On Fruitarianism
by Dr Gina Shaw, MA AIYS (Dip. Irid.)
Various well-respected health educators have, in the past, seemingly advocated a pure fruit diet, in favour of all other diets. I am writing this article as I feel that, not only are the general public at risk, but that they also may fall foul to other health educators authors who are also giving what appears to be misleading dietary advice. Please be sure that I am not in any way saying this in a superior way, more in a motherly manner! In my practice, I have come across many people who are very influenced by international health educators, both deceased and now active and who have decided to adopt pure fruit diets to their own severe detriment at very costly prices, and I feel that I must warn those whom I associate with to be very cautious as to how health information is interpreted and indeed whether to take this information on board for their own health. I am not in any way condeming a raw food diet.
Fruitarianism, taken literally, with the exclusion of nuts, seeds, sprouts, greens and other vegetables is not a nutrient-sufficient diet and will result, in the long-run, in severe malnutrition problems and maybe even death.
Diet, of course, is a matter of personal choice and I am not disagreeing with people who spend a matter of a few days or even two or three weeks purely on fruits, juices or the like. However, it must be noted that our individual protein needs must be met in order for us to function adequately and healthily and to ensure we do not run into other deficiencies too, such as a vitamin B12 deficiency. Protein literally means to come first and it certainly needs to! Protein is essential for growth, repair and maintenance of our body and, as such, is a vital nutrient. It can be met perfectly well by supplying ourselves with raw nuts, seeds and raw vegetables (in adequate proportions). So too, must our mineral needs be met, and again this will usually not be met by a fruit diet alone (certainly not on commercial fruit which tends to be of poor quality). Dr Vetrano, a highly-esteemed American hygienic practitioner has recently been warning raw-fooders to make sure they eat sufficient nuts and seeds in their diets in order to meet their protein requirements and I applaud her for what she is doing. One notable, prominent and well-respected health educator and natural hygienist may have not only endangered, but also lost his own life in order to stick to his own ideals. We must take the time to study the diets of our closest relatives, and we will find that their are no primates in the wild who consume solely of fruits. This will generally give us a good indication of what our natural diets should comprise!
If you would like more information, or a dietary analysis and consultation, please contact the author at True Health, GinaShw@aol.com.
