Your headline “Vegan couple sentenced to life” (for starving their infant) does grave injustice to tens of thousands of vegan couples who raise perfectly healthy babies.

The couple's infant died not because they were vegan, but because he was fed a diet of soy milk and apple juice - not recommended by any authority on vegan nutrition.

Prosecutor Mike Carlson summed up the case accurately, if somewhat harshly: “They're not vegans. They're baby killers!”

The diet of vegan babies begins with breast milk or fortified vegan formula and continues with fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and legumes.

This is why they are less likely to become obese and to suffer from common childhood diseases and food allergies.

Sound advice on raising vegan children is available from: www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm, www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/index.html, and www.vegetarianbaby.com.

Alex Hershaft

Bethesda, Md.

Hershaft, Ph.D. is national chair of the Great American Meatout.