Dietary Problems in the Real World

____________________________________________________________________________

Bios of vegetarians, ex-vegetarians, and others

in search of health, not dogma...

Note:This section of the site presents the stories of people who have had significant problems on vegetarian, vegan, raw-food, or other alternative or "natural" diets, and how they solved them, whether by modifying the diet in some "unapproved" way while remaining vegetarian, or by moving on to a non-vegetarian one. We acknowledge and are aware of the stories of vegetarian successes that get plenty of publicity elsewhere. Given the focus of this site, however, and the fact the failures are usually hushed up, the latter are the case histories we are interested in documenting here for others to learn from.

If you fit the profile of an ex-rawist, ex-vegetarian, vegetarian, or someone else who has had to seriously rethink their "ideal" diet, or know of someone who has, we invite you to send us your information or story for consideration.

Please be awarethat the inclusion of information about the occupations, dietary beliefs, or avocations of contributors here does not necessarily represent endorsement. Dietary bios, in particular,are presented on the site primarily for a look at the actual effects experienced, but given the personal nature of such narratives, no judgment on the part of Beyond Veg editors one way or the other about the individuals' personal beliefs or vocations should be implied.

Vegetarians still... but with a difference

Tom Billings : 30 years of transitions: from fruitarian to living foods to lacto-vegetarian. Computer consultant, yoga teacher, and San Francisco LiFE [a raw foods group] organizer.

Kate Finn : Finding balance between the extremes of denial and indulgence.Massage therapist and yoga instructor.

Sandy Warf : To balance compassion for animals with nutritional needs.Schoolteacher, former chair of EarthSave Orange County.

Ex-vegetarians and non-veggies step forward

Dean Esmay : From failure on conventional high-carb, low-fat diet to low-carb, high-protein, no-problem. PALEODIET listgroup host/moderator, and coordinator of several other internet lists including LOWCARB.

Ward Nicholson : Attrition after fasting, raw foods, and conventional veganism. Founder and former coordinator of The Natural Hygiene Many-to-Many from 1992-1996; graphic designer and writer.

Kirt Nieft : From Fit for Life, to Instincto, to Paleo. Schoolteacher in Hawaii; previously taught special and regular education classes in the U.S. and abroad in Peru, Thailand, and New Zealand.

Sharrhan Williamson : My search for friendly dietary fuel: from low-carb to all-raw and back again after 20 years. Musician, painter, and long-time meditation practitioner.

Others rethinking their "ideal diet"

Roy Holman : Back from the brink of an eating disorder after raw foods. Roy was previously a human-rights activist doing work in Central America and is presently a distributor for an intestinal cleansing program.

Editorials from individuals who have changed their diets

Note: these are not complete dietary bios, but links are included here because the articles may interest those seeking stories of failure-to-thrive on alternative diets, and/or stories of people who have found a change of diet to be beneficial.

Why An Expectant Mom Rejected a Raw Vegan Diet (Offsite link) A woman shares her experience with raw vegan diets and pregnancy. Topics include cravings, the dismal failure of 100% raw food diets in the long run, and our attitudes regarding food.

Risks of Raw Vegan Diets for Expectant Moms, Children, and Others, by Chet Day (Offsite link) Chet Day, a former long-time raw vegan and promoter of raw food diets, explains why he feels raw vegan diets are risky for some people. Chet's views are based on 8 years of active correspondence with, and coaching of, individuals attempting to follow a variety of raw vegan diets.

Hallelujah Acres Research Casts Doubt On "Ideal Diet" (Offsite link) Trouble in Hallelujah Diet land.

Hallelujah Diet Crash: Losing Your Mind to the Genesis 1:29/Vegan Diet (Offsite link) Greg Westbrook, former health minister for the Hallelujah Diet, details his family's road to health ruin.

When Hallelujah Becomes "What Happened?" Crashing on the Vegan Diet. Book review by Chet Day (Offsite link) Trouble in Hallelujah Diet land.

____________________________________________________________________________

Beyond Veg home \f20Feedback \f20Links

____________________________________________________________________________

Tom Billings

____________________________________________________________________________

30 years of transitions:

from fruitarian to living foods to lacto-vegetarian

Tom is a computer consultant, a yoga teacher, an organizer with SF-LiFE

(San Francisco Living Foods Enthusiasts), and a vegetarian of over 30 years

standing. His career has included work in software/systems engineering,

plus marketing research and statistical consulting, with a B.S. in

mathematics, an M.A. in economics and an M.S. in mathematical statistics.

Contact author for permission to republish.

____________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

I am a long-time raw-food vegetarian, and have (at different times) followed many of the common raw vegetarian diets: fruitarian, natural hygiene-style, living foods. My current diet is lacto-vegetarian (includes some raw dairy), 75-90% raw. I enjoy writing about nutrition, health, yoga, Ayurveda, and other topics. I am active on this website, a few email lists, and in SF-LiFE: the San Francisco Living Foods Enthusiasts, the oldest living foods support group in the world. I frequently contribute articles to the SF-LiFE newsletter. Additionally, my (internet) writings have been (or are being) published in a number of other venues.

