The Encyclopedia of Fruitarianism & Rational Living
C. Philip Reichard, Editor
Preface
This encyclopedia contains, basically, two kinds of discussions: one
concerned with what we humans put into our bodies and one concerned
with how we interact with one another and with the other life-forms on this
planet.
Nutrition, historically, has been a matter of conjecture. Humans have always
eaten what has been available. But there has never been sufficient, sound
knowledge on the components of the foodstuffs on which we have lived.
Some of the discussions are about human behavior and our place on this
planet. We believe that humans cannot successfully enter the 21st Century
without information such as this in their hands.
We hear, but do not yet heed the many modern voices warning us that the
rebellion against Mother Earth by her Youngest Children is becoming
unbearable. We may one day be orphaned. Orphans that call out for the
Mother that we ourselves have abused to death.
Many of the themes presented here come out of the Social Sciences.
Especially Anthropology. To uncover the truth about the proper human diet
we must first come to an appreciation of where we are in the Animal
Kingdom. We must then take a very close look at our pre-human ancestors.
Fruit eating is Humankind's oldest and only legitimate form of diet. Sadly, it is
the least understood. Fortunately, today there are a number of good books
available on the subject of Fruitarianism. Yet the majority of the general
public is still unaware of Fruitarianism's message.
We are bringing together for you what may seem to be unrelated notions. We
have packaged these many important topics in our own, unique way so as to
throw new light on their connectedness.
For many years we have been looking everywhere for concise reference
materials on the true human diet. It seems that, until now, there have been no
encyclopedias of Fruitarianism, Veganism, or even mainstream
Vegetarianism.
Today's human community is desperately in need of reorganization. There
have been times in history when reorganization has occurred rather
suddenly.
One example of this is the Enlightenment. The French Philosophies of the
18th Century, and in particular the Encyclopedists, sought to share their
rationalist, humanitarian, and spiritual ideas with the general public. They
took a critical look at superstition, traditional knowledge, and accepted
wisdom.
The compilers of the encyclopedia now in front of you have been greatly
inspired by the honesty and dedication of the first Encyclopedists. We wish
to continue to combat the errors of antiquity. We, too, have faith in the
progress of Humankind.
The ideas presented by the first Encyclopedists were not embraced by the
ruling class of their day. As a matter of fact, the writings of the Philosophers
were, in large part, responsible for the American and French Revolutions.
Ideas had created sweeping movements.
The creators of this encyclopedia do not expect to have their ideas met with
open arms by today's so-called Health Experts. This is to be expected.
Over the last few years we have heard the faint rumblings of a Health
Revolution. A Revolution of global proportions. It is our sincere hope that
this collection helps to further popularize Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene.
We hope that you will find something new on every page of this
encyclopedia. We are actually rather sure that there are notions here of
which you have never even dreamed. Please enjoy the adventure. We hope
you will pause and meditate on things that are new to you.
The Encyclopedia of Fruitarianism and Rational Living
Africa
Africa is the birthplace of the Human Family. All humans of all races can
trace their origins back to the early humans in Africa millions of years ago.
Some of these early Africans migrated out of Africa to settle other areas of the
world. Europe, Asia, and the Americas to name a few. These early pioneers
would eventually develop into the many different races of people we find
today.
Paradise is usually depicted as a warm, colorful, sunlit place abundant with
sweet fruits, lush, green plant life, and palm trees. These depictions are
indicative of the tropical geography of most of the African continent where
humans have their origin.
Africa is the cradle of humankind. Africa could be seen as a Divine Mother
and, thus, humans her children. With Her sweet fruits, warm sunlight, and
gentle breezes, she suckled us on her bountiful breast for eons, from our
infancy until relatively recent times.
Heywood Brown
Agriculture
Early peoples began the science of agriculture around 10,000 years ago. It
was a momentous occasion in human development and would bring about a
revolution in the human diet and lifestyle from then on.
For the first time in their total history humans would exert a deliberate control
over what they ate. At this point they could become food producers rather
than food collectors.
Up until this point all humans had been food foragers. They would travel in
nomadic bands searching for wild foods. These foods would include wild
fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Further into their development early humans would learn to hunt animals and
eat their meat, hence the anthropological term Hunter-Gatherer.
Agriculture would bring about profound changes in the human diet. New
foods including grains, legumes, dairy products, and domesticated animal
meats would both revolutionize and demoralize the human palate.
Animal Husbandry, a sister science to Agriculture was developed alongside
Agriculture during the same period. This science involves the domestication
of animals for the use of their meat, milk, eggs, and labor.
For the first time in history humans would have a constant supply of high-
cholesterol, fat-laden meats, milk, and poultry eggs. The disastrous
consequences of these early dietary changes can still be seen today.
It is important that we view Agriculture within the full context of human
history. For well over 99% of the total human existence on the planet
humans have been food foragers. Of that ninety-nine percent, most of the
time was spent eating fruits.
Essentially, human dietary requirements have remained unchanged for
millions of years. What an organism eats for over 99% of its existence is the
correct diet for that organism. In the case of human beings that is a fruit diet.
The new types of foods that Agriculture introduced (grains, legumes, and
dairy) came far at the end of human development. Therefore we must view
these foods as non-essential to the human diet.
Heywood Brown
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is an East Indian term that relates to the principal of non-violence
toward animals. This principal is an important tenant of three major religions
of India: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Animals are seen as sentient beings worthy of human love and protection.
Killing animals for food or any other reason is completely unthinkable to an
adherent of Ahimsa. The murder of animals is seen as no different than the
murder of human beings.
Animals are believed to possess souls and consciousness, just as humans
do. Violence toward animals will also negatively affect a person's destiny
and fate.
The idea that "what one reaps is what one sows" is applicable here in that the
adherent of Ahimsa believes that the violence and misery experienced by a
murdered animal will be metaphysically transferred to the meat-eater during
his own lifetime.
Heywood Brown
Avocado
Avocados were first cultivated in South and Central America. The fruit was a
staple in the Aztec diet. The name "Avocado" is derived from the Aztec word
"ahuactl". The first Europeans to see the fruit were the Spanish
Conquistadors, who invaded Mexico during the 16th century.
The avocado is a highly nutritious fruit and has a relatively high fat content. It
is grown all over the world's tropical and subtropical areas. There are three
basic categories of the fruit. They include the Mexican, Guatemalan, and the
West Indian. Avocados have been crossbred and now come in over 500
varieties.
Heywood Brown
Banana
Botanists have placed the cultivation of the Banana in the Indus Valley
around 2,000 B.C. Early peoples domesticated the fruit from the wild variety
during that period. Bananas were crossbred to improve their flavor and also
to rid them of seeds. This selective breeding worked a little too well, as the
new seedless banana could no longer reproduce itself without human
intervention.
The botanical term for the banana is Musa sapientum or "fruit of the wise".
However, the banana is botanically classified as an herb, not a fruit. The
word "banana" is of West African origin.
There are now over 100 varieties of the cultivated Banana. They vary in size,
shape, color, texture, and taste.
Bananas require 75 to 150 days to mature and must be removed from the
plant to ripen properly. After fruiting, the plant is cut down, or collapses, and
a new one develops from the buds on the underground stem.
During the 7th Century Islamic Arab traders were responsible for introducing
the banana to the rest of the world. They took bananas throughout the
Middle East and into northern Egypt. It was there, during this period, that
bananas were believed to have been the original "forbidden fruit" of the Old
Testament.
As for nutritional sufficiency, bananas are at the top of the list. Bananas are
truly a complete food. They provide the full range of nutritional needs for
humans. Six pounds of bananas will supply about 2,380 calories, which is
enough for a healthy, hard-working, 150 pound male.
They will also furnish about 31 grams of protein. The recommended daily
allowance is about 25 grams. The vitamin and mineral content of common
bananas far exceeds the R.D.A. set for all of the various nutrients.
Heywood Brown
Current Concerns
There is little time left for this world before the next one begins. Total
honesty is what's needed now. The majority will not live on this planet soon
so don't appeal to them.
The caloric intakes suggested in this Encyclopedia tend to be mimics of
normal charts and studies. I am a 150-pound man and would not begin to eat
so many pounds of bananas, just to shoot for some middle of the road chart
drawn from a gluttonous, sick society.
Why must we persist with this "protein need" talk? The time of life when you
are growing, percentage wise, the fastest, is infancy. Mother's milk has a little
over 1% protein, just like fruit. And who cares, except for the
slaughterhouses who want you to believe you need their death machine
product?
Develop the acceptable scientific sources that don't now exist. Sanction a
study of Fruitarians to prove once and for all that so called "colds" and "flu"
have little to do with the rats at the garbage dump and all to do with the
garbage.
England's 10-year study of colds and flu found hundreds of different bacteria
that were found in the people that were sick but 33% had none. Shows how
this proved that bacteria aren't the reason for the sickness.
Introduce bacteria into healthy Fruitarians to show why without the garbage
they can't live, reproduce, or get a truly healthy person sick.
Shows why humans possess digestive tracts. If you can understand
"optional pleasure capability" then you can envision eternal youth.
Mango (boot@gdi.net)
Dark Ages
Most scholars place the Dark Ages from between the fall of Rome (c.395-410)
and the Norman Conquest in England (1066). This period in European
history was characterized by stern religious influence on politics, barbaric
invasions, poverty, a waning of democracy, the persecution of scientists, and
the denial of personal expression.
Contrary to popular opinion, we are actually still living in the Dark Ages.
Religious superstition still holds sway over many citizens, the sovereignty of
small nations is still regularly violated, physical and mental poverty still grip
the masses, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are still withheld by our
political leadership, and capitalist propaganda continues to divert us from
right living.
We are still looking for a Renaissance. No hope is in sight.
Rob Lay
Dates
Dates are one of the oldest fruit cultivated my man. Around 3,000 B.C. people
in the Middle East began cultivation of the Date. Dates are an important food
source in the Middle East to this day.
As the fruit is perfectly suited to grow in arid conditions, Dates grow in tall
palms, called Date Palms. The fruit can be eaten fresh, semi-dried, and dried.
Dates range from yellow-red to dark brown in color. The pulp is moist, soft,
and sweet and contains a small, cylindrical pit.
Today Dates are chiefly grown in the Middle East, although some are grown
in Spain and in California.
Heywood Brown
Deep Ecology
A philosophical view that focuses on the importance of all life on earth. Deep
Ecologists often describe themselves as Biocentric (all-life-centered) and are
concerned with the importance and beauty of life for it's own sake. This
means that the earth and all of the life it contains are a wonder regardless of
whether humans are here to appreciate it.
The term "Deep Ecology" was coined in 1972 by Norwegian philosopher Arne
Naess who wrote:
"The essence of Deep Ecology is to ask deeper questions. We ask which
society, which education, which form of religion is beneficial for all life on the
planet as a whole."
Deep Ecology has been strongly associated with the Green Movement from
its inception. The spiritual views of Deep Ecology may be found throughout
the various groups involved in the Ecological Movement.
