Introduction.

The purpose of this article is to examine the different kinds of fruitarianism that one might encounter among those attempting to follow a fruitarian diet. We begin by reviewing and contrasting the two extreme forms of the diet. First, we consider a version that is generally positive and (in theory, at least) based on love--spiritual fruitarianism. Then, we consider another form that is negative, based on fear and hate, i.e., fruitarianism that turns into an eating disorder or that leads one to hateful fanaticism.

In the following, we will use the abbreviations:

SF = Spiritual Fruitarian(ism), and

TF = fruitarianism as an eating disorder or hostile fanaticism, i.e., Toxic Fruitarian(ism).

This paper is based on my personal experience, and that of others, as a former long-time fruitarian. I was a fruitarian for 8+ years during the 1970's. For approximately 2 years of that time, I was on a nearly ~100% fruit diet. (For details, see my dietary bio on the Beyond Veg website.)

This article should be regarded as an editorial, i.e., as opinion. However it is an opinion based on long experience and observation.

Eating Disorders and Fruitarianism

Anorexia nervosa: an eating disorder--a serious mental illness, characterized by self-starvation caused by an intense fear of fat. As fear and hate are usually found together (people often hate what they fear, and fear what they hate), anorexia could also be characterized as hatred of fat, including self-hatred because the anoretic [see note 2] sees the self as being "fat."

In some cases, fruitarianism can be considered to be an eating disorder, depending on the specific factors that motivate the fruitarian. If a fruitarian eats an inadequate diet and loses weight down to levels associated with anorexia nervosa (i.e., self-starvation), because of an obsessive fear of cooked food, mucus or protein, that suggests fruitarianism is similar to, and perhaps a variation of, anorexia nervosa. In other words, if fruitarianism leads to one to self-starvation because of fear, it may indeed be considered an eating disorder, i.e., a mental illness.

It should be noted here that some people practice a fruitarian diet, i.e., a diet that is 75+% fruit (by weight) where the term fruit follows the common definition, but call themselves natural hygienists. The remarks here apply to those whose diet is 75+% fruit, regardless of the label they use for themselves. We will see below that the motivations of the fruitarian and the attitude with which it is practiced are of great importance, but the labels one identifies with are not important.

Spiritual Fruitarianism (SF)

This occurs when a person follows a fruitarian diet as part of their spiritual growth process, i.e., an experiment. Some of the characteristics of SF are as follows.

• Fruitarianism is said to be a physically "purifying" diet, and may (controversial point) indirectly assist an individual's spiritual advancement, in the short run.

• SF (in theory) has spirituality as the primary motivation. This must include love for yourself as well as others.

• SF is a tool, not an end; hence it is subordinate to one's spiritual practice and physical health needs.

• As the diet is subordinate, an SF will change their diet if health problems occur, e.g., body weight too low, severe fatigue, sugar addiction, diabetes-like symptoms, etc.

• Through the practice of mindful eating, the act of eating can become a form of meditation. (This applies to any diet when mindful eating is practiced.)

• Because the SF has love of self, backsliding (not following the diet strictly) will not cause guilt or stress. Also, the SF will not lie about their degree of compliance with the diet, a common occurrence in eating disorders and raw food diets.

• With love as motivation for one's diet, the social isolation associated with an extreme diet like fruitarianism is less of a problem.

• The spiritual practices of the SF can impart a peaceful, loving yet grounded mental attitude--this is different from the airy, apathetic mental feelings experienced by many other fruitarians.

• The SF is free of the "mentally toxic" fear of cooked food, mucus, protein, or aging, that characterize toxic fruitarianism (TF).

In formulating spiritual fruitarianism, ethical considerations can potentially serves as a substitute for a spiritual tradition. However, any ethical basis must explicitly include genuine love for self and others. If love is missing, problems will occur. Ethical veganism, because it is an inconsistent and incomplete philosophy, is not (by itself) an adequate basis for fruitarianism. However, ethical veganism can certainly be part of a larger ethical basis for fruitarianism.

