A fruitarian, strictly speaking, is someone who eats only fruit and berries. But, because a fruit is usually defined as the mature ovary of a flowering plant, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are also thought to be fruits and are eaten by many fruitarians. Whereas a vegetarian avoids injuring or killing animals, a fruitarian avoids killing or injuring plants by taking only the fruit off the plant. By removing the fruit you are in fact helping the plant to disperse its seeds and this is why ripe fruit often tastes and looks so attractive: the plant wants you to eat it! Of course, plants such as lettuce and carrots are not usually consumed by fruitarians because they involve the death of the plant.

As well as eating all the more usual fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, pears, melons, grapes etc.), fruitarians also eat avacados, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, marrows, courgettes, green/red peppers and aubergines. 70-80% of the fruitarian diet consists of pure fruit and the remainder is made up of beans and bread with a very small amount of tofu and nuts/seeds. Legumes such as: chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, TVP and baked beans are also frequently eaten by fruitarians as well as the grains: rice, sweetcorn, polenta and oats. Most of the fruitarian diet is in fact eaten raw and is very high in nutrients. Seasonings used by fruitarians include: mixed herbs, garlic powder, molasses, virgin olive oil and brewer's yeast (such as Engevita) - although some of these seasonings are not strictly speaking fruitarian as they involve killing the plant!

Advantages of a Fruitarian Diet:

• Requires little cooking and therefore uses less fuel

• Makes you feel cleaner, lighter and more energetic

• Doesn't clog the arteries and may even unblock them

• Doesn't cause injury to, or the death of the plant

Disadvantages of a Fruitarian Diet:

• Avoid eating too much citrus fruit as it is very acidic and can dissolve the teeth causing gum line erosion.

Preparing fruitarian food is very easy. Muffins, waffles, pancakes or fruit smoothies can be eaten for breakfast. (A fruit smoothie is an assortment of fruits whizzed up in a blender with tofu, nuts, molasses or dried fruit). Avacado sandwiches, pitta bread with hummus, savoury fruit salads (assorted fruits seasoned with Engevita, herbs, soy sauce or olive oil), fruitarian pizzas, or pasta with tomato, aubergine and pepper sauce can all be eaten for other meals.