Deep Ecology stresses a return to a simple life on the land and opposes
industrial civilization, which it views as anti-earth, anti-human, and anti-
liberty.
Deep Ecologists believe that the role of humans on Earth should be
drastically reduced. The Earth and all the life on it were fine for eons before
humans began to appear. Humans, with their killing technology, negligence,
and blatant apathy have managed to quickly destroy many of the complex
systems that have taken Mother Nature hundreds of millions of years to
produce.
Deep Ecology can be seen as a true philosophy of selflessness and love for
the planet and all of the life it contains.
Heywood Brown
Figs 4,000 B.C. – Syria
Figs are one of the earliest fruit cultivated by man. They were spread all over
the eastern Mediterranean region centuries ago. They formed part of the
staple diet of the ancient Greeks. Both fresh and dried figs are still widely
used in the Mediterranean today.
Figs have played an important role in the mythological tales of various
people throughout history. The Judeo-Christian story states that the first
people, Adam and Eve, covered their nakedness with fig leaves.
Later in the Biblical story the prophet Isaiah cures a man named Hezekiah by
using a poultice of figs: "And Isaiah said: 'Bring a cake of figs. And let them
take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.'" (II Kings, 20-27)
According to Matthew 21:18-19 Jesus was hungry when he entered
Jerusalem and found a fig tree bearing leaves but no fruit. He said it would
never again grow fruit, and the tree withered away.
In the Buddhist story, Buddha gains enlightenment under the sacred Bo
tree. It is believed that this was a fig tree. In Greek mythology the fig was
held sacred to Bacchus, god of wine, and was used in many religious rituals.
Bacchus was believed to have gotten fat and sluggish by eating too many
figs. The fig tree is a fertility symbol throughout Africa and Asia.
For the Kikuyu people of Kenya the fig is actually a part of their namesake. In
their language the word "Kuyu" means "fig" and the word "mukuyu" is a fig
tree.
There are now around 600 varieties of figs in shades of white, purple, green,
and red. They are available year-round but their peak season is during the
summer.
A 10-ounce (248 grams) string of Greek (Kalamata) figs will provide about
1,300 calories and around 12 grams of protein. Figs contain the highest
sugar content of any known fruit.
Heywood Brown
Food Sociology
For humans, food is much more than just a collection of various proteins,
vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates held together in a complex molecular
bond. The whole is far greater than the collection of its parts.
What we eat is a reflection of who we are. Our culture, nationality, religion,
and history are reflected in the foods we eat. Food represents a vital link to
our past.
Families around the world hold on to cherished recipes, which have been
handed down through the generations. For many families mealtime becomes
a communion with their remote ancestors. Thus, eating reinforces and
preserves the bonds within the family group both past and present.
Humans are naturally social animals. Membership within the social group is
extremely important to individuals. Whether it be family, nation, race, or
religion, all humans are members of a group.
Throughout human history eating has been instrumental in cementing the
bonds within social groups.
What we eat can also reflect our status in the societies in which we live.
Throughout history affluent people have demonstrated their superiority over
others by consuming highly exotic, exclusive, and expensive foods. These
foods transfer to their consumers a sense of prestige and grandeur.
With the exception of Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists, people around the
world engage in some form of sociocultural conformity in regards to what
they eat. Even health seekers such as Vegans and Vegetarians take part in
conforming to the dietary practices of the status quo.
A visit to any local health food store would reveal the lengths to which these
health seekers will go in order to preserve their dietary links to the dominant
social group. Within these health food stores there is sold an array of
"healthy substitute" foods. These foods are the "healthier" versions of those
consumed by the general public.
For example, beef hamburgers are replaced by tofu burgers. Cheese pizzas
are replaced by non-dairy pizzas. And pastries such as cookies, cakes, and
pies are baked without wheat, white sugar, or dairy products.
This substitution process helps many health seekers retain their cultural
heritage within their diets. The attraction to these "healthier substitute" foods
is more attributable to how closely they resemble the foods of the larger
social group than to their nutritional adequacy.
Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists operate completely outside of these socio-
culturally imposed dietary practices. Through a diet of fresh, raw fruits,
vegetables, nuts, and seeds, Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists have
removed all vestiges of ethnicity, national origin, and religious denomination
from their diets.
They have chosen to accept the fact that humans are a single species,
requiring a single diet for all its members. The Fruitarian Diet is truly a
Cosmopolitan diet. It links all humans together as one global family.
Heywood Brown
Frugivore
An organism that is physiologically predisposed to eating fruit. A frugivore's
diet is predominately fruit but may include greens, nuts, and seeds. The
organism's full range of nutrient needs is supplied by this diet.
Sweet fruits are of primary importance to frugivores, as they supply the most
major nutrient requirement for glucose (simple fruit sugar).
All humans are frugivores, and are born with a natural instinct for wanting
sweet foods.
The closest living genetic relative of humans is the Chimpanzee.
Chimpanzees are a 98% genetic match to humans, and they are also
frugivores.
Heywood Brown
Fruitarian
This term refers to a person who intentionally chooses a fruit-based diet.
"Frugivore" on the other hand, is a classification that an organism is naturally
born into.
All humans are born Frugivores. However, they may choose to be a
Fruitarian, vegetarian, or a meat-eater.
"Fruitarian" is a term that relates only to what a person eats. Fruitarianism is
not a holistic doctrine in and of itself. For instance, a person who is only a
fruitarian might engage in all sorts of negative and destructive life practices.
Fruitarianism is a sub-category of the holistic health doctrine of Natural
Hygiene. All Natural Hygienists are Fruitarians. However, all Fruitarians are
not Natural Hygienists.
Heywood Brown
Health Reforms
Health Reformism is an improvement on the very unhealthy dietary practices
which most of the world is presently engaged in. However, Health Reform,
like all reform, is only a surface change, and not truly complete.
The late Dr. Herbert M. Shelton had the following to say about this issue:
"Reform means a change of externals. Reform is thus a patchwork program
and is justifiable only when the thing that is to be reformed is basically sound
and worth saving."
For instance, a health reformist will exchange a beef burger for a tofu burger.
He would exchange a sugar cookie for one made with fruit juice. He will use
soymilk in his cereal instead of cow's milk. He might not use doctor-
prescribed medicines, but opt for natural herbal cures.
The Reformist never completely abandons the idea of the pre-existing
symbol. He simply changes its surface and incorporates it into his own diet.
A trip to any local health food store would reveal the depths to which Health
Reformism has sunk. There is sold in these stores the "health food"
equivalents of all of the very unhealthy foods of the general public.
There are micro-waveable "health food" TV dinners, canned "health food"
vegetarian soups, and sugar-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free cookies, cakes,
and pies.
The Reformist works under the assumption that the idea behind these foods
is essentially good and that all that needs to be done is to substitute the
unhealthy ingredients for allegedly healthy ones.
Health Reformists are not complete in their thinking. They usually cling to
unscientific and antiquated ideas about diet and health.
Reformism offers allegedly healthy substitutes for foods, which are
unhealthy to begin with. These substitute foods are really just lesser evils,
but evils nonetheless.
In the final analysis, we must conclude that Health Reformists are really
"straddling the fence" wanting to be liked and accepted by the mainstream.
Health Revolutionists, by contrast, will never enjoy such a luxury.
Heywood Brown
Health Revolution
Health Revolution is synonymous with Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene.
All true Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists are Health Revolutionists.
Health Revolution entails a complete about-face from the dietary practices of
the status quo. This includes abstention from meats, dairy products, grains,
legumes, and in short, all foods which require cooking.
All revolutions uproot, displace, and disorganize things temporarily. The
Health Revolution of Fruitarianism is no different, in that it uproots all of the
erroneous notions about diet and health that currently exist.
The late Dr. Herbert M. Shelton had the following to say regarding Health
Revolution:
"Revolution is a fundamental reconstruction or the replacement of an old
order with an entirely new one. Revolution is imperative when the old
system, like the medical system, is rotten to the core and contains virtually
nothing worth saving."
Health Revolutionists are iconoclasts, as they actively seek to expose the
fraudulent claims of the many current health gurus, health practices, and
health products, which abound in the world today.
Much of this health ideology is presented with distinctly religious overtones.
Complete with it's own icons of celebrated healers, healing therapies, and
healing foods, it is easy to understand why people are emotionally drawn to
these philosophies.
Health Revolutionists will consistently find themselves in the position of the
boy who cried "The emperor wears no clothes". Health Revolutionists are
usually despised by the general public.
The Health Revolution of Fruitarianism will completely reroute the course of
modern society. A considerable percentage of the economic strength of the
modern industrial world is based on investments in the fraudulent food
industry complex.
The stock markets, futures markets, bonds markets, and more are all
invested in, and are taking in, billions of dollars of profits from the deadly
dietary choices of the modern world.
The Health Revolution, if large enough, will completely overturn the world
economy. Most of the food industries of the world would come to a grinding
halt.
The meat industry, junk food industry, health food industry, and the beverage
industry are only a few examples of the systems that would be completely
crushed under the weight of the Health Revolution.
Heywood Brown
Hippocrates
This famous Greek teacher was born about 460 B.C. into a medical family.
Historical records indicate that he taught and traveled widely and that he
lived to be over 80 years old.
Hippocrates prescribed fasting as a measure to combat illness. "Everyone
has a doctor in him, we just have to help him in his work" said Hippocrates.
He also said "To eat when one is sick is to feed one's sickness."
Hippocrates is famous for his authorship of over 70 treatises, in which he
proposed a radical and revolutionary theory. He proposed and
demonstrated the idea that illness was due to bodily malfunction rather than
the whims of malevolent spirits or angry gods.
With this it followed that doctors might best observe patients closely,
prescribe a good diet, use gentle massage, and try to encourage the body's
natural healing processes. Hippocrates' writings show that these skills of
observation were accurate:
"Persons who are very fat are apt to die earlier than those who are slender”
he wrote, and "When sleep puts an end to delirium, it is a good symptom".
Hippocrates' second major contribution to medicine is the oath based on his
teachings that bears his name. In recognition of the ethical responsibilities of
all physicians (to pass on knowledge, to do their patients no harm, to respect
the patient's confidences) the Hippocratic Oath is still sworn today by medical
school graduates all over the world.
Heywood Brown
Human Body Temperature
Humans, and all other mammals, are in the class of animals known as
Endotherms ("heat from within").
With a few exceptions endotherms are also homeotherms, maintaining a
quite constant internal body temperature. The primary source of heat in
endotherms is the oxidation of glucose and other energy-containing
molecules within the body cells.
The remarkable constancy of temperature characteristic of humans and
other mammals is maintained by an automatic system. The system is a
thermostat in the hypothalamus, which precisely measures, body
temperature and triggers the appropriate control mechanisms.
This is an example of the process known as homeostasis in the human
body.
Endotherms are characterized by layers of insulating materials such as fur,
feathers, fat, and by mechanisms for disposing of excess heat such as
panting in dogs and sweating in humans.
