she's amazed it took her so long to realise that veganism was the lifestyle choice for her.

Jasper has a varied diet that includes pureed meals like oatmeal, coconut yoghurt, cinnamon, chai seeds, and prunes for breakfast

Annabel said that she always planned to raise her child vegan and wishes she'd had the opportunity to grow up on a plant-based diet herself

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

Annabel said: 'I've always loved animals, so it's amazing that it took me so long to join the dots on this. I only stopped eating meat in 2011.

'But learning the truth behind dairy farms through the documentary 'Earthlings' was the most shocking. 

'You can't be a vegetarian on ethical grounds and still eat dairy. It's so much worse than the meat industry. I was so devastated that I had to give up cheese.'

'We teach our children to be kind and gentle to animals while feeding them the produce from animals who have suffered unthinkable abuse.

While Annabel plans to give Jasper a choice about veganism when he is old enough to understand, she will be very surprised if he chooses to be a meat-eater or even just a vegetarian

'It takes a lot of restraint for me not to say to mums I know: 'Would you want your dog or cat to have the life of a factory-farmed cow? No? Then don't buy ice cream!'

'I try not to lecture people about this unless they ask, but I wish this stuff was taught in school - grisly footage and all.'

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

She said: 'You have to supplement Vitamin B12, for example. And don't deprive them of treats! Fake chicken nuggets and dairy-free ice cream are delicious and completely indistinguishable from the real thing.

'Most importantly, be honest when they ask you difficult questions about where food comes from. They're never too young to get the facts.'

She said: 'It really saddens and infuriates me. All these kids eating something that comes from such a cruel, dark place and they have no idea, usually because their parents don't.'

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

While Annabel plans to give Jasper a choice about veganism when he is old enough to understand, she will be very surprised if he chooses to be a meat-eater or even just a vegetarian 

Meanwhile she explained she will give him the option of eating meat when he is older: 'Maybe he won't care, and then I'll be totally fine with it. Maybe he'll be a hunter (I have enormous respect for hunters - they catch from the wild and consume the meat, which I see nothing wrong with).

'All I want is for people to have all the information. If you couldn'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 instill in my son.'

Sas Parsad, a nutritionist at The Gut Co, said: 'Raising children on a vegan diet can be carried out safely when proper planning and attention to a child's needs are considered.

'A healthy gut can still be supported through a well-balanced diet as long as the child is provided with essential nutrients like protein, iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids.

'Although there is not a definitive answer to whether children raised on a vegan diet are less likely to get sick, a well-planned vegan diet which promotes good gut health can provide many health benefits.

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

'It is, however, 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) could potentially impact on their immune system and overall health for the worse.'