Mushrooms on a Fruitarian Diet.

Another question I received in my inbox a short while ago, from a guy named Bernard in Stavanger (Norway), pertained to the eating of mushrooms on a fruitarian diet:

Is eating mushroom ok for fruitarians?

He then clarified that he wasn't referring to blue meanies, gold tops or other psychedelic mind altering trippy mushrooms..

Well, firstly, I think I'm going to apologize in advance for once more being repetitive, because I know that much of what I'm going to write I've already said before, albeit no doubt slightly different word orders.. But anyhow, here goes..

Firstly, I wish to reiterate that I am fully aware that the term fruitarian pertaining to fruitarianism, is habitually loosely interpreted by many, and much as I'd love to see it mean eater of solely fruit, colloquially this is clearly very much not the case. And even when my definition is agreed upon, there exists much confusion as to what exactly a fruit is. So I would like to refer you to my previous blog posts, My definition of Fruitarianism, and What is a fruit?.

So bearing in mind that I'm defining fruitarianism as a lifestyle that revolves around eating purely fruit, then the simple yes/no answer to the question of whether or not mushrooms are part of a fruitarian diet, is no, they are clearly not fruits..

However, all things said and done, I tend to have my own little vision of what qualifies as food.. sort of my own internal "food pyramid", similar to the traditional food pyramid, knocked together by the meat and dairy industry as part of their ingenious flesh marketing strategy, mine is also a simple pyramid with layers..

My pyramid supposes that all this food be eaten in a 100% raw natural state. Once the cooking process is added as an ingredient, the pyramid I propose would become much more complicated, and require additional layering with a great deal more potential for overlap.

Fruitarian Food Pyramid concept:

The bottom layer contains the edible(?) flesh portions of animals, every mammal, fowl and fish you can name etc. Slightly above it, with some overlap, I'd stick the bi-products of the animal flesh trade, and other items that originate from deliberate animal abuse, dairy products, milk, cheese, yogurts etc, eggs, lards and oils of animal sources etc, the overlap is diffuse, and not altogether clear. The next layer up, are the root vegetables, the carrots, parsnips and turnips etc.. things that necessitate the direct and unavoidable intentional killing of plants. Above that, I would have another layer, again with a slight overlap perhaps, depending on production methods, with tubers, like potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, and Jerusalem artichokes, things which on a small scale can potentially be harvested gently from the ground with minimal harm to the plant, and if care taken the food can be eaten, and eyes cut out from the potato or similar to regrow new plants. Moving up the triangle one more notch, once more with a potential for overlap, I would place nuts, seeds and grains.. Grains and seeds being potentially far more destructive, so perhaps I might place them further down the pyramid. Truth be known, my pyramid is far from finalized.. Anyhow, above the nuts and stuff, I'd place greens, again, there is definitely room for overlap, as method of growing and harvesting surely plays a role, as with small scale home gardening, many greens can be harvested in a far less destructive manner than traditional farming methods allow. Above the greens, again overlapping, I would place mushrooms, especially self picked forest & field ones. and then right at the top, is the fruit.


Clearly I've missed out some of what gets eaten, like crustaceans, snails, frogs, insects, grubs and the like, which I'd probably place in that vague area between layers 1 and 2 and 3, then there's seaweed, algae I don't know, probably more that I've forgotten, legumes, and the seeds I would differentiate as to whether sprouted or not, but I think you get the rough gist of things..

Unlike the traditional food pyramid, the aim is not to eat balanced from all food groups, but to aspire instead to the pinnacle of foods, and just eat fruit. Obviously, if there is no fruit around, and one must eat other things, then move down the pyramid as far as you feel comfortable. In the grand scheme of things, mushrooms are most definitely not the worst choice. Of course, the ultimate goal is to settle in an environment where the food you are comfortable with is readily and affordably available.

Knowing what our goals are is a matter of individual choice, attempting to keep sight of them, is crucial to attaining them.