As a protection against cold temperatures the human body produces "brown
fat". Brown fat cells store fats whose energy is channeled directly into heat
production. Brown fat is found in newborn infants (but not in adults) and
also in hibernating animals.
The human body operates within a narrow margin of temperatures. This can
range anywhere from 96.6 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The commonly held
belief in the normal body temperature as 98.6 degrees is probably wrong.
Researchers came up with this figure about 150 years ago as the norm for
healthy people. Actually, normal body temperature for an individual is a
range of values that depends on the time of day, the person's age, and other
factors.
The most important temperature in the body is the "core temperature". This
is the deep, internal temperature inside the body. The core temperature must
remain constant, as the internal organs must maintain a certain temperature
in order to operate.
It is the highest temperature within the human body. The liver, for instance,
operates at a constant temperature of 100 degrees.
What most people experience as hot or cold relates to their skin temperature
only. As it is constantly changing it is an unreliable form of measurement.
When the weather is very hot our skin temperature is also hot. Likewise,
when the weather is very cold, our skin temperature is also cold. However, in
both instances the core temperature remains the same.
It is a common belief that the temperature of various foods will affect overall
body temperature. Most people will consume hot foods when their skin
temperature is cold. They will consume cold foods when their skin
temperature is hot. These beliefs are not scientific. Food temperatures do
not affect the core temperature, which is always constant.
A more logical solution to the discomfort we feel from changes in external
temperature is to exercise some control over the temperature in our
environment. When our skin temperature is hot we can take a cool shower or
use a fan. When our skin temperature is cold we can wear warm clothing or
increase our indoor heat to a comfortable level.
In both instances, when the skin temperature is maintained at a comfortable
level we are free to enjoy the foods to which we are biologically adapted.
These foods include mostly raw fruits, with some raw vegetables, nuts, and
seeds.
Heywood Brown
Human Family
All humans are members of the same family. Humans are a single species
whose scientific name is Homo sapiens ("wise man").
All humans share a common ancestry. Many anthropologists and biologists
support the theory that the ancestry of all 7 billion humans on earth today
can be traced to a female who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago, and
who left an unmistakable signature on our DNA. This theory is known as the
Genetic Eve theory.
The groups that most people call "races" are passing episodes in the
ongoing evolution of humankind. What are usually thought of, as racial traits
are only the results of adaptation to climate and geography tens of
thousands of years ago.
As humans are a single species, they require a single diet. This is a fruitarian
diet, consisting mostly of raw fruits with some raw vegetables, nuts, and
seeds. The notion that people should adopt different diets based on various
differences such as gender, race, religion, or national origin has no scientific
foundation.
Heywood Brown
Hunter Gatherers
Anthropologists use the term Hunter-Gatherer to indicate societies
characterized by a mode of subsistence that involves the hunting of animals,
and or fishing, as well as gathering edible wild foods.
Though these activities take place side by side, one activity may take
precedence over another. For example the Eskimo hunter-gathers of Alaska
traditionally relied more on hunting for their survival where as the (Bushmen)
hunter-gatherers of southern Africa have relied more on gathering for theirs.
Until only around 10,000 years ago all humans were hunter-gatherers. Over
99% of human existence has been spent in this mode of living. Humans, and
their hominid predecessors, spent eons foraging for their meals within their
local environments.
About 10,000 years ago the bulk of the human race took a wrong turn. They
would develop agriculture. They developed agriculture first somewhere
between what is now northern Greece and Iran.
Once leisurely gatherer-hunters, they became farmers. They became obliged
to accept the discipline of working to a timetable imposed by the seasons
and to the needs of their animals.
The Bible makes the point when it records Adam's banishment from Eden for
eating the Forbidden Fruit:
"And you shall eat of the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face you
shall eat bread, until you return to the ground."
Food was there for the picking in Eden, as it usually is for the world's most
ancient peoples. The Kung of Africa's Kalahari Desert, for example, can
gather all they need in an average "working week" of twelve to nineteen
hours.
Research has shown that this group lives mainly on mongongo nuts, which
give them a daily protein diet equal to 14 ounces of beefsteak. Many edible
fruits, plants, and animals are also abundant.
The Kung have no detectable protein or vitamin deficiencies, few chronic
diseases, low mortality, and a life-span comparable to that of urban man.
Heywood Brown
Mango
Mangos were first cultivated in India over 2,000 years ago. The fruit is held in
great esteem throughout India today. Many Hindu myths are associated with
the Mango.
Akbar, the Mogul emperor of India during the 16th century, so loved the
Mango that he planted an orchard of 100,000 Mango trees.
Buddha also had a mango grove within which he found solitude for
philosophical thought. Mangos were first brought to the Western
Hemisphere around 1700. The first crops were grown in Brazil.
The word "mango" comes from "man-kay" or "man-gay" a Tamil word
adopted by the Portuguese in India. Mango trees can grow to 100 feet tall
and have large, shiny leaves. There are over 500 varieties of the cultivated
mango.
They range from very small (about the size of a plum) to very large (about the
size of a cantaloupe). Mangos are grown in all tropical areas of the world,
however India is the largest exporter. The fruit is available year round though
their peak season is during the summer and fall.
Mangos range in color from light green to yellow or red. They have a thin
skin, a sweet, fleshy pulp, and a large, flat seed.
Heywood Brown
Meat Eating
The human indulgence in meat eating is a worldwide phenomenon. The
majority of people throughout the world eat meat. The amount of meat a
person might consume is dependant upon many different factors.
A person's nationality, culture, religion, and financial status are but a few
factors that determine what and how much meat that person will consume.
Meat consumption, it is the contention of Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene,
is non-essential and disastrous for the human species. There are many
factors to support this notion.
The three most important include Human Evolution, Human Physiology, and
Human History. These three factors disprove even the most ardent argument
for meat consumption.
The story of Human Evolution begins with our early primate ancestors
foraging amongst the treetops in the lush, tropical forests of Africa around 64
million years ago.
Over millions of years these early primates would develop into many various
other primate species including monkeys, apes, hominids, and eventually
humans.
Their dietary requirements, however, do not change. Fruit remains the staple
for millions of years.
In 1979 the New York Times reported that Dr. Alan Walker, an anthropologist
from Johns Hopkins University, had made a startling discovery about early,
pre-human diets.
By comparing the teeth-wear patterns of two early pre-human (hominid)
species, Homo Erectus ("upright man") and Australopithecus ("southern
ape"), Dr. Walker found that there were some amazing differences.
He found that the teeth-wear patterns of Homo Erectus were those of an
omnivore, eating a varied diet of roots, nuts, fruits, shoots, and meat. The
teeth-wear patterns of its predecessor, Australopithecus, were those of a
frugivore, eating an exclusively fruit diet.
Homo Erectus was the first hominid to use fire. This discovery might have
been his encouragement for eating meat, which he could make more
palatable by cooking over an open flame. Homo Erectus was the first
hominid and the only primate to make meat a primary part of his diet.
Human Physiology is completely inconsistent with meat consumption.
Humans do not possess any of the physiological traits that are indicative of
true meat eaters (carnivores).
Some of these physical traits include quadrapedalism (walking on four feet),
razor-sharp teeth adapted to tearing through flesh, bone, and sinew, a highly
developed sense of smell, and a short and smooth intestinal canal.
Humans do not posses the instinct for stalking prey. Humans do not rise to
the occasion to hunt down and pounce upon weaker animals, devouring
their warm, bloody flesh in the raw.
Meat eating is not instinctual for the human species. It is a learned activity,
offering no practical advantages. Human History also reveals some of the
disastrous consequences of meat consumption.
Homo Erectus, being the first hominid to make meat a primary part of his diet,
was also the first casualty of it. Many of the fossil remains of Homo Erectus
are grossly deformed, encased by layers of bony tissue up to a quarter of an
inch thick.
Paleontologists have attributed this deformity to a chronic overdose of
Vitamin A. Homo Erectus developed this problem by eating animal liver.
Our later ancestors would also become victims of the choice of meat in their
diet. About 10,000 years ago some people would change their hunter-
gatherer diets to those of settled Pastoralists.
They would give up eating the meat of wild game and take up eating the meat
of animals they had domesticated. The results were disastrous.
Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and a plethora of other diseases are
consistent with domesticated meat consumption.
For example, the meat of moose contains 1.5 grams of fat per 100 grams.
Compare that to the meat of a lamb loin, which contains 32 grams of fat per
100 grams.
That is over twenty times the fat content for domesticated animal meat.
Heywood Brown
Quackery
Quackery has probably been part of the human story since before recorded
history. Undoubtedly, as long as there have been sick, suffering, and
confused people searching for the answers to life's problems there have also
been people who have profited from their pain through the trade in useless
cures.
The term "Quackery" is derived from the word "Quacksalver". The word
"quack" means, "to boast, brag, promote, or call attention to oneself."
The word "salver" means, "to soothe, alleviate, or cure".
Dr. William T. Jarvis, in his book Quackery and You, defines quackery as
follows:
"Quackery is the promotion of questionable health products and services
(questionableness pertaining to safety and or effectiveness). People who fit
such a description are quacks whether they are sincere or fraudulent, medical
doctors or impostors, operating within the law or not".
One of the earliest American Quacks was a man named Dr. Elisha Perkins
(1741-1799). Perkins was a Yale-educated surgeon who co-founded the
Connecticut Medical Society. In 1797 he created and patented Perkins' Patent
Tractors, which consisted of a pair of small metal bars. According to Perkins
the bars could cure everything from gout to an aching head if used to
massage the afflicted area.
Eventually Perkins was exposed, though not before he had amassed a small
fortune and had even sold a pair of tractors to George Washington.
In fact, George Washington, America's first president, died as a direct result
of the questionable methods employed by the quack doctors of his day.
Bloodletting, blistering, and purging were cutting-edge medical practices
during this era and were used liberally on President Washington during his
last days.
Their methods were anything but a cure and only helped to hasten President
Washington's untimely demise. For many people the word "quackery"
conjures up potent images of traveling hucksters peddling their Snake Oil to
the extra-gullible.
Indeed this was a familiar scene in early American frontier towns during the
19th century. Quack doctors would travel from town to town in covered
wagons putting on their medicine shows to showcase their elixirs.
Mobility was essential so that they could move on before the fraudulence of
their cures was exposed. This period is often referred to by historians as
"the great patent medicine era". It lasted from 1870 to around 1930.
In the modern era Quackery has taken on an even more virulent form.
Quackery, like a parasitic organism, has attached itself to the growing Health
Food and New Age movements in the United States.
According to consumer health expert Dr. Stephen Barrett, Americans spend
over $10 billion a year on various forms of quackery. Some of these forms
include strange, exotic "health-foods" vitamin supplements, herbal cures,
and various "healing therapies".
The modern New Age quack, however, unlike his predecessors, has taken on
a guise of respectability among the populace. With their own brand of
homespun pseudo-scientific double-speak these new Quacks can easily
confuse even the most well educated health seeker.
