What Is the Fruitarian Diet?

What Is a Fruitarian Diet?

The fruitarian diet is a subset of the vegan diet and it works just the way it sounds—you eat mostly (or all) fruit. On a fruitarian diet, raw fruit makes up 50% to 75% of foods consumed. This is one of the most restrictive eating patterns out there, and the risk of malnourishment is high, despite the nutritional quality of most fruits. 

The rationale for adopting a fruitarian diet differs among followers, but primary motivators are thought to be health and/or religious, moral, or ethical reasons. Since the fruitarian diet restricts other healthy food groups, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies, it is not recommended by health and nutrition experts.

What Can You Eat?

To be a fruitarian, at least half of your calories must come from raw fruit, such as bananas, papayas, grapes, apples, and berries. Usually, the other 25% to 50% of calories come from nuts, seeds, vegetables, and whole grains. Strict fruitarians, however, may eat up to 90% fruit and just 10% nuts and seeds.

The fruitarian diet typically revolves around these seven fruit groups:

• Acid fruits: Citrus, cranberries, pineapples
• Subacid fruits: Sweet cherries, raspberries, figs
• Sweet fruits: Bananas, grapes, melons
• Oily fruits: Avocados, coconuts, olives
• Vegetable fruits: Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash
• Nuts: Hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts
• Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, squash

What You Need to Know

Similar to the proponents of the paleo diet, many followers of the fruitarian diet tout the eating plan as the original diet of humankind. Some fruitarians are motivated by a desire to not kill any living organism, even plants—which is why they eat only the fruit of a plant.

There isn’t any specific meal timing on a fruitarian diet. The plan actually encourages you to eat intuitively—or only eat when you’re hungry. There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules about how much to eat on the fruitarian diet, either. A benefit of intuitive eating is that you're free to follow your hunger cues.

There are countless ways to modify the fruitarian diet, which may make the diet healthier. For instance, you could eat a fruit-based diet and still include other essential food groups such as whole grains and protein. A modified fruitarian diet might look like this:

• 50% fruit
• 20% plant-based protein (e.g., tempeh, soy, seitan)
• 20% vegetables
• 10% whole grains (e.g., oats, wheat, bulgur, quinoa, etc.)

Adding other foods to the fruitarian diet ensures a better nutritional composition and decreases the risk of nutrient deficiencies and health complications.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of reliable information available on the fruitarian diet. Since it’s so niche and restrictive, research on the diet is lacking. Most studies on fruit are focused on the antioxidant properties or other unique healthful benefits, rather than on the long-term effects of a fruit-based diet.

What to Eat

Fruit

A fruitarian diet encourages a variety of fruits, including exotic ones like rambutan, mangosteen, passionfruit, jackfruit, durian, longan, and snake fruit. Of course, more common fruits such as bananas, pears, apples, oranges, and berries are also encouraged. Fruit also includes foods we don’t usually think of as fruits: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, avocados, squashes, and olives. Botanically, these are all fruits.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are technically a part of the fruits of plants, so fruitarians fill in the rest of their diets with foods like pepitas, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and almonds. These can help provide protein and fat.

Some Vegetables

It isn’t recommended that anyone follow a 100% fruit diet. Many fruitarians consume some vegetables, mostly leafy greens.

Beverages

Fruitarians can drink coconut water, fresh fruit juices, and water. Coffee is permitted based on an individual's preference.

What Not to Eat

Animal Protein

A fruitarian does not consume any animal protein. Eggs, poultry, pork, and beef aren’t options for fruitarians.

Dairy Products

Just like animal protein, dairy products aren't permitted for the fruitarian diet. Milk, yogurt, cheese, or any other animal dairy products are not allowed. Some fruitarians are drink almond, cashew, or coconut milk in place of cow's or goat's milk.

Grains

Grains and grain products are not allowed on the fruitarian diet, and this includes sprouted grain products.

Starches

You might think that potatoes would be allowed on the fruitarian diet, but that isn’t the case. Fruitarians don’t eat any kind of tuber or potato.