Readers are advised that many of my writings are controversial in certain raw food diet circles. My approach to raw foods is one of realism, moderation, common sense, sanity, honesty, and staying open to new information. Additionally, I am critical of fruit diets as my extensive experience with them was very problematic, to say the least. My willingness to challenge the dogmatism and excess idealism that infects the raw vegan movement has upset some of the more extreme rawists. I strongly encourage you to read the material on this website with an open mind and to think for yourself on these issues. Once you actively think for yourself on these issues, you will begin to realize that the extremists want to sell you a simplistic, logically invalid philosophy, a philosophy that is based on a false model of nature.

My other interests include yoga (I teach yoga in San Francisco), and Ayurveda, the traditional medical/wellness system of India.

____________________________________________________________________________

Overview of Dietary Experience

____________________________________________________________________________

Please note that this article is largely limited to dietary and health issues. My experience with some of the common raw vegetarian diets can be described as a set of consecutive phases, brief descriptions of which follow. More detailed information is presented in separate sections, afterwards.

1971-1980: The Fruitarian Experience

I was a fruitarian (by the common definition of fruit, not the botanical definition) in this phase. For approximately 2 years of this period I was on nearly 100% raw fruit--something that many fruitarians talk about, but very few ever achieve. My diet in this period was usually 100% raw, and was consistently 75+% fruit, in the long-term.

1980-1989: Natural Hygiene-Style Diet

After a transition period in the early 1980s when I was a conventional (cooked-food) vegetarian, I entered a phase where I alternated between periods on a (nearly) 100% raw diet similar to natural hygiene, and a conventional vegetarian diet. Note that (fortunately) I was never involved in the philosophy of natural hygiene (i.e., the writings of Herbert Shelton).

1990-1996: (Generic) Raw Vegan

In this phase, I was a generic raw vegan, usually 100% raw, with sprouts as my predominant food source (i.e., similar to a living foods diet).

1996 to present: Predominantly Raw Lacto-Vegetarian

Similar to preceding phase, except I added raw dairy (raw goat milk) to my diet in 1996 and it improved my health significantly (increased my strength and stamina, increased hydration, and other benefits). I also started eating some cooked food (approximately 10-25% of my diet).

Other Writings

I have written extensively in the area of raw and living foods. The archive of the raw-food e-mail list contains the largest collection of my earlier writings (i.e., those that precede the ones written for this site). The archive can be easily searched for these articles (and lots of other interesting things).

____________________________________________________________________________

The Fruitarian Experience: 1970-1980

____________________________________________________________________________

Definition. It is appropriate to begin with a definition of the word fruitarian: in my judgment, a diet that is 75% or more (by weight) raw fruit, where the word fruit has the common definition (and not the botanical definition, which includes grains and nuts), with the remainder of the diet being vegan food, usually raw. The common definition of fruit used here is: the edible reproductive parts of seed-bearing plants that includes juicy pulp (hence includes such "vegetable fruits" as cucumber, tomato, eggplant). Note: a few fruitarians use the botanical definition, but that is disdained by purists, and it also blurs the important distinction between fruitarianism and other raw diets.

In the late 1960s, when I was a teenager, I first experimented with vegetarianism, switching to, and following, a conventional cooked lacto-vegetarian diet for several months. In 1970, I again became a vegetarian (January 1, 1970, to be precise), and shortly after that eliminated all dairy products and became a pure vegetarian (at the time I did not even know the word "vegan"). I read a book by Arnold Ehret, The Mucusless Diet Healing System, and, under its influence, slowly transitioned to a raw, fruitarian diet.

By the end of 1971, I was a practicing fruitarian; my diet was 75+% raw fruit. I lived in Florida at the time, and had year-round access to a wide variety of locally grown fruit (most unsprayed, some organic), including a wide variety of citrus, mangos, avocados, as well as "minor" fruits: papayas, bananas, carambolas, lychees, longans, coconuts, tamarind, and other exotics. I learned about wild foods, using the excellent book Wild Plants for Survival in South Florida, by Julia F. Morton, and included wild foods in my diet. For some of this period I had an organic garden, and grew most of the small quantity of vegetables that I ate, as well as watermelons, cantaloupes, and cucumbers. Also, during this period I regularly exercised outdoors in the sunshine, and enjoyed swimming at the beach.

Those who have read some of the idealistic fruitarian writings will recognize from the above that I was living in near-ideal circumstances to practice fruitarianism. Despite the advantages of this near-ideal situation (and food supply), my overall experience with the diet was a mixture of both good and bad, with bad predominating over the long-term.

The writings of Arnold Ehret, the major influence on me during this period, teach fruitarianism, but the approach is a negative and foolish one (something that took many years for me to realize). Ehret taught the simplistic, inaccurate idea that all foods except fruit and green-leaf vegetables (and maybe nuts, though Ehret is inconsistent regarding their status) create "mucus," which is claimed to be the root cause of all disease. Those readers who are not indoctrinated with the dogma of rawism will immediately recognize that the core of Ehret's approach is unscientific and nonsensical; however this sort of misinformation (mucus) is still being taught today. Swami Kailashananda, an obscure yogi who is a raw-fooder, also was an influence on me during this period, and later (into the 1990s).