Unfortunately even the most noble health philosophies such as Fruitarianism
and Raw Foodism are not immune to quack theories. Bizarre theories such
as Breatharianism, Liquidarianism, and Sproutarianism have been espoused
in books by authors who claim to be Raw Foodists or Fruitarians.
Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene have a great role to play in the unfolding
drama of Human Health. These systems have the ability to completely alter
the course of human health into the 21st Century and beyond.
It is imperative that Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists distance themselves,
as far as possible, from Quacks and Quack theories. If they are to be taken
seriously and given any degree of academic credibility, these systems must
remain true to the Scientific Method.
Heywood Brown
Salt
Salt is a relatively new addition to the human diet. Historians have found the
earliest evidence of salt mining in Europe and have dated it to about 8,500
years ago. These salt mines (the Hallstein and Hallstatt Deposits) are located
in Austria near the city of Salzburg, which, incidentally, means "city of salt".
Since the Agricultural Revolution (about 10,000 years ago) salt has been a
permanent part of human history. For most of that time salt was elevated to
the status of a valuable commodity. Salt's high trade value caused wars to
be fought over it, empires have been founded on it and have collapsed
without it, and people have sold their own children into slavery for a handful
of it.
The Roman writer Detrerius, in the Satyricon, authored the idiom "Not worth
his salt". Roman soldiers were paid in salt rations, called "salarium" or "salt
money" which is the origin of the English word "salary".
Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is the most popular condiment in the
world. Salt is an inorganic mineral compound, and thus cannot be
assimilated into the human body for nutritional purposes. Salt is an absolute
poison.
The average American will ingest anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds of salt
annually.
Salt is a protoplasmic poison and has been directly linked to human disease
symptoms including hypertension, high blood pressure, edema,
psychological disorders, gout, and premenstrual syndrome.
Humans have no instinctual craving for salt. It is a learned and culturally
imposed phenomenon. The consumption of salt is consistent only with the
consumption of cooked food.
Humans who are consuming the foods to which they are biologically
adapted would have no cravings for salt. Humans are the only primates who
consume salt.
It is imperative that we view salt within the full context of human history. For
well over 99% of human history salt played no part in our diet.
Salt consumption is completely inconsistent with human development, as
modern humans have possessed the technology to mine and extract salt
only within the last 10,000 years.
This period of time is a proverbial "drop in the bucket" as the story of human
diet begins around 64 million years ago in the trees of the tropical rain forests
of Africa.
Heywood Brown
Super Foods
Super Foods have been part of the human story since before recorded
history. Throughout the world there are stories of Super Foods which, when
consumed, would transmit magical healing qualities to their consumers.
Some examples of these foods include "Ambrosia" of the ancient Greeks,
"Manna from Heaven" of the ancient Hebrews, the "Golden Apple" of the
ancient Norsemen, Chocolate of the Aztecs, Cow's Milk of the Hindus, and
Ginseng of the Chinese.
The belief in Super Foods has existed for thousands of years and is probably
well entrenched in the human Collective Unconscious. The basis of the
belief in Super Foods is that they are entities in and of themselves.
They are believed to be possessed by "spirits" imbued with special healing
powers. The basic idea is that Super Foods "do" something: that they "act"
out of their own agenda, independently of the human body.
Research has shown that all foods, when consumed, are inert substances
within the human body. Foods are passive substances and cannot take
action. They instead must be acted upon by the human body.
The belief in Super Foods has no logical or scientific basis and should be
regarded as Quackery.
Unfortunately the archaic belief in Super Foods is kept alive within the
growing Health Food movement in the United States and elsewhere. There is
a vast array of Super Foods available at any local health food store.
Some of these "New Age" Super Foods include wheat grass juice, spirulina,
brewer's yeast, blackstrap molasses, super blue-green algae, and protein
powders.
These foods are unscrupulously marketed to the many unsuspecting health
seekers who are searching for the "magic bullet" solution to their problems.
Most of these health seekers have become disillusioned with the mainstream
medical establishment. They are sincerely searching for something in which
to believe.
Unfortunately, Super Foods are not the answer. The lure of Super Foods is
similar to the lure of a common con game. Within this scenario the con victim
is not really an innocent victim. As with all con games the con victim believes
that he will get "something for nothing".
Super Food pitchmen are quite aware of this vulnerability in people, and they
will exploit this at any chance they get. Super Food consumers believe that
their salvation lies in the consumption of exotic Super Foods.
However, these people do not wish to discontinue the destructive eating and
living habits, which have caused their problems in the first place. It is in this
way that they are attempting to get "something for nothing".
Unfortunately, their attempts are in vain as health cannot be bought and sold
in the market place. Health is produced only by healthy living.
Heywood Brown
Tomatoes
Tomatoes originated in South America in what is now Peru. The word
"tomato" is derived from the Inca word "tomaytl". This original tomato was
much smaller than the varieties we see today. It was about the size of a
common cherry.
Tomatoes were brought from Peru northward to Mexico where the
Conquistadors discovered the yellow cherry-size fruit and took it back to
Spain in the early 16th century.
From Spain it went on to Naples, Italy. The Italians made it their own, calling it
"Pomodoro" or "Golden Apple".
Although Italians were turning the tomato into a tasty treat by 1750, it was
viewed with great suspicion by early Americans. Thomas Jefferson was
friendlier to the tomato than many of his fellow countrymen. He was raising
them by 1781.
The botanical name for tomato is "Lycopersicon esculentum". The tomato is
a member of the Solanaceae family, which includes the poisonous
belladonna, black henbane, and deadly nightshade. The leaves and stems
are toxic and have even been known to kill livestock.
There are now over sixty varieties of the cultivated tomato. They vary in size,
shape, color, texture, and taste.
Raw tomatoes not only taste good, they're good for you. A raw tomato is
about 90% water. A 3 1/2 ounce tomato has 24 calories, about 1% protein
and about 4% carbohydrate. Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A, Thiamine,
Riboflavin, and Vitamin C.
Heywood Brown
Vitamins
Any of a variety of unrelated complex organic substances found variously in
all foods and are essential in small amounts for the overall health and
functioning of the human body.
A Polish-American biochemist named Casimir Funk coined the name
"Vitamine" in 1912. He believed that some chemical compounds were
essential to sustain life; hence "vita" and that these belonged to the "amine"
group of chemicals.
He was quickly proven wrong on this second count and the final "e" was
duly dropped. As to the first claim, additional research has tended to
becloud the issue.
This is because what is true for one organism may not be true for another.
For instance, while vitamin C is essential for certain species, including
humans, monkeys, and guinea pigs, other animals can get along without it,
which is why we don't have to serve orange juice to house cats.
Some of the vitamins that humans require are produced by the body itself.
Sunlight is the key factor in the human body's production of Vitamin D.
Exposure to adequate amounts of sunlight throughout the year is essential
for the human body's production of Vitamin D and for the overall health of the
body.
Microorganisms that dwell in symbiotic harmony in the digestive tracts of
humans produce sufficient amounts of B-Vitamins for their host's survival.
Heywood Brown
Vitamin Supplements
The first vitamin pill or synthetic vitamin was Vitamin D. It was commercially
manufactured in 1927 by Mead Johnson & Co., Evansville, Indiana and
marketed in the spring of 1928. It was made by exposing a solution of
ergosterol to ultraviolet light.
Americans spend over one billion dollars a year on vitamin supplements.
These run the full range of costs. A person can expect to pay anywhere from
a few dollars to over $25 for a single bottle of vitamins. Brand name,
strength, ingredients, and general popularity are all factors that determine
this scale of vitamin supplement costs.
Despite the popularity of vitamin supplements in the United States and
elsewhere two major scientific authorities have determined them to be a
hoax.
Both the Food and Drug Administration and the American Medical
Association insist that the recommended daily allowance established for
vitamins can be obtained in any normal, balanced diet.
The American Medical Association's Encyclopedia of Medicine states as
follows:
"Most people who eat a balanced diet do not need vitamin supplements.
Eating a variety of foods provides adequate amounts of all vitamins."
One of the most publicized recent nutrition fads featured calcium
permanganate, or B-15. The list of diseases that this super-pill allegedly
helps cure reads like the table of contents of a medical textbook: heart
diseases, aging, senility, diabetes, gangrene, glaucoma, alcoholism, drug
addiction, hepatitis, jaundice, allergies, dermatitis, mild poisoning, neuralgia,
sciatica, neuritis, and minimal damage brain dysfunction.
Supporters point out that B-15 is enormously popular in the Soviet Union
where it was officially sanctioned by the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences.
Among the nonbelievers are many nutritionists and the FDA. The FDA has
made seizures of the product throughout the United States and took
measures in courts to have it removed from the market.
In 1989 another popular vitamin supplement, called L-tryptophan, was
banned by the FDA. It was responsible for 36 deaths and over 600 illnesses.
In her book What's Left To Eat? Sue Gebo reports the following about L-
tryptophan:
"In 1989 tryptophan supplements were taken off the market due to a specific
disorder that developed in people who took these supplements. The blood
disorder, Eosinophilic-Myalgia Syndrome, results in severe muscle and joint
pain, swelling of the arms and legs, fevers, skin rashes, shortness of breath,
and occasionally, death. Until L-tryptophan supplements became available,
this blood disorder was extremely rare."
One of the major reasons for the popularity of vitamin supplements is the
belief that the foods produced by modern agricultural methods are severely
lacking in vitamin content. These modern methods do exact a severe toll
upon the soils in which they are employed.
However, despite the ecological problems that modern agriculture presents,
there is no evidence of a significant vitamin deficit in produce resulting from
the modern methods.
For instance, the Recommended Daily Allowance for Vitamin C for a healthy
male is 60 milligrams. One average-size Florida orange (3 1/2 inches in
diameter) peeled, contains over 50 milligrams of Vitamin C. A healthy male,
eating only two oranges per day, would easily exceed his R.D.A. for Vitamin
C.
The real culprit in the case of vitamin deficiency in the human diet is cooked
food. Cooking a food can deplete its vitamin content by more than fifty
percent.
It is interesting to note that the people who are pushing vitamin supplements
are the very same people who are pushing the consumption of cooked
foods. This is a clear example of "planned obsolescence."
People are taking fresh produce, with 100% vitamin content, and then
cooking it, only to reduce that vitamin content by more than 50%.
Vitamin advocates would then encourage the public to reintroduce those
very same vitamins (lost to the cooking process) into their bodies in the form
of costly vitamin supplements.
In the final analysis we must remember that vitamin supplements are a 20th
Century invention. For well over 99% of human existence there were no
vitamin supplements.
For millions of years humans procured all of their dietary needs by foraging
within their local environments.
It was on these foraging diets that we would make the great advances to the
traits that we recognize today as fully human.
These traits include the development of a large brain, bipedalism, speech, the
use of fire, the use of tools, and the development of the family unit.
