Fruitarianism
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Fruitarians (or fructarians) are a subgroup of vegans who eat only the fruit of plants. This includes not only what one typically thinks of as a "fruit" in the culinary sense such as apples and oranges, but also other foods that are botanically the fruits of flowering plants (that is, the seed-containing reproductive parts), including berries, nuts, seeds, capsicums, tomatoes, squash, beans, peas, and so on.
There are different variations of fruitarianism. Some fruitarians will eat only what falls (or would fall) naturally from a plant—fruits, seeds and nuts. Others may eat all biological fruits. The former argue that the slippery slope of what 'would' fall from the plant leads to including foods that would otherwise be taboo. Grains are usually disallowed, as they are conventionally harvested by cutting down the plant. Most fruitarians are also raw foodists.
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Motivation
Motivated by religious faith in the Old Testament, some believe fruitarianism was the original diet of humankind in the form of Adam and Eve and if they are ever to return to an Eden-like paradise then they will have to go back to simple living, and a holistic approach to health and diet (Isaiah 11:6-9). It should be noted that a large number of fruitarians, including Mahatma Gandhi, are neither Christian nor Jewish.Template:Citeneeded
Some fruitarians only eat the fruit of a plant so that the plant does not have to be killed. For instance when one eats a root vegetable such as a carrot, the whole carrot plant dies. Fruitarians point out that, in nature, eating some types of fruit actually does the parent plant a favor. Fleshy fruit has evolved with the obvious purpose of being eaten by animals, to achieve seed dispersal. Seeds in fruits will be swallowed and travel through the animal's digestive tract before sprouting in a pile of ready-made fertilizer, or, in the case of fruits with cores or pits, will be tossed aside to sprout. Without animals eating fruit, the seed would not travel far enough away from the plant to allow the species to proliferate successfully. The benefit of seed spreading, however, depends on the seed (and thus the feces) being returned to arable land (rather than to sewers or septic tanks which tend to be unfavorable to seed cultivation).
Some fruitarians believe that the diet accords them the "supercharged vitality of wild animality." [1]
Famous fruitarians
- Mahatma Gandhi in his later years.
- Hall of Fame basketball player Pete Maravich, for a period in his life.
Biblical fruitarians
- Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Behold I have given you herb yielding seed. To you it shall be for meat; Genesis l:29).
- There is evidence that the Essenes were raw foodists and fruitarians. Some scholars even believe Jesus to have been an Essene who practiced a mainly fruitarian diet, although this contradicts the mainline Bible.
Fictional fruitarians
- The K-PAXian in Gene Brewer's K-PAX book series and film.
- The Eloi from HG Wells's The Time Machine.
- One of Hugh Grant's potential love interests in the film Notting Hill
Medical risks
Template:References The claims below are merely opinions, which are not supported by any solid scientific evidence, and come mainly from the opponents of fruitarianism. They are listed here for the sake of completeness of presentation.
According to some critics of this diet, fruitarian diet can be difficult to follow, and long-term basis fruitarians may suffer health problems caused by nutrient deficiency. For example, it may be true that Vitamin B12 cannot be found in any fruit matter. Some say the diet is overly rich in sugar, and that this can lead to symptoms suggestive of hyperglycemia or diabetes, while it is lacking in protein, minerals and fat soluble vitamins. Long-term fruitarians may be prone to psychological food cravings and consequent binge-eating, either of 'allowed' foods or 'illicit' ones. Some fruitarians allegedly develop strong cravings for dates (for their high sugar content) and avocados (for their high fat content). Some fruitarians develop a type of eating disorder called orthorexia.
See also
- Breatharian
- Christian vegetarianism
- Diet (nutrition)
- Fasting
- Jainism
- The Celestine Prophecy
- Natural Hygiene
- New Age
- Nutrition
- Raw food diet
- Simple living
- Veganism
External links
- Animal Rights and cruelty free diets board - with fruitarian support boards
- What is fruitarian? at Fruitarian Network
- Ecologos - Offers creditable information on fruitarianism and other dietary practises.he:פרוקטרייניזם
nl:Fruitarisme pl:Frutarianizm pt:Frugivorismo sv:Frukterianism