Crazy World News - 10 - Malawi set to illegalize flatulence

This story blew me away when I first stumbled upon it, I believed it to be a wind up, but on closer verification, it turned out to be for real.

Apparently, Malawi, a small African country that I barely new existed, is set to make farting illegal. The guy pushing for the law to be passed, a Dr Bingu wa Mutharika (see pic to right), looks himself like he would have trouble sticking with his law so I dread to think how the rest of the country will fair..

Actually this sort of law, beside being a seeming complete waste of bureaucratic time (mind you, having just written that, isn't that what bureaucracy is all about anyhow??), really smacks of middle aged Europe when such laws as "Only the king is allowed to grow a beard", or "All English males over the age 14 must have 2 or more hours of clergy supervised longbow practice weekly".. And wasn't there one, at one time, about everyone having to wear a green tie, or something somewhat similarly ridiculous..

Honestly, apart from offering new ways for police embarrassment, what can such a law seriously hope to achieve?

Malawi to ban farting

How a subject like farting can even get discussed in such detail by a government, surely beats me, will the law cover animals, or just humans? What if a dog breaks wind near you and you get pinned for the crime? All social gatherings, banquets and balls, buses, trains, malls etc, will have to be heavily guarded/patrolled, or some bright spark will have to invent something similar to that urban mythical liquid that was said to be in swimming pools if one pee’d in them, surrounding ones rear with some embarrassing pink cloudy glow.

This kind of behaviour will no
longer be tolerated in Malawi.
Naturally locals fear that pinning responsibility on the crime will be difficult - and may lead to miscarriages of justice as 'criminals' attempt to blame others for their offense. Recalling my school days, perhaps they'll apply "he who smelt it, dealt it" logic. Or take things a step further with "he who said the rhyme, did the crime".

I have no doubt that Malawi has many other far more serious issues that need addressing than punishing people for perfectly natural bodily reactions to bad foods, and the fact that time is spent on such is just more evidence of the likely corruption within their political system.

Should We really Eat Meat??

Well.. I guess you all know my opinion by now, if you feel you need to turn your body into an animal graveyard, then yes, I guess you should.. But most importantly you should examine why it is that you feel there is a necessity to be a walking grave.. And I mean, seriously question.. Not just quote replies that you have learned by heart, but examine them thoroughly with an open mind, and I believe anyone with a logical thinking process and natural inquisitiveness will sooner or later realise just how bizarre the practice of flesh eating truly is.



Anyhow.. I was surprised to stumble upon this online survey where you get to answer a simple "yes" or "no" to is meat eating necessary, and even more surprised to see that almost 30% of the participants agree that it is unnecessary.. I am sure that this must be way higher than the general population.. I'm guessing that it's mostly people of a somewhat alternative mindset that actually stumble onto the survey in the first place.. Anyhow, here's the link to it:

Should we eat meat?

While on the subject of meat, I also read recently that Southern Carolina scientists are working on somehow growing their own bio-engineered meat in a laboratory.. Yeah, now there's self sufficiency! Now if only they realised just what a nonfood it was, be it 'ficial or artificial.. Still, at least if they were to succeed in doing so, it might theoretically be a way to minimise animal cruelty suffering that's part and parcel of the flesh trade. Read more here.

Over in the UK, they've begun selling dog meat on farmers markets. That should have a few people up in arms.. For some reason, many meat eaters seem to take offense at dog meat, proving in a way just how consistently illogical they have a tendency to be.


Whale. - Breakfast or fellow earth citizen?
Well.. Honestly I think this whole "omnivore" phase has just gone on far too long.. If you'll pardon my French, people eat literally any old shit. Virtually anything that moves, and most of what doesn't too.. It's amazing what a bit of salt and fat can do to turn nonfoods into apparently appealing dishes. I'm reminded of that Charlie Chaplin movie where in the midst of winter, with nothing around to eat, he eats the sole of his shoe..

