from now on, this blog will start its normal activity again.
The other sections of the site are either partially available or still under revision.
CALENDAR
Worldwide Vegan Events
World September / October
there is an extensive list of worldwide events at TheVeganVoice.org
( for the link click on the V icon here, as usual)
World Animal Day
World October 4th
many events worldwide
Budapest Water Summit
Budapest (Hungary) October 8--11
Is there anything more important than Water?
Bicycle World Forum
Curitiba (Brazil) 2014 February 13--16
Come on, you can make it to Curitiba by bike in 4 months ;)
BLOG
September / October 2013
THIS MONTH' s THEME:
Ten fruitful years
A table, a chair,
a bowl of fruit and a violin;
what else does a man need to be happy?
Albert Einstein
Greetings from the happy man
Hi,
no, I am no Albert for sure, no matter how overexposed and overblown my photo might be.
But I am sitting on a chair, leaning on a table, surrounded by fruits and an old
(half-broken) violin is here too!
Welcome back to my patient aficionados and to the very new readers!
It's late night, and I have already spent hours working on this site, so I will leave the blog's content to tomorrow.
Anyway, I use to blog Monday-to-Friday, we all have a rest on weekends, and you can of course read my posts whenever
you like.
The occasion for this big time return to blogging is my 10 years jubileum as a raw-food and fruit eater.
This will be the theme here until the end of October.
I will tell about my experience, and a lot of what I have learned.
See you then,
cheers, Luca
Abundance matters! Enjoyment and limits too!
Yesterday, the overexposed was evidently referring to my face in the sun, while the overblown regarded the showing off
of one of my Peach trees, so full of fruits this year, last August!
When I write a monthly blog, I never know exactly what I am going to write, but I have a clear picture of the theme, and
nothing is casual.
I liked to use the photo I chose, because discovering a fruit based nutrition was also the discovery of abundance.
A major shift happens when undertaking a transition into a fruit diet.
Conventional food is oftest linked to restrictions, limitations, and bad conscience, sin, feeling guilty.
It's not my case for sure, but a huge chunk of the actual population fights with obesity or at least overweight, and a need
for caloric restriction is mandatory.
That's the physical aspect of it. There are also deeper psychological reasons why we associate food with sin and guilt.
Not to even mention the so called 'eating disorders' like anorexia and bulimia.
Fruit helps breaking that cage. When you only eat fruit, or mostly fruit, you simply have to eat a lot of it,
and it is a marvelous feeling, the one where there is no sin at all: gorging in sweet and yummy food.
Now, don't think I am adhering here to the "eat as much as you can" craze out there.
Be it the unhealthy fast food marketing format, or the supposedly healthy raw-food one.
It's a complex thing with many factors, but calories do count!.
You will kind of feel like you can eat as much as you want to, when you eat fruit and raw-food, but still within
reasonable limits in reality.
Simply the ones set by your nutritional needs and activity and metabolic rate and bodily physics.
You can watch this video for ex. by the often sensible Andrew:
There is more to it, and I will write about abundance/scarcity tomorrow.
Always honesty first
I will actually expand on the issue, of how much eating is optimal, tomorrow.
Before we come that far, it is very important telling what this blog is about.
As told already, it is about my own experience eating fruit.
During the last 10 years, most of the time I have been eating 100% organic fruit only.
Not all the time (I mean: even if sometimes not only fruit, still all organic).
I am always honest about this, why should I lie?
There were periods when I ate cooked food again. Even binging on it.
It has been vegetarian food since 1985 and vegan since 1995,
but also the latter had exceptions. The only animal food I ate since 1985 is cheese.
But all in all it has been marginal time compared to the massive eating of fruit and vegetables
(during the time I was a raw-foodie) and exclusively fruit as a frugivore.
Which has become a more and more stable habit in the last years, and I hope final now.
Actually my interest and love for fruit nutrition and the concept of fruitarian started much earlier,
certainly in 1980 or even before (I don't remember exactly)
I had some attempts periodically in the following years, with experiments eating only fruit.
Failed miserably though, as I had no clue what to do, there was practically no one I knew that could help me,
and consider personal computers and Internet didn't even exist!
So, it is a very long time I have been interested and studied these issues. Have extensively experimented on myself,
and followed close what was happening in the world and in other people.
Can honestly say then, that I am very experienced, know a lot about this stuff, and I am also very immune to all fad diets,
'latest sensations', snake oil sellers and blatant self-proclaimed gurus.
Still.. yes I am still an individual, free independent and honest, but I am limited like anyone else is.
I can offer you a lot of information and some sensible opinions and advices.
But these matters are so important and complex, so you should never rely on only one person,
or group or lobby or whatever else.
Be critic! Use your own brain! Use all what critical, rational, emotional, intuitive, thinking makes available of tools
for your mind to discern.
I have always insisted about this, and will continue to do until I drop dead.
If we want to be serious about being vegan, raw-foodist and fruitarians, then we can't continue with
gurus, questionable opinions, and supermarket or home made science.
We do need real science, not arrogant and reductionist science but good and serious Science.
With all its defects and limits, it is still the only method invented by human beings that brings
to all of us some reliable results.
We need interest, collaboration and co-working from scientific communities, institutions
and single independent researchers.
It is partly happening already, but we definitely need more.
Until then, no one knows the truth, no one can be sure about anything.
We should all be careful what we say and what we do, especially when it involves children.
Please then, this blog is only for people that already knows what being a fruitarian is. This is NOT for beginners.
Forget about it being easy or simple, or without any challenge or problem or trouble.
It is not, it is complex, full of traps and you seriously risk to do a lot of damage to yourself and others, if you don't
know what you are doing. Or even when you do know what you are doing, at this limited point of knowledge and experience
we have reached so far.
So, do not 'just' start and jump into it, at least be a little patient and wait for my "Fruit" section to reopen,
here on this site, as it will be very complete, and practical.
What if...?
Just think about that: could it even be possible to eat unlimited quantities of food and not get fat,
in the medium-long run?
Honestly: it is a delirious idea. Nevertheless it has got popular, due to the usual viral marketing power
of some people on the Web.
You could ask: "how do you know?"
Well, of course everything is possible in this odd universe, and who am I to make statements?
I can share the method I use to judge.