My initial experience (1972 through early 1973) with 100% raw fruitarianism, after I got past the first major cleansing stages, was very positive indeed: my physical health improved, the need for sleep decreased, I had lots of energy (some of the time), and I had a pleasant "light" or "euphoric" mental feeling that I thought was a spiritual feeling at the time. Things went well for a while, and my spirituality seemed to grow as well. However, there were trouble signs, even in 1972--emaciation, constant hunger, frequent weakness, and intermittent fatigue.

In the spring of 1973, convinced by reading Arnold Ehret's book Rational Fasting that I needed to fast to make me even purer (and get rid of the few problems I was still experiencing), I went on a 4-day water fast. The results were disastrous: my "light" mental feeling disappeared, my strength vanished and I was weak and fatigued, and my weight dropped to the life-threatening level of 88 pounds (40 kg; I am 6'1" = 185 cm tall). I was convinced then that fruit was the "ideal food, and one true diet"--and my foolish belief in the fruitarian "party line" nearly killed me.

Those readers who are fasting enthusiasts may argue that my fast, of only 4 days' duration, was not long enough to induce ketosis (when the body's "wastes" are said to begin being eliminated), hence I should not "blame" the fast for any problems. The claim about ketosis may or may not be true; the real lesson from my fasting experience, however, is that one should not go on a fast when one is extremely emaciated (as many rawists/fruitarians are).

During this time of crisis I visited a close friend; she is a long-time raw-fooder (sproutarian, primarily) and a disciple of Swami Kailashananda, a raw-foods yogi who promotes sprouts. For over an hour, we talked; she tried to talk me into eating sprouts. I initially resisted, making (and firmly believing) the false (and unscientific) argument that all protein foods, including sprouts, create mucus, hence are toxic. Finally, I agreed to try them--in desperation--as I was seriously ill and needed to make changes.

I added raw lentil sprouts (short sprouts--root shoot the length of the soaked seed) to my diet, and I quickly started to gain weight and recover from my starved condition. I can honestly say that my friend--and lentil sprouts--literally saved my life back in 1973.

After recovering from the above situation, which I refer to as a "crash," I included lentil sprouts in my diet for some months--until the end of 1973 (or so). Even when eating sprouts, my diet was still 75+% raw fruit over the longer-term. Sprouts seemed to help me, but they cannot compare in taste to fresh, never-shipped mangos (the mangos in supermarkets are a poor imitation of fresh mangos). My weight returned to what was "normal" during the period: around 115 pounds (~52 kg). After my body weight normalized, I slowly reduced the amount of sprouts in my diet, and they were eaten only rarely during the remaining years of this period (i.e., 1974-1980).

____________________________________________________________________________

1973-1978:

After fully recovering from the crash, I experienced a period of about 2 years when the diet seemed to work well for me, at least most of the time. During this period, cravings were not a problem (in retrospect, I was probably overeating both sweet fruit and avocados in the period). I refer to this period as a "honeymoon" on the diet. Not only did the diet work, but I achieved the "holy grail" of fruitarianism: I was on 100% raw fruit for around 2 years. This is a goal that many fruitarians talk about, but very few achieve. Note that despite my "perfect" 100% fruit diet, I was frequently weak--followed by periods of hyperactivity--during this period. This is the classic pattern of excess sugar consumption: sugar highs, followed by sugar blues--which is why I say that I was probably consuming excess sweet fruit during this period. Although these symptoms were a bother, they were trivial compared to my crash. [Some fruitarians become habituated to the symptoms of excess sugar consumption and regard them as normal!]

The honeymoon period came to an abrupt end when my work took me overseas to a cold-climate location, where fresh fruit was expensive and of poor quality. (I was overseas about 20-25% of the time in the 1973-1978 period.) On one trip, I lived on a mono-diet of mandarin oranges for one month. Since then, I have steadfastly refused to eat mandarin oranges for any reason.

On one stressful, cold winter trip (at the end of the honeymoon period), the heat was not working in the place we were staying; consequently I had to freeze (and nearly starve) for 3 weeks. I returned to Florida, weighing only 95 pounds (43 kg)--my second crash. Fortunately, avocados were in season, and I was able to quickly regain weight by eating a diet that was mostly avocados. Anyone try avocados for breakfast? It's really not bad when you are emaciated and trying to gain weight.

After the 2-year honeymoon period, and while recovering from the second crash, things started to go downhill. The cravings that had been very minor during the honeymoon period returned--stronger than ever. [The "experts" will tell you that if you follow a fruit diet long enough, the cravings will vanish. The cravings do vanish for a while; what the "experts" don't tell you is that your nemesis, the cravings, can and probably will return someday.] I had cravings for sweet foods (even though my diet had sweet fruit as the dominant food type), and also salty foods (possibly due to lack of minerals). I started eating raw vegetables with soy sauce on them to satisfy my salt cravings. I would occasionally eat candy for the sugar cravings, but preferred to eat dates (which were addictive). Although I gave in to the cravings on occasion, my diet was still 75+% fruit over this period. [Side note: as addictive as dates and sugar are, there is one fruit that is even more addictive, and most raw vegans are addicted to it. That fruit is: avocados! Rawists who don't believe this are invited to try excluding avocados from their diet, for a firsthand lesson in the addictive nature of avocados. Additional note: also see, Becoming highly dependent on "mainstay" foods in a veg-raw diet (toward the bottom of the linked page) elsewhere on the site, about why raw vegans often become so reliant on fatty foods in their regimes, such as avocados.]

