Parents battle for custody of quintuplets

TAMPA, Fla., June 26 (UPI) -- A Tampa, Fla., father seeking custody of his quintuplet children claims his soon-to-be ex-wife imposes a strict vegan diet on the children.

Jeff Nelson-Folkersen claims in papers filed with the Hillsborough County, Fla., court that the mother of the 10-year-old quintuplets, Gail Nelson-Folkersen, has "serious psychological control issues" related to her vegan lifestyle that lead her to restrict the children's visitations with their paternal grandparents because they own leather furniture, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Tuesday.

Both parents are seeking primary residential custody of all five children. Gail Nelson-Folkersen claims she is more qualified to raise the children because she has been a stay-at-home mother for all of their lives, the newspaper said.

The mother said during a 2004 interview that the Florida Department of Children and Families investigated the family when it found out they were keeping the children on a vegan diet. She said the DCF questioned her when the quintuplets were 14 months old and when they were nearly 6, the Times reported.