When a somehow controversial new idea or theory pops up, I simply ask
myself a lot of questions. [my considerations about that idea in squares]
I start with a first quick assessment: has that any likelihood at all?
[very tiny!]
does it contradict all what we know?
[practically all the physics laws..]
what does Science say about this, what are the researches already made and what is our experience and other
people's experience?
[this would be the Festival of Myths, Prejudices and Urban legends for sure ;)]
using the Occam's razor, is this the simplest explanation?
[no, the simplest is: the less calories you eat, the less you will weight in the long run,
and the more calories you eat the opposite will result. Trivial, I know, but that's it.]
how many factors are involved?
[too many to even mention, and that's the point: of course genetics, age, gender,
level of activity, food quality, climatic conditions and other do count and make a lot of difference.]
One could continue for a long time, and the less the "eat as you want" theory would become worthy to use time on.
There is though a last question that is decisive in most cases.
I mutuated and elaborated it from Immanuel Kant's reasonings about morality and universal laws.
The famous "cathegorical imperative" and its maxim, that in its third formulation sounded:
“Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another,
always at the same time as an end and never merely as a means.”
Immanuel Kant
"Grounding for the
Metaphysics of Morals"
In my version of it, I just ask myself this question: "What if everyone did the same,
what would happen as a consequence in the World?"
So, what would happen if everyone ate as much as they can or want? Would it be sustainable?
Clearly not.
World population's rate is decreasing but in absolute numbers it is increasing dramatically.
We are already more than 7 billions, and estimates talk about 8.3 to 10.9 billions in 2050,
see here: World population
Don't look at your own belly only, rise your sight and direct it toward the World.
It is true fruit is generous and abundant, but still in the context of nature.
No doubt the way to go is to plant fruit trees everywhere, to create and expand gardens, orchards,
seeds of life everywhere.
Still, excess and exaggerations don't lead anywhere, the bigger is not always the better.
Balance, care and responsibility are.
If we don't know then how do we choose?
Closing the 'how much to eat' issue: that's actually pretty simple. What is your optimal weight? Find out how many calories you need to eat daily, to maintain your
weight and stick to it.
Of course, just adjust that general rule in a transitory period until you are back
to your optimal weight, or to whatever your situation, lifestyle or needs are.
And one can refine this rule with time, to optimize your life, to adapt to the peculiarities of a raw-food and fruit diet,
to maximize the effects it can have on longevity and so on.
We really don't need to make things more complicated than this.
More in general, that becomes a very fundamental and complex question, indeed.
Basically we live on this Earth without knowing a ting..
Honestly, we can't answer a single existential question at all yet.
Such as: "Why do we live?""Where do we come from?" etc. etc. you know, that kind of questions
we all ask ourselves when admiring a starry night, or when we get the dentist bill.
We still don't know the answer to more scientific questions, like:"Is our universe finite or infinite?""Is it entropic or non-entropic" and so on.
There is not much to do about that, we still live, no matter if we have to, or decide to live, or absolutely
want because we enjoy and love it.
Our basic existential condition is that of living with no ground under our feet, or an illusory ground of quantistic atoms,
that are not even supposed to be there really.
Yet we walk on this Earth like it was not a wave but solid matter.
We are here, we live, we need to decide all the time.
When we know something, we can use that knowledge.
When we do not know or are uncertain, then there is only the individual or collective sensible mind
left, there is history, experience, intuition, and ethics.
'See' you again on Monday, have a very nice week-end.
Plants don't feel anything at all, do they?
It's got very late tonight.
I wanted to make a status of my actual situation right now, after so many years eating fruit.
In stead I will quickly embed a video regarding Plants.
It's such an interesting video, as it shows all what I have always felt and experienced about plants, but couldn't prove
and express in words.
You see how nice it is with Science?
This is actually the reason why I am not content with 'just' being a Vegan and a raw-foodie.
I take Plants very seriously, and don't like any form of violence on them.
Fruit eating takes the whole Ahimsa (nonviolence) up to a truly different level.
Although total nonviolence is not humanly possible, that comes very close.
Enjoy the video (and the Italian accent of the excellent professor Stefano Mancuso ;)
I am slowly making the old blogs in the Archive available, you need some patience still.
If you read them in the last years you know that I often mention and comment what is going on in the big World out there.
Don't worry, I have not changed. I know very well and follow very close all what happens.
Be it the budget problems in the US, or the civil war in Syria, or a whole country, Italy, held as hostage by a
condemned criminal, and you know who I am talking about.
But this month I will continue with the theme, giving some inputs on a fruit nutrition and life.
Yes, it is Pierre Pallardy who had to appear in court today, and the charges are very heavy,
plus also problems with tax evasion, as mentioned in another article.
I don't know him well, but he is very well known as a 'loosing weight guru', 'guru of the Stars' and for proposing his
method of curing most illnesses. Based on the central role of the stomach, on diet, sleep, water etc.
Somehow holistic, but didn't really attract me, as it sounded more like a 'mix-max' to me.
His books are translated into many languages and can be found in most bookshops, online at least.
This trial just started, so of course the man is still innocent unless the opposite is proven.
Sex assault and tax evasion, isn't it typical anyway?
Be it gurus or the above mentioned Italian politician [condemned for tax fraud and sex with a minor,
when it is called a coincidence..!],
sex and money still seem to be the secret, compulsive and sick dream of so many small, small and mediocre men.
Because many well known and powerful people are mediocre. If you take their aura of power and false cheesy smiles
away from them there is not much left.
What always surprises me, is how it is possible so many don't read them in the face immediately.
I can spot a false person in seconds, and when it is gurus in one second.
Most people seem to be defenseless, and you will again and again hear stories like the ones in the article:
“Some described feeling hypnotised
or said he appeared like a guru,
others declared that they were reluctant
to report him because he was so famous.
Several women say they paid for their
consultation even though
they had been sexually assaulted.”
Unbelievable, isn't it? But I have heard this kind of stories so many times, in sects or individual cases like this.
I have been kind to the gurus, so let me conclude with something even more cheerful.
Pallardy and his wife were a kind of icon of a healthy couple in France.
He stated he could cure impotence, manipulating the stomach with his hands
[and taking also some longer trips down there it seems].
His wife witnesses it is not possible what he is accused of, as he has been impotent for years.