Spiritual fruitarianism can degenerate into toxic fruitarianism under some circumstances:

• If one ignores serious health problems that occur on the diet, e.g., body weight too low. This reflects a lack of love for self.

• The SF falls into the ego trap that following a 100% raw fruitarian diet makes one superior to the "cooked" (those who eat cooked foods) or those who eat animal products. When this happens, fruitarianism literally becomes an excuse to hate others. This is referred to as dietary racism, and the terms extremism, zealotry, and fanaticism are relevant here as well. (For more information on this topic, see the article Raw Vegan Extremist Behavior Patterns on the Beyond Veg website.)

• The SF gets infected with, and dominated by, the intense fear and hatred of cooked food, mucus, or protein, that characterize TF.

Limitations of Spiritual Fruitarianism

SF, in my experience and observation, is a transitional stage and not an end result. The few credible examples of SF that I have known, eventually dropped the diet because of problems and/or migrated to a less-strict, more diverse diet.

As well, no established spiritual tradition recognizes fruitarianism as the ultimate diet. Hence, the idea that fruit is the ultimate diet is new and untested in spiritual circles. That suggests that one should sincerely feel a spiritual calling, before one adopts a fruitarian diet for spiritual reasons.

Toxic Fruitarianism (TF)

Toxic fruitarianism occurs when a fruitarian diet degenerates into an eating disorder or hostile fanaticism. Some of the characteristics of TF are as follows.

• The major motivations for TF are fear and hatred of: cooked food, mucus, or protein. Fear of aging, if it becomes obsessive, can be considered mentally toxic as well (e.g., someone who gets into fruitarianism via the calorie restriction movement).

• Fear and hate are toxic emotions, causing emotional distress or "mental toxemia" (in figurative terms). Fear and hatred are not a proper basis for a diet. They are, however, the basis for an eating disorder, i.e., a mental illness.

• Fanatical fear and hate often override the reasoning of the TF, and can cloud the mind. This can be observed in the contradictory, irrational "reasoning" presented by individuals caught in the grip of TF.

• Fear and hate encourage the TF to accept anorexic weight levels. Just as the conventional anoretic is pleased to lose weight because it represents lost fat, the TF accepts severe weight loss as it represents cleansing of mucus, excess protein, or your "cooked fude body." (Needless to say, the idea that you have both a "raw food body" and a "cooked fude body," an idea promoted by some raw food diet advocates, is utter nonsense.)

• Figuratively speaking, if fear and hate motivate your diet, then the act of eating becomes an expression of that obsessive fear and hate. Since eating is a regular activity, at the very core of one's life, then to turn it into an expression of negative attitudes and beliefs, is to effectively place hatred and fear at the very core of your life. Needless to say, that does not encourage emotional or mental balance, and the hostile behavior of many TFs serves as evidence of the unfavorable effects of such negative motivations.

• Symptoms of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia) that may be found in toxic fruitarianism:

  • extremely low body weight,

  • binge eating,

  • backsliding or cheating on the diet,

  • eating in secret,

  • lying about eating/compliance with the diet,

  • guilt complexes,

  • low self-esteem (self-hatred), especially if one backslides,

  • social isolation,

  • life-controlling obsession with food due to constant hunger,

  • severe tooth erosion,

  • airy, apathetic mental feelings,

  • some folks eventually give up the diet due to burnout from constant hunger and obsession,

  and so on.

Spiritual Fruitarianism vs. Toxic Fruitarianism:
Different Reactions to Protein Foods

The difference between SF and TF can be illustrated by considering a hypothetical situation. Consider an SF and TF, both of whom are on 100% raw fruitarian diets for several months. Both then try to eat protein foods, specifically seeds, and experience digestive difficulty.

The SF will likely react in one of two ways:

• Indifference: "That upset my stomach; I think I will stop eating that food." That is the end of the story in this case.