Heywood Brown
Article: The Encyclopedia of Fruitarianism and Rational Living
www.student.nada.kth.se/~f95-mwi/fun/encyclopedia.html
C. Philip Reichard, Editor
Preface
This encyclopedia contains, basically, two kinds of discussions: one
concerned with what we humans put into our bodies and one concerned
with how we interact with one another and with the other life-forms on this
planet.
Nutrition, historically, has been a matter of conjecture. Humans have always
eaten what has been available. But there has never been sufficient, sound
knowledge on the components of the foodstuffs on which we have lived.
Some of the discussions are about human behavior and our place on this
planet. We believe that humans cannot successfully enter the 21st Century
without information such as this in their hands.
We hear, but do not yet heed the many modern voices warning us that the
rebellion against Mother Earth by her Youngest Children is becoming
unbearable. We may one day be orphaned. Orphans that call out for the
Mother that we ourselves have abused to death.
Many of the themes presented here come out of the Social Sciences.
Especially Anthropology. To uncover the truth about the proper human diet
we must first come to an appreciation of where we are in the Animal
Kingdom. We must then take a very close look at our pre-human ancestors.
Fruit eating is Humankind's oldest and only legitimate form of diet. Sadly, it is
the least understood. Fortunately, today there are a number of good books
available on the subject of Fruitarianism. Yet the majority of the general
public is still unaware of Fruitarianism's message.
We are bringing together for you what may seem to be unrelated notions. We
have packaged these many important topics in our own, unique way so as to
throw new light on their connectedness.
For many years we have been looking everywhere for concise reference
materials on the true human diet. It seems that, until now, there have been no
encyclopedias of Fruitarianism, Veganism, or even mainstream
Vegetarianism.
Today's human community is desperately in need of reorganization. There
have been times in history when reorganization has occurred rather
suddenly.
One example of this is the Enlightenment. The French Philosophies of the
18th Century, and in particular the Encyclopedists, sought to share their
rationalist, humanitarian, and spiritual ideas with the general public. They
took a critical look at superstition, traditional knowledge, and accepted
wisdom.
The compilers of the encyclopedia now in front of you have been greatly
inspired by the honesty and dedication of the first Encyclopedists. We wish
to continue to combat the errors of antiquity. We, too, have faith in the
progress of Humankind.
The ideas presented by the first Encyclopedists were not embraced by the
ruling class of their day. As a matter of fact, the writings of the Philosophers
were, in large part, responsible for the American and French Revolutions.
Ideas had created sweeping movements.
The creators of this encyclopedia do not expect to have their ideas met with
open arms by today's so-called Health Experts. This is to be expected.
Over the last few years we have heard the faint rumblings of a Health
Revolution. A Revolution of global proportions. It is our sincere hope that
this collection helps to further popularize Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene.
We hope that you will find something new on every page of this
encyclopedia. We are actually rather sure that there are notions here of
which you have never even dreamed. Please enjoy the adventure. We hope
you will pause and meditate on things that are new to you.
The Encyclopedia of Fruitarianism and Rational Living
Africa
Africa is the birthplace of the Human Family. All humans of all races can
trace their origins back to the early humans in Africa millions of years ago.
Some of these early Africans migrated out of Africa to settle other areas of the
world. Europe, Asia, and the Americas to name a few. These early pioneers
would eventually develop into the many different races of people we find
today.
Paradise is usually depicted as a warm, colorful, sunlit place abundant with
sweet fruits, lush, green plant life, and palm trees. These depictions are
indicative of the tropical geography of most of the African continent where
humans have their origin.
Africa is the cradle of humankind. Africa could be seen as a Divine Mother
and, thus, humans her children. With Her sweet fruits, warm sunlight, and
gentle breezes, she suckled us on her bountiful breast for eons, from our
infancy until relatively recent times.
Heywood Brown
Agriculture
Early peoples began the science of agriculture around 10,000 years ago. It
was a momentous occasion in human development and would bring about a
revolution in the human diet and lifestyle from then on.
For the first time in their total history humans would exert a deliberate control
over what they ate. At this point they could become food producers rather
than food collectors.
Up until this point all humans had been food foragers. They would travel in
nomadic bands searching for wild foods. These foods would include wild
fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Further into their development early humans would learn to hunt animals and
eat their meat, hence the anthropological term Hunter-Gatherer.
Agriculture would bring about profound changes in the human diet. New
foods including grains, legumes, dairy products, and domesticated animal
meats would both revolutionize and demoralize the human palate.
Animal Husbandry, a sister science to Agriculture was developed alongside
Agriculture during the same period. This science involves the domestication
of animals for the use of their meat, milk, eggs, and labor.
For the first time in history humans would have a constant supply of high-
cholesterol, fat-laden meats, milk, and poultry eggs. The disastrous
consequences of these early dietary changes can still be seen today.
It is important that we view Agriculture within the full context of human
history. For well over 99% of the total human existence on the planet
humans have been food foragers. Of that ninety-nine percent, most of the
time was spent eating fruits.
Essentially, human dietary requirements have remained unchanged for
millions of years. What an organism eats for over 99% of its existence is the
correct diet for that organism. In the case of human beings that is a fruit diet.
The new types of foods that Agriculture introduced (grains, legumes, and
dairy) came far at the end of human development. Therefore we must view
these foods as non-essential to the human diet.
Heywood Brown
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is an East Indian term that relates to the principal of non-violence
toward animals. This principal is an important tenant of three major religions
of India: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Animals are seen as sentient beings worthy of human love and protection.
Killing animals for food or any other reason is completely unthinkable to an
adherent of Ahimsa. The murder of animals is seen as no different than the
murder of human beings.
Animals are believed to possess souls and consciousness, just as humans
do. Violence toward animals will also negatively affect a person's destiny
and fate.
The idea that "what one reaps is what one sows" is applicable here in that the
adherent of Ahimsa believes that the violence and misery experienced by a
murdered animal will be metaphysically transferred to the meat-eater during
his own lifetime.
Heywood Brown
Avocado
Avocados were first cultivated in South and Central America. The fruit was a
staple in the Aztec diet. The name "Avocado" is derived from the Aztec word
"ahuactl". The first Europeans to see the fruit were the Spanish
Conquistadors, who invaded Mexico during the 16th century.
The avocado is a highly nutritious fruit and has a relatively high fat content. It
is grown all over the world's tropical and subtropical areas. There are three
basic categories of the fruit. They include the Mexican, Guatemalan, and the
West Indian. Avocados have been crossbred and now come in over 500
varieties.
Heywood Brown
Banana
Botanists have placed the cultivation of the Banana in the Indus Valley
around 2,000 B.C. Early peoples domesticated the fruit from the wild variety
during that period. Bananas were crossbred to improve their flavor and also
to rid them of seeds. This selective breeding worked a little too well, as the
new seedless banana could no longer reproduce itself without human
intervention.
The botanical term for the banana is Musa sapientum or "fruit of the wise".
However, the banana is botanically classified as an herb, not a fruit. The
word "banana" is of West African origin.
There are now over 100 varieties of the cultivated Banana. They vary in size,
shape, color, texture, and taste.
Bananas require 75 to 150 days to mature and must be removed from the
plant to ripen properly. After fruiting, the plant is cut down, or collapses, and
a new one develops from the buds on the underground stem.
During the 7th Century Islamic Arab traders were responsible for introducing
the banana to the rest of the world. They took bananas throughout the
Middle East and into northern Egypt. It was there, during this period, that
bananas were believed to have been the original "forbidden fruit" of the Old
Testament.
As for nutritional sufficiency, bananas are at the top of the list. Bananas are
truly a complete food. They provide the full range of nutritional needs for
humans. Six pounds of bananas will supply about 2,380 calories, which is
enough for a healthy, hard-working, 150 pound male.
They will also furnish about 31 grams of protein. The recommended daily
allowance is about 25 grams. The vitamin and mineral content of common
bananas far exceeds the R.D.A. set for all of the various nutrients.
Heywood Brown
Current Concerns
There is little time left for this world before the next one begins. Total
honesty is what's needed now. The majority will not live on this planet soon
so don't appeal to them.
The caloric intakes suggested in this Encyclopedia tend to be mimics of
normal charts and studies. I am a 150-pound man and would not begin to eat
so many pounds of bananas, just to shoot for some middle of the road chart
drawn from a gluttonous, sick society.
Why must we persist with this "protein need" talk? The time of life when you
are growing, percentage wise, the fastest, is infancy. Mother's milk has a little
over 1% protein, just like fruit. And who cares, except for the
slaughterhouses who want you to believe you need their death machine
product?
Develop the acceptable scientific sources that don't now exist. Sanction a
study of Fruitarians to prove once and for all that so called "colds" and "flu"
have little to do with the rats at the garbage dump and all to do with the
garbage.
England's 10-year study of colds and flu found hundreds of different bacteria
that were found in the people that were sick but 33% had none. Shows how
this proved that bacteria aren't the reason for the sickness.
Introduce bacteria into healthy Fruitarians to show why without the garbage
they can't live, reproduce, or get a truly healthy person sick.
Shows why humans possess digestive tracts. If you can understand
"optional pleasure capability" then you can envision eternal youth.
Mango (boot@gdi.net)
Dark Ages
Most scholars place the Dark Ages from between the fall of Rome (c.395-410)
and the Norman Conquest in England (1066). This period in European
history was characterized by stern religious influence on politics, barbaric
invasions, poverty, a waning of democracy, the persecution of scientists, and
the denial of personal expression.
Contrary to popular opinion, we are actually still living in the Dark Ages.
Religious superstition still holds sway over many citizens, the sovereignty of
small nations is still regularly violated, physical and mental poverty still grip
the masses, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are still withheld by our
political leadership, and capitalist propaganda continues to divert us from
right living.
We are still looking for a Renaissance. No hope is in sight.
Rob Lay
Dates
Dates are one of the oldest fruit cultivated my man. Around 3,000 B.C. people
in the Middle East began cultivation of the Date. Dates are an important food
source in the Middle East to this day.
As the fruit is perfectly suited to grow in arid conditions, Dates grow in tall
palms, called Date Palms. The fruit can be eaten fresh, semi-dried, and dried.
Dates range from yellow-red to dark brown in color. The pulp is moist, soft,
and sweet and contains a small, cylindrical pit.
Today Dates are chiefly grown in the Middle East, although some are grown
in Spain and in California.
Heywood Brown
Deep Ecology
A philosophical view that focuses on the importance of all life on earth. Deep
Ecologists often describe themselves as Biocentric (all-life-centered) and are
concerned with the importance and beauty of life for it's own sake. This
means that the earth and all of the life it contains are a wonder regardless of
whether humans are here to appreciate it.
The term "Deep Ecology" was coined in 1972 by Norwegian philosopher Arne
Naess who wrote:
"The essence of Deep Ecology is to ask deeper questions. We ask which
society, which education, which form of religion is beneficial for all life on the
planet as a whole."
Deep Ecology has been strongly associated with the Green Movement from
its inception. The spiritual views of Deep Ecology may be found throughout
the various groups involved in the Ecological Movement.
Deep Ecology stresses a return to a simple life on the land and opposes
industrial civilization, which it views as anti-earth, anti-human, and anti-
liberty.