Well, again I have to say: isn't it all just typical?
Any case: stay away from Gurus, not only the bad ones, ALL of them!
Don't tell me I haven't warned you people, next time you get involved in something like that.
What did I eat today?
Pretty much what I eat every day.
Somehow it variates every day, but following about the same seasonal patterns, at the same time.
Here it is a screenshot of my daily Cron-o-meter journal:
I am sure the nutritionist in you will raise a couple of eyebrows looking at that.
In fact, there is a lot to comment on, and I will do it tomorrow.
Don't call it 'disgrace'
This morning hundreds of migrants died in the Sea, just close to the island of Pantelleria (Sicilia, Italia).
Not the first time it happens, although this time it is an horrendous number of people ending in that grave of water.
Men and, mostly, women and children.
It has been happening for decades, we are talking about at least 20000 deaths.
Yet no one has done anything decisive to prevent these 'disgraces' to happen.
So, no, don't call them 'disgraces', they are not, they are at the minimum 'second-degree manslaughters'.
The right of freely moving, traveling, and settling down wherever one wants is a fundamental human right.
I have written so many times before, that Nations are artificial entities, and borders even more.
States have laws that need to be respected, but when they violate fundamental human rights, they are morally illegal
themselves.
Jorge Maria Bergoglio (Pope Francis) is another one who is not shy for making clear statements.
Just a couple of months ago he visited the very same island and said these words:
He reinforced the same concept today, commenting on the latest tragedy.
You see how obvious it is?
Nutrition is important, and to be healthy and in good shape you need to be alive first of all.
Human rights come before anything else.
Two definitely different paradigms
Closing this second week of my blogging, I will have a look at the screenshot of my daily diet.
I wrote that a nutritionist would cross himself when looking at it.
Even more when considering not only the macronutrients,
rather going in details, and analyzing minerals, vitamins and other components.
What would he/she notice?
Well, a lot of things!
I'll list just a few here:
- no problem with the level of calories:
that's about what they would consider adequate for someone like me,
with my parameters and level of activity. Do consider though it was casual right that day my intake corresponded to
the average one. Usually mine variates quite a lot, depending on the availability of my daily organic fruit.
In fact:
October 2 - 2626
October 3 - 2752
October 4 - 2018
You see how much it can swing? It is due to contingent factors, really.
Yesterday was unusual, probably the highest intake in months. Some Persimmons got ripe here, and they tasted so good,
and I didn't care they are very caloric.
Today in stead, I had no grapes, I will get more first tomorrow, so it was difficult to find fruit enough to reach
the same level.
No problem actually, it is best to be very stable and consistent, but what matters is the average during one year,
or such.
I have got quite relaxed about calories. Unless I am too skinny and need to gain weight, I prefer to just take it easy
and usual run a little caloric deficit, which is probably a very good thing for longevity.
Besides, the best strategy to gain weight is to gain muscle mass, so, better using your muscles than your mouth :)
Provided you are not really under-eating of course. And.. what about the next factor?
- Proteins
Where do I get my protein? ;-)
Yes, the dreadful question all veg*ns get asked until they can't take it any more.
Still, is 26g not outraging low for a big man like me?
Sure, it is. Consider, my software is set to show values in a 90 / 5 / 5 proportion for the macronutrients.
As this will be the average when eating fruit only.
So the 'normal' 32g are already low compared to a standard diet, and I didn't even get that, because all the fruit
I ate that day was not high in proteins.
This is in fact one of the various conceptual problems with a fruit nutrition.
Raw-foodists, that include vegetables in their diet, get a significant higher content of proteins.
Higher mineral content too.
Usually also things like Omega 3 fatty acids and more.
How come though, I have all the energy I need (you would not believe how much I do every day), and apparently I don't
show any sign of protein deficiency?
Many factors can be at play, too many to discuss here, but things are more complex than as such, especially when
two so different paradigms are confronted.
One must always be very careful not to deceive oneself, and problems can arise in the long run.
Many years on this diet haven't yet for me, and this is at least food for thought for the nutritionist in you.
I won't go in more details (I will in my Fruit section on this home site).
It is then much easier and safer to be a raw-foodist, while a fruitarian diet is really more challenging.
It is somehow harder and requires a lot of discipline and courage [fervor and madness?], and let me finally tell it as it is: nothing is certain about it yet, if you want to try it, it will be at your own risk, you will be on your own,
most of the time. It is not a 'normal' diet yet, it is an experiment!
So you were warned again.
Don't be too much frightened and have a nice week-end.
Next week in fact I will present my status, plus a lot of positive personal experiences and results.
What's the actual result of all that?
In the last two weeks I wrote about some issues that are still controversial.
I warned you against jumping uncritically into anything in general and this fruit lifestyle in particular.
I let you understand that my main reason why I have been living it for so long time is an Ethical one.
Although there are many others, involving health, ecology, animal rights, philosophy and so on.
Besides: I am an intellectually curious person, and experimenting with things intrigues me, and I am taking this journey as
a personal experiment.
Science, and knowledge, in fact are not necessarily equal with big and sophisticated experiments, requiring huge and
costly measuring instruments, or such.
We should never forget that, even if theories and technology are part of it and necessary, in the end the empiric
and epidemiological observations are the true core of the Scientific Method.
So, what is indeed the result of my 10 years experiment with a raw diet and with myself?
This is what I will tell you during the next 4 days.
Anyway, of course you can guess it already..
Do you think I would have continued so long time if I felt awful?
I don't, quite the opposite, it has been an extraordinary time.
Not all the time, not in a completely univocal way,
still, it has absolutely been worth it.
Comparing different lives
Evaluating a change in one's own health could be deceiving if it had got worse.
As there is the aging factor to be considered.
Usually it is no wonder that a 50 years old man can have a poorer health than the same man when he was
10-20-30 years younger.
Personally, I can state the opposite is happening to me!
Even though going back in time is an illusion, I do often feel like that's exactly what is happening.
Not in a literal way, the process of aging is real, and there are many changes that witness that.
Still, when looking at a wider concept of life quality, I really feel like it is much better now.
I will list many of the things that have changed in the last 30 years.
