AngelaMother Francis is accused of child abuse. Is this justified, or not?
Above video: NCRV documentary “Rauwer” | Broadcasted December 17th, 2012
[dropcap]N[/dropcap]CRV Dokument broadcasted the documentary “Rauwer” (“Rawer” in Dutch) as a follow-up on “Rauw” (“Raw” in Dutch), in which 15 year old Tom and his mom Francis Kenter (56) are captured. Francis has lived on a raw food diet for 10 years now and raises her son Tom on an exclusively raw food diet (raw, uncooked, non-heated food) since he was five years old. According to NCRV Dokument, Tom is forced to live on an exclusively raw food diet, which is the only way of living healthily.
Tom Kenter from the “Rauw” and “Rauwer” documentaries, who lives on an exclusively raw food diet
Child abuse
The documentary caused a lot of buzz in the Netherlands, making it a trending topic on Twitter; the opinions about Francis – who appears to me as a loving, involved mom – raising her child on an exclusively raw food diet, her seeming ‘dominance’ towards her son regarding its diet, the fact that she doesn’t let him go to school in order to not let him get persuaded to eat cooked foods and the way she treats her dog (who is on a fast) are extremely negative. Some of the comments on Francis are as follows:
“I actually think she looks much older her age. Even more scary is her Charles Manson gaze: the freakish stare of the extremist. Like every extremist, her outlook on life is very black and white. Simplified: ‘it’s a grim and dangerous world out there.’ But life is not only about food. It’s about love, beauty, art, friendship also. Mum, who visibly deals with quite some obsessions, isolates her son from life to force her dodgy ideology on him. I foresee a troublesome future for Tom.”
“Being a holistic nutritionist who has been raw, vegetarian and omni, I understand and agree with a lot of what she is saying for herself but not for developing children. She’s not talking about Tom’s choices, she’s talking about her own. The minute he wanted to exercise his choice, she wants to pull him out of school! Balance, ALL THINGS IN MODERATION. Being raw does not mean you eat a balanced diet. In the doc, you see his diet is mainly fruit = SUGAR. Sorry, humans are omnivores.”
“But what does Tom want?”
There are also positive words for Francis though:
“Only sheepe blindly follow the “advice” of medical practitioners.”
Francis is being accused of child abuse and risks losing Tom, as the Dutch Government have decided that she is harming Tom by feeding him a raw food diet. Francis says that the system is wrong though; she is convinced that she is taking the best care of her son.
Mother Francis Kenter on raising Tom on a raw food diet
Freedom Central interviewed Francis 1,5 year ago. This is what the interviewer said about Tom and his mom after he met them:
“Having met Francis’s son Tom, I can hand over heart say that he is very happy, healthy and balanced. He is a gorgeous child, that Francis can be very proud of. We did not want to expose Tom too much on Freedom Central, after all, some of our other work is rather contraversial, but Tom is awesome, bubbly, outspoken, bright, and most importantly, he is happy and healthy!”
Watch the interview to get the whole picture and hear Francis talk about her motivations for raising Tom on an exclusively raw food diet.
Francis Kenter on raising her son on an exclusively raw food diet
Although chia seeds are full of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and calcium and I agree with a lot said by raw food guru David Wolfe, I personally think it would be better to feed Tom some fish a couple of times a week, just like the doctor said. Moderation is the key.
Question
What is your opinion on raising a child on an exclusively raw food diet?
Interested in David Wolfe’s phylosophy?
Eating for Beauty – by David Wolfe