Additional problems during the post-honeymoon period included: severe muscle cramps--usually leg muscles, which may have been due to a calcium deficiency (most fruit is low in calcium); dental problems consisting of severe erosion of tooth enamel from acidic fruit consumption (enamel hypoplasia) and gum disease that required surgery (my consumption of excess sugar in the form of fruit may have been a factor in that); acid reflux (from eating too many dates); as well as the usual symptoms of excess sugar consumption (fatigue, sugar highs/blues, excess urination, constant thirst, etc.). As a "model fruitarian," my giving in to cravings was done in secret, as it seemed shameful to go off the "perfect, ideal" fruit diet. The only times I ate candy was on my foreign trips (and then only occasionally). In other words, I was engaging in the classic eating disorder behavior of binges and eating in secret. (I should mention that the amount and frequency of binge-eating was rather low.)

____________________________________________________________________________

The Perils of Physical Purity

Having achieved and experienced very high levels of physical "purity" with the associated "light" mental feeling, I can assure you that the real experience of physical purity is not as positive as others advertise it to be. When you are very "pure," you become very physically sensitive. On the fruitarian diet, your sense of smell is sharpened considerably. The disadvantage of this is that it makes normal life very difficult, as follows.

Sitting in a room with a smoker (even if he/she is not smoking) may be painful--you cannot stand the smell.

The smell of garlic cooking can be nearly as painful as tear gas.

When you step on a bus or train, you gag because of the smell of the people on board.

You meet an attractive person who also seems attracted to you, but you cannot get near them because of the smell.

An additional example: For a personal trip to India, I had to get a cholera inoculation for my yellow "WHO" (World Health Organization) card. I went to my doctor, and the nurse gave me the shot. I immediately passed out, and broke out in a cold sweat. The nurse panicked (she thought she had killed me), and went and got the doctor, who revived me with smelling salts. The sweat on me (as a fruitarian, sweating was very rare for me at the time) smelled just like the vaccine that had been injected into me. Was this an immediate emergency "cleansing reaction," or an allergic reaction? I suspect (but cannot prove) that it was a cleansing reaction, as an allergic reaction might not smell like the vaccine. Anyway, if this is a cleansing reaction, it shows how being too pure, in an impure world, has certain disadvantages.

During this period, I considered myself to be spiritual, but I was very socially isolated. Social isolation is a common and serious problem in rawism, as it is considered a "weird" diet. Because I was harassed a lot about my diet (try being a 100% raw fruitarian in a conservative, suburban part of Florida in the 1970s, and you will experience a great deal of harassment), I chose to avoid the harassment by limiting and carefully selecting social opportunities. I also chose to not be a "missionary" for the diet, as that would simply encourage others to harass me more (as well, I respect the right of others to freely choose their diets).

____________________________________________________________________________

Phase-out of Fruitarianism: 1979-1980

After years on the diet, I slowly started to lose interest in fruit, dietary purity, and concern for the "evil demons" of mucus and protein. Cravings and hunger increased, and I was apathetic about being "pure." In retrospect, what happened is that I literally burned out from the powerful obsession with food that is required to be a 100% raw fruitarian and deal with the constant hunger, cravings, social isolation, fatigue, and other problems that are common on the diet.

____________________________________________________________________________

Natural Hygiene-Style Diet: 1980-1989

____________________________________________________________________________

Transition Period (end of 1980, to 1982)

After ending the fruitarian diet, I returned to a conventional cooked vegetarian diet. It was lacto-vegetarian, but I ate very little dairy--only in salad dressing, and an occasional piece of chocolate. The foods that I ate passed through me and came out the other end looking just like they did when I ate them. This indicated a weak digestive fire; in retrospect it was probably due to eating too much sweet fruit over my years as a fruitarian. I have heard of other ex-fruitarians who experienced the same problem. Also, some long-time fruitarians who claim to have "perfect digestion" may have this problem without knowing it. When one eats mostly fruit, it passes through the body quickly (without causing gas or readily apparent digestive upset), with, however, little change when it comes out as feces. Thus fruit seems to be easy to digest, when, in the long run, it may in fact reduce the digestive fire over time when eaten in great quantity.

I didn't know what to do about this problem at the time--I had the typical anti-medical-doctor bias so common among raw-fooders, and never saw a physician about the problem. (Nowadays I know of some possible remedies for this situation.) Anyway, the problem cleared up by itself after around 2 years on more "normal" food. Despite eating considerable amounts of food in this period, I also found it nearly impossible to gain weight! Note also that this situation--disrupted digestion and difficulty in gaining weight--can be an after-effect of anorexia nervosa (an interesting comparison, as many fruitarians are as emaciated as those suffering from anorexia).

____________________________________________________________________________

Return to Raw (1982-1989)

After being on cooked food for a while, I returned to eating raw foods. I still considered myself a fruitarian then, but nowadays I consider my diet in the period as being closer to natural hygiene in style. My diet then had fruit as the dominant food (but less than 75%, the standard used here for calling oneself a fruitarian), with lots of vegetables, seeds, nuts, and as the 1980s progressed, sprouts. I was not on the diet full-time during this period. Instead I would alternate--months on raw, then months on cooked, then back to raw, and so on. This on-off pattern is quite common in the raw movement (going on 100% raw and staying on it is the exception rather than the rule).

