Editing Fruitarianism (section)

==Nutrition==
[[File:Vibrant Fruit Market.jpg|thumb|Tropical fruits]]

According to [[nutritionist]]s, adults must be careful not to follow a fruit-only diet for too long.<ref name=bbc>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1542293.stm "Baby death parents spared jail"]. ''BBC News'', September 14, 2001. Accessed March 31, 2011.</ref> A fruitarian diet is wholly unsuitable for children (including teens), nursing mothers and their babies. Death can result from malnutrition.<ref name=alice/><ref name=bbc/>

===Nutritional effects===
Fruitarianism is more restrictive than [[veganism]] or [[raw veganism]], as a subset of both.<ref>Audrey H. Ensminger, ''Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia'', CRC Press, 1993, "Severely restrictive vegetarian diets, such as fruitarian and Zen macrobiotic diets, increase the risk of malnutrition and deficiency diseases."</ref> Maintaining this diet over a long period can result in dangerous deficiencies, a risk that many fruitarians try to ward off through nutritional testing and vitamin injections.<ref name=":0" /> The Health Promotion Program at [[Columbia University]] reports that a fruitarian diet can cause deficiencies in [[calcium]], [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], [[iron]], [[zinc]], [[vitamin D]], most [[B vitamins]] (especially [[vitamin B12|B<sub>12</sub>]]), and [[essential fatty acid]]s.<ref name=alice/>

Although fruit provides a source of carbohydrates, they have very little protein, and because protein cannot be stored in the body as fat and carbohydrates can, fruitarians need to be careful that they consume enough [[protein (nutrient)|protein]] each day.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title = The strange eating habits of Steve Jobs - NBC News|url = https://www.nbcnews.com/health/body-odd/strange-eating-habits-steve-jobs-f119434|website = NBC News| date=November 2, 2011 |access-date = 2015-11-12}}</ref> When the body does not absorb enough protein, it leads to a deficiency of [[amino acids]], which are essential to creating body proteins which support the growth and maintenance of body tissues.<ref name=":5" /> Consuming high amounts of fruit also poses a risk to those who are [[diabetic]] or [[Prediabetes|pre-diabetic]], due to the negative effect that the large amounts of sugar in fruits has on [[blood sugar]] levels.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title = Fruitarian Diet: Is It Safe - or Really Healthy for You? - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic|url = http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/07/fruitarian-diet-is-it-safe-or-really-healthy-for-you/|website = Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic|access-date = 2015-11-12|language = en-US|archive-date = February 26, 2023|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230226062737/https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/07/fruitarian-diet-is-it-safe-or-really-healthy-for-you/|url-status = dead}}</ref> These high levels of sugar mean that fruitarians are at a higher risk for tooth decay.<ref name=":3" /> Another concern that fruitarianism presents is that because fruit is easily digested, the body burns through meals quickly, and is hungry again soon after eating.<ref name=":0" /> A side effect of the digestibility is that the body will defecate more frequently.<ref name=":0" />
Additionally, the Health Promotion Program at Columbia reports that food restrictions in general may lead to [[hunger]], cravings, food obsessions, [[social disruption]]s, and [[social isolation]].<ref name="alice">Alice!, Health Promotion Program at Columbia University, Health Services at Columbia, August 23, 2002. [http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/fruitarian-teens-are-they-stunting-their-growth "Go Ask Alice!: Fruitarian teens"]. Accessed May 20, 2008.</ref> The severe dietary restrictions inherent in a fruitarian regime also carries the serious risk of triggering [[orthorexia nervosa]].<ref name=":0" />

[[Harriet Hall]] has written that a fruitarian diet "leads to nutritional deficiencies, especially in children. Fruitarians can develop protein energy malnutrition, [[anemia]], and low levels of iron, calcium, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals."<ref>Hall, Harriet. (2014). [https://www.skepdoc.info/food-myths-what-science-knows-and-does-not-know-about-diet-and-nutrition/ ''Food myths: what science knows (and does not know) about diet and nutrition''.] ''Skeptic'' 19 (4): 10–20. {{free access}}</ref>

====Vitamin B<sub>12</sub>====
[[Vitamin B12|Vitamin B<sub>12</sub>]], a bacterial product, cannot be obtained from fruits. According to the U.S. [[National Institutes of Health]], "natural food sources of vitamin B<sub>12</sub> are limited to foods that come from animals."<ref name="ODS_B12">{{cite web|url=http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12.asp |title=Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> |access-date=2009-11-13 |publisher=[[National Institutes of Health]]: Office of Dietary Supplements }}</ref> Like [[raw veganism|raw vegans]] who do not consume B<sub>12</sub>-fortified foods (for example, certain [[plant milk]]s and some breakfast cereals), fruitarians may need to include a B<sub>12</sub> supplement in their diet or risk [[vitamin B12 deficiency|vitamin B<sub>12</sub> deficiency]].<ref name="ODS_B12"/>

===Growth and development concerns===
In children, growth and development may be at risk. Some nutritionists state that children should not follow a fruitarian diet. Nutritional problems include severe [[protein–energy malnutrition]], [[anemia]] and deficiencies including protein, iron, calcium, essential fatty acids, raw fibre and a wide range of vitamins and minerals.<ref name=Holden>Holden, Chris, et al, Royal College of Nursing. ''Nutrition and Child Health'', p. 59. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2000. {{ISBN|0-7020-2421-X}}, 9780702024214.</ref>