Deep Ecologists believe that the role of humans on Earth should be
drastically reduced. The Earth and all the life on it were fine for eons before
humans began to appear. Humans, with their killing technology, negligence,
and blatant apathy have managed to quickly destroy many of the complex
systems that have taken Mother Nature hundreds of millions of years to
produce.
Deep Ecology can be seen as a true philosophy of selflessness and love for
the planet and all of the life it contains.
Heywood Brown
Figs 4,000 B.C. – Syria
Figs are one of the earliest fruit cultivated by man. They were spread all over
the eastern Mediterranean region centuries ago. They formed part of the
staple diet of the ancient Greeks. Both fresh and dried figs are still widely
used in the Mediterranean today.
Figs have played an important role in the mythological tales of various
people throughout history. The Judeo-Christian story states that the first
people, Adam and Eve, covered their nakedness with fig leaves.
Later in the Biblical story the prophet Isaiah cures a man named Hezekiah by
using a poultice of figs: "And Isaiah said: 'Bring a cake of figs. And let them
take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.'" (II Kings, 20-27)
According to Matthew 21:18-19 Jesus was hungry when he entered
Jerusalem and found a fig tree bearing leaves but no fruit. He said it would
never again grow fruit, and the tree withered away.
In the Buddhist story, Buddha gains enlightenment under the sacred Bo
tree. It is believed that this was a fig tree. In Greek mythology the fig was
held sacred to Bacchus, god of wine, and was used in many religious rituals.
Bacchus was believed to have gotten fat and sluggish by eating too many
figs. The fig tree is a fertility symbol throughout Africa and Asia.
For the Kikuyu people of Kenya the fig is actually a part of their namesake. In
their language the word "Kuyu" means "fig" and the word "mukuyu" is a fig
tree.
There are now around 600 varieties of figs in shades of white, purple, green,
and red. They are available year-round but their peak season is during the
summer.
A 10-ounce (248 grams) string of Greek (Kalamata) figs will provide about
1,300 calories and around 12 grams of protein. Figs contain the highest
sugar content of any known fruit.
Heywood Brown
Food Sociology
For humans, food is much more than just a collection of various proteins,
vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates held together in a complex molecular
bond. The whole is far greater than the collection of its parts.
What we eat is a reflection of who we are. Our culture, nationality, religion,
and history are reflected in the foods we eat. Food represents a vital link to
our past.
Families around the world hold on to cherished recipes, which have been
handed down through the generations. For many families mealtime becomes
a communion with their remote ancestors. Thus, eating reinforces and
preserves the bonds within the family group both past and present.
Humans are naturally social animals. Membership within the social group is
extremely important to individuals. Whether it be family, nation, race, or
religion, all humans are members of a group.
Throughout human history eating has been instrumental in cementing the
bonds within social groups.
What we eat can also reflect our status in the societies in which we live.
Throughout history affluent people have demonstrated their superiority over
others by consuming highly exotic, exclusive, and expensive foods. These
foods transfer to their consumers a sense of prestige and grandeur.
With the exception of Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists, people around the
world engage in some form of sociocultural conformity in regards to what
they eat. Even health seekers such as Vegans and Vegetarians take part in
conforming to the dietary practices of the status quo.
A visit to any local health food store would reveal the lengths to which these
health seekers will go in order to preserve their dietary links to the dominant
social group. Within these health food stores there is sold an array of
"healthy substitute" foods. These foods are the "healthier" versions of those
consumed by the general public.
For example, beef hamburgers are replaced by tofu burgers. Cheese pizzas
are replaced by non-dairy pizzas. And pastries such as cookies, cakes, and
pies are baked without wheat, white sugar, or dairy products.
This substitution process helps many health seekers retain their cultural
heritage within their diets. The attraction to these "healthier substitute" foods
is more attributable to how closely they resemble the foods of the larger
social group than to their nutritional adequacy.
Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists operate completely outside of these socio-
culturally imposed dietary practices. Through a diet of fresh, raw fruits,
vegetables, nuts, and seeds, Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists have
removed all vestiges of ethnicity, national origin, and religious denomination
from their diets.
They have chosen to accept the fact that humans are a single species,
requiring a single diet for all its members. The Fruitarian Diet is truly a
Cosmopolitan diet. It links all humans together as one global family.
Heywood Brown
Frugivore
An organism that is physiologically predisposed to eating fruit. A frugivore's
diet is predominately fruit but may include greens, nuts, and seeds. The
organism's full range of nutrient needs is supplied by this diet.
Sweet fruits are of primary importance to frugivores, as they supply the most
major nutrient requirement for glucose (simple fruit sugar).
All humans are frugivores, and are born with a natural instinct for wanting
sweet foods.
The closest living genetic relative of humans is the Chimpanzee.
Chimpanzees are a 98% genetic match to humans, and they are also
frugivores.
Heywood Brown
Fruitarian
This term refers to a person who intentionally chooses a fruit-based diet.
"Frugivore" on the other hand, is a classification that an organism is naturally
born into.
All humans are born Frugivores. However, they may choose to be a
Fruitarian, vegetarian, or a meat-eater.
"Fruitarian" is a term that relates only to what a person eats. Fruitarianism is
not a holistic doctrine in and of itself. For instance, a person who is only a
fruitarian might engage in all sorts of negative and destructive life practices.
Fruitarianism is a sub-category of the holistic health doctrine of Natural
Hygiene. All Natural Hygienists are Fruitarians. However, all Fruitarians are
not Natural Hygienists.
Heywood Brown
Health Reforms
Health Reformism is an improvement on the very unhealthy dietary practices
which most of the world is presently engaged in. However, Health Reform,
like all reform, is only a surface change, and not truly complete.
The late Dr. Herbert M. Shelton had the following to say about this issue:
"Reform means a change of externals. Reform is thus a patchwork program
and is justifiable only when the thing that is to be reformed is basically sound
and worth saving."
For instance, a health reformist will exchange a beef burger for a tofu burger.
He would exchange a sugar cookie for one made with fruit juice. He will use
soymilk in his cereal instead of cow's milk. He might not use doctor-
prescribed medicines, but opt for natural herbal cures.
The Reformist never completely abandons the idea of the pre-existing
symbol. He simply changes its surface and incorporates it into his own diet.
A trip to any local health food store would reveal the depths to which Health
Reformism has sunk. There is sold in these stores the "health food"
equivalents of all of the very unhealthy foods of the general public.
There are micro-waveable "health food" TV dinners, canned "health food"
vegetarian soups, and sugar-free, wheat-free, and dairy-free cookies, cakes,
and pies.
The Reformist works under the assumption that the idea behind these foods
is essentially good and that all that needs to be done is to substitute the
unhealthy ingredients for allegedly healthy ones.
Health Reformists are not complete in their thinking. They usually cling to
unscientific and antiquated ideas about diet and health.
Reformism offers allegedly healthy substitutes for foods, which are
unhealthy to begin with. These substitute foods are really just lesser evils,
but evils nonetheless.
In the final analysis, we must conclude that Health Reformists are really
"straddling the fence" wanting to be liked and accepted by the mainstream.
Health Revolutionists, by contrast, will never enjoy such a luxury.
Heywood Brown
Health Revolution
Health Revolution is synonymous with Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene.
All true Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists are Health Revolutionists.
Health Revolution entails a complete about-face from the dietary practices of
the status quo. This includes abstention from meats, dairy products, grains,
legumes, and in short, all foods which require cooking.
All revolutions uproot, displace, and disorganize things temporarily. The
Health Revolution of Fruitarianism is no different, in that it uproots all of the
erroneous notions about diet and health that currently exist.
The late Dr. Herbert M. Shelton had the following to say regarding Health
Revolution:
"Revolution is a fundamental reconstruction or the replacement of an old
order with an entirely new one. Revolution is imperative when the old
system, like the medical system, is rotten to the core and contains virtually
nothing worth saving."
Health Revolutionists are iconoclasts, as they actively seek to expose the
fraudulent claims of the many current health gurus, health practices, and
health products, which abound in the world today.
Much of this health ideology is presented with distinctly religious overtones.
Complete with it's own icons of celebrated healers, healing therapies, and
healing foods, it is easy to understand why people are emotionally drawn to
these philosophies.
Health Revolutionists will consistently find themselves in the position of the
boy who cried "The emperor wears no clothes". Health Revolutionists are
usually despised by the general public.
The Health Revolution of Fruitarianism will completely reroute the course of
modern society. A considerable percentage of the economic strength of the
modern industrial world is based on investments in the fraudulent food
industry complex.
The stock markets, futures markets, bonds markets, and more are all
invested in, and are taking in, billions of dollars of profits from the deadly
dietary choices of the modern world.
The Health Revolution, if large enough, will completely overturn the world
economy. Most of the food industries of the world would come to a grinding
halt.
The meat industry, junk food industry, health food industry, and the beverage
industry are only a few examples of the systems that would be completely
crushed under the weight of the Health Revolution.
Heywood Brown
Hippocrates
This famous Greek teacher was born about 460 B.C. into a medical family.
Historical records indicate that he taught and traveled widely and that he
lived to be over 80 years old.
Hippocrates prescribed fasting as a measure to combat illness. "Everyone
has a doctor in him, we just have to help him in his work" said Hippocrates.
He also said "To eat when one is sick is to feed one's sickness."
Hippocrates is famous for his authorship of over 70 treatises, in which he
proposed a radical and revolutionary theory. He proposed and
demonstrated the idea that illness was due to bodily malfunction rather than
the whims of malevolent spirits or angry gods.
With this it followed that doctors might best observe patients closely,
prescribe a good diet, use gentle massage, and try to encourage the body's
natural healing processes. Hippocrates' writings show that these skills of
observation were accurate:
"Persons who are very fat are apt to die earlier than those who are slender”
he wrote, and "When sleep puts an end to delirium, it is a good symptom".
Hippocrates' second major contribution to medicine is the oath based on his
teachings that bears his name. In recognition of the ethical responsibilities of
all physicians (to pass on knowledge, to do their patients no harm, to respect
the patient's confidences) the Hippocratic Oath is still sworn today by medical
school graduates all over the world.
Heywood Brown
Human Body Temperature
Humans, and all other mammals, are in the class of animals known as
Endotherms ("heat from within").
With a few exceptions endotherms are also homeotherms, maintaining a
quite constant internal body temperature. The primary source of heat in
endotherms is the oxidation of glucose and other energy-containing
molecules within the body cells.
The remarkable constancy of temperature characteristic of humans and
other mammals is maintained by an automatic system. The system is a
thermostat in the hypothalamus, which precisely measures, body
temperature and triggers the appropriate control mechanisms.
This is an example of the process known as homeostasis in the human
body.
Endotherms are characterized by layers of insulating materials such as fur,
feathers, fat, and by mechanisms for disposing of excess heat such as
panting in dogs and sweating in humans.