Actually I recently also heard of this medical condition called "Pica", that mostly seems to afflict young children and women.. not that it's at all common mind.. But for some reasons those afflicted with Pica experience cravings for most definite "nonfoods", like this one woman below, who is addicted to eating couch cushions.. (Maybe the majority of the world suffers from the same affliction.. A world full of Picarians, addicted to eating the stuffing out of other beings!):

Topsy-Turvy World - 17 - Striving for ones best.

Some people make bizarre resolutions with completely nonsensical goals in mind.

This woman had a vision she could be the worlds fattest mum, and set about fulfilling that vision..

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20026674-10391704.html



At one point she proposed that ideally she could weigh in at half a tonne, and just recently, she was witnessed to have eaten 30,000 calories in one sitting. [Top that Harley!!],

WHAT SHE ATE

2 portions of 25lb oven roasted turkeys 2 portions of 15lb maple glazed hams 10lbs of roast potatoes 5lbs of mashed potatoes 5lbs of chopped carrots 5lbs of sweetcorn 5lbs of roasted butternut squash 5 parcels of house-baked bread 4 pints of cranberry relish 4 pints of home-made gravy 5lbs of herbed stuffing 1 tray of mixed green salad including salad dressing.

CALORIE TOTAL: 30,000

She's already in the Guinness World Records book as the world's fattest mother, when she gave birth in 2007 weighing more than 240kgs.. (Apparently more than 30 medics were needed to deliver her daughter Jacqueline during a high-risk Caesarean birth), and she reckons she can push it at least another 160kgs..

What a weird goal!? I mean, I can sort of understand people seeking fame, but doing so at a clear risk of ones sacred bodily temple is beyond me. In her own words she states:

I love eating, and people love watching me eat.. It makes people happy, and I'm not harming anyone.. [Yeah Right!]

I'm sort of at a loss for words.. This woman has a beautiful young daughter who most likely, at the rate she is going, will soon be motherless. I just don't get people. What possesses them to fully kid themselves that such directions are at all commendable..

Sure beats me.. Nothing beats this guy though:



And then there was the guy Paul Stone, that has filed a lawsuit against Britain's National Health Service, claiming they owe him big-time because, back when he weighed only 420 lbs., he asked for help, and idiotic doctors had the audacity to advise him to eat sensibly and exercise.  He became so distraught at their insensitivity that he quickly inflated to 980..

Read more in: The Sun

Actually, I have sympathy for this guy, he clearly was crying for help, and instead of being given it, was told to go and help himself, which is all well and good if one can, but getting off of such intensely destructive habits eating such as these guys have, generally requires help, a retreat, a temptationless environment, guidance, counseling, education, support and more.. It'd be like telling a heroine addict seeking help "Go home and stop taking the stuff".. Fat lot of good that'd do them..

Crazy World News - 9 - Mysterious global deaths of Birds and Fish

Gleaned from the popular press, I've been reading about the bizarre cases of common species of birds and fish dying mysteriously.. Dropping dead from the skies, or, in the case of the fish, being washed up on shore, dead on arrival, with no yet apparent satisfactory cause of death known..

I think the first of the most recent reported cases was the small town of Beebe, Arkansas, where New Year's revelers spent the holiday weekend cleaning up several thousand blackbirds that littered their town landscape.. making dents in roofs and cars as they plummeted dead earthward.

Tests were done, but no official cause of death could be ascertained, though seemingly the birds died from shock caused from some unknown clearly traumatic experience.. Some initially hypothesized that an annual firework display was a likely cause, but given that blackbirds are not prone to flying at that time of night, this explanation seems rather unlikely.

Barely days later, more than 500 red-winged blackbirds and starlings were found dead strewing a stretch of highway in Point Coupee Parish, near the city of Labarre, in Louisiana, just under 600kms south of the Arkansas incident.

A disgruntled shark seeks revenge on a sonic boom tester.

Also recently in roughly the same neck of woods, about 83,000 dead and dying drum fish washed up along a 32km stretch of the Arkansas River, about 160km west of Beebe. .