During this period, I subscribed to one of T.C. Fry's newsletters for a few years, and he became an influence on me. Through Fry, I learned of something called natural hygiene. Fry wrote about natural hygiene, but he promoted himself rather than Herbert Shelton (the major founder of natural hygiene in modern times). After reading the radically exuberant Fry for a while, my initial positive impressions faded, and I realized he was dubious, to say it politely. I was still pro-fruitarianism in this period; one could say that idealism had a strong grip on me, specifically the simplistic, yet seductive (and false) idea that fruit is the perfect food, and will guarantee perfect health.

During this phase of my dietary learning process, I experienced fewer problems than in the fruitarian phase of the 1970s. I would go on raw to enhance my health, then go off it when cravings became a problem. (My primary problem, when raw in this period, was cravings.) As the 1980s ended, I experimented again with sprouts, and found that a more diverse raw diet that included short sprouts--the root shoot of the sprout is about the length of the soaked seed--worked much better for me (such sprouts are filling and satisfying, helping reduce cravings). So, I added more sprouts to my diet. This led me to the next phase of my dietary learning process.

GO TO SECOND HALF OF ARTICLE

____________________________________________________________________________

Back to Dietary Problems in the Real World

Back to Waking Up from the Fruitarian Dreamtime

Beyond Veg home \f20Feedback \f20Links

(Tom Billings: dietary bio--continued, Part B)

____________________________________________________________________________

Generic Raw Vegan: 1990-1996

____________________________________________________________________________

My experiments with sprouts continued, and I slowly increased the percentage of sprouts (and green vegetables) in my diet and decreased the percentage of fruit. This type of diet was easier to follow and more satisfying than the preceding diets. However, there were still a few problems, notably cravings (in the early 1990s) and fatigue. I was 100% raw for much (but not all) of this time. In the early 1990s I got addicted to dates again--an addiction that lasted nearly a year. (I ate approximately 1 pound or 0.5 kg per day.) Sugar was a real problem for me--probably a legacy of my many years on sweet fruit, i.e., the fruitarian years.

In 1994, chronic health problems developed, and I turned to yoga and Ayurveda, the traditional medical/wellness system of India, for help. A blood test done in late December 1994 showed a serious deficiency of vitamin B-12, an apparent legacy of my many years as a vegan and fruitarian. I now use vitamin B-12 supplements (and have been attacked by extremists for doing so) to make up for the deficiencies of the "perfect" 100% raw vegan/fruitarian diet I followed for so many years.

The primary influences on me during this period were, in raw foods: Ann Wigmore, Brian Clement, and Gabriel Cousens. I got into Ayurveda via the writings of Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Bhagwan Dash, David Frawley, and others. (Please note that Gabriel Cousens is not, and was not, an Ayurvedic influence for me.) During this period, I also dis-associated myself from Swami Kailashananda (the raw foods yogi), as his behavior over a long period led me to the inescapable view/opinion that he was thoroughly corrupt.

In 1996, under the influence of writers and friends in the yoga and Ayurveda communities, I started experimenting with raw dairy in my diet. This led me to my current diet.

____________________________________________________________________________

The Current Phase: Lacto-Vegetarian, 75-90% Raw

____________________________________________________________________________

My current diet is 75-90% raw and includes some dairy--mostly raw milk or yogurt and a very small amount of ghee (a cooked dairy product). My diet includes sprouts, nuts, avocados, raw vegetables, fruits, dairy, and other foods (raw honey, etc.).

Humanely produced, sanitary, raw cow's milk is readily available in the area I live in (San Francisco area: I use Claravale Farms raw cow milk). Lately (August 2000) I have been using yogurt instead of raw milk, as it is more convenient. Adding dairy to my diet has helped me in many ways:

Increased my strength and stamina.

Effectively eliminated physical cravings; milk and yogurt are comfort foods and anti-craving.

Increased body weight, and the weight is staying on, rather than melting off.

Increased hydration (many raw vegans are dehydrated--I was, before adding dairy to my diet).

Increased sense of well-being; in other words, I feel better.

Helped with my health problems, and also helped balance me, in Ayurvedic terms. There is another benefit of using dairy: it helped free me from the negative mindset of vegan anti-dairy propaganda. Finally, I could appreciate the gentle nature of Mother cow, and her generosity in sharing her milk with us. That is a far cry from the hateful rhetoric about dairy that one often hears from so-called "compassionate" vegans, e.g., "liquid meat," "cow mucus," "sexual harassment," and so on. [P.S. Pardon the sarcasm, but it would not surprise me if the preceding remarks motivate some "compassionate" vegans to send me "compassionate" hate mail.]

My current diet includes about 10-25% cooked foods: mostly steamed vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, string beans. Lately I have been eating some rice, in the form of khitcharee, a mixture of basmati rice and split mung beans, mildly spiced, that is very easy to digest. Yoga is also very important to me; I teach yoga in San Francisco as a volunteer (public) service. On request, I also give occasional talks on raw foods, nutrition, and related subjects.

____________________________________________________________________________

Selected Lessons from My Dietary Experience

____________________________________________________________________________

This section presents only a few select lessons; no claim of being comprehensive is made or implied. I encourage you to read my other writings on this site, and those written by others on this site as well.

