Fruitarianism

Enlarge Image A human can be healthy without killing animals for food. Therefore if he eats meat he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. Leo Tolstoy

If you thought following a vegan diet or even a vegetarian diet was a tough job, then you would be stunned to know about fruitarianism. As the name suggests, fruitarianism is a concept that advocates a diet that consists of fruits alone. Many of the fruitarians also include fresh vegetables and other vegan foods however more than fifty percent of the diet has to include only fresh fruits in order to be considered a fruitarian.

Variations of the Fruitarian Diet

Fruitarians are actually a sub-group of vegans who only consume the fruits of the plants. Most of the fruitarians are also advocates of raw-food. The fruitarian section in itself also has some further sub-divisions.

Fruit diet: In a strictly fruitarian diet, people are supposed to be on a diet that contains fruits and fruits only. The strict fruitarian can have all sorts of fruits, which are available round the year. A certain section of fruitarians also believe in having only the fruits that have fallen off the trees since these people believe obtaining food without causing harm to any living beings.

Fruit & Seed Diet: The diet can include various seeds and nuts along with fruits. This version is perhaps has an added advantage that it provides good sources of essential proteins, which are not necessarily available in the strict fruitarian diet.

Advantages of Being a Fruitarian

One of the basic advantages of fruitarianism is that it advocates a diet that cleanses the body of all the toxins. Since fruits have a lot of fiber and water content, having a fruitarian diet helps to keep the digestive system functioning smoothly. For people who have problems of the digestive tract, a fruitarian diet can also be used as a therapeutic diet. Since fruits contain a lot of water and help in reducing cholesterol, switching to a fruitarian diet can actually help in losing weight and having a lighter and healthier body.

Promoters of fruitarian diets, say that fruitarians' diet actually enhance the emotional well-being and give you a sense of spiritual bliss since the strict fruitarian diet is seen as a diet that causes no harm to any living being whatsoever. Although it hasn't been proven it has been observed in most of the cases that a fruitarian diet can actually enhance your immunity and make you more resistant to common infections and diseases.

Disadvantages of Being a Fruitarian

First of all a fruitarian diet is not easy business. Most of the people who are not used to it will find it physically as well as emotionally unsatisfying and will become more irritable while following the diet. Since fruits contain a lot of natural sugar, it is possible that people on a fruitarian diet can actually get addicted to sugar due to excessive sugar intake. It can occasionally lead to food cravings and binge eating. A severe weight loss is one of the major problems that strict fruitarians have to face. People can reach a stage where they can suffer from starvation or anorexia due to the fruitarian diet since it is very difficult to gain weight on a fruit diet. A year round supply of adequate varieties of fruits might not be available to everyone. Also for people who live on a tighter budget, a fruitarian diet is not necessarily affordable due to the soaring costs of fresh fruits. A major disadvantage of being a fruitarian is the problems you can face while socializing due to the inability to attend regular dinner and luncheon parties.