• Self-analysis: "I had no problems eating this food just some months ago. Other people have no trouble digesting this food. That suggests my digestion may be weakened or impaired. I better look into this, and try to find ways to correct my digestion as soon as possible." Here the SF applies simple common sense.

In contrast to the above, the TF may react with ego and irrational delusions:

"I'm so pure [egoism] , these digestive problems must be the fault of the protein!" [Incorrect logic: assuming the desired result.]

"Therefore, protein is toxic!" [Incorrect logic: conclusion does not follow from the premises.]

"Because of this, I despise protein foods!" [Final result: hatred.]

So the chain above is that ego and fallacious logic produce hatred, a negative and mentally unhealthy result.

Anti-Protein Pseudoscience:
Examples of Toxic Fruitarians

By promoting intense fear and hatred of protein, the TF plants the seed of hate in the mind (in figurative terms). If the TF then dwells on this hate, say by creating and promoting elaborate pseudoscience theories or arguments that allegedly "prove" that protein is toxic, that is tantamount, in figurative terms, to watering and fertilizing the seed of hate in the mind.

Continuing with the plant analogy: given such extensive care, the seed of hate will grow into a large tree. The TF may even self-identify with the hatred, by claiming that they are "purer" than those who eat the terrible toxin, protein (as protein is toxic, those who eat protein are obviously "toxic"). Such an act of self-identification suggests that the tree of hate has grown and its roots are at the very core of the mind and self.

A TF who cultivates the tree of hatred is miserable, and their hate is painfully and clearly apparent in their responses to those who dare challenge their delusions and irrational pseudoscience. In my personal experience, such people seem to be immune to common sense and logic, as they are blinded by ego and intense hate. In my opinion, their obsessive hate can be considered a serious mental illness, a variation of anorexia nervosa (which is characterized by obsessive fear).

To promote the hatred of protein based on the delusion that it is toxic is ironic, for the truth is that protein is non-toxic, while hatred is highly toxic, at least in an emotional sense. In other words, it is the hatred in the anti-protein argument that is toxic, not protein.

The above example uses hatred of protein for comparison; similar examples could be described using fear of cooked food or mucus/toxemia instead. There are numerous raw food diet "experts" using fear of cooked food and/or mucus, as marketing tools.

Hatred and Fear:
Common Marketing Tools in Raw Food Diets

Some raw food diet/fruitarian promoters try to rationalize away the hate and fear at the heart of their marketing approach, saying it is "fake" or a "smart marketing tool." Unfortunately, fear and hate are toxic emotions, regardless of a promoter's lame excuses. Any hate/fear that hurts other people is real to the victims!

One wonders here: how can fear/hate become obsessive, and lead to TF? A short answer: as long as (100%) raw food diets are promoted as the way to achieve "purity" (i.e., implied superiority and dietary racism) and righteousness (the self-conscious "compassion" one finds in veganism), the danger of obsession is present.

Additionally, some extremists promote false slogans that reinforce fear of cooked foods, and the "naturalness" of raw diets. Examples of these dishonest slogans include "raw is law!" and "cooked food is poison!". If you repeat a lie (false slogan) enough, you will eventually believe it, and the fear it promotes may become an integral part of your psyche. Once that happens, obsession will be the ultimate result.

It should be noted here that convincing a TF to give up their fear/hate may be as hard as convincing an anoretic to give up the fear of fat, i.e., very difficult indeed. The TF self-identifies with their hate/fear, just as the anoretic identifies with the fear of fat. To challenge their hate/fear is to challenge the very core of their identity. (We should feel sorry for TFs; however that can be difficult if one is subject to attacks by an irrational, hostile TF.)

Conventional Fruitarianism (CF)

There is another type of fruitarian--CF or conventional fruitarian. The CF category consists of those fruitarians who do not fall into the SF or TF categories; i.e., the majority of fruitarians. Fruitarianism can be seen as a continuum, with SF and TF as the two poles, and CF in the middle. While one can define sharp dividing lines between SF and TF in theory, in practice the dividing lines are not so sharp or clear.

