mini|Voće čini najveći dio frutarijanske prehrane.Frutarijanstvo je prehrana koja se sastoji prije svega od konzumiranja raznih plodova (voća i plodovitog povrća) te eventualno orašastih plodova i sjemenki, ali bez ikakvih životinjskih proizvoda.Ashraf, Hea-Ran L. Diets, Fad. In Andrew F. Smith. (2013). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. p. 264. Voćna dijeta podliježe kritikama i zdravstvenim problemima.
Frutarijanstvo se može usvojiti iz različitih razloga, uključujući etičke, vjerske, ekološke, kulturne, ekonomske i pretpostavljene zdravstvene koristi. Voćna prehrana može povećati rizik od prehrambenih nedostataka, poput smanjenog unosa vitamina B12, kalcija, željeza, cinka, omega-3 ili proteina.Wells, Ken R. (2008). Fruitarian diet. In Jacqueline L. Longe. The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition. Gale. pp. 440-444.
Inačice Neki frutarijanci jedu samo plodove koji prirodno padnu s biljke, odnosno, biljnu hranu koja se može prikupiti bez ubijanja ili štete biljci.Rod Preece, Sins of the Flesh: A History of Ethical Vegetarian Thought, UBC Press, 2008, "Since plants have life, it is necessary, if one is not to starve, to live from the fruit of the plant in such a manner that the host plant itself does not die."Catherine G. Ratzin Jackson, Nutrition for the recreational athlete, p. 95, CRC Press, 1995, , . "The fruitarian diet usually consists of consuming those parts of the plant that are cast off or dropped from the plant, and that do not involve the destruction of the plant itself."Patricia Samour, Handbook Of Pediatric Nutrition, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2003, p. 143. "A fruitarian diet consists of only fruits. Any plant food that is botanically a fruit or can be obtained without killing or harming the plant is considered a fruit." To uglavnom podrazumijeva voće, orašaste plodove i sjemenke. Neki frutarijanci ne jedu žitarice, neki smatraju da ljudska prehrana ne bi trebala sadržavati sjemenke jer one sadrže buduće biljke, neki ne jedu ni orašaste plodove ni sjemenke,Dr Johnny Lovewisdom, The Ascensional Science of Spiritualizing Fruitarian Dietetics, Ecuador: International University of the Natural Vitalogical Sciences, 1999, Introduction: "Nature is betrayed when man ingests the seeds of plants, depriving them of their means of propagating their own species"; chapter: Sugar & Starch-Friends Or Foes? "grains, nuts and other seeds are wrong as food sources" a neki jedu isključivo sočno voće."Ascensional Science teaches the damaging effects of chlorophyll leafage, earthly roots and lower passion producing seeds. We are healed by levitational forces in fruit sugars and acids." Introduction to Ascensional Science of Spiritualizing Fruitarian Dietetics, Johnny Lovewisdom, International University of the Natural Vitalogical Sciences, 1999 Neki smatraju da treba jesti samo biljke koje rasprostranjuju sjemenke putem životinjske prehrane, a neki drugi dozvoljavaju sve sjemenke i određenu kuhanu hranu. Shvaćanje voća također je točka neslaganja, pa tako neki frutarijanci rabe botaničku definiciju i jedu mahunarke (poput graha i graška). Druge frutarijanske prehrane mogu uključivati sirovo voće, sušeno voće, oraščiće, med, maslinovo uljeMarie V. Krause, Food, nutrition, and diet therapy: a textbook of nutritional care, p. 343, Saunders, 1984, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized August 19, 2008, , . "The fruitarian diet consists of only raw or dried fruits, nuts, honey and olive oil." i čokoladu.John McCabe, Handbook of Sunfood Living: Resource Guide for Global Health, North Atlantic Books, 2008, "other fruitarians also consume cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, melon, avocados, berries, grapes, figs, dates, carob, chocolate, goji berries, nuts and even coconuts."
