Fruitarian / Fruitarianism

[Zero]

Ok impractical for the masses, however I am not advocating it for the masses. I eat a high fruit diet because it works for me, I have grown berries here and had a couple peach trees and an apple tree before I went to live in the USA, you just have to take care of them and have the time of course. Dwarf trees are good because they produce a good amount.

It was easier living in Colorado to grow that stuff because of the heat, now I am back in the UK I eat slightly less fruit than I would have in Colorado because I don't always want to buy the imported stuff too often.

I suppose it will be easier again when I move somewhere warmer again one day

[horselesspaul]

I hope it continues work for you then.
Growing one's own fruit for an exclusively fruit diet in the UK is very, very hard. Luckily, we have imported fruit should we wish to buy it.
I enjoyed a diet of fruit when in Oz and thought it would be good to be able to live like that.
I like my greens and potatoes though...

Peas, Pears, Unity.

[Zero]

I hope it continues work for you then.
Growing one's own fruit for an exclusively fruit diet in the UK is very, very hard. Luckily, we have imported fruit should we wish to buy it.
I enjoyed a diet of fruit when in Oz and thought it would be good to be able to live like that.
I like my greens and potatoes though...

Peas, Pears, Unity.

I eat a leafy greens myself and an amount of vegetables including the root variety etc, my diet tends to be somewhere around 70% fruit, which also includes non sweet fruit of course like peppers, cucumbers etc.

Must be nice to escape to Oz and enjoy all the tasty fruit!

I really like peas actually, every once in a while I get a craving for them.

[horselesspaul]

Nice one. We (Organic Roundabout in Brighton) grew some fantastic organic peppers and cucumbers in polytunnels from old varieties from the Henry Doubleday Inst. They were unbelievably nice. Crystal apple cucumbers rule. Sadly the venture was discontinued.
These days I am lucky enough to go to Southern California from time to time.
My friends' kids' school has three massive orange trees and two large peach trees in the playground. Unfortunately most of the children live on a diet of sugar and animal fats.. I just help myself if ever I'm there.

I have HAD to have beetroot a lot recently..cravings for food should be carefully headed I think.

[Zero]

I have HAD to have beetroot a lot recently..cravings for food should be carefully headed I think.

Indeed, I always listen for cravings for fresh vital foods and respond to them.

I have a few friends in Brighton, it's great there. I was there in December and February, hopefully will visit again soon

[indianvegan]

I think some Jain and Buddhist monks are fruitatians but I haven't looked into it enough, maybe there are more than we think?

I'm Jain but I have never came acrossed Fruitarian Saints. Saints are lacto vegetarian usually.

Though there are quite a few Jain saints too who eat vegan diets even they do not eat any green vegetables, fruits, and Vegetable Oil or Hydrogenated Oil and No bakery prodcuts.

[songlife]

well they get their protein from nuts and seeds, however, this is very sketchy to me because how on earth can they get all the amino acids they need for protein...

hemp protein (found in hemp seeds) has ALL your essential amino acids. ALL OF THEM! google that action

[Zero]

hemp protein (found in hemp seeds) has ALL your essential amino acids. ALL OF THEM! google that action

All the amino acids required can be found in fresh fruit, only 9 are required by your diet, the other 9 can be easily manufactured by your body.

[songlife]

All the amino acids required can be found in fresh fruit, only 9 are required by your diet, the other 9 can be easily manufactured by your body.

oooo cool! I didn't know that. Which fruits have which amino acids? That's awesome info for when I'm being interrogated...

[Zero]

oooo cool! I didn't know that. Which fruits have which amino acids? That's awesome info for when I'm being interrogated...

I have no idea which fruit has which amino acids, you dont have to eat all 9 in one day either.
Lets face it, anyone who is eating enough wont become protein deficient, being protein deficent generally means you are literally starving.

[belleadonna]

Are there any fruitarians still here??

[fiamma]

No he just finds he doesn't need to, he listens to what his body needs

I don't think that's a terribly good idea where water is concerned; normally when we feel thirsty we're already dehydrated.

[vegetarian_cat]

Hi there, no, we aren't urban legends but you also have to understand that not all fruitarians are 100% fruitarians. Also, raw veggies and green-leafy ones especially are definitely part of the diet. We couldn't live without those minerals. Nuts are in too and so is dried fruit. I'm 80% fruitarian and then I'll have some cooked veggie soups in the evening and sometimes pasta or bread with tons of veggies. But mostly it's fruit. Energy levels do go up a lot. It's about keeping food simple and nothing beats raw fresh fruits and veggies there... Just try adding more fruit, you'll have all the protein and fat you need really. Our needs are SO overestimated in the first place and raw foodist eat way too much fat.

[vegetarian_cat]

oh my, you don't lose any if you're thin and only lose some if you're fat . I stayed exactly the same and eat tons of fruits, it's full of calories. No probleme eating just the right amount !

[fiamma]

I thought I would revive this thread; a poster on the "What did you eat today?" thread has got me thinking about fruitarianism, and I have so many questions...

