disease comes from animal products and certain non-
animal processedfats. Fruits, grains, and nuts contain
little or no cholesterol and can help reduce cholesterol in
the blood, according to the Website The New Earth.
Tom Billings, a writer and long-time vegetarian,
was a self-described fruitarian for about 10 years. His
experiences as both a vegetarian and fruitarian are
chronicled on the Website Beyond Vegetarianism. He
lists the benefits of a fruitarian diet as including:
Fruit is the best tasting raw food and eating fruit is a
pleasant experience.
It helps cleanse the body of toxins.
Fruit grown and sold locally is environmentally
friendly.
It promotes weight loss.
It can improve the function of the respiratory system.
It sharpens the senses, especially those of taste and
smell.
It reduces the amount of water a person needs to
drink since most fruit has a high water content.
Precautions
To get all of thevitamins,minerals, and nutrients
that a body needs, a fruitarian must eat a wide variety
of fruit and in many cases, large quantities. Very little
protein can be obtained from fruit. To obtain the nec-
essary amounts, fruitarians must include in their diet
fruits and nuts that are highest in protein, including
avocados, nuts, and dates. Still, it will be difficult to
get the amount of protein the body needs on a daily
basis. Vitamin, mineral, and other nutritional supple-
ments can be taken to insure that a person is getting the
recommended amounts. However, this does not fit into
the nature-only philosophy of many fruitarians. Doc-
tors strongly recommend that women who are pregnant
or nursing not be on a fruitarian diet. Doctors also say
children should not be on a fruitarian diet because their
bodies require extra nutrients to sustain normal growth
along with mental and physical development.
Risks
There are many risks associated with a fruitarian
diet and the risks grow as the degree of fruitarianism
increases. That is, a person whose diet is 75% fruit is
likely to have more health issues that a person on a diet
consisting of 50% fruit. There are serious risks asso-
ciated with the diet for diabetics, since fruit has a high
sugar content. People with diabetes and insulin resist-
ance syndrome should not go on an all-fruit diet.
There are also the risks of serious nutritional deficien-
cies, including vitamin B 12 , calcium, iron, zinc,
omega-3 and omega-6 amino acids, and protein.
There is also the risk of severe weight loss, which can
lead to anorexia and other health problems.
In 2001, a husband and wife from Surrey, Eng-
land, were convicted of child cruelty in the death of
their nine-year-old daughter. A pediatrician had testi-
fied in court that the infant, who died from a chest
infection caused by malnutrition, was not developing
properly because the mother’s breast milk was nutri-
tionally deficient. The couple ate a diet of only raw
vegetables, fruits, and nuts.Research and general acceptanceThere is little, if any, scientific research that sup-
ports fruitarianism as a healthy lifestyle, especially
over the long-term, unless foods such as beans, green
vegetables,soy, and whole grains are included in the
diet. However, there is much scientific documentation
on the benefits of a vegetarian diet. There is general
and widespread disapproval of an all-fruit diet by the
medical, scientific, fitness, and vegetarian commun-
ities. Many people experience positive results after
initially going on a fruitarian diet but over time
develop health problems, including emaciation, con-
stant hunger, weakness, and fatigue.Resources
BOOKS
Carrington, Hereward.The Fruitarian DietKila, MT: Kes-
singer Publishing, 2005.
Durette, Rejean.Fruit: The Ultimate DietBlack Canyon
City, AZ: Fruitarian Vibes, 2004.
Morse, Joseph Stephen Breese.The Evolution Diet: What and
How We Were Designed to EatSeattle: Code Publishing,
2006.
Robb, Jay.Fresh Fruit DetoxCarlsbad, CA: Loving Health
Publications, 2005.QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR
DOCTOR Do you see any health risks for me in a fruitarian
diet?
If there are health concerns, how can they be
addressed within my diet guidelines?
Have you treated other patients who were on a
fruitarian diet?
Can you recommend a dietician or nutritionist
that is familiar with a fruitarian (or vegan) diet?Fruitarian diet