For the majority of people, they had never before heard the term "fruitarian" until they watched the movie "Notting Hill" and heard a woman describe herself as one. Even though it was a comical scene and some fun was poked at the term, some people were surprised to learn that there is a group of people who find that a fruitarian diet is appealing as a lifestyle.

The main premise, when following this form of a raw vegan diet, has to do with a person limiting him or herself to only eating fruits, some varieties of seeds, and a limited selection of vegetables. Of course, much of the food selection that a fruitarian chooses for this living raw lifestyle depends on how strictly they choose to follow this diet.

There are many supporters of the lifestyle that some call "living raw" and claim that following a fruitarian diet is healthful, as it has many benefits, but those in the mainstream medical community disagree strongly. It is a fact that most traditional physicians caution against eating a strict fruit diet because it will result in a lack of nutrition and lead to health problems.

Because of this, the medical profession cautions that following this type of diet for a prolonged period of time is not advisable and will not sustain healthy and vital living. As a result of these warnings and concerns, most fruitarians incorporate additional sources of nourishment and other food components into their diets, even though they still rely on raw fruits as the main part of their daily food supply.

The idea of a fruit diet goes back a long way in human history to a time when humans were in their primitive state, and only had a diet that consisted of living foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Fruitarians are also quick to point out that many health and digestive problems are created by the cooking of foods, as is commonly practiced in today's modern world. They claim that many common diseases and illnesses can be prevented or reversed by focusing on raw food in a daily eating plan.

Even though eating raw food is central to the fruit diet, the fact is that there are a number of fresh fruits and vegetables that are simply indigestible unless they are cooked. Those who warn against a strict fruitarian lifestyle use this point to suggest that cooking processes have actually expanded the nutritional choices available to the human race, rather than destroying nutrients as extreme fruitarians claim.

In actuality, the truth is somewhere in between. While there is no doubt that fruit adds many beneficial nutritional elements into the diet, reason would dictate that following this path very strictly would eliminate some nutrients that the human body needs to flourish. At the same time, there is abundant and clear evidence that cooking fresh and living foods will indeed destroy vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients.

The majority of those who follow and advocate the fruitarian diet do recognize that relying on such a narrow range of foods is not the healthiest approach. As a result, most fruitarians strive to include a wider range of healthy foods into their overall diets for good balance and full nutrition. The bottom line is that the average person could benefit from eating raw food in more abundance, even though going to the extreme of a fruitarian lifestyle is not necessary.