Hranjivost Prema nutricionistima, odrasle osobe ne bi se trebale hraniti isključivo voćem na duža razdoblja."Baby death parents spared jail". BBC News, September 14, 2001. Accessed March 31, 2011. Frutarijanska prehrana potpuno je neprimjerena za djecu, tinejdžere, majke koje doje i njihovu djecu. Neuhranjenost zbog frutarijanske prehrane može dovesti do smrti.Alice!, Health Promotion Program at Columbia University, Health Services at Columbia, August 23, 2002. "Go Ask Alice!: Fruitarian teens". Accessed May 20, 2008."Baby death parents spared jail". BBC News, September 14, 2001. Accessed March 31, 2011.
Nutritivni učinci Frutarijanstvo je restriktivnije od veganstva ili sirovog veganstva budući da je podskupina obaju tih načina prehrane.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." Ovakva prehrana kroz dulje razdoblje može dovesti do opasnih nedostataka, a taj rizik mnogi frutarijanci pokušavaju spriječiti nutritivnim testiranjem i vitaminskim injekcijama. Program promicanja zdravlja na Sveučilištu Columbia izvještava da frutarijanska prehrana može uzrokovati nedostatke kalcija, proteina, željeza, cinka, vitamina D, većine vitamina B (posebno B12) i esencijalnih masnih kiselina.Alice!, Health Promotion Program at Columbia University, Health Services at Columbia, August 23, 2002. "Go Ask Alice!: Fruitarian teens". Accessed May 20, 2008.
Iako je voće izvor ugljikohidrata, ono sadrži vrlo malo proteina, a budući da se proteini ne mogu pohranjivati u tijelu poput masti i ugljikohidrata, frutarijanci moraju paziti da svakodnevno konzumiraju dovoljno proteina.https://www.nbcnews.com/health/body-odd/strange-eating-habits-steve-jobs-f119434 Kada tijelo ne apsorbira dovoljno proteina, nastupa nedostatak aminokiselina, koje su važne za stvaranje tjelesnih proteina koji podržavaju rast i održavanje tjelesnih tkiva. Konzumiranje velike količine voća također predstavlja rizik za dijabetičare ili predijabetičare zbog negativnog učinka koji velike količine šećera u voću imaju na razinu šećera u krvi.https://web.archive.org/web/20230218043124/https://health.clevelandclinic.org/fruitarian-diet-is-it-safe-or-really-healthy-for-you/ Visoke razine šećera također znače da frutarijanci imaju veći rizik od karijesa. Još jedan problem s frutarijanstvom jest da, budući da se voće lako probavlja, tijelo brzo probavlja obroke i ubrzo nakon jela ponovno je gladno. Nuspojava visoke probavljivosti jest da je potrebno češće vršiti nuždu. Osim toga, Program za promicanje zdravlja na Sveučilištu Columbia izvještava da sva ograničenja u hrani mogu dovesti do gladi, žudnje za hranom, opsesije hranom, društvenih poremećaja i društvene izolacije.Alice!, Health Promotion Program at Columbia University, Health Services at Columbia, August 23, 2002. "Go Ask Alice!: Fruitarian teens". Accessed May 20, 2008. Stroga prehrambena ograničenja svojstvena frutarijanstvu također nose ozbiljan rizik od izazivanja ortoreksijske nervoze.
Harriet Hall piše da frutarijanska prehrana „dovodi do nutritivnih nedostataka, posebno kod djece. Frutarijanci mogu razviti pothranjenost proteinima, anemiju te niske razine željeza, kalcija, esencijalnih masnih kiselina, vitamina i minerala.”
Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12, bakterijski produkt, ne može se dobiti iz voća. Prema američkom Nacionalnom institutu za zdravlje, „prirodni izvori vitamina B12 u hrani ograničeni su na hranu životinjskog podrijetla.” Kao što je slučaj s veganima koji se prehranjuju sirovom hranom i ne konzumiraju hranu obogaćenu vitaminom B12 (poput određenih biljnih mlijeka i nekih žitarica za doručak), frutarijanci možda moraju uključiti suplemente vitamina B12 u svoju prehranu ili riskirati nedostatak tog vitamina."Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B12". National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
Problemi u rastu i razvoju Rast i razvoj mogu biti ugroženi kod djece frutarijanaca. Neki nutricionisti tvrde da djeca ne bi trebala slijediti frutarijansku prehranu. Nutritivni problemi uključuju tešku proteinsko-energetsku pothranjenost, anemiju i nedostatke proteina, željeza, kalcija, esencijalnih masneih kiselina, sirovih vlakna i širokog raspona vitamina i minerala.Holden, Chris, et al, Royal College of Nursing. Nutrition and Child Health, p. 59. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2000. ISBN 0-7020-2421-X, 9780702024214.