Beans and Legumes

A true fruitarian diet does not include any beans or legumes, including chickpeas, lentils, peas, soybeans, and peanuts.

Processed Foods

Processed foods are not permitted on the fruitarian diet. This means shopping only the perimeter of your grocery store or at your local farmers' market.

Pros and Cons

While the fruitarian diet does offer some nutritional benefits, there are serious drawbacks as well.

Because fruits are typically low-fat and full of water, you can eat a lot of fruit for relatively few calories. On a fruit-based diet, you would need to eat large volumes of food to meet your calorie requirements, effectively promoting fullness.

Even though fruits contain many nutrients, they don’t contain all the nutrients you need for a healthy, balanced diet. The fruitarian diet is extremely restrictive. Eating only or mostly fruit may also become boring and lead to cravings for other foods.

Is the Fruitarian Diet a Healthy Choice for You?

The fruitarian diet is unique compared to most other diets. While some eating plans may include pre-packaged foods or focus on specific food groups, the fruitarian diet emphasizes just one food group.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and protein each day for a healthy, balanced diet. The key recommendations in the federal guidelines include:

• A variety of different vegetables including dark, leafy greens, red and orange varieties, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and others
• Fruits, especially whole fruits
• Grains, at least half of which are whole grains
• Dairy products including milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy beverages
• A variety of protein sources, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), and nuts, seeds, and soy products
• Healthy oils
• Limited saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars, and sodium

The fruitarian diet does not meet most of these dietary recommendations. While filling half your plate with fruits and veggies, and limiting saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars, and sodium is considered healthy, the fruitarian diet is lacking in vegetables, grains, dairy, protein, and oils.

Whether your goal is to lose, maintain, or gain weight, it’s important to know how many calories you should be consuming each day. Most people need around 1,500 calories a day for weight loss, 2,000 calories per day for weight management, and an additional 500 calories a day for weight gain. Of course, this number varies based on age, sex, body type, level of physical activity, and other factors.

Health Benefits

Fruits are well-known for their healthful properties, including high antioxidant content and high concentration of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, phytonutrients, and fiber. The high fiber content of fruit also promotes satiety, which could lead to weight loss. Eating fruit can also aid in hydration.

Health Risks

Despite the nutritious qualities of whole fruits, eating them at the expense of other food groups can be dangerous.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Our bodies need protein and fat, two main macronutrients you may not consume enough of on a fruitarian diet. Additionally, cutting out grains puts you at risk for vitamin B deficiencies, restricting dairy and vegetables can put you at risk for a calcium deficiency, and leaving out animal products can lead to vitamin B-12 deficiency. Deficiencies in micronutrients can lead to complications such as anemia, fatigue, immune disorders, and osteoporosis.

Risk of Health Complications

The risk for health complications is high with the fruitarian diet. The restrictive nature of a fruitarian diet can be dangerous for people with diabetes or prediabetes, because eating large quantities of fruit can raise blood sugar levels and affect insulin sensitivity.

A fruit-based diet can also be dangerous for people with pancreatic and kidney disorders. In some cases, strict fruitarians may even accidentally starve themselves into severe ketoacidosis.

A Word From Verywell

While the fruitarian diet does provide nutrients from fruits, you likely won't get all the nutrition your body needs. A fruitarian diet lacks protein and healthy fats, as well as vegetables, which are critical to maintaining overall health and optimal bodily function.

Following a fruit-based diet also can also lead to serious cravings for other foods, which may cause bingeing or other forms of disordered eating. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before starting a fruitarian diet. A health professional can help you design an eating plan that will work best for you.

Remember, following a long-term or short-term diet may not be necessary for you and many diets out there simply don’t work, especially long-term. While we do not endorse fad diet trends or unsustainable weight loss methods, we present the facts so you can make an informed decision that works best for your nutritional needs, genetic blueprint, and budget, and goals.

If your goal is weight loss, remember that losing weight isn’t necessarily the same as being your healthiest self, and there are many other ways to pursue health. Exercise, sleep, and other lifestyle factors also play a major role in your overall health. The best diet is always the one that is balanced and fits your lifestyle.