For the last 33 years, Anne Osbourne has eaten nothing but fruit.
No vegetables. No meat. No carbohydrates. No dairy.
Just fruit.
You may wonder how someone could survive on a fruit-only diet, but according to Osbourne, she is the healthiest she has ever been.
The 58-year-old, who is originally from the United Kingdom but has lived in Australia since 2003, is a bona fide raw fruitarian – that is, a person that only consumes fruit to stay alive.
Osbourne said she first became interested in this unique diet all the way back in 1990.
“My interest in the diet started after I attended a talk in a small room above a bar back in the UK,” she told news.com.au.
“A local fruitarian named David Shelley was talking about the diet and seeing his energy, fitness and vitality made me want to try it out myself.
“I could see that whatever David was doing was working really well for him.
“I was pregnant at the time with my eldest son, so I did a gradual transition from a standard diet, to a general vegan diet and eventually to a fruit diet.
“Over the next year, I gradually ate more fruit and less cooked vegan food until I was on a 100% raw fruit diet.
“It has now been 33 years, and I haven’t looked back.”
Osbourne, who now resides in the small town of Millstream in Queensland, Australia, said she ate a standard British diet growing up and her mother was even raised in a butcher’s shop.
“Meat was a big part of our childhood,” she said.
“My mum was a very good cook and used to home cook all our meals. Dad used to grow fresh fruit and veggies in his garden.
“We ate pretty healthily and consumed very little processed food. But the day I left home at 19, I became a vegetarian.
“One year later, I gave up all animal products and embraced veganism. I noticed the health benefits right away.
“I remember I used to get so out of breath and tight in my chest just from walking up hills. Once I became vegan, I never felt that again.”
A typical ‘day on a plate’ for Osbourne consists of a wide variety of fresh fruit that is grown locally in the area.
She will only eat one type of fruit at meal times, as she says this is easier on her digestive system.
“I usually have two big glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice after I get back from my morning run,” she explained.
“I use a vintage 1966 Italian hand juicer. It leaves in most of the fiber yet creates a very smooth juice.
“Later in the morning I’ll have as much seasonal fruit as I want. Right now, I’m enjoying things like local blueberries, papayas, rockmelons and watermelons.
“For lunch, I will usually have 2 or 3 avocados. This adds good levels of macro and micronutrients into the diet.
“For dinner, I’ll have another big plate of whatever fruit I am feeling like. Right now, papayas or blueberries are my favorite final meal.”
While she eats like this on most days of the year, Osbourne does do something a little more decadent for special occasions such as Christmas and birthdays.
“I’ll make a raw fruitarian ‘cake’ out of organic dried fruit and nuts, carob, coconut and orange juice for these special occasions,” she said.
“When my children were young, we would have lovely big fruitarian parties with fruitarian cakes, dips and people made out of fruit. It was so much fun.”
The fruitarian diet has long attracted criticism from health professionals who blast it as being too high in sugar and lacking all the nutrients needed for optimal health.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can be dangerous for those with diabetes or pancreatic and kidney disorders due to the high amount of sugar.
There is also concern over the low levels of vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids, which can lead to anaemia, tiredness, lethargy and immune system dysfunction.
Anyone who is considering changing their diet is urged to discuss it with their doctor first.
Thankfully for Osbourne, she claims her health has never been better since being on a raw fruitarian diet.
She credits this to only eating good quality produce grown in nutrient-dense soil.
“The type of soil fruit is grown in directly impacts the health benefits of the fruit,” she said.
“Soil is so important for mineral content in produce. Deficient and chemical-laden soils can lead to deficient produce and therefore, deficiencies in us.
“My health is great. I run about 50km (31 miles) a week and regularly walk 13km (8 miles) into town. I do lots of physical work in the garden.
“Last time I had blood work done, everything was in normal range and the doctor said I had the best cholesterol levels he had ever seen in terms of HDL to LDL ratios.
“I have great energy, any injuries or wounds heal really quickly and I went through menopause with no negative symptoms.
“My hair and nails grow super quickly and my immune system is very effective. I’ve also never been anaemic in blood tests.”
While Osbourne says this diet has been life-changing for her, she acknowledges that not everyone will thrive on it.
However, she still believes everyone could stand eating a little bit more fruit in their day to day lives.
“You do not have to be a fruitarian to benefit from fruit,” she said.
“When just one piece of fruit per day was introduced into the daily diets of schoolchildren, with no other dietary changes, there were vast improvements both in their academic achievements and their behavior.
“I truly believe that eating more good quality fruit can really improve your life like you would not believe.
“However, this diet is not for everyone. You need to be ready for it, physically, emotionally and mentally. You have to invest in very good quality fruit, the stuff from the local supermarket probably isn’t going to cut it.
“And you need to have faith in the diet, but not blind faith. Do your research and reading to see if a fruitarian lifestyle is for you.”