Like eating 24 bananas in a day, on a regular basis ... what does that do to your blood sugar and potassium levels?
Why do (some) fruitarians choose to exclude, say, green leafy vegetables, which are some of the more nutrient-dense foods around?
What are the reasons for choosing a fruitarian diet?

If there are any fruitarians on the board, I would love to hear your views.

[fiamma]

Double post...bah!!!

[vava]

fruitys don't just eat fruit?

[fiamma]

There was one girl on here a while ago (fruitarian) who said her diet included tomatoes and avocados (both fruits I think) and also legumes...?

I'm not planning a fruitarian diet, BTW, I'm just intrigued by the rationale and reasoning behind it.

[harpy]

I'm not a fruitarian (obviously) but I did look into it at one point, and for some fruitarians at least the rationale seemed to be that we should eat only the parts that the plant "wants" to have eaten, i.e. seeds, fruits (including the ones you mention that are commonly regarded as vegetables!), grains, nuts and (I suppose though I can't remember) legumes - all of which the plant produces for reproductive purposes. Stems, leaves and roots are off limits because they are an integral part of the plant and taking them is thought to damage it.

It would certainly be interesting to hear from actual fruitarians about their reasons and I apologise if I've misrepresented them.

[fiamma]

It's interesting that I've been on the forum here for around five years now, but the few fruitarians I do remember joining have never lasted more than a few posts. Although if their way of eating and reasons for it are so different to those of vegans and veganism, I suppose it does make sense.

[vava]

Seems in one way that this is against plants as you would be consuming their way of reproducing. Hmm.

[harpy]

Well, with seeds and so on if you excrete them (in the garden ) you might be helping them to reproduce. Otherwise I agree it doesn't help but it doesn't actually kill the plant either. Think that was the idea I read about.

I can see why someone might want to avoid harming plants if they didn't have to, but I think it's probably quite hard to be a full-time fruitarian from a nutritional point of view.

[vava]

oh my Harpy! So when you introduce yourself you say you are fruitarian and you poop in the garden to help the plants grow!!!!!!!!!!!!

[harpy]

Composting toilets would probably be the way to go. (I quite like the idea of those actually, but it probably wouldn't go down well with the neighbours in the middle of a town.)

[mini_mi]

I eat Low fat vegan raw, which is based on the book by Doug Graham "The 80/10/10 diet". Been doing this for a while now and it's very easy. I eat bananas, oranges dates and mangoes along with a big salad everyday. My energy levels a very good, you can't beat it if you want to be thin and still a lot. There is a site www.30bananasaday.com, that pretty much explains the lifestyle.

[fiamma]

Why so many bananas a day? 30 to me seems frankly excessive. How do you afford it for a start? And actually physically getting them into your body without getting sick of them after two days? And your blood glucose and potassium levels? Don't they skyrocket? It really doesn't seem like a balanced diet to me. Come on fruitarians... give us your views!!!

[mini_mi]

I've done it for several weeks with no adverse effects. The cost is really cheap. I get bananas for 26 cents a pound so cost is not a factor. According to Dr Graham's book your body can process the bananas very quickly and keeping your fat intake to 10% of less prevents the intestinal walls from getting coated with fat which inhibits the absorption. Since your body converts anything you eat to glucose, worrying about that is also not an issue. Your body regulates potassium levels as long as your renal glands are properly functioning. There are people who have been living like this for over 40 years and they are by all indications very healthy. I would think that by now if there were some kind of health concern, it would have shown up.
The 30 bananas a day name of the sight is just a name and doesn't really mean that one should eat that many every day (it actually represents the 3000 kcals/day calorie goal that they say everyone should shoot for). Personally I have been eating about 15/day along with a large salad, oranges, mangoes, dates and such. Since your body uses carbs for energy, you will find that your energy levels are really good all day long. The whole program/lifestyle is based on 80% carbs, 10% percent protein and 10% fat.
In the picture gallery of the site, I haven't seen anyone who even looks remotely fat or sickly, so there must be something to it.
Hope this helps

[ChrisF]

A fruitarian diet is not sustainable and most regions of the world are not capable of producing the amount of food necessary to sustain the world population. There are a lot of fruitarians in the region where I live and they pay more money for food a day than it costs me to feed my family per week, because a lot of their food is trucked in rather than local which is mostly how our economy works. And I don't think it's healthy from looking at the fruitarians here.

[VeganAthlete]

What are the typical reasons why people subject themselves to a fruit based diet? I am just curious. I remember in 2005 my grandmother subjected herself to a fruit based diet as a fruitarian would. She only did the diet thing for about a month and it was to lose weight, control her blood sugar and stuff. She did lose a lot of weight (too much if you ask me) and she turned pink! My grandmother's skin was rosy and pinkish. She pretty much did it because she wanted to look thinner. Then she went back to a vegetarian diet. I personally can't eat too much fruit a day because it fills me up too much and it's too sugary. Fruit is so expensive in my region too

[VeganAthlete]

Oh and back to the original question...fruit is very high in fructose and acids. Not enough complex carbs and definitely not enough protein to sustain a person indefinitely. B12 is probably found in minimal amounts as well (if any).