This article compares SF and TF to inform readers of the extent of the continuum: SF may be the "best" type of fruitarianism, with the fewest physical and mental problems, while the TF has the most problems, particularly mental problems. The CFs are between the two poles--more eating disorder behaviors than the SF, but also much better mentally balanced than the TF.

Cautions for Aspiring Fruitarians

The greatest risks in fruitarianism occur when one attempts a 100% fruit diet. Diets that include enough other foods--vegetables, protein foods, even animal foods like raw dairy or eggs--pose far less risk of (mental) problems than a 100% fruit diet. Also, if one backslides enough on a fruitarian diet, one might actually avoid serious mental problems (other than potentially being dishonest about your diet), as the foods consumed when backsliding are often more nutritious than fruit. In my opinion, a conventional fruitarian (CF) who attempts a 100% fruit diet without an underlying ethical or spiritual support system, is at high risk of becoming a TF.

I would also encourage all fruitarians to investigate their behavior for symptoms of eating disorders, and to confront those "demons." It is reasonable to call eating disorder behaviors demons as they are recognized as a form of mental illness; however, it is not reasonable to call cooked food, mucus, or protein, a demon.

Finally, the most important point in this article is that you should never be a toxic fruitarian. You can be an SF, or you can practice CF, but avoid the poison of TF like the mental illness and/or fanaticism it becomes. It is better to have an "inferior" diet but live a life of love, than to have a "pure" (in the deluded ego of the TF) diet, and be filled with hatred and fear like those who practice TF.

This writer has personally experienced: SF, CF, and TF. This writer knows other fruitarians who were/are SFs, CFs, TFs. I am fortunate in that I have fully recovered from the mental problems that characterize TF. I encourage any current TFs who might read this, to challenge the hate and fear that dominate their lives, and to work to regain their mental health. A life based on love is much better than a life controlled by hate and fear.

Epilogue

I wish to remind readers that the material in this article is my opinion, albeit an opinion based on years of experience in the subject. I am not aware of any peer-reviewed, published scientific studies on the long-term effects of fruitarian diets on groups of people (but would welcome news of such studies). Thus, I have no hard proof of mental unbalance among fruitarians (but I do have extensive direct personal experience with numerous hostile, wacko rawists).

Doubtless readers will be able to find advocates of raw food diets (raw vegan and fruitarianism) whose views are significantly different from mine. I encourage you, when you read the writings of those who promote raw foods and fruitarianism, to examine the underlying tone. The tone can tell you a lot about the person behind the writing. Is the tone reasonable, or is it narrow, hostile, strident, arrogant? Does a hostile tone raise questions regarding the mental balance of the individual writing? These are interesting questions to consider!

Summary of Terminology

Spiritual fruitarianism (SF): a fruitarian diet that is an experiment in, and a part of, a person's spirituality. Motivated by love, the SF will switch to a different diet if it does not work.

Toxic fruitarianism (TF): a fruitarian diet that is motivated by fear of cooked food, mucus, protein (or other obsessive fear, such as aging), and becomes an eating disorder, and/or the fruitarian becomes a hostile fanatic. Here the fruitarian is dominated by their dietary philosophy, and will stay with it regardless of mental/physical health problems. The TFs who aggressively advertise their "perfect diet and health" are among the most mentally unbalanced people around, in my opinion and experience.

Conventional fruitarianism (CF): a fruitarian who is in the "middle", and does not fit in either the TF or SF category. The majority of fruitarians are in the CF category.

Editorial note (2):
The term anorexic is often used to denote a person suffering from anorexia nervosa. However, the proper use of the term anorexic is as an adjective. The correct noun to use is anoretic or the alternative spelling, anorectic. See the footnotes on pp. 2-3 of the book Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher (1998, Harper Flamingo, New York) for a discussion of this issue.

--Thomas E. Billings

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