Značajni sljedbenici Neki značajni zagovornici frutarijanstva, dijeta koje se mogu smatrati frutarijanskim ili načina života koji uključuje takvu prehranu, jesu:
Otto Abramowski, australski naturopat koji je predavao o frutarijanskoj prehrani.<https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74840888/ref>
Idi Amin , ugandski vojni diktator koji je postao frutarijanac dok je bio u egzilu u Saudijskoj Arabiji. <ref>Gollner, Adam Leith (2013) The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce and Obsession New York: Scribner ISBN 9781476704999. Quote: "Idi Amin, the tyrannical Ugandan dictator, lived his final years in Saudi Arabia as a fruitarian (his affinity for oranges earned him the nickname "Dr. Jaffa")." Idi Amin, ugandski vojni diktator koji je bio frutarijanac tijekom svoga egzila u Saudijskoj Arabiji Sidney H. BeardKuhn, Philip. (2017). Psychoanalysis in Britain, 1893–1913: Histories and Historiography. Lexington Books. pp. 73-74. Arnold EhretKuske, Terrence T. (1983). Quackery and Fad Diets. In Elaine B. Feldman. Nutrition in the Middle and Later Years. John Wright & Sons. pp. 291-303. ISBN 0-7236-7046-3 August Engelhardt"Failure of a Womanless Eden in the Pacific - Strange Story from the South Seas", The New York Times, October 15, 1905, "For days he lived alone, eating nothing but bread fruit and cocoanuts," "Of the food of choice, he lacked none.", "Weeks of life under the sun in the salt sea, and living upon fruit, had brought him to a state of wonderful physical perfection.", "For nearly two years more he continued to live the 'pure, natural life' but the charm had been completely broken by the death of his two disciples.", "in 1903, came a drought which reduced the fruit crop. The little left of it was wiped out in the Spring of 1904 by a storm. Engelhardt had the alternative of casting in his lot with the natives and eating on hogflesh, or sending a request for succor to Ulu or Herbertshohe. He did neither in his stubbornness, and starvation and thirst did their work." Raymond W. BernardRaymond W. Bernard, Organic Way To Health Vol. 1-4, Health Research Books, 1996, p. 2, "I have tried non-vegetarian diets, vegetarian diets, raw food diets, fruitarian diets, and many other kinds of diets." Hereward CarringtonAlbala, Ken. (2015). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues, Volume 2. Sage Publications p. 694. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, poznatiji kao indijski politički i duhovni vođa Mahatma Gandhi, pet je godina bio na frutarijanskoj prehrani.Gandhi, Mohandas K., Desai, Valji Govindji (trans.) in Satyagraha in South Africa ~ XXXV. Quote: "[D]uring five years of a purely fruitarian life I never felt weak, nor did I suffer from any disease". Navodno je prekinuo dijetu i vratio se vegetarijanstvu zbog pleuritisa, prethodno prisutnog oboljenja, nakon pritiska dr. Jivraja Mehte.Gandhi, Mohandas K., Desai, Valji Govindji (trans.)"Tolstoy Farm III" in Satyagraha in South Africa ~ XXXV. Quote: "[D]uring five years of a purely fruitarian life I never felt weak, nor did I suffer from any disease". Ben KlassenSalubrious Living (Creativity Book Publishers, 1982, and World Church of Creativity, 2003), chapter 'The Fruitarian Diet': "The fruitarian diet is composed of the products of the plant kingdom which are delicious and appealing to our taste in their natural uncooked condition. As fruits, vegetables and nuts are the foods which meet this qualification in an ideal manner they are the primary foods used by the fruitarian."