four to six passion fruit, a small amount of water (if
needed), and lemon juice.
Many people on a fruitarian diet give up the diet
after a few months or several years because they find it
too difficult to maintain. The problems include intense
obsessions with food, social isolation, psychological
problems, and frequent hunger. Because of these rea-
sons and others, many people adopt a high-fruit diet
composed of 50–75% fruit. The rest of the diet con-
tains vegetables, including beans forprotein. In some
cases, the diet is still one of only raw (uncooked and
unprocessed) foods while in other cases, it may include
some cooked foods, such as potatoes.Social implications
Most Websites about fruitarianism emphasize
that there are social concerns associated with a frui-
tarian diet. Much of this is because many fruitarians
adopt the diet as part of a larger philosophical shift
that is outside the mainstream of Western society. This
includes animal rights and environmental activism,
New Age spiritualism, meditation, and pacifism. In
the United States, becoming or being a fruitarian or
vegetarian is often seen as both a social and political
statement. This can sometimes lead to conflict with
family, friends, and even society at large.
‘‘Those who live on their own and don’t have any
friends will have no problem changing their diet,
though they may lead a bit of a lonely life,’’ write
fruitarians Lawrence and Michael Sartorius on the
Website The New Earth (http://www.thenewearth.org).
‘‘For most of us, however, eating with families and
friends is a daily experience and we need to consider
how best to interact with them so that at the very least
we do not cause a lot of inconvenience or appear cranky
and antisocial with others. Younger readers especially
may find themselves in conflict with their families and
friends, putting them under severe pressure to ‘give up
this nonsense and eat sensibly like everybody else’ ’’
For people facing these problems, the Sartorius’
recommend explaining a decision to become a fruitar-
ian with clear facts and strongly expressing personal
views. This includes explaining that there is a growing
trend towards healthier foods. Also, point out the
growing health problems in the United States, includ-
ingobesity, heart disease,cancer, diabetes, high blood
pressure, and high cholesterol, which are often related
to a bad diet and bad eating habits. Explain to friends
the specific benefits of being a fruitarian or vegetarian,
which includes living a longer, healthier life.FunctionThere are as many reasons for being a fruitarian as
there are variations of the fruitarian diet. One reason is
the opposition to killing animals for food, another is
opposition to consuming any products that come from
animals. Other reasons include opposition to killing
any plant for food, health benefits, environmental
concerns, and spiritual beliefs. The primary function
of a fruitarian diet is to promote health and energy.
Once someone adopts a fruit diet, they become physi-
cally, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthier,
according to the Fruitarian Foundation (http://
http://www.fruitarian.com). The foundation’s philosophy
states that fruitarians develop a fine-tuned body and
experience few or no headaches, develop a greater
resistance to illness, pain, and aging, and need less
sleep. ‘‘The proper application of fruitarian dietary
and lifestyle is calculated to allow the human to pro-
duce healthy offspring, live more than 100 years of
age, be free of all disease, and only Lsquo;mature’
while not aging, as most people think of it, and die a
natural death in their sleep,’’ according to a statement
on the foundation’s Website. ‘‘Man cannot eat of
everything and maintain his good health. Man was
created to eat of the fruits of the trees.’’BenefitsThe benefits of a fruitarian diet are mostly pro-
moted by people on the diet, rather than scientific
research. These benefits include increased mental
power and clarity, creativity, happiness, energy, confi-
dence, self-esteem, and concentration. Physical health
benefits, according to the Fruitarian Foundation,
include preventing and curing cancer,constipation,
insomnia, depression, and digestive problems, weight
loss, wound healing, strengthening the immune system,
reducing or eliminating menstruation, increasing sexual
vitality, improvements in the health and appearance of
skin, hair, eyes, and nails, improving muscle coordina-
tion, and the ability to control addictions to alcohol,
drugs, and tobacco. The United States Department of
Agriculture recommends fruit be included in daily meal
planning, although the amount depends on age, gender,
weight, height, level of physical activity, and weight loss
goals. It must be noted that there is no scientific evi-
dence that eating a fruit-only diet can cure any disease.
Eating a fruit or mostly fruit diet can improve
cholesterol levels: raising the ‘‘good’’ cholesterol (high-
density lipoprotein or HDL) and reducing the ‘‘bad’’
cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL). It can
also reduce high triglyceride levels. Most of the choles-
terol that contributes to clogged arteries and heartFruitarian diet