The fate of an Italian baby remains in question after he was brought to a Milan hospital. He was severely malnourished due to the strict vegan diet his misinformed parents were feeding him.

Doctors say the 14-month-old baby had the body weight of just a three-month-old. The baby boy’s calcium level was at the minimal level needed to survive, and it was exacerbating a heart condition that had him undergoing emergency surgery, according to sfgate.com.

The mother and father, even knowing he was in poor health, refused to feed him animal products or dietary supplements, according to reports.

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While the baby is recovering to the extent it can, Child Protective Services is weighing whether or not to return him to his parents. The mother and father, even knowing he was in poor health, refused to feed him animal products or dietary supplements, according to reports. The baby’s grandparents are the ones who stepped in and brought the child to the hospital for help earlier this month.

It’s not often that Jill Castle, a registered dietitian and childhood nutrition expert from Connecticut, sees parents feeding infants an exclusively vegan diet. But she is seeing more trendy approaches to feeding infants these days. The strong belief is that, almost always, parents are doing what’s best for their baby — but there will be times, such as this, that their efforts are misguided.

“Any time we are getting into a situation where an infant might be missing out on important nutrients, such as iron and zinc, things can get a little off-track and the health of the baby can suffer. Parents aren’t doing this in order to hurt their child — I truly believe some of this happens because the intention is initially good. But there might be a lack of education and information,” Castle told LifeZette.

That said, the vegan diet is incredibly restrictive for an infant, she cautioned.

“We know that infants in the first two years of life actually have very important nutritional needs and those are related not only to their body growth, but to their brain growth. We know that iron is critical — it’s a critical nutrient for the normal growth and development of an infant as well as their brain development. So that’s really important and that’s a nutrient that can be at risk when following a vegan diet.”

Healthy fats, particularly the essential fatty acid DHA, are also incredibly important for brain growth and development. DHA primarily comes from fish products and a mother’s milk — breast milk contains DHA, and a lot of formulas are supplemented with DHA.

“If you’re not introducing food sources or are eliminating foods that might be a source of DHA, you can compromise a child’s brain growth and cognitive development as well,” said one expert.

“If you’re not introducing food sources or are eliminating foods that might be a source of DHA, you can compromise a child’s brain growth and cognitive development as well,” said Castle.

Zinc and vitamin B12, found in meat and dairy products, are other important nutrients a baby can miss when animal products are lacking in a diet.

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This isn’t the first case of an infant being malnourished to the point of life-threatening seriousness, by any means. But it does point out — once again — the dangers of certain diets and of ignoring the complications.

If a family is set on a vegan diet, Castle said it’s possible to do it well, but typically only under the guidance a qualified professional, such as a pediatric dietitian. It may mean the baby gets a multi-vitamin or mineral supplement. A mother may need to breastfeed and make sure she is on a nutritious diet herself.

Related: ‘Natural’ Label on Food is Misleading

“For other families, it might mean an infant formula that is a soy-based infant formula with different micronutrients that are important. And then, when that child transitions over to solid foods, make sure the family really is targeting those important nutrients like iron, zinc, DHA, and vitamin D, because those nutrients can be compromised in a vegan diet. If families aren’t accessing professional guidance for those sorts of diets — that’s where things can go off-track and the infant’s health can really be compromised,” said Castle.

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