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.
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 (although there is no support for this idea in any Jewish sources) 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.
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).
Others become fruitarian after a study of human physiology. Some physiological facts that are used by supporters of the diet to add merit to their claims are:
§ Human Saliva is base, and not acidic such as is the case in meat eaters.
§ Humans lack the digestive enzymes to properly assimilate meat
§ The Human digestive system is best equipped to digest fruit, i.e. It requires the least amount of effort on the part of the various mechanisms of the human digestive tract.
§ The Intestines of humans are quite long, like other herbivores/frugivores, and not shorter compared to the length of the body, such as in carnivores/omnivores. The longer intestines allow for more nutrients to be assimilated from vegetation, while a shorter intestine would be needed for the digestion of meat, which becomes putrid quickly inside the digestive tract.
§ Carnivores have 20 times more HCl (Hydrochloric acid) in their stomachs than do humans.
§ Humans do not have claws/talons, or numerous amounts of fang-like teeth for the mutilation and killing of wild prey.
§ Killing is opposed to normal human behavior. Fruitarians point out that few people could strangle prey to death by the throat, getting blood everywhere, and relish the experience. They argue that if we are truly meat eaters, or rather that meat eating is supported by our physiology, this wouldn't be such a difficult task contrary to our nature.
§ Humans are not able with ease to stalk and outrun wild game, while predators find this relatively easy.
Famous fruitarians
§ Mahatma Gandhi in his later years.
§ Leonardo da Vinci (as indicated in his notebooks)
§ Hall of Fame basketball player Pete Maravich, for a period in his life.
§ Steve Jobs for a period in the 1970s.[
Criticisms
The most commonly cited criticisms of fruitarianism are:
§ Lack of Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 can only be synthesized by bacteria and archaea. Unless they regularly use supplements, fruitarians will not get sufficient amounts of this nutrient. Deficiency in vitamin B12 may lead to megaloblastic anemia or potential neurological or mental damage. However, fruitarians claim that other mammals such as cattle live exclusively on grass and yet do not seem to lack the vitamin. Many suggest that vitamin B12 is created by intestinal bacteria and that a person, like such animals, is self-sufficient in producing B12.
§ Excessive sugar: Diets high in sugar, as fruitarian regemins often are, may lead to hyperglycemia or diabetes. However, fruitarians will say that the sugars found in fruit, such as saccharides do not have the same excessive insulin producing effect of sucrose and other altered sugars.
§ Lack of protein: Many fruits are lower in proteins than animal products. Nuts, seeds, and beans are notable exceptions. Protein deficiency can cause hair loss, insulin resistance, hormonal irregularities and, in extreme cases, kwashiorkor. However, the oft stated fruitarian argument is that breast milk contains just 1% protein in dry weight (6% liquid weight) which reflects the averages of many fruits. They argue that surely an infant's need for protein is the highest of it's life, and yet it thrives under such a so-called protein deficiency. Others point to fruitarian bodybuilders, who are able to build quality muscle, even without consuming nuts and seeds.
§ Orthorexia: Orthorexia is not a potential result of a fruitarian diet but, rather, is a proposed psychological eating disorder that may manifest itself in fruitarianism[citation needed] or other restrictive dietary habits. It should be noted that orthorexia is far from having general acceptance by the psychological community and research on its nature, effects and even existence are in short supply.