OMNIVOROUS (1961-1984)
COOKED VEG*N (1985-2003)
RAW FOOD (2003-2009)
FRUIT ONLY (2009-2013)
illnesses and ailments
some very serious illnesses, like Pericarditis and Pleurisy;
lots of very common ailments (head or stomach aches; heartburns; sickness; rheumatism, joint pain etc.)
No serious illnesses, apart from a knee damage (work related);
still a few ailments, not frequent at all, but it could happen when exceeding in acidic, salty and oily food.
none;
exception: a bad local skin Fungal Intertrigo, due to Candida, very persistent;
some ailments and symptoms strongly resurfacing back when eating cooked food again.
none; knee problems completely healed;
when eating cooked food again, the effect was quite devastating;
the Intertrigo finally not a problem anymore (although Candida can resurface if eating too much or eating
fatty fruits, like Avocado).
medicines and supplements
from time to time, when I had problems; very heavy cures with cortisone while having
Pericarditis and Pleurisy;
my family used to give me some C vitamin from time to time (not many times), maybe B complex too,
no other supplementation as far as I remember.
no pills or medicines at all since 1984!
some natural cures and complementary medicine;
no supplements, apart from a short period (a few weeks in 2001 or 2002, I think)
taking a vegan Multivitamin
none
none
non-medicinal drugs, smoking, alcohol
drugs: never!
smoking: tried one (1) cigarette when I was a teenager, it was the last!
alcohol: very little and rarely
alcohol: tiny tasting a few times in all those years
none
none
energy level
Good but discontinue at times; very sleepy after the meals
Very good, but consider I was much more physically active daily, despite not practicing sports any more
Stable energy, but very weak at times. It was due to under-eating during some times, as I was poor and
couldn't buy food enough! More sedentary than usual at times
Very stable energy, less sleep on average,
intense activity. Not much 'fuel reserves' when eating low calories, still
able to do all what I need to do daily (practically, continuous manual/creative/intellectual work no stop
for most of the day).
All what mentioned are sheer facts.
I could have included many more comparisons, but I will do in the next days.
So: even if this is not solid Science yet, even though there have been some serious disadvantages too,
even if it is quite hard at times, emotionally and socially mostly, still can you start seeing why it would
be meaningless to go back again?
Aesthetics for the masses
Yesterday, in the comparison, I did not mention some other important aspects: weight, hair, teeth .
Although they are definitely related to health, they are usually more considered as part of the way we look, and are quite
determinant in not only how healthy other people judge us to be, also and even more in the (subjective)
feeling of pleasantness, attraction, beauty and so on.
When you talk with vegans / raw-foodie/ fruitarians almost all of them will claim they look younger, fitter, sexier than
the average person.
Is that true? Hmmm..not sure.. don't want to be mean to anyone (myself first), but to me it has become a cliché, an
innocuous but bit embarrassing self-illusion.
When those diets are done correctly, some things are definitely true: - we do are leaner and fitter usually;
- our skin is cleaner and smells good (this has been confirmed by experiments actually);
- we do emit a lot more of aphrodisiac pheromones (like citrullin for example);
- some aging processes are slowed down or even reversed;
- much cleaner, softer hair (when fat is under control!);
- many report some kind of 'glow' in the eyes;
- last but not the least: definitely not everybody, but honestly, we tend to be nicer persons,
with interesting personalities.
All that can really make us appear more attractive.
To the eyes of the beholder still, and he/she must of course be
sensitive to that kind of things, and how much is the general population actually?
Certainly not as much as we do, they can value completely different or even opposite ones: many will find chubby people
more cute and attractive; well dressed with an aura of money and power; or very tough and artificial looking guys
or such.
In fact: botox, plastic surgery, extreme body care and hair removal, supersqueakywhite teeth, clouds of perfumes,
hair sprays and all sorts of chemicals have become so standard, one is almost a drop out and looser
if not obsessing with them..
Oh, did I mention teeth?
Yes I did, well, that's really the worst argument for us.
Most raw-foodies and fruitarians experience troubles with teeth, from mild to devastating.
It can definitely be a problem, and I am the first one to witness it.
It's a quite extremely complex and intriguing question, so I am not going to discuss it here, I will in my
Fruit section.
Personally, it is actually not entirely fair to blame my diet for my evident problems with my teeth.
First of all: I had even worse problems when young, my teeth were in very bad shape already very early
in my life.
I was just lucky that they regarded mostly the rear teeth, not the front ones.
One of the causes of our problems is that acids come in direct contact with our front teeth
(we need to bite into fruit a lot), that's why they are more attacked than usual.
Second: many problems can be avoided knowing what to do from the very beginning, when transitioning. Unfortunately, that's
not the case for most people, and that can be fatal.
Third: my teeth have actually been constantly improving with time, with the exception of the ones having problems already,
which got much worse.
But the real disaster was when I ate cooked food again!
Just a strong warning about this: the longer you have been on a raw diet, and the more times you have switched forward
and back to a cooked one, the more dangerous and devastating those changes will become.
Not many know this, but it is needed to choose at a certain point: either completely raw, or a controlled and well planned
mixed diet.
Young fruit of Nonviolence
Could keep writing for months about the bodily aspects of eating only fruits.
Today, it's better adding more dimensions to this way of living, like the more philosophical, psychological
and spiritual ones.
Actually considered writing about her yesterday, as it was 1 year since she was shot, but I decided not to,
didn't want to recall her associated with that awful event. Thought to myself:
"Better wait for a joyous event for her."
It came, very timely, just the next day.
So now it's really time to celebrate her, one way is to listen to her
touching speech at the United Nations Youth Assembly:
If you are in the mood for more celebrations of the intelligence, courage, humor of the loving soul of dear
Malala:
Malala interviews
And wondering what will the next days bring, with the
Nobel Peace Prize 2013!
Yes, fruit is also all this: nonviolence is its heart, and permeates every single cell of it and of the
human being that is eating it.
Conscience is awakened, nurtured and strengthened when eating only fruit, is the realization of a personal utopia,
and plants the seeds for the planetary and universal ones.
The pleurisy connection
Another week will soon be over, and I will conclude it with recalling where it all started for me,
before I leave you to your nice weekend.
As told, I can't precisely remember when it was the first time I heard about the Fruitarian concept.
It was when I was an adolescent, before going to University, in the late Seventies.
I had been very ill for some years, so I had an urgent need to find my way to solve my health problems, as
conventional medicine did not help me much.