Both birds and fish were sent away for detailed biological analysis, but so far nothing conclusive has been made public, with the only official verdict being that "They died from massive trauma". Which leads me to suspect that the government or military have once more been conducting their experiments with no consideration taken for possible environmental consequences.. Rather like that bout of washed up whales and dolphins that occurred on several occasions a while back, with conspiracy rumours abounding on how at the time the military were conducting something called "sonic boom" testing, which with the whales reliance on sonar for navigation, completely disorientated and unduly over stressed them to the point of many dieing traumatically.. again with no official reason ever given for the apparent bizarre happenings that I am aware of. Who knows what effect that particular supposed testing may or may not have had on other sea life.

Across the oceans, up in the icicle land of Sweden, a similar incident was reported in the town of Falköping, where up to 100 jackdaws suddenly fell from the sky for no obvious reason, and over in Italy it was reported recently that over 700 dead birds fell from the skies, in their case, countless turtle doves were scattered about the town of Faenza, many with strange blue marks in their beaks that some officials suggested may have been signs of hypoxia.

Dead fish washed up en masse onto the shores of New zealand, and according to the Huffington Post, an estimated 2 million fish are dead and floating in the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland,US). Hundreds of tons of fish have washed ashore in Brazil since last Thursday. Fish found washed ashore in New Zealand had many that were missing their eyes, (returning boats reported witnessing a carpet of dead fish floating belly up in the sea!). And in the UK,  An estimated 40,000 dead crabs were also reported to have washed ashore on Englands' beaches. While each countries supposed scientists have theories as to why this is happening, the fact that it's happening all over the world at the same time has not been explained, and leads this particular blogger to assume there is likely an explanation that will never be made public.

Sure, it could be that each incident is unrelated, but the more you search around for it in the news, the more cases seem to be surfacing, and with an intensity that seems beyond coincidence..

What's going on??

Crazy World News - 8 - Inter species marriage.

First there was the Russian Siberian guy, Boris Gabov, who sought permission by asking the president if he might be permitted to marry his beloved cow claiming that all the girls in the village had left already, moving to the city..

I'm unaware if the president ever replied, but likely this mans ridicule was not nearly as bad as a young Balinese guys, who caught with his pants down with a cow, was consequently forced to marry it by other locals. Apparently he passed out from the humiliation of the ceremony, and his new wife, the innocent victim, was immediately drowned (I thought the Balinese were Hindu and that thus the cow was considered a sacred animal!). I always found the Indonesians to be a majoritively bizarre lot.. (see: The Jakarta Globe).

In a somewhat similar incident, a Sudanese man was also forced into marrying an animal, in his case, it was a goat. Unlike In Bali, it's still possible the couple have remained together. (See: BBC News)

Those last 2 aren't exactly cases of people willingly entering into wedlock with different species, but bizarrely enough, that happens sometimes too.. Just relatively recently a millionairess British woman, and self proclaimed nonpervert, Sharon Tendler, of her own free will, married a dolphin in Israel. (See: Sydney Morning Herald) - How did she know that the dolphin wasn't already married? I thought they were supposed to be monogamous creatures..

Then, over in Taiwan, there's the story of the Taiwanese office worker who unable to find a suitable partner, and tired of waiting, decided instead to marry herself. (See: Taiwanese Woman Marries Self).. She's even honeymooning by herself in Australia.

Then if you think that's weird, there's a Japanese guy, who so engrossed in his virtual make believe fantasy world of some alternate reality game he plays on his Nintendo, has now married his virtual girlfriend.. (See: Japanese guy Marries Virtual Girl).

Enough already? One last one first though:

The most recent example I've seen of clearly one sided obsession that leads some humans to act strangely with mostly full disregard for their objects of desire, is a British guy who is in love with and wishes to marry his christmas tree.. (See: Man In love with Christmas Tree)

Actually, wikipedia even has a page dedicated to human-animal marriages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-animal_marriage

It would certainly seem to me that in such cases, humans, as per usual, generally have little respect for other species, doing with them as they wish with no real thought or concern given to the welfare or desires of the animal in question..

