A MOTHER obsessed with veganism was arrested after it was feared she was threatening her baby son’s development because she only fed him fruit and nuts.
Elizabeth Hawk, 33, was charged with child endangerment after her estranged husband reported their 11-month-old son had a severe rash covering his body.
The rash became so bad that he began “scratching his skin off in places,” the child’s father, Jerry Hawk, told child welfare officials.
He said the mother was only feeding the baby fruit and nuts.
Fearing for his son’s life he took the boy to the Office of Children and Youth Services and he was then rushed to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The baby was unable to crawl and was found to be developmentally delayed as a result of malnourishment and was also at a “failure to thrive” level.
Hawk, a strict vegan, often posted on social media about the plant-based recipes she would make for herself and her children and the health benefits of such a diet.
She also spoke out against killing animals for food.
“This is real food, baby, fresh from the garden!” she wrote in July, sharing a photo of vegetables.
At the time of her arrest, Elizabeth Hawk was 5-foot-9 and weighed just 90 pounds, according to court documents.
The baby, whose condition is improving, now lives with his father and the couple’s two other children, according to reports.
Elizabeth Hawk was released on her own recognisance and will appear in court for a preliminary hearing in November.