At that time I was reading a lot and very fascinated by Gandhi.
So may be he is the 'culprit' for my interest, as there is a curious plot involving us.
As you know, he experimented with fruit for 5 years, but gave up (staying Vegetarian)
The reason why he stopped seems to be that he was suffering of Pleurisy, and his doctor induced him
to stop with eating only fruit.
I was suffering a Pleurisy condition too, but it became one of the reasons why I happened to read Gandhi,
and did start experimenting with fruit!
Not sure though if I got the Fruitarian idea from him first, I was reading so many 'alternative' things at that time,
I might have stumbled upon it somewhere else.
Another strong possibility is: reading something by Armando D'Elia.
He was a very inspiring man, a true pioneer and an indefatigable activist for Vegetarianism, raw, living foods,
fruit.
Unfortunately he is not so known abroad as he would have deserved and, to my knowledge, nothing has been
translated and available in other countries.
I met him on the streets of Roma, some years after, and heard many of his conferences, so I owe a lot to him.
Even if I don't remember when I first read about the Fruitarian philosophy, it is still vivid in me what I felt the instant
I did: I was immediately in bliss, as I thought to myself: that's it!
Weather quirks
In the last weeks, if you think that I have given you more questions than answers, you are right! ;)
This is my personal blog, I don't necessarily need to be reassuring or detached, I do express my opinions, moods,
idiosyncrasies, and regarding these issues, I have got terribly tired of all the blatant propaganda flying around,
of people that knows everything, sectarianism, tribalism, and the massive presence everywhere
of commercial interests, marketing or superficial and empty lifestyle talk.
Of course, that's not an exclusive problem in Health and Nutrition fields, it is the whole world that has gone into
that direction.
Or will, when the developing countries will reach the same level of consumerism we have, which is hastily happening.
Honestly, I feel the more and more useless in this situation.
Don't believe really it is going to change, I do continue to stay myself and do all what I can, blog included, but I don't
nurture any illusion any more (well, yes, I did in the past)
Can only watch, from a sideline, the rest of the world
happily running into self-destruction.
What worries me most, you know it already, is the Ecological situation.
We are crossing more and more points of no return, still not many seem to have got it.
Or if they got it, don't care and just continue to live as nothing happened.
What do we need more than all the massive information and education that has been given for decades?
Don't we notice the dreadful changes that were predicted are actually happening?
How quickly do we forget of the disasters blasting everywhere?
Did we completely miss the last IPCC climate report, stating:
“It is now considered even more certain (> 95%)
that human influence has been the dominant cause of
the observed warming since the mid-20th century.”
Even if not all events can be clearly linked to the human influence, disasters are immense tragedies any case,
and right now millions of people are suffering some of the worst ones in years or decades.
Only these days: Cyclone Phailin in India (affecting 1,000,000 people!), floods in Cambodia (1,500,000!),
Thailand, Vietnam, Algeria, and the list could continue.
What can we do about it?
Well, here we are discussing about nutrition, and this is what I am going to write about this week: the ecological implications in food and nutrition, and how changing to a fruit based one strongly and positively
impacts all that.
Certainly not unexpected in that very seismic region, one of the strongest in more than 20 years,though.
I am not connecting that to what I wrote yesterday, but I stress the fact that millions of people need help every single day,
somewhere in this Earth, and how important it would be to dedicate massive resources to ecological issues,
all Earth Sciences, global warming, prevention of disasters, civil protection, sustainability.
Compared to all what I just mentioned, does the focus on Nutrition, diets and lifestyles nearly disappear?
Is food a tiny part of the whole picture?
Definitely not!
I'll explain why.
When considering any aspect that affects our global Ecology, it is fundamental not to restrict it,
considering in stead all what is directly or indirectly involved.
When doing that, food stands out as a very relevant issue.
As it involves so many heavy activities, like:
- food production
- use of materials and energy
- transportation
- wastes management
and so on.
In other words: the
Ecological Footprint
of food (and all its related activities) is high!
More than many other words, you can experience it yourself, by calculating your own footprint:
"Ecological Footprint Calculator" Global Footprint Network.
What are your results?
I am one of the most ecological conscious and coherent persons I know, and still one Planet Earth would not be enough,
if everyone lived like me, nearly 2 in fact.
I did calculate my real facts and tried also to change my virtual eating only, from Vegan to heavy Meatarian.
Only that added a half planet in itself!
Try it for yourself, and have 'fun'.
Our food choices definitely affect our global issues in a massive way.
Somehow this is very good news, as we can feel impotent in front of all the infinite problems we face on Earth,
but there is something big we can make a difference on: changing our way of eating and the lifestyle connected to it.
Everyday is like Sunday.. everyday is Hunger Day
Right today it is the:
World Food Day
dedicated to "Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition".
Here it is the F.A.O. presentation: (accompanied by Friedensreich Hundertwasser's images, and if you have been to Wien you
know who he was)
So, today I will leave the word to the World, and just a few minutes following next,
to sum up many of the matters I have been writing about so far.
Forget about the data shown in the video, it's a lottery, every time you see them they are different..
but the concept is right, no matter how more complex and controversial it is.
Any case: hunger is the shame of humanity.
Sustainable questions
If not definitively accepted, it is becoming nearly standard to see important endorsements for a plant based diet.
Both when considering the healthier effects, and the environmental ones.
The concept of sustainability has become so encouragingly central in practically all fields and world institutions,
as we saw right yesterday, in the FAO initiative.
How strong does a fruit nutrition (and its related lifestyles) stand, when considering sustainability?
There are differences, depending on what we consider, the Health or Environmental aspect.
Regarding the first aspect, long term sustainability is a fundamental, rather decisive actually, factor.
It is good if a diet has immediate or more lasting beneficial effects on our health or well-being,
but what makes it a valid, responsible and safe choice is if it can be adopted by everyone and forever.
This is still the aspect that is missing, we simply don't know yet if a 100% vegan and raw diet is one
that can be safe for everyone, for their children and for generations to come.
Of course, I do ardently wish it is, but I honestly don't know it, no one knows yet.
What we need is: whole populations of people that adopt it for their whole life, and reliable scientific research following
them, and for generations.
Do we have them?