As a protection against cold temperatures the human body produces "brown
fat". Brown fat cells store fats whose energy is channeled directly into heat
production. Brown fat is found in newborn infants (but not in adults) and
also in hibernating animals.
The human body operates within a narrow margin of temperatures. This can
range anywhere from 96.6 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The commonly held
belief in the normal body temperature as 98.6 degrees is probably wrong.
Researchers came up with this figure about 150 years ago as the norm for
healthy people. Actually, normal body temperature for an individual is a
range of values that depends on the time of day, the person's age, and other
factors.
The most important temperature in the body is the "core temperature". This
is the deep, internal temperature inside the body. The core temperature must
remain constant, as the internal organs must maintain a certain temperature
in order to operate.
It is the highest temperature within the human body. The liver, for instance,
operates at a constant temperature of 100 degrees.
What most people experience as hot or cold relates to their skin temperature
only. As it is constantly changing it is an unreliable form of measurement.
When the weather is very hot our skin temperature is also hot. Likewise,
when the weather is very cold, our skin temperature is also cold. However, in
both instances the core temperature remains the same.
It is a common belief that the temperature of various foods will affect overall
body temperature. Most people will consume hot foods when their skin
temperature is cold. They will consume cold foods when their skin
temperature is hot. These beliefs are not scientific. Food temperatures do
not affect the core temperature, which is always constant.
A more logical solution to the discomfort we feel from changes in external
temperature is to exercise some control over the temperature in our
environment. When our skin temperature is hot we can take a cool shower or
use a fan. When our skin temperature is cold we can wear warm clothing or
increase our indoor heat to a comfortable level.
In both instances, when the skin temperature is maintained at a comfortable
level we are free to enjoy the foods to which we are biologically adapted.
These foods include mostly raw fruits, with some raw vegetables, nuts, and
seeds.
Heywood Brown
Human Family
All humans are members of the same family. Humans are a single species
whose scientific name is Homo sapiens ("wise man").
All humans share a common ancestry. Many anthropologists and biologists
support the theory that the ancestry of all 7 billion humans on earth today
can be traced to a female who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago, and
who left an unmistakable signature on our DNA. This theory is known as the
Genetic Eve theory.
The groups that most people call "races" are passing episodes in the
ongoing evolution of humankind. What are usually thought of, as racial traits
are only the results of adaptation to climate and geography tens of
thousands of years ago.
As humans are a single species, they require a single diet. This is a fruitarian
diet, consisting mostly of raw fruits with some raw vegetables, nuts, and
seeds. The notion that people should adopt different diets based on various
differences such as gender, race, religion, or national origin has no scientific
foundation.
Heywood Brown
Hunter Gatherers
Anthropologists use the term Hunter-Gatherer to indicate societies
characterized by a mode of subsistence that involves the hunting of animals,
and or fishing, as well as gathering edible wild foods.
Though these activities take place side by side, one activity may take
precedence over another. For example the Eskimo hunter-gathers of Alaska
traditionally relied more on hunting for their survival where as the (Bushmen)
hunter-gatherers of southern Africa have relied more on gathering for theirs.
Until only around 10,000 years ago all humans were hunter-gatherers. Over
99% of human existence has been spent in this mode of living. Humans, and
their hominid predecessors, spent eons foraging for their meals within their
local environments.
About 10,000 years ago the bulk of the human race took a wrong turn. They
would develop agriculture. They developed agriculture first somewhere
between what is now northern Greece and Iran.
Once leisurely gatherer-hunters, they became farmers. They became obliged
to accept the discipline of working to a timetable imposed by the seasons
and to the needs of their animals.
The Bible makes the point when it records Adam's banishment from Eden for
eating the Forbidden Fruit:
"And you shall eat of the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face you
shall eat bread, until you return to the ground."
Food was there for the picking in Eden, as it usually is for the world's most
ancient peoples. The Kung of Africa's Kalahari Desert, for example, can
gather all they need in an average "working week" of twelve to nineteen
hours.
Research has shown that this group lives mainly on mongongo nuts, which
give them a daily protein diet equal to 14 ounces of beefsteak. Many edible
fruits, plants, and animals are also abundant.
The Kung have no detectable protein or vitamin deficiencies, few chronic
diseases, low mortality, and a life-span comparable to that of urban man.
Heywood Brown
Mango
Mangos were first cultivated in India over 2,000 years ago. The fruit is held in
great esteem throughout India today. Many Hindu myths are associated with
the Mango.
Akbar, the Mogul emperor of India during the 16th century, so loved the
Mango that he planted an orchard of 100,000 Mango trees.
Buddha also had a mango grove within which he found solitude for
philosophical thought. Mangos were first brought to the Western
Hemisphere around 1700. The first crops were grown in Brazil.
The word "mango" comes from "man-kay" or "man-gay" a Tamil word
adopted by the Portuguese in India. Mango trees can grow to 100 feet tall
and have large, shiny leaves. There are over 500 varieties of the cultivated
mango.
They range from very small (about the size of a plum) to very large (about the
size of a cantaloupe). Mangos are grown in all tropical areas of the world,
however India is the largest exporter. The fruit is available year round though
their peak season is during the summer and fall.
Mangos range in color from light green to yellow or red. They have a thin
skin, a sweet, fleshy pulp, and a large, flat seed.
Heywood Brown
Meat Eating
The human indulgence in meat eating is a worldwide phenomenon. The
majority of people throughout the world eat meat. The amount of meat a
person might consume is dependant upon many different factors.
A person's nationality, culture, religion, and financial status are but a few
factors that determine what and how much meat that person will consume.
Meat consumption, it is the contention of Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene,
is non-essential and disastrous for the human species. There are many
factors to support this notion.
The three most important include Human Evolution, Human Physiology, and
Human History. These three factors disprove even the most ardent argument
for meat consumption.
The story of Human Evolution begins with our early primate ancestors
foraging amongst the treetops in the lush, tropical forests of Africa around 64
million years ago.
Over millions of years these early primates would develop into many various
other primate species including monkeys, apes, hominids, and eventually
humans.
Their dietary requirements, however, do not change. Fruit remains the staple
for millions of years.
In 1979 the New York Times reported that Dr. Alan Walker, an anthropologist
from Johns Hopkins University, had made a startling discovery about early,
pre-human diets.
By comparing the teeth-wear patterns of two early pre-human (hominid)
species, Homo Erectus ("upright man") and Australopithecus ("southern
ape"), Dr. Walker found that there were some amazing differences.
He found that the teeth-wear patterns of Homo Erectus were those of an
omnivore, eating a varied diet of roots, nuts, fruits, shoots, and meat. The
teeth-wear patterns of its predecessor, Australopithecus, were those of a
frugivore, eating an exclusively fruit diet.
Homo Erectus was the first hominid to use fire. This discovery might have
been his encouragement for eating meat, which he could make more
palatable by cooking over an open flame. Homo Erectus was the first
hominid and the only primate to make meat a primary part of his diet.
Human Physiology is completely inconsistent with meat consumption.
Humans do not possess any of the physiological traits that are indicative of
true meat eaters (carnivores).
Some of these physical traits include quadrapedalism (walking on four feet),
razor-sharp teeth adapted to tearing through flesh, bone, and sinew, a highly
developed sense of smell, and a short and smooth intestinal canal.
Humans do not posses the instinct for stalking prey. Humans do not rise to
the occasion to hunt down and pounce upon weaker animals, devouring
their warm, bloody flesh in the raw.
Meat eating is not instinctual for the human species. It is a learned activity,
offering no practical advantages. Human History also reveals some of the
disastrous consequences of meat consumption.
Homo Erectus, being the first hominid to make meat a primary part of his diet,
was also the first casualty of it. Many of the fossil remains of Homo Erectus
are grossly deformed, encased by layers of bony tissue up to a quarter of an
inch thick.
Paleontologists have attributed this deformity to a chronic overdose of
Vitamin A. Homo Erectus developed this problem by eating animal liver.
Our later ancestors would also become victims of the choice of meat in their
diet. About 10,000 years ago some people would change their hunter-
gatherer diets to those of settled Pastoralists.
They would give up eating the meat of wild game and take up eating the meat
of animals they had domesticated. The results were disastrous.
Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and a plethora of other diseases are
consistent with domesticated meat consumption.
For example, the meat of moose contains 1.5 grams of fat per 100 grams.
Compare that to the meat of a lamb loin, which contains 32 grams of fat per
100 grams.
That is over twenty times the fat content for domesticated animal meat.
Heywood Brown
Quackery
Quackery has probably been part of the human story since before recorded
history. Undoubtedly, as long as there have been sick, suffering, and
confused people searching for the answers to life's problems there have also
been people who have profited from their pain through the trade in useless
cures.
The term "Quackery" is derived from the word "Quacksalver". The word
"quack" means, "to boast, brag, promote, or call attention to oneself."
The word "salver" means, "to soothe, alleviate, or cure".
Dr. William T. Jarvis, in his book Quackery and You, defines quackery as
follows:
"Quackery is the promotion of questionable health products and services
(questionableness pertaining to safety and or effectiveness). People who fit
such a description are quacks whether they are sincere or fraudulent, medical
doctors or impostors, operating within the law or not".
One of the earliest American Quacks was a man named Dr. Elisha Perkins
(1741-1799). Perkins was a Yale-educated surgeon who co-founded the
Connecticut Medical Society. In 1797 he created and patented Perkins' Patent
Tractors, which consisted of a pair of small metal bars. According to Perkins
the bars could cure everything from gout to an aching head if used to
massage the afflicted area.
Eventually Perkins was exposed, though not before he had amassed a small
fortune and had even sold a pair of tractors to George Washington.
In fact, George Washington, America's first president, died as a direct result
of the questionable methods employed by the quack doctors of his day.
Bloodletting, blistering, and purging were cutting-edge medical practices
during this era and were used liberally on President Washington during his
last days.
Their methods were anything but a cure and only helped to hasten President
Washington's untimely demise. For many people the word "quackery"
conjures up potent images of traveling hucksters peddling their Snake Oil to
the extra-gullible.
Indeed this was a familiar scene in early American frontier towns during the
19th century. Quack doctors would travel from town to town in covered
wagons putting on their medicine shows to showcase their elixirs.
Mobility was essential so that they could move on before the fraudulence of
their cures was exposed. This period is often referred to by historians as
"the great patent medicine era". It lasted from 1870 to around 1930.
In the modern era Quackery has taken on an even more virulent form.
Quackery, like a parasitic organism, has attached itself to the growing Health
Food and New Age movements in the United States.
According to consumer health expert Dr. Stephen Barrett, Americans spend
over $10 billion a year on various forms of quackery. Some of these forms
include strange, exotic "health-foods" vitamin supplements, herbal cures,
and various "healing therapies".
The modern New Age quack, however, unlike his predecessors, has taken on
a guise of respectability among the populace. With their own brand of
homespun pseudo-scientific double-speak these new Quacks can easily
confuse even the most well educated health seeker.