[ChrisF]

I can only speak about where I live and I don't really want to sound self-righteous or biased (because I'm not) but... a lot of the tourists that come here fancy themselves "spiritual-foodies" they are kind of freaks to the locals. These people do not bathe, and walk around the city half naked trying to prove something and they tend to be tattooed and have rather large piercings which frighten the Thai children and are unacceptable to the Thai culture in general. I have also noticed they drink and smoke a lot which I think is kind of funny considering how they condemn the world for not being eco-friendly like them. My conclusion is it is just a fad, for show or to get attention. I do not believe it is a healthy diet and I don't think there is enough B12 or other vitamins and minerals needed for good health.

[VeganAthlete]

I've never met anyone who lives on a fruit-only diet. Sounds like it would be tough to follow. I love whole grains & veggies WAY too much. Hmmm that sounds sort of like the hipster movement in the US. Hahaha. I have heard about people, like my grandmother, who subject themselves to a fruit diet for periods of time to accomplish a short term goal (weight loss, etc.) I would think you wouldn't lose too much weight because of all the sugar? Hmm idk.

[harpy]

What are the typical reasons why people subject themselves to a fruit based diet? I am just curious.

I believe it's an ethical thing for some people - they only want to take the parts of the plant that the plant "wants" them to have. Fruit is generally interpreted as including beans, seeds, and "vegetables" that are actually fruit such as tomatoes and zucchini/courgettes - so it's not as restrictive as you might think, though they avoid roots, stems, leaves and so on. I agree that it's probably quite hard to get a balanced diet, especially if you don't want to cook the food as some fruitarians don't.

[ChrisF]

It's cool for Tenzin Gyatso (the Dalai Lama) but he doesn't have to pick his own food... ethical can only be taken to the extreme of survival when we do what we need to do to survive (don't kid yourself for a moment).

[Peabrain]

I came on here to look up Fruitarianism after researching it elsewhere and finding lots of conflicting advice, and I saw this:

Guilty feelings can spiral out of control if you lose perspective.

It stuck out to me, because believe it or not, I was actually starting to feel panicky about whether I was doing the right thing by not being "a bit Fruity" myself!!! But honestly, from what's being said, and from what I saw elsewhere on the web; "a pizza marinara or a peanut butter and fruit jam sandwich is actually Fruitarian" (that is, if you include all "released" components of the various plants such as fruits, grains, seeds, legumes, nuts etc, and putting aside the cooked/raw thing), that only really means the root vegetables and leafy ones are non-fruitarian in the vegan diet.

This leads me to think two things; a) it's actually not excluding that much more than we vegans do anyway, so Fruitarians are getting a bad rap for being restrictive... However, I DO have concerns about some nutrients because; b) some foods which are not within the Fruitarian range of "allowed" foods are still, for me, essential...

For instance, around 12 years ago I became extremely ill (I was vomiting repeatedly - even water - for nearly two months and went down to 6 st 12 lbs - and at 5' 2.5" that made my BMI less than 17!), all I could eat (and all I wanted - in fact, craved - to eat), was bananas, and baked potatoes... It later transpired that when my GP was begging me to let her admit me to hospital (I had refused because I was a single mother), my Potassium level was very dangerously low... Simply eating these foods rectified that. No medicine, no electrolyte drinks.

Now, given that both Bananas and Potatoes have Potassium and many other nutrients in common, but Bananas are not a root vegetable, one might say that if I'd eaten only Bananas, I'd have been okay. However, Potatoes have way more starch and way less sugar, and high sugar combined with low Potassium could have been very dangerous for me at that time.

I guess the conclusion I'm coming too, is more and more than raw food, and fruit/seed/nut/grain/legumes, are definitely going to be good for you, but I'm just not convinced that it has to be 100%.

[Egesa]

I agree - that seems to be the best way to look at it: in terms of nutrient content rather than whether it's raw. As a general rule, of course it's best to keep the proportion of raw foods in one's diet high, and the raw foodists do have a point in that cooking often reduces nutrient content. In what I've read there are often flaky claims re a quasi-mystical notion of "vital force" in fresh foods. Well, there are enzymes and other goodies lost in cooking, so fair enough. But as always, it's important to avoid dogmatism, getting stuck in a certain way of framing things, and to step back with an open mind for some perspective and common sense.

[Espirito]

Double post

[Espirito]

Hi people, i'm new in this forum.

I'm from portugal, and i started a egg lacto vegetarian and i follow for seven years.
I changed to a frutarian at about 6 months.

My body is good at this moment, but i need to be social active, because i only eat fruits, and veggies sometimes.

I like this life style, because don't make me tired.
When i followed the vegetarian style, i' was always tired.

Anyone in the forum, was frutarian, and returned to vegan or vegetarian?