More and more people nowadays are forgoing meat and becoming either pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan. Some do it for health reasons, while for others it's a question of ethics.
But would you ever consider restricting yourself to just fruit, and become a fruitarian? Riley Warner, a self-described "junk food vegan" who suffered from an inflamed bowel condition, claims that she's managed to cure herself by switching to an all-fruit diet for the past year.
Riley, from Lancaster in Pennsylvania, is now studying holistic nutrition and is keen to extol the virtues of her extreme new eating plan. She has also found a number of holistic remedies for other ailments, such as her hyperhidrosis, which she's apparently helped by drinking apple cider.
Commenting on her fruitarian diet in a recent interview, Riley stated: "Since going fruitarian, I haven’t had a single doctor’s appointment. My abdominal pain is better, my skin is clearer and I have more energy. I have also seen a huge mental change.
"At one time, I was on 12 different types of antidepressants and was so sad that my mind felt like a cage that was trapping me. But now, I’ve come off all of them and feel happier every day."
She added: "I don’t cook anything, as that can make food lose key nutrients. People always ask me if I’m constantly hungry, but fruit has carbs in too, so I’m honestly not. I’ll have two to three big meals a day and that’s enough to give me loads of energy and allow me to maintain a healthy weight.
"The only thing I don’t do any more is go out to restaurants. I can’t stand the smell and don’t like all the wasteful packaging. I’d far rather just go to the grocery store and split a watermelon with someone."
"I don’t get upset that people don’t agree with me as it’s all down to personal belief, but I think that seeing someone living the way I do, doing the right thing for the planet, can make people reflect on themselves and feel guilty ...
"I don’t judge myself or hold any resentment for how I used to be, but this really has changed my life for the better. I think it is instilled in us to eat a certain way when really, we aren’t ever taught proper nutrition."
It's important to remember that all fruit is high in sugar, which can have an effect on tooth enamel. The diet does also exclude a number of vitally-important vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats from your food intake.
Whatever you think of Riley's new diet, don't make any drastic changes to your own diet without first consulting your doctor for professional advice.