Questioning greens on a fruitarian diet.

OK.. on the subject of greens, a friend has just emailed the following question: "What i would like to learn is that greens are not only unnecessary, but harmful to human bodies. This would be great information. Do you have an article on this, please paste me a link.". and, also relatively recently, another friend asked me "I'm just wondering if you had a list of reasons as to why greens are not an optimal food for humans? One of my clients keeps saying she is *craving* greens and I highly doubt it..".

OK, the first thing I'd like to establish is that much as I am heavily left brain centric, I consider myself to be more a man of faith than a man of science, and if all you're after is a simple yes/no answer, then I'll cut straight to the chase and tell you I don't know of any scientifically sound writeup as to why greens might be consistently harmful, or either for that matter, why someone might legitimately be craving them.

You've likely heard me quote this before, that Doug Graham once stated that if you eat only fruit, and no nuts, greens etc, you will die, and as far as I know, he also gave no valid explanation as to why he believes that. Personally, I want to make it clear, that being more someone of faith, than science, I don't like to state anything as stone cold fact. I'm just a bod with opinions who blogs them, is all, and I'll be the first to admit that they (my opinions) may not always be correct - even if I stand firm to them, and remain convicted that they are, this doesn't actually make it categorically the case.

Actually, even the so called "scientists" among us, are at heart really people of faith, for at the end of the day, it is in science they place their faith, and we all know how fickle a beast science can be. Some theories may have been reached that are difficult to dispute as fact, but concerning nutritional science, I believe we are barely scratching the surface. If you want to prove that meat is necessary for human consumption, there is internet information that will fully support that theory, blinding you with science to essential amino acids and B12s, and more. If you want to find support for the opposite, that too is out there.. they all try to blind each other with their own brands of science, each one trying to outsmart the other.

My approach is very different. Much as I once absorbed the protein books after turning vegan pushing 25 years ago, being able to recite the 9 essential amino acids names, and state their individual functions and effects their presence (or lack of it) might have upon human physiology, I soon saw that it was effectively all nonsense, and realised the truth is not complex. The truth is simple. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to get nutrition right. That, to me at least, is the truth.

But it's my truth.. my belief, if you will, and I am not robbing anyone else of their free will to find their own, even if it should vastly contradict mine. That is the individuals prerogative.

Back in the 60's there was that big hippy movement, seeing in the advent of supposed free thinking, live and let live, love, peace and flower power.. Unfortunately it came accompanied with its fair share of mind altering drugs and psychedelics, baring with them apathy and a gradual loss of ability to fully think straight, but I believe they were fully on the right track with the love and peace thing.. They saw the innecessity and folly of wars, some realised that we are all brothers and sisters, and one giant family. Others even took another step and embraced compassion for fellow animal species, turning vegetarian, and an even smaller minority likely saw yet beyond that, and adopted vegan diets and lifestyles, avoiding as much as they could all animal suffering. These were awakening people. At least, some of them were.

What they were experiencing was a widening of their circles of compassion. Where we go from initially being predominantly egocentric, to extending an enveloping sphere of love and compassionate protection around immediate family, to experiencing sympathy and empathy for friends and acquaintances, and yet further for members of other races, countries, ethnicities, beliefs, cultures, and supporters of other football teams etc.. Seeing them all as human and worthy of respect and dignity.. Widening the circle yet further, we learn to embrace other species too.. Seeing there is no real logical reason why they, purely based upon their difference of appearance and or intellectual capacities, should be any less respectfully treated and honoured.

