Towards an ethical food. Theoretical and practical approaches to a vegetarian diet

Abstract

Since he was five years old, Tom Watkins was exclusively fed following a raw vegan diet. In 2008, many people started criticizing his mother for the way she was feeding her son, as they considered this diet had negative consequences for the minor’s health. Analysing this case will allow us, taking as a point of reference the principles of bioethics and professional ethics, to discuss the available possibilities to tackle such conflicts. We will also discuss the characteristics of the current food model and we will see how distant it is from being healthy and respectful with the environment and the other animals. Finally, we will analyse the role of the dietician-nutritionists in dealing with this type of issues.