For the past 33 years, Anne Osbourne has eaten nothing but fruit.
No vegetables. No meat. No carbs. No dairy.
Just fruit.
You might wonder how anyone can survive on a fruit-only diet, but according to Osbourne, she’s the healthiest she’s ever been.
The 58-year-old, who is originally from the UK but has lived in Australia since 2003, is a raw fruitarian – that is, a person who consumes fruit just to stay alive.
Osbourne said she first became interested in this unique diet in 1990.
“My interest in diet started after I attended a talk in a small room on a bar in the UK,” she told news.com.au.
“A local fruiterer called David Shelley was talking about the diet and seeing his energy, fitness and vitality made me want to try it myself.
“I could see that whatever David was doing was working very well for him.
“I was pregnant at the time with my eldest son, so I made a gradual transition from a standard diet, to a general vegan diet and eventually to a fruit diet.
“Over the next year, I gradually ate more fruit and less cooked vegan food until I was on a 100% raw fruit diet.
“Now 33 years have passed and I haven’t looked back.”
Osbourne, who now lives in the small town of Millstream in Queensland, Australia, said she was fed a standard British diet growing up and her mother even grew up in a butcher shop.
“Meat was a big part of our childhood,” she said.
“My mother was a very good cook and cooked all the meals at home. Dad grew fresh fruits and vegetables in his garden.
“We ate very healthy and consumed very little processed food. But the day I left home at 19, I became a vegetarian.
“A year later, I gave up all animal products and embraced veganism. I noticed the health benefits immediately.
“I remember getting short of breath and tight in my chest just walking up the hills. Once I became vegan, I never felt that again.”
A typical ‘day on a plate’ for Osbourne consists of a wide variety of fresh fruit grown locally in the area.
She will only eat one type of fruit at mealtime, as she says it’s easier on her digestive system.
“I usually drink two big glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice after I get back from my morning run,” she explained.
“I use an Italian juicer from 1966. It leaves most of the fiber, but makes a very smooth juice.
“Later in the morning I’ll get as much seasonal fruit as I want.” Right now, I’m enjoying things like local blueberries, papaya, cantaloupe and watermelon.
“For lunch, I’ll usually eat 2 or 3 avocados. This adds good levels of macro and micronutrients to the diet.
“For dinner, I’ll eat a big plate of whatever fruit I like. Right now, papayas or blueberries are my last favorite meal.”
While she eats like this most days of the year, Osbourne does something a little more decadent for special occasions like Christmas and birthdays.
“I’ll make a raw fruit ‘cake’ out of organic dried fruit and nuts, carob, coconut and orange juice for these special occasions,” she said.
“When my kids were little, we would have beautiful fruit parties with fruit cakes, dips and people made of fruit. It was a lot of fun.”
The fruit diet has long drawn criticism from health professionals, who call it too high in sugar and lacking in all the nutrients needed for optimal health.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can be dangerous for those with diabetes or pancreatic and kidney disorders because of the high amount of sugar.
There is also concern about low levels of vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lead to anemia, fatigue, lethargy, and immune system dysfunction.
Anyone considering changing their diet is encouraged to discuss it with their doctor first.
Thankfully for Osbourne, she claims her health has never been better since going on a raw fruit diet.
She credits this to just eating quality produce grown in nutrient-dense soil.
“The type of soil fruit is grown in directly affects the health benefits of the fruit,” she said.
“Soil is so important to the mineral content of the production. Deficient and chemically laden soils can lead to deficient production and therefore, deficiencies in us.
“My health is excellent. I run about 50 km (31 miles) a week and regularly walk 13 km (8 miles) in the city. I do a lot of physical work in the garden.
“The last time I had blood work done, everything was in the normal range and the doctor said I had the best cholesterol levels he had ever seen in terms of HDL to LDL ratio.
“I have great energy, any injury or wound heals very quickly and I went through menopause without negative symptoms.
“My hair and nails grow very fast and my immune system is very effective. I have never been anemic in blood tests.”
While Osbourne says this diet has been life-changing for her, she admits that not everyone will thrive on it.
However, she still believes that everyone could stand to eat a little more fruit in their daily lives.
“You don’t have to be a fruit grower to benefit from fruit,” she said.
“When just one piece of fruit a day was added to the daily diet of schoolchildren, with no other dietary changes, there were huge improvements in both their academic achievement and their behaviour.
“I truly believe that eating more good quality fruit can really improve your life like you wouldn’t believe.
“However, this diet is not for everyone. You have to be ready for it, physically, emotionally and mentally. You need to invest in really good quality fruit, the stuff from the local supermarket probably won’t cut it.
“And you have to have faith in the diet, but not blind faith. Do your research and reading to see if a fruitful lifestyle is for you.”
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Image Source : nypost.com