No, you won't find it in our World, and not in the so called Blue Zones where the most
long-lived people are to be found.
Their diets are indeed all plant-based (with the exception of the Sardegna one), and of course mankind lived off
exclusively raw food for millions of years.
I have no doubt a good raw and plant-based diet is the best in terms of health and longevity.
The key though is in the word: 'based', for ex. in a 'flexitarian' one.
What we need is the definitive proof that an exclusively, 100% raw and vegan diet is the best, the safest,
and a truly sustainable one for everyone in the long term.
Of course you can decide to choose it, and live with that uncertainty, as I am doing it myself.
It is just honest to maintain that it is not proven, it is our own ethical and sensible choice.
I will close this week tomorrow, telling my opinion about the second aspect, the environmental one.
An even more complex evaluation, but there is less uncertainty there, fruit would be definitely superior,
under most respects and conditions at least.
Yummy evidence
Videos like the one I posted the other day are very common. The message is always that a plant-based diet is much better
for the environment than an animal-based one.
True, but a more complex look at the issue is needed, as usual, as things rarely are all black or white.
Do we have any studies and more reliable data?
Yes, indeed, here it is the abstract of one research:
“ Quantitative environmental evaluations of meat, fresh vegetables, and processed protein
based on soybeans suggest that the environmental burden of vegetarian foods is usually
relatively low when production and processing are considered.
The environmental comparison of cheese varieties made from cow milk and directly from lupine
and the evaluation of energy inputs in fish protein and vegetable protein also suggest an
environmental advantage for vegetarian food.
In the evaluation of processed protein food based on soybeans and meat protein, a variety of
environmental impacts associated with primary production and processing are a factor 4.4–> 100
to the disadvantage of meat. The comparison of cheese varieties gives differences in specific
environmental impacts ranging between a factor 5 and 21. And energy use for fish protein may be
up to a factor 14 more than for protein of vegetable origin.
Assessment suggests that on average the complete life cycle environmental impact of nonvegetarian
meals may be roughly a factor 1.5–2 higher than the effect of vegetarian meals in which meat
has been replaced by vegetable protein.
Although on average vegetarian diets may well have an environmental advantage,
exceptions may also occur. Long-distance air transport, deep-freezing, and some horticultural
practices may lead to environmental burdens for vegetarian foods exceeding those for locally
produced organic meat. ”
Another more specific and recent one, although not independent, as Animal Rights organizations are involved:
comparing omnivorous / vegetarian / vegan plus chemical / organic production:
Even more specifically: when restricting the diet to Fruit only, the advantages are enhanced by a great degree, according to
my own experience.
Do consider, fruit:
- can be self-grown anywhere [gardens, orchards]
- doesn't need much water usually [roots of the trees can reach deep into the soil]
- can be grown and nurtured using it's own blades, branches, and composted peel
- no processing [directly from the tree to your mouth]
- no cooking [great save of energy and usually non renewable resources]
- no tools or furnitures [or very little of it]
- easy storage [doesn't need cooling, best at (cool) room temperature]
- waste doesn't need any management [just compost it]
- no pollution at all [it actually does help the environment in so many wonderful ways]
- it is self-reproducing [plant the seeds again!]
Of course, all that is in ideal conditions.
If you in stead live in a city, in very Northern latitudes, if fruit needs to be transported
over long distances, and so on, the picture changes quite a lot.
Still: the advantages remain and they are huge.
Well, with these good news, there is only left to wish you a fruitful weekend.
The mystics of cellular experience
This will be the last week of the theme, so I will try to roll out the red thread that connects all what I wrote until now.
To make a synthesis and some (temporary) conclusions.
Most important: I would like to make it very clear that
I never regretted embarking on this fruit adventure,
if you ever doubted.
It has been, and still it is, a fantastic experience and journey.
It is not something that can be described, really. You simply have to try it for yourself to fully understand what it means.
It is not 'just' food. It is a complete change in one's whole life.
A change that certainly happens in one's body and mind, and
definitely affects the emotional and spiritual life as well.
I personally kind of feel it in the deepest layer of ourselves: the cells.
Although it is difficult to express it in rational terms,
it nevertheless is exactly what one feels: that nurturing yourself with fruit only, starts to change every single cell of
your body.
It is the most radical, deep, revolutionizing change one can feel on Earth, incomparable to what one has lived before.
One can only stretch himself to mystical experiences to find something that can be the slightest comparable to what I am
trying to describe.
This is, in fact, a main red thread that keeps one motivated day by day and is what stays after months and years of
this daily loving relationship with our nurturing fruits.
Daily life is made of so much. Living life as a continuous peak experience does not exclude at all the ups and downs of
life, the difficulties, the troubles, the moments of discomfort, the complexities.
The only way to avoid all that is to escape life, and that is not the way I want to live it.
I am not seeking for a liberation from life.
At some point I wrote about the big questions that never got answered, such as:
"What is the meaning of life?".
Am not so out of my mind to think I have got an answer to that, anyway: have you ever tried to stand still under a sunny day, with a light breeze on your face, in between some
blossoming plum trees, and smell to the their ethereal scent?
Is that just a mirage, illusion, temporary, impermanent, dukka, whatever?
Want plenty of it, bring some more!
:0)
The often mentioned downsides and risks
Right, I have often given you warnings against embarking on a Fruit diet without knowing what you are doing,
or taking it lightly.
More specifically, what should you take care of?
I'll try to mention as many potential problems as they come to my mind.
Can't go into details, so I will just list them.
Later on I will continue to work on my Fruit section, where they will be discussed thoroughly.
- Do no just jump into a fruit diet, you need a gradual preparation.
- Preparation is both bodily, mental and emotional.
- A fruit diet is actually a Vegan and very low fat Raw diet, so it is better you first get used to them.
- Do study a lot before starting, read all the good nutritional books you can possibly find, and Internet too of course.
- You must be aware of the fact that many nutritional aspect are still unclear. You will run real risks. For ex. with:
Vitamins B12, D, K2 ; Minerals: Calcium, Iron, Sodium, Zink; aspects like Triglycerides, Pancreas functionality,
Homocysteine level, Fatty acids and more.
As a consequence of those factors, you run serious risks, many different, from Candida to Heart attack.
- Your teeth in particular will be at a great risk, there are certain things to do, to avoid that.
