A growing number of millennials are going vegan – and there is no shortage of restaurant options to accommodate their lifestyle.

Much to the dismay of their meat and cheese-loving friends and significant others, the majority of the people I know who have adopted a vegan diet have actually never looked back.

The benefits of a vegan lifestyle are plentiful – both for your body and the environment.

When it comes to children, however, there is a growing debate on whether a vegan lifestyle is helpful or harmful. But if you live in Italy, putting your kid on a vegan diet could land you in jail.

Italy’s conservative Forza Italia party has proposed a law that would send parents who put children under 16 on vegan diets to jail for at least a year.

The jail time increases to four years if the child develops health problems and seven if it dies.

While it may sound extreme, there have been documented cases of health issues and stunted growth in children as a result of vegan diets.

Four vegan children have been hospitalized in Italy in the past 1.5 years as a result of malnourishment.

“I have nothing against vegans or veganism as long as it is a free choice by adults,” Elvira Savino, a parliamentarian behind the law, told Reuters. “I just find it absurd that some parents are allowed to impose their will on children in an almost fanatical, religious way, often without proper scientific knowledge or medical consultation.”

Whether the law materializes is yet to be seen. Parliamentary committees will discuss the drafts before it goes to the floor for a debate expected this year.

In the meantime, if a vegan lifestyle isn’t in the cards for you, and you want a healthier brain, you may want to consider adopting a Mediterranean diet.

[ad_bb1]