Fruitarianism in Retrospect

In 1981, I learned of a type of mental illness, something called anorexia nervosa, a type of eating disorder. I looked back at my fruitarian years and wondered if I had had an eating disorder then. At that time, my research was very limited, and I did not reach any firm conclusions.

In 1983, Karen Carpenter, the famous pop singer, died of heart failure caused by ipecac poisoning. (Ipecac is an emetic or purgative.) She had learned to use ipecac to vomit up food--the behavior known as bulimia. The bulimia was part of her eating disorder; she also suffered from severe anorexia nervosa. After this event, I was harassed quite a bit because I was, in typical raw-fooder fashion, very emaciated at the time. Many of my friends and co-workers asked me if I had anorexia.

Although I did not appreciate such attention at the time, it did motivate me to find out more about anorexia. I read all I could find on the subject. I asked myself whether my experience with fruitarianism was: a spiritual experience, an eating disorder, or some kind of weird food-faddist diet. My conclusion then was that the fruitarian experience was all of those things (but not at the same time).

Some observant readers may note that fruitarianism does not meet the technical diagnostic criteria for anorexia: self-starvation caused by fear of fat. However, fruitarianism often is/can be self-starvation caused by fear--fear of cooked food, protein, mucus; these are a few of the many fears promoted by fruitarian extremists. Also, mental-health professionals often diagnose any kind of self-starvation as an eating disorder; whether it is caused by fear of fat or other fears (fear of cooked food, protein) is not important. The similarities between fruitarianism and eating disorders is striking, and will be explored in a later article.

I would label my experience in fruitarianism in the following way:

Spiritual fruitarianism:up until the crash in 1973.

Toxic fruitarianism:(fruitarianism as an eating disorder) 1973 to second crash, i.e., end of 1975/76.

Conventional fruitarianism:second crash to phase-out (burnout) of the diet, in 1980.

The above types of fruitarianism are discussed and explored in depth in a separate (offsite) article I have written. [A second, related offsite article is also available.]

Spiritual fruitarianism was a generally positive experience for me, while it lasted. I moved from spiritual fruitarianism to toxic fruitarianism when I allowed the bogus fear of mucus, and the drive to be "pure" (mucusless, per the title of Ehret's book), to dominate me. When fear dominates you, it poisons you (your mind), just as surely as drinking deadly poison will poison your body. Those extremists who promote fear (of cooked food, protein, mucus) are spreading mental poison, and are promoting eating disorders under the guise of their "ideal, perfect, natural" diet. Fear is not the basis for a diet; it is, however, a basis for an eating disorder! (I should mention that one can have a rational, scientific discussion regarding the pros and cons of cooked food, and one can even believe in the mucus theory, and not be an extremist. Such fear develops into an eating disorder when it becomes obsessive and/or has a significant negative impact on one's life.)

While on the subject of spiritual fruitarianism, the following comments are relevant.

When I experienced the "light" mental feeling one gets on a fruit diet, I thought it was pretty neat, and an indicator of spiritual progress. Since then, I have had the opportunity to do real spiritual work (yoga) on a different raw vegan diet, and I can vouch that, from direct firsthand experience, the "light" mental feeling one gets on a fruit diet is not a real spiritual feeling. The light feeling of a fruit diet is ungrounded, airy, a feeling of apathy and not being connected. [Such "light" mental feelings may actually be a symptom of a zinc deficiency. Further, in Ayurvedic terms, it may indicate a vata imbalance in the nervous system.] A spiritual feeling is warm, grounded, secure, loving, and one retains interest in things around them. It is not "spacy" like the light mental feeling of fruit; instead it is blissful.

Spiritual fruitarianism, in my experience (and that of others I know, or know of), is a phase one passes through. It is not an end, but a transient growth path.

____________________________________________________________________________

Other Important Lessons

____________________________________________________________________________

Perfectionism and obsession with dietary purity can be very harmful if they drive you to self-starvation (whether via fruit diet, fasting, or other methods). The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is often characterized as involving the issues of self-control and perfectionism. These issues are also relevant to one who seeks perfection via controlling their diet, limiting it to the "perfect" food--(supposedly) fruit. However, underneath the self-control and perfectionism issues, it is my opinion there is another, even deeper issue that is relevant to both fruitarians and those with anorexia: love for yourself. We need to accept ourselves, and love ourselves, as we are right now. If changes are needed, acknowledge same, and work for change in a loving, sane, moderate, self-respectful way. Clearly, starving yourself to be "pure" (e.g., fruitarianism and the delusion of impurity) or because you are "fat" (anorexia and the delusion that you are not perfect because you are overweight) is not a sane or moderate approach.

Many of the writers and so-called role models in fruitarianism are, in my opinion and experience, extremists and/or potentially dishonest about their diet. [The only fruitarian writers I can recommend are: Sapoty Brook, some of the folks involved in REAL News (Australia), and Morris Krok. By the way, Morris Krok now advises against a diet of only fruit, and he is an open, honest, and very nice person.] It is my experience and opinion that many of the advocates of fruitarianism, on closer look, reveal that they don't really follow the diet as closely as they claim to. Other advocates disqualify themselves by displaying the hostile, mentally unstable behavior of zealots (fanatics, extremists).