Do not start if you already have problems with them, no way if there are cavities or caries.
Or if your body is not already fully 'alcalinized' and 'mineralised'.
- Weight can be an issue too. If you are overweight you will love how fast you will loose weight. If you are thin
already though, you will have hard times maintaining your weight, you will probably almost disappear... you will
regain your weight later, but it will take some time. In the meanwhile you might look like a wandering skeleton (on speeds :)
- You can't live on such a diet without having a lot of physical activity, be aware of that, it's not for
sedentary people.
- Do you have access to all the Organic fruit you need? (it is needed to be Organic!)
And/or enough money to buy it?
- Do you realize how huge an impact a change like this will have on all your life and relationships?
How will your family / partner / friends / social environment in general react?
- Ready to face tons of other challenges and limitations, like joining someone on a restaurant visit?
- It is a fact most people trying to live on this diet failed in the mid- or long term. Even the most enthusiastic
ones, and plenty of celebrated 'Gurus'. Uncountable ones perusing the 100% raw diet gave up and are now eating a mixed
raw/cooked diet.
Most Fruitarians reverted to eating greens again, many simply gave up after some time.
- Reasons for that? Too many to mention, but cravings is a sure bet. You will experience them, from mild to violent
ones (even for the most unutterable trash food).
It IS difficult to stick to this diet. Many end up cheating like small babies, or stealing their chips while no one is
looking, it can be truly woeful, believe me.
- Try to meet experienced Fruitarians that can guide you (if you can find any ;). It is highly recommended to be also
followed by a sensible and reliable doctor (if you can find any ;)
Probably I forgot dozens of other important things, but the message is clear enough, I am sure.
Do not need to be terrorized, just consider all the above very seriously before even thinking starting.
No Organic, no party!
Yesterday I listed what can make you fail on such a diet, tomorrow in stead I will list what can make it
possible.
What about today then?
I will anticipate one of tomorrow's point, what I consider the main one, certainly the one that
is most worth to point out.
Both because it is absolutely fundamental indeed, and because it is so awfully much overseen, if you just listened to
most well known experts in raw and fruit nutrition at least.
You know it, you hear it so many times, when it comes to the question: «Should I eat organic?».
The answers would oftest be something like: «No», «It's not important», «Just save your money for some more food», «It's good, but...», «It's more important
to buy local food», «Look at the 'Dirty Dozen' pesticides list» and so forth and so on.
In fact none of them is sensible or acceptable.
Overseeing the Organic factor is both fatal on the Health plan, and environmentally / ethically unacceptable.
To me it is so evident, that I even feel embarrassed having to state it for the millionth time.
It is necessary though. As much as all the environmental facts I reminded of last week are still ignored, the same
happens here.
There are also millions reasons why eating all organic (not necessarily the label, but all what it stands for) is
mandatory. I will pick up just one, the children .
As there is an analogy in between us fruit-eaters and the children: the effects of chemicals on them are magnified many times, the same in us.
Consider, we do not eat small quantities of greens and fruits as the average person. We do eat massive amounts of them,
loads, tons!
Both us and the children then are exposed to potentially lethal doses of pesticides and chemicals in general.
That simply can't be ignored.
To know more about the issue of children and pesticides, you can read this excellent factsheet
(will open a .pdf document):
So, today I am going to list a lot of advices that can help you be successful in living as a Fruit eater.
By 'successful' I mean both a good and long life.
Don't take all the followng as the Bible, they are my own opinions, although well supported, and what works for me
doesn't necessarily work for everybody.
Anyway, here we go:
- Think a lot about what kind of life you want to live.
I can suggest how your legs can move faster or better, but you need to know where to go!
Have a clear picture in yourself of your ideal life, and focus on it all the time, don't let yourself
be distracted by so much else.
One important choice is: do you want an extreme life or a long-living one?
Few can manage to have both, most people won't.
For ex. it can be true that you can have more energy by eating thousands of calories and by practicing
extreme sports. But does that lead to a long life? Probably not, it is more likely you are going to burn
yourself like a candle.
More and more researches show that we can extend our life by as much as some years, but with
moderate and consistent amounts of physical activity.
Also when it comes to nutrition, researches seem to unequivocally point into eating moderately as one of the
keys to longevity. This is the case in the Blue Zones too.
- Yes, Genetics plays a big role (about 20-30%?)
Actually, even that is not a static picture, the ways our genes rule us is more bidirectional than we thought before.
I am pretty sure Epigenetics, and related sciences, will have a huge role in the future.
- The rest (70-80%) is in your hands! .
You can make your own life better in all aspects of it,
and extend it by many many happy years.
What seems to be the most important is:
Nutrition (plant based, no junk, regular meals, slight caloric restriction)
Good and adequate sleep e-v-e-r-y night (about 6-9 hours)
No smoking and no alcohol
You are a woman (you'll live longer on average)
Your life is not threatened by dangerous activities and works;
exposed to heavy pollutants, like particulate matter, or acoustic pollution; by malnutrition, poverty,
social disadvantages, discrimination, intellectual or political persecution
Mental activity, curiosity, leisure, play
Stress-free life (stress is a killer)
Harmonious family, loving relationships
Friends, community, social life, ethical purposes in life
More specifically, when it comes to a fruitarian diet:
Consider all what I just mentioned now and the other day too
Don't eat continuously, eat few meals a day.
Eat 'meal mono', that is: don't mix fruits, choose one at a time and eat 1-2kg of it per meal, or what it takes to
fill a good chunk of your caloric need for that day.
Only if you wish to try eating 'season mono', that is: only 1 sort of fruit for longer periods of time,
I do not recommend it for more than an occasional experiment, kind like fasting; do not overdo it any case.
Eat regularly: the big quantities you need of one fruit in one meal, and at the usual times.
Never eat again after you have got what you need, and never after a certain evening hour of the day.
Say it is 20:00 (8pm)? Fine, stick to it! That is especially important because most
cravings pop up in the evening.
Don't eat the same fruit all year long, do alternate. Follow the seasons, the real natural ones,
not the commercial ones.
Find at least one fruit per month that you really love and that you can eat in big quantities. Make
it the basis of your days.
Give prevalence to sweet fruits. Be careful with not so sweet and acid fruits (manually juice them and blend
the juice with some water, to avoid the acidity landing on your teeth).
