Guest guest Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 EAT BETTER ALTERNATIVE CHOICES Is diet fruity or just nuts? Actually it's both, and fruitarians say they feel much better by adhering to it. Brian Henderson and Stephanie Merry | Columbia News Service When Joe Bernstein meets friends for a dinner out, he knows ahead of time that there will be nothing on the menu for him to eat. " They do accommodate me, though, " he says. " I just ask for a dish of sliced avocado. " You could say that Bernstein is mad about fruit. He is a fruitarian, or frugivore, and he adheres to a lifestyle that is a niche within a subset of vegetarianism. Bernstein, who lives in New York City, eats only raw fruit, a diet that includes some nuts and nonsweet fruit such as avocado and tomato. " I'm not too elaborate in the kitchen, " Bernstein says. " I usually just eat whole pieces of fruit to keep it simple. " For the typical, omnivorous American, it's hard to believe that he isn't starving to death. Yet Bernstein, who is a healthy 145 pounds and 5 feet 10, insists that his all-fruit diet is completely satisfying. " It gives me a feeling of higher energy, less fatigue and more endurance, " Bernstein says. " A feeling that I won't be zonked if I miss a couple of meals. " The reasons people turn to fruitarianism vary. For some, such as Bernstein, the motivation centers on conservation. Fruits fall from trees or vines naturally, and it isn't necessary to kill the plant or take away from the Earth to make a meal. Others, such as Dan Mc- Donald, do it for the physical result, which he says manifests itself in a spiritual way. McDon- ald, who was a body-builder for 10 years before becoming a raw-food advocate, says that it's important to experiment to figure out what is best for the body. " I tore myself to shreds with body-building, and now I'm in the process of healing myself, " says McDonald, a New Yorker. Because he is testing out different diets, he steams vegetables at times but says he is striving toward his ideal of becoming a frugivore. Emotional benefits? Robert Dyckman, who founded Acting Consciously, also feels that his food choices yield a change beyond physical appearance. " Emotionally I'm calm and poised, " says Dyckman, who blogs about his diet at acting consciously.blogspot.com. " I can empathize with others much easier. " Dyckman volunteers as a leader at the Raw Health and Happiness Society, which meets weekly and serves as a " safe and supportive environment for self-growth, " he says. Dyckman, who says that he hasn't been sick in seven years, says his diet did not alienate him from his nonfruitarian friends. " I love parties, " Dyckman says. " And I love to get together with my friends, and that doesn't necessarily require eating . . . and if there's food involved, I have the opportunity to share gorgeous organic produce with my friends. " According to the American Cancer Society, a vegetarian diet includes " many health-promoting features. " Research shows that diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been linked to a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach and colon cancer. Yet the society also warns, " Strict vegetarian diets that avoid all animal products, including milk and eggs, should be supplemented with vitamin B12, zinc and iron (especially for children and premenopausal women). " Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, has had a number of clients ask her about the fruitarian diet. While Sass is a vegan (meaning that she eats no animal products at all) she has concerns about a strict fruitarian diet and, like the cancer society, recommends a vitamin B12 supplement. The amount of nuts that a fruitarian would have to ingest to fulfill a protein requirement would exceed the fat allotment for the day, according to Sass. Fruitarians who experience a sense of improved health may feel an enhanced well-being because their pre-fruitarian diets were so unwholesome, Sass says. A fruitarian who begins to eat food rich in beta-carotene, for example, may experience improved eyesight but may be lacking other vitamins and minerals. " They're filling in a gap that they had previously, but they're creating a whole bunch of other gaps, " Sass says. When I see the price that you pay I don't wanna grow up I don't ever want to be that way I don't wanna grow up Seems that folks turn into things that they never want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I would tend to agree with Cynthia Sass on this. Jo , fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: > > EAT BETTER ALTERNATIVE CHOICES > > Is diet fruity or just nuts? > Actually it's both, and fruitarians say they feel much better by adhering to it. > > Brian Henderson and Stephanie Merry | Columbia News Service > > When Joe Bernstein meets friends for a dinner out, he knows ahead of time that there will be nothing on the menu for him to eat. > > " They do accommodate me, though, " he says. " I just ask for a dish of sliced avocado. " > > You could say that Bernstein is mad about fruit. He is a fruitarian, or frugivore, and he adheres to a lifestyle that is a niche within a subset of vegetarianism. Bernstein, who lives in New York City, eats only raw fruit, a diet that includes some nuts and nonsweet fruit such as avocado and tomato. > > > > " I'm not too elaborate in the kitchen, " Bernstein says. " I usually just eat whole pieces of fruit to keep it simple. " > > For the typical, omnivorous American, it's hard to believe that he isn't starving to death. > > Yet Bernstein, who is a healthy 145 pounds and 5 feet 10, insists that his all-fruit diet is completely satisfying. > > " It gives me a feeling of higher energy, less fatigue and more endurance, " Bernstein says. " A feeling that I won't be zonked if I miss a couple of meals. " > > The reasons people turn to fruitarianism vary. For some, such as Bernstein, the motivation centers on conservation. Fruits fall from trees or vines naturally, and it isn't necessary to kill the plant or take away from the Earth to make a meal. > > Others, such as Dan Mc- Donald, do it for the physical result, which he says manifests itself in a spiritual way. McDon- ald, who was a body-builder for 10 years before becoming a raw-food advocate, says that it's important to experiment to figure out what is best for the body. > > " I tore myself to shreds with body-building, and now I'm in the process of healing myself, " says McDonald, a New Yorker. Because he is testing out different diets, he steams vegetables at times but says he is striving toward his ideal of becoming a frugivore. > > Emotional benefits? > > Robert Dyckman, who founded Acting Consciously, also feels that his food choices yield a change beyond physical appearance. > > " Emotionally I'm calm and poised, " says Dyckman, who blogs about his diet at acting consciously.blogspot.com. " I can empathize with others much easier. " > > Dyckman volunteers as a leader at the Raw Health and Happiness Society, which meets weekly and serves as a " safe and supportive environment for self-growth, " he says. Dyckman, who says that he hasn't been sick in seven years, says his diet did not alienate him from his nonfruitarian friends. > > " I love parties, " Dyckman says. " And I love to get together with my friends, and that doesn't necessarily require eating . . . and if there's food involved, I have the opportunity to share gorgeous organic produce with my friends. " > > According to the American Cancer Society, a vegetarian diet includes " many health-promoting features. " Research shows that diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been linked to a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach and colon cancer. Yet the society also warns, " Strict vegetarian diets that avoid all animal products, including milk and eggs, should be supplemented with vitamin B12, zinc and iron (especially for children and premenopausal women). " > > Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, has had a number of clients ask her about the fruitarian diet. While Sass is a vegan (meaning that she eats no animal products at all) she has concerns about a strict fruitarian diet and, like the cancer society, recommends a vitamin B12 supplement. The amount of nuts that a fruitarian would have to ingest to fulfill a protein requirement would exceed the fat allotment for the day, according to Sass. > > Fruitarians who experience a sense of improved health may feel an enhanced well-being because their pre-fruitarian diets were so unwholesome, Sass says. A fruitarian who begins to eat food rich in beta-carotene, for example, may experience improved eyesight but may be lacking other vitamins and minerals. > > " They're filling in a gap that they had previously, but they're creating a whole bunch of other gaps, " Sass says. > > > When I see the price that you pay > I don't wanna grow up > I don't ever want to be that way > I don't wanna grow up > Seems that folks turn into things > that they never want > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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