Regarding the dubious honesty of some advocates of fruitarianism, I must tell you that for a time in the 1980s, I was probably no better. I continued to identify with fruitarianism, even though I was not fully on the diet, for some time--from 1980 into the mid-1980s. I finally realized that I was self-identifying with my lunch, and that doing so was a bad idea. I broke free from the "golden cage" of lunch-identification. (See my article, Functional and Dysfunctional Lunch-Attitudes , on the site for more on this subject.)

Over and above the eating disorder behaviors so common in fruitarianism, I can now say (in 1997) that in my opinion, the biggest criticism of fruitarianism is that it is dishonest in so many ways:

Extremists promoting the diet as "ideal" and/or "natural" when it is neither--such claims are based on a false model of nature, and fallacious rhetoric, e.g., "apes are fruitarians," "humans evolved as fruitarians." Meanwhile, in reality, all the great apes deliberately eat some animal foods, because that is their natural diet, and the fossil record provides overwhelming evidence that the evolutionary diet of humans included animal foods.

The experts/role models who claim to strictly follow the diet (100% raw and 75+% fruit), but who binge-eat, eat in secret, and generally cheat on the diet.

The extremists who proclaim themselves as perfectly healthy, when they are so emotionally unhealthy that they cannot respond to criticism of their ideal diet in a civil, rational manner. (Unfortunately, I have encountered many such extremists in the past.)

The above will disturb many readers, especially those who are idealistic, and/or who have self-identified with the fruitarian diet. I encourage you to face the above, for the above is, to me, the unpleasant (but honest) reality of fruitarianism in practice.

____________________________________________________________________________

Lessons from the Natural Hygiene Phase

____________________________________________________________________________

Avoiding the Trap of Worshiping Herbert Shelton

The trap and attraction of worshiping Herbert Shelton is that he was a supreme logician and a very rational thinker and synthesizer of ideas (for the most part--he had his blind spots, as all of us probably do); however, one's logic and conclusions are only as good as the premises, assumptions, and data one starts from. While a number of Shelton's observations may have been masterful given the available knowledge in his day, science has moved on. No one knew the necessity of keeping their mind open to new data more than Shelton, who made his motto and that of the movement he led when he was alive, "Let us have truth though the heavens fall." Many natural hygienists seem to have completely forgotten this, and elevated him to the status of something akin to a Greek god.

As my knowledge of Herbert Shelton was limited at the time, I did not realize (until later) that having the dubious T.C. Fry as my introduction to natural hygiene was, in a sense, optimal. Because of this, and my skepticism of Fry, I did not fall into the trap of worshiping Herbert Shelton that I see many hygienists in. (Many of these folks are really good people and are sincere; some of them are not even aware that their view of Shelton is unrealistic and spiritually/mentally unhealthy.) I refer to the syndrome of worshiping Shelton as:

"Turn ON Herbert Shelton, Turn OFF Your Brain." ;-)

Those who regard the writings of Herbert Shelton as being, in effect, the "holy scriptures of health" are the folks who have the syndrome. Coming to natural hygiene via Fry rather than Shelton helped me avoid the above.

Please note here that:

One can respect (and quote) Shelton without worshiping him. I am not suggesting that anyone/everyone who quotes or admires Shelton worships him.

Although I disagree with Shelton on a number of points, I respect his positive achievements. Shelton went to jail a number of times for his beliefs--I think that deserves some respect! Indeed, the courage Shelton displayed by standing up for the principles he believed in, is in sharp contrast to the blatant corruption, dishonesty, and moral cowardice that characterize the current raw foods movement.

Natural Hygiene-Style Diet, but Never a "Natural Hygienist"

A minor but important point: I did not (and do not) describe myself as a "natural hygienist." I use the term natural hygiene-style here because it provides a convenient way to describe my diet during a certain period, and because the natural hygiene movement was an influence on me. Most readers will realize this from the material above. However, I thought it best to make it an explicit statement, as I have received hate mail from fundamentalist natural hygienists who apparently don't (or can't?) read very carefully, and who attacked me starting from the false premise that I was a natural hygienist.

____________________________________________________________________________

Other Lessons in This Period

____________________________________________________________________________

A diverse raw diet in which fruit is only a minor component is better than a diet in which fruit is the dominant food, as sweet fruit (with its ample sugar content) promotes cravings.

A long-term pattern of frequent short-term changes in diet (e.g., frequent rapid shifts from cooked to 100% raw and back) is not good for you in the long run--it disrupts digestion and promotes cravings. By Ayurvedic principles, it may also promote hypoglycemia (common among long-time rawists).

It is wise to be very skeptical of the "experts" and "diet gurus," especially if their writings contain a lot of nonsense and very little factual content. Note here that factual content can be real-world experience/observation and/or valid scientific research; needless to say, crank science--far too common in fruitarianism--does not count. (Note that these comments apply to certain recent well-known raw vegan writers as well; it is not limited to hygienists.)

____________________________________________________________________________

Lessons From the Last Two Phases (1990 to Present)

____________________________________________________________________________

Raw diets do not guarantee perfect or even just plain old "excellent" health. My own health problems and those of others (friends and rawists on the email listgroups) attest to that. By the way, wild animals eating a raw, truly natural diet often die of disease. This is overlooked (or dismissed via weak rationalizations) by the extremists, of course. Truth often gets in the way of those peddling simplistic dietary dogma and solutions.