Unfortunately even the most noble health philosophies such as Fruitarianism
and Raw Foodism are not immune to quack theories. Bizarre theories such
as Breatharianism, Liquidarianism, and Sproutarianism have been espoused
in books by authors who claim to be Raw Foodists or Fruitarians.
Fruitarianism and Natural Hygiene have a great role to play in the unfolding
drama of Human Health. These systems have the ability to completely alter
the course of human health into the 21st Century and beyond.
It is imperative that Fruitarians and Natural Hygienists distance themselves,
as far as possible, from Quacks and Quack theories. If they are to be taken
seriously and given any degree of academic credibility, these systems must
remain true to the Scientific Method.
Heywood Brown
Salt
Salt is a relatively new addition to the human diet. Historians have found the
earliest evidence of salt mining in Europe and have dated it to about 8,500
years ago. These salt mines (the Hallstein and Hallstatt Deposits) are located
in Austria near the city of Salzburg, which, incidentally, means "city of salt".
Since the Agricultural Revolution (about 10,000 years ago) salt has been a
permanent part of human history. For most of that time salt was elevated to
the status of a valuable commodity. Salt's high trade value caused wars to
be fought over it, empires have been founded on it and have collapsed
without it, and people have sold their own children into slavery for a handful
of it.
The Roman writer Detrerius, in the Satyricon, authored the idiom "Not worth
his salt". Roman soldiers were paid in salt rations, called "salarium" or "salt
money" which is the origin of the English word "salary".
Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is the most popular condiment in the
world. Salt is an inorganic mineral compound, and thus cannot be
assimilated into the human body for nutritional purposes. Salt is an absolute
poison.
The average American will ingest anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds of salt
annually.
Salt is a protoplasmic poison and has been directly linked to human disease
symptoms including hypertension, high blood pressure, edema,
psychological disorders, gout, and premenstrual syndrome.
Humans have no instinctual craving for salt. It is a learned and culturally
imposed phenomenon. The consumption of salt is consistent only with the
consumption of cooked food.
Humans who are consuming the foods to which they are biologically
adapted would have no cravings for salt. Humans are the only primates who
consume salt.
It is imperative that we view salt within the full context of human history. For
well over 99% of human history salt played no part in our diet.
Salt consumption is completely inconsistent with human development, as
modern humans have possessed the technology to mine and extract salt
only within the last 10,000 years.
This period of time is a proverbial "drop in the bucket" as the story of human
diet begins around 64 million years ago in the trees of the tropical rain forests
of Africa.
Heywood Brown
Super Foods
Super Foods have been part of the human story since before recorded
history. Throughout the world there are stories of Super Foods which, when
consumed, would transmit magical healing qualities to their consumers.
Some examples of these foods include "Ambrosia" of the ancient Greeks,
"Manna from Heaven" of the ancient Hebrews, the "Golden Apple" of the
ancient Norsemen, Chocolate of the Aztecs, Cow's Milk of the Hindus, and
Ginseng of the Chinese.
The belief in Super Foods has existed for thousands of years and is probably
well entrenched in the human Collective Unconscious. The basis of the
belief in Super Foods is that they are entities in and of themselves.
They are believed to be possessed by "spirits" imbued with special healing
powers. The basic idea is that Super Foods "do" something: that they "act"
out of their own agenda, independently of the human body.
Research has shown that all foods, when consumed, are inert substances
within the human body. Foods are passive substances and cannot take
action. They instead must be acted upon by the human body.
The belief in Super Foods has no logical or scientific basis and should be
regarded as Quackery.
Unfortunately the archaic belief in Super Foods is kept alive within the
growing Health Food movement in the United States and elsewhere. There is
a vast array of Super Foods available at any local health food store.
Some of these "New Age" Super Foods include wheat grass juice, spirulina,
brewer's yeast, blackstrap molasses, super blue-green algae, and protein
powders.
These foods are unscrupulously marketed to the many unsuspecting health
seekers who are searching for the "magic bullet" solution to their problems.
Most of these health seekers have become disillusioned with the mainstream
medical establishment. They are sincerely searching for something in which
to believe.
Unfortunately, Super Foods are not the answer. The lure of Super Foods is
similar to the lure of a common con game. Within this scenario the con victim
is not really an innocent victim. As with all con games the con victim believes
that he will get "something for nothing".
Super Food pitchmen are quite aware of this vulnerability in people, and they
will exploit this at any chance they get. Super Food consumers believe that
their salvation lies in the consumption of exotic Super Foods.
However, these people do not wish to discontinue the destructive eating and
living habits, which have caused their problems in the first place. It is in this
way that they are attempting to get "something for nothing".
Unfortunately, their attempts are in vain as health cannot be bought and sold
in the market place. Health is produced only by healthy living.
Heywood Brown
Tomatoes
Tomatoes originated in South America in what is now Peru. The word
"tomato" is derived from the Inca word "tomaytl". This original tomato was
much smaller than the varieties we see today. It was about the size of a
common cherry.
Tomatoes were brought from Peru northward to Mexico where the
Conquistadors discovered the yellow cherry-size fruit and took it back to
Spain in the early 16th century.
From Spain it went on to Naples, Italy. The Italians made it their own, calling it
"Pomodoro" or "Golden Apple".
Although Italians were turning the tomato into a tasty treat by 1750, it was
viewed with great suspicion by early Americans. Thomas Jefferson was
friendlier to the tomato than many of his fellow countrymen. He was raising
them by 1781.
The botanical name for tomato is "Lycopersicon esculentum". The tomato is
a member of the Solanaceae family, which includes the poisonous
belladonna, black henbane, and deadly nightshade. The leaves and stems
are toxic and have even been known to kill livestock.
There are now over sixty varieties of the cultivated tomato. They vary in size,
shape, color, texture, and taste.
Raw tomatoes not only taste good, they're good for you. A raw tomato is
about 90% water. A 3 1/2 ounce tomato has 24 calories, about 1% protein
and about 4% carbohydrate. Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A, Thiamine,
Riboflavin, and Vitamin C.
Heywood Brown
Vitamins
Any of a variety of unrelated complex organic substances found variously in
all foods and are essential in small amounts for the overall health and
functioning of the human body.
A Polish-American biochemist named Casimir Funk coined the name
"Vitamine" in 1912. He believed that some chemical compounds were
essential to sustain life; hence "vita" and that these belonged to the "amine"
group of chemicals.
He was quickly proven wrong on this second count and the final "e" was
duly dropped. As to the first claim, additional research has tended to
becloud the issue.
This is because what is true for one organism may not be true for another.
For instance, while vitamin C is essential for certain species, including
humans, monkeys, and guinea pigs, other animals can get along without it,
which is why we don't have to serve orange juice to house cats.
Some of the vitamins that humans require are produced by the body itself.
Sunlight is the key factor in the human body's production of Vitamin D.
Exposure to adequate amounts of sunlight throughout the year is essential
for the human body's production of Vitamin D and for the overall health of the
body.
Microorganisms that dwell in symbiotic harmony in the digestive tracts of
humans produce sufficient amounts of B-Vitamins for their host's survival.
Heywood Brown
Vitamin Supplements
The first vitamin pill or synthetic vitamin was Vitamin D. It was commercially
manufactured in 1927 by Mead Johnson & Co., Evansville, Indiana and
marketed in the spring of 1928. It was made by exposing a solution of
ergosterol to ultraviolet light.
Americans spend over one billion dollars a year on vitamin supplements.
These run the full range of costs. A person can expect to pay anywhere from
a few dollars to over $25 for a single bottle of vitamins. Brand name,
strength, ingredients, and general popularity are all factors that determine
this scale of vitamin supplement costs.
Despite the popularity of vitamin supplements in the United States and
elsewhere two major scientific authorities have determined them to be a
hoax.
Both the Food and Drug Administration and the American Medical
Association insist that the recommended daily allowance established for
vitamins can be obtained in any normal, balanced diet.
The American Medical Association's Encyclopedia of Medicine states as
follows:
"Most people who eat a balanced diet do not need vitamin supplements.
Eating a variety of foods provides adequate amounts of all vitamins."
One of the most publicized recent nutrition fads featured calcium
permanganate, or B-15. The list of diseases that this super-pill allegedly
helps cure reads like the table of contents of a medical textbook: heart
diseases, aging, senility, diabetes, gangrene, glaucoma, alcoholism, drug
addiction, hepatitis, jaundice, allergies, dermatitis, mild poisoning, neuralgia,
sciatica, neuritis, and minimal damage brain dysfunction.
Supporters point out that B-15 is enormously popular in the Soviet Union
where it was officially sanctioned by the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences.
Among the nonbelievers are many nutritionists and the FDA. The FDA has
made seizures of the product throughout the United States and took
measures in courts to have it removed from the market.
In 1989 another popular vitamin supplement, called L-tryptophan, was
banned by the FDA. It was responsible for 36 deaths and over 600 illnesses.
In her book What's Left To Eat? Sue Gebo reports the following about L-
tryptophan:
"In 1989 tryptophan supplements were taken off the market due to a specific
disorder that developed in people who took these supplements. The blood
disorder, Eosinophilic-Myalgia Syndrome, results in severe muscle and joint
pain, swelling of the arms and legs, fevers, skin rashes, shortness of breath,
and occasionally, death. Until L-tryptophan supplements became available,
this blood disorder was extremely rare."
One of the major reasons for the popularity of vitamin supplements is the
belief that the foods produced by modern agricultural methods are severely
lacking in vitamin content. These modern methods do exact a severe toll
upon the soils in which they are employed.
However, despite the ecological problems that modern agriculture presents,
there is no evidence of a significant vitamin deficit in produce resulting from
the modern methods.
For instance, the Recommended Daily Allowance for Vitamin C for a healthy
male is 60 milligrams. One average-size Florida orange (3 1/2 inches in
diameter) peeled, contains over 50 milligrams of Vitamin C. A healthy male,
eating only two oranges per day, would easily exceed his R.D.A. for Vitamin
C.
The real culprit in the case of vitamin deficiency in the human diet is cooked
food. Cooking a food can deplete its vitamin content by more than fifty
percent.
It is interesting to note that the people who are pushing vitamin supplements
are the very same people who are pushing the consumption of cooked
foods. This is a clear example of "planned obsolescence."
People are taking fresh produce, with 100% vitamin content, and then
cooking it, only to reduce that vitamin content by more than 50%.
Vitamin advocates would then encourage the public to reintroduce those
very same vitamins (lost to the cooking process) into their bodies in the form
of costly vitamin supplements.
In the final analysis we must remember that vitamin supplements are a 20th
Century invention. For well over 99% of human existence there were no
vitamin supplements.
For millions of years humans procured all of their dietary needs by foraging
within their local environments.
It was on these foraging diets that we would make the great advances to the
traits that we recognize today as fully human.
These traits include the development of a large brain, bipedalism, speech, the
use of fire, the use of tools, and the development of the family unit.
Heywood Brown
Article: The Encyclopedia of Fruitarianism and Rational Living
www.student.nada.kth.se/~f95-mwi/fun/encyclopedia.html
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