When Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs read “Diet for a Small Planet” by Frances Moore Lappe in his 20s, it inspired him to radically alter his way of eating and become a vegan. When following a vegan diet the correct way, it can provide you with most of the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and function at its best. However, when diets become too restrictive, as Jobs’ did over time, it can lead to serious health consequences, including severe nutritional deficiencies and cancer.
Ashton Kutcher, the actor who played the Apple tycoon in a movie about his life, succumbed to serious pancreatic dysfunction after attempting Jobs’ restrictive diet in preparation for the role. The diet was not vegan but fruitarian, which, according to our research, is not only far too restrictive but dangerous when followed over even a short period of time.
Toward the end of his life, Jobs became quite fussy about his food. It seemed no matter what he tried to eat, his taste buds deemed most food ‘inedible’. In an attempt to keep his pancreatic cancer at bay, he subsisted only on carrots and apples for weeks on end, fasting in between.
It is very unfortunate that his increasingly-eccentric behavior lead him to make headlines for following ‘insane natural protocols’ for cancer treatment. After his death, he quickly became the unofficial example of why natural cures don’t work and anybody who is crazy enough to try them should have his head examined.
This is not a case of a cancer-stricken man using a varied, whole-food diet and supplement regimen in an attempt to cure his disease. This is the case of a man who took it way too far, and suffered both mentally and physically in the process.
What is the Fruitarian Diet Anyway?
Strict followers of the fruitarian diet eat raw fruit and seeds only. Other followers modify this diet to include nuts and non-starchy vegetables. Fruitarianism is often adopted in an attempt to improve general health, detoxify the body, and treat chronic disease. Certain religious sects also follow this diet as a part of their spiritual practice.
Excessive Fructose Consumption May Result in Pancreatic Cancer
When you think of the word ‘fructose’, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the synthetic sweetener, high fructose corn syrup. Many believe only the artificial version of this sweetener is harmful to your health and if the sugar is natural, i.e., it comes from fruit, it’s perfectly safe to eat in unlimited quantities.
Not so.
According to a study published by the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, a diet high in fructose may play a role in pancreatic cancer etiology by increasing cancer cell proliferation. These cells are believed to use fructose for cell division, thus speeding up the growth and spread of cancer.
A thorough examination of Jobs’ medical records would never conclusively reveal the exact origin of his pancreatic cancer. Still, research indicates his extremely-restrictive diet may have contributed to its development.
Further Health Risks of Adopting an All-Fruit Diet
Fruitarianism may not only put you at risk for pancreatic cancer (one of the most difficult-to-treat cancers) it also sets you up for chronic health conditions in a short amount of time.
These conditions include:
- ·Diabetes
The all-fruit diet is a good way to jump-start diabetes. Research conducted by Colorado State University biochemist, Michael Pagliassotti, revealed that significant changes in the way your pancreas responds to insulin can happen in as little as a week on the fruitarian diet. Animals fed sugar in high amounts (60-70 percent of the diet) exhibited extreme insulin resistance, which resulted in a sudden onset of diabetes.
- ·Heart Disease
Research has suggested that laboratory animals fed a diet of enough pure fructose, will convert the fructose to fat, which raises LDL cholesterol and could result in heart disease.
- ·Metabolic Dysfunction
According to a study published by Nutrition Journal, excessive fructose consumption has a direct link to metabolic dysfunction, which is characterized by abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.
- ·Nutritional Deficiencies
It goes without saying that the more restrictive your diet, the less essential nutrients will be available to you. A study published by The Journal of Gastroenterology revealed that patients with functional bowel diseases are at increased risk for nutritional malabsorption and abdominal distress when consuming high amounts of fructose.
Furthermore, fruitarianism can be especially dangerous for those with any type of gastrointestinal disorder, as it could lead to a condition called fructose intolerance , a type of carbohydrate intolerance that may result in chronic abdominal bloating, excessive flatulence, constant hunger, brain fog, and frequent yeast infections.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is a common deficiency amongst those who follow vegetarian, vegan, and fruitarian diets. This is because this essential nutrient can only be obtained from animal sources. Vitamin B12 deficiency may result in serious psychiatric manifestations such as anxiety, irritability, paranoia, mania, psychosis, and hallucinations.
Could a vitamin B12 deficiency be at least partially to blame for Jobs’ fluctuating mood shifts? Absolutely.
- ·Chronic Inflammation
Over the past few years, emerging scientific evidence has pointed to high fructose consumption as a link to increased inflammation and exacerbation of chronic pain conditions. Fructose appears to stimulate the inflammatory process by up regulating inflammatory and intercellular adhesion molecules. Essentially, the fructose turns on your body’s natural inflammatory process and keeps it on.
A Well-Rounded Diet is the Best Approach to Health
With so many different so-called “healthy” diets out there, it can be easy to get confused. Remember, just because it’s healthy, doesn’t mean it’s best. Any diet that calls for an excessive restriction to just one or two foods is in no way good for you.
Whether you follow a vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, Paleo, Ketogenic, or “just eat whatever is there” diet, variety is the key to receiving the nutrients your body needs to feel energized, peaceful, and whole.
Here at Health Scams Exposed, we recommend a simple, whole-food approach to nutrition. This means slowly weaning off junk food with no nutritional value and replacing it with organic vegetables, fruit (in moderation), nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains (gluten free, if applicable), grass-fed beef, poultry, fish, and healthy fats like butter and coconut oil.
This type of diet allows you to fill your plate with a variety of delicious, wholesome foods that nourish your body without the risk of starvation-related illness.
Don’t allow food to become the enemy. Strict avoidance of foods should be limited only to those with no nutritional value or those you are allergic to. Other than that, try not to over-think it. Listen to your body. After all, it is the best indicator of the right sources of nutrition for you.
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Publisher – Health Scams Exposed
Resources:
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/12/1/114
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3396816
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24667867
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2518440/
