Fruitarianism: The Pros and Cons

Fruitarianism is an extreme form of veganism combined with a set of living standards and beliefs that have come under scrutiny. It is basically a diet that only consists of the consumption of ripe fruits from plants and trees. Fruitarians only eat the fruit of plants, but sometimes their diets aren't 100% fruit. Most also include nuts and their definition for what is considered to be a fruit clashes with botanical definitions of fruit. Some won't eat bell peppers even though they are in fact a fruit.

The Principles of Fruitarianism

One of the main principles in fruitarianism is that they will only consume fruit that can be harvested without killing the plant that provided the fruit. They have a strong belief in a no-kill lifestyle. They claim to not eat vegetables, such as lettuce, because the lettuce has to be killed and replanted all over again in order to create a new one. This principle also applies to the consumption of raw fruit. They don't cook at all because it is believed to be a violent act since the fruit is a living thing.

The principles of fruitarians don't seem to be cohesive. Some fruitarians will only eat fruit that falls naturally from a plant. Some include grains and nuts in their diet while others do not and believe it is unnatural to eat them. The consumption of cooked food is believed to poison the body and contribute to lower intellectual, artistic and spiritual levels.

Many vegans have switched over to fruitarianism because they feel like they are helping the planet by not having to cook any of the food they eat and therefore save gas emissions. Many find this to be a hypocritical belief because many of the fruits they eat are imported from other countries and the pollution created to bring them to supermarkets is quite significantly larger than pollution created from cooking. This is not a diet for people with specific dietary needs. The spiritual principles in fruitarianism can conflict with many religious beliefs and it might be difficult to follow for people who don't have enough money to eat this way.

Pros For Becoming A Fruitarian