Don't ignore health problems that occur on the diet because you think they are detox, or you have swallowed the lie that medical doctors are bad. See a qualified health professional if you have problems; things are not always what they seem. Your problem might be a deficiency, or something else. Don't let the extremist poison regarding medical doctors make you close the door to possible information and/or help. Don't sacrifice your health on the altar of raw dietary dogma!

Self-healing is not the only form of healing. (A separate article on this is planned--not yet available). All healing modalities, even the ones that seem silly, have good and bad points. If one has enough faith in something, it often works, whether it is nature cure, drugs, healing crystals, or whatever. One can argue that it is the "placebo effect," but that does not matter to those sincerely seeking healing. Healing is wherever you find it!

Our job, then, is to match the healing modality to the individual, the ailment, and the circumstances. One extremist who firmly believes that self-healing is the only healing tried to defend self-healing by claiming that nature is not a multiple-choice proposition, but operates only according to certain laws. That may be true, but it is also ego and ignorance that drives the extremist to believe that THEIR "knowledge" of nature and its laws is perfect and complete. Nature has many mysteries, and healing is, at least in part, one of them.

Extremists are not your friend. They regard their simplistic dietary dogma as infallible. If the raw diet does not work for you, then they will tell you that it is your fault, you aren't following every single detail of their dogma, you are inferior, you are a failure, and so on. Those are the falsehoods such advocates raise to defend their bogus dogma. In effect, the extremists are saying something else between the lines: that their dogma is more important to them than you (a person) are, and more important to them than your health and well-being.

Be open to new ideas and information. Adding dairy was a difficult thing for me to do, as I had to overcome the mental poisons of my own vegan self-indoctrination (i.e., vegan anti-dairy propaganda). When you are open to new ideas, a whole new world awaits you. I invite you to join me--and the others on this site--in exploring this world, the world called reality. Abandon dietary dogma, start thinking for yourself, and enjoy the challenges of an open relationship with reality. I think you will enjoy it!

____________________________________________________________________________

End Notes

____________________________________________________________________________

This is the first time I have written such a detailed bio. I have resisted doing this for years, and have instead operated on the principle of releasing a minimum of information about myself. I followed that policy because I have noted that many (far too many) rawists are very self-absorbed and talk about themselves all the time. I wanted to avoid the ego trap I see so many rawists in.

However, when I was asked if I would contribute my experiences for this site, I psyched myself up to do it. Having done it, I hope that my story helps you to avoid some of the problems I experienced. You can learn from my mistakes, or do the same things and learn the hard way--ultimately, the choice is yours.

Because previous bio info relating to what I have discussed above has previously been released only on a piecemeal basis, and because some of the dates herein are best guesses, there may be very minor differences with information released previously. Such differences are due to the uncertainty regarding the dates of certain events (for years, I tried to forget parts of my fruitarian experience), and the off-the-cuff/reluctant nature of earlier releases of information. I state this because, if extremists can find the slightest discrepancies with earlier, partial info releases, experience has shown they will likely be quick to attack and call me a liar to deflect attention from the numerous other observations made here. Such tactics merely reflect on the desperation of the extremists, who want you to follow their dogma rather than think for yourself. (Encouraging you to think for yourself is a prime goal of this site.) If enough people think for themselves, the extremists will quickly go out of business.

Some extremists will tell you that I am not a raw-fooder, because I am "only" 75-90% raw. Generally, however, you will find in the real world that those who are eating at least 75% raw or so (by weight) consider themselves serious raw-fooders. Those who promote 100% as the only standard are promoting their own pathological obsession with dietary purity. See the excellent Health Food Junkie article on this site for insight into how obsession with dietary purity can be considered an eating disorder (i.e., a mental illness).

As one who is publicly critical of the excessive idealism and extremism so prevalent in the raw vegan movement, I have been, and will probably continue to be, a target of attack by extremists. In particular, if they can find anything here that they can use to attack me with, they will probably do so. Such attacks merely reflect on the immaturity and mental unbalance of the extremists.

____________________________________________________________________________

Epilog

____________________________________________________________________________

My writings, and those by others on this site, are an antidote to the nonsense and misinformation promoted by dietary extremists. Some extremists appear to be seeking followers and/or groupies; they want you to look up to them as "experts." I don't want any followers, groupies, or adulation: I want you to think for yourself, take charge of your health, and start being skeptical of the diet gurus and experts (including me, if you consider me an "expert"). When you think for yourself and use common sense, you will quickly figure out who the extremists are, and who is telling you the truth.

I wish you good luck in your diet and health experiments!

--Tom Billings , August, 2000

Before writing to Beyond Veg contributors, please be aware of our email policy about what types of email we can and cannot respond to. Also note that unless you explicitly state otherwise, email received will be considered eligible for reprinting on our reader reactions page, and possible further comment from the relevant contributor and/or the site editor.

____________________________________________________________________________

Back to Dietary Problems in the Real World

Back to Waking Up from the Fruitarian Dreamtime

Return to beginning of article

Beyond Veg home \f20Feedback \f20Links