Avoid completely very acid fruits like most sorts of Lemons or unripe tomatoes.
Eat organic only, and good quality, ripe (absolutely ripe) fruit. Favor local, non hybridized sorts.
As a beginner, it is a very good idea to be well organized. Keep your journal, using software like Cron-o-meter,
or online services. Later on you will be able to relax more and use your instinct more.
Unless you grow your own fruit, or have a farmer market or an organic store right down the street,
it is quite difficult to always have the big quantity of fruit you need every day. So, it is a good idea to find
local organic farmers where you can go and pick up your own fruit, or to find a cooperative that can send it to
your home. In several European cities there are some that deliver it by bike, that's perfect.
You can buy cases of fruit, in bulk then, and you will often save a lot of money that way.
Cravings:
to avoid or keep them under control, it is fundamental to always have all the fruit you need available.
(see previous point).
Learn to know yourself, with self-observation and honesty you can recognize when you are typically at risk to
get them.
For me for ex. critical can be especially week-ends and wintertime; moments of emotional unbalance; heartbreaks;
when I haven't got enough fruit available, or the fruits that I really love more than others; when I miss something
more salty, crunchy, fat etc. you know, the good old addictive food...
Some things that work for me to overcome those situations:
- occasionally eat more than I need, it is alright from time to time, weekends or holidays for ex.
- prevent it by sensing when I am at risk, and finding some food that I know helps, like a salad with tomatoes, zucchini
and rarely olives, when I miss the salty and fatty.
- go out when I feel like eating all the time, not to the first restaurant I can find ;) but to nature, it always
calms me down and help me overcoming the food issues. Or anything else that works. Of course if you are so lucky to have
an organic juice bar or raw-food one, well that's also better than resorting to 'desperation food'.
- Shift your focus from the emotional to the mental or better physical: cultivating some interest, doing some
intense activity, exercises, yoga, cycling, whatever you like.
- I personally need to stay 100% away from any cooked, artificial, non fruit food. Some people might control occasional
'cheats' better, I can't.
As soon as I taste some of the old food, even after months or years of 100% fruit, I
immediately get addicted to it, instantly!
And it can take long time, and a disastrous effect on my health, mood etc.
before I can get rid of it again.
Try to limit staying with people behaving negatively, that gets at you all the time, because of what you eat.
Search instead for like-minded ones.
Find Meetups in your area, organize fruit potlucks, and so on.
The social aspect, and the support you
can give and receive is extremely important for most people, especially beginners.
Well, also this time I could keep on, and I have probably forgotten a lot of things, but that was what came to my mind.
Enjoy your fruit and your life!
Concluding the fruit meal
I am writing this after ending my eating day with my home-grown yummy Persimmons, and right after listening to a
Vandana Shiva conference, so I am in the right mood :0)
Persimmons are one of my favorite fruits, and have got an almost unlimited admiration for Vandana, consider her as one
of the living women brightest minds on Earth.
She talked about GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), something I didn't mention at all in this month's blog.
It is simply because I often forget about things that are so obvious to me. Obvious means: total opposition to GMO, they are not Science, they would be simply useless if they were not an infamous disaster under
all respects, they are sheer profit speculation, and a crime against nature and humanity. Dot.
Well, we have also come to the last post for this month and theme.
Have mostly tried to show you that a Fruitarian diet is necessarily a work in progress.
Even though the number of people experimenting with it has grown exponentially in the last years
(compared to the few lunatics in the world we were many years ago), it is still a very limited
number of people.
Many of them call themselves 'Fruitarians' but they are Raw-foodists in reality, as they include
a lot of vegetables or greens in their diet. Or also nuts, seeds, cereals.
I am not saying they shouldn't, I am still doubting myself about this, it might be necessary, and
more sustainable in the long term, adding more variation, salty taste, crunchiness, and of course more Minerals, Calcium,
Folate etc.
Nevertheless, it does make a fundamental difference, a bit like a Vegetarian would look at people calling themselves
'Pescetarians', very perplexed that is...
if you eat fish you are not a Vegetarian of course, and if you eat greens
you are not a Fruitarian, as those plants are ethically different from fruit.
Again, it is not a matter of being strict, pure, fanatic or anything like that, it is just important to maintain certain
categories, as they are substantial, if you are choosing your diet with ethics as the main motivation at least.
There are even fewer 100% fruit eaters then, so my experiment feels lonely and risky at times.
Besides, I am not a believer, actually a rather critic and disenchanted mind, so it does happen that I ask myself:
«Should I continue or stop?»
Still I go on. Why?
Here it comes one of my lists again, poor you:
I remind myself of how awful it is when I break my diet and my quality of life instantly drops to the ground.
Apart from a few problems that keep on existing, those I mentioned in the last days, the wellness I experience is
unparalleled, it can't be compared to anything I tried before.
I do feel consistent difference, comparing how it is as a Raw-foodist vs. Fruitarian. It surprised me actually, but
it is clear. Eating only fruit is far superior in my experience.
So, to me, the Frugivore is the ultimate diet under most respects.
Again: cannot guarantee it will stay like this in the long term. We will see.
Did start as the most improbable fruitarian on Earth, given my story as an avid eater of salty,
acid and fatty food (although veg*n organic and healthy for the most), and not lover of, or even disliker of the sweets.
Yet I am enjoying fruit the more and more, I really can't wait in the morning for my daily Watermelon, or Melon or my
2kg Grapes, Oranges, or any of my main seasonal fruits.
Taste and habits do change with time.
As a musician / composer / singer I must say that also under this respect fruit is a blessing.
I am experiencing a wonderful boost in creativity, even in technical ability on the guitar, and a cleaner, clearer
voice.
The "Life as a fruit tree" album I am working on these times is truly an inspired one, it is special indeed.
I am simply so amazingly happy, often, it can't be described, sheer peace of mind and spirit.
Well, it got very late, need to go to sleep now.
Hope you enjoyed this blog, that I inspired you to do something positive with your life, and deepen your relationship
with fruit and all what is connected to it.
There is only left to give you some practical information:
need some time to concentrate on making the rest of this site available.
So, I will start with the next blog not before November 4th, Monday.
Still haven't decided which theme, you will see this page change to the new one, in the next days.