The good thing about the circle of compassion, is that it sees no boundaries. One can forever keep extending the outer limits. Looking beyond the mistreatment and abuse of animals inherent throughout most of society as we know it, we can see the destructive effect our presence has on the environment and the rest of nature, and do our darnedest to try and minimise it. In defense of keeping the circle tight, people will often argue that you can't possibly ever encompass everything, and thus it's pointless even trying, but this argument is so irrelevant. Even if there are compromises and things still "get hurt", that is not reason for us to not make efforts and grow through doing so. It does not make us hypocrites if we acknowledge that there are times where our presence is unavoidably linked with the hurt of others. As we grow, we can learn to avoid such situations, not judging each other, but judging actions. Again, I'm not saying that anyone has to live their lives any given way, only stating how I chose to live mine, and how I chose to see mine progressing, and yes, how I believe the world would be better off, if others followed suit.. None of us are perfect, least of all me, (and i speak from experience!) but that should not prevent us from trying to improve ourselves.

Floating like an otter, and hopefully
breaking the monotony of my monologue.

But I've wandered off course from the greens topic. My point is, it is my belief that the old much quoted Beatles refrain "love is all you need" is true. It is love that makes the world go around. Not vitamins, colostrum, glycogens, omega 3s or fat soluble acids.. Even the most hardened cold blooded killers in the animal kingdom, crocodiles and the like, if it were not for love, they too would not survive. See how protectively the mother looks after her hatched young. guarding them with love until they are big enough to fend for themselves. Some might argue that this was some form of instinct, not love, but maybe in such cases, instinct and love are one and the same.. Of course, crocodiles are hardly brimming, bubbling and overflowing with love.. far from it, their circles of compassion barely extend beyond their known family within immediate territorial range, but this still doesn't stop love being the predominant driving force that keeps the species continuing.

Now armed with my "love is all you need" belief, and again, I emphasise the word belief, (because much as I myself stand firmly convinced I'm fully on the right track, I don't really know anything!), I think that taken to it's logical conclusion the universe must work and be at it's most harmonious and gentle, balanced when this principle is fully embraced, accepted and worked upon.

To this end, it would seem natural that we try to minimise the destruction of plant life, as well as animals.. And it would seem that nature has indeed provided us with a way to accomplish such an end, by providing us with the sensory appealing fruit pulp that generally bears within it the seeds of the plant. This appears to me to be the pinnacle of foods, and the only food, as such, that is truly "given". Of course, let's suppose hypothetically one could sustain oneself on minerals, rocks and sand and gritty soil, then that too could be considered as valid ethical fair, but to be sure, nowhere near as appealing!!

I believe the essence of Eden, where all life forms interact and live harmoniously symbiotically side by side in a perfectly natural balance void of medi-evil food chains, hunter/predator, live and let die, survival of the fittest, pecking orders and alpha pack leaders. I cannot fully grasp every final detail, but this does not concern me, I have every faith that the kinks will iron themselves out, and that Eden can and inevitably (the optimist within me!) will become a reality.. at least for those that see fit to let it into their hearts.

I like to think that I am extremely fortunate reaching fruitarianism through predominantly ethical reasons. Having first gone through the revelation call of suddenly waking up to the reality of how animals are used and abused.. Unfortunately probably a good many of raw fooders don't have that same foundation. Many having never fully grasped veganism, and seeking purely benefits to their own health. I won't name any names, but there's a good many outspoken raw fooders, some that many consider leaders in the movement, that still push animal products on the masses, and there's no way their belief system could extend to seeing "just fruit" as a valid choice. Of course they may push their dried fruit potions on us, as super foods and the like, and love fruit too.. but let's face it, they don't even really get raw food. (dried and preprocessed is not raw!).

So what holds us back? because I know that I am not alone in feeling these feelings. I think there's an awful lot of fear involved. people doubt themselves.. they doubt their beliefs and their budding convictions.. they say "what if..?" And they are of course perfectly within their rights to do so.. Having doubts is part of what makes us human. Becoming fruitarian is about taking a leap of faith, because we're ahead of our time, and science is not ready to support us yet. Clearly science is predominantly backed by marketing interests.. Research is rarely done unless there can be some financial gain for someone somewhere, and until that changes, it's unlikely that someone will seriously bother to look into pure fruitarianism, and the way things are at the moment, if someone does, it is more likely that they would do so to discredit and disprove it.. The current powers that be resist change!