1. Cleansing and Detoxification
Many people will occasionally follow an all-fruit diet--or "fruit fast"--to cleanse their body of accumulated toxins and reduce excess mucus. The length of a fruit diet may last anywhere from one to thirty days, but 3 to 7 days is a healthy average. Select your fruits beforehand, and when you go grocery shopping, try to buy all the fruit you will need for your fruit fast--this will keep you from being tempted by non-fruit foods or from needing to make emergency trips to the grocery store. You'll need to eat several meals over the course of the day, and it's usually recommended that each meal consist of a single type of fruit. Chew your food slowly and remember to drink plenty of water. A fruit diet is not an appropriate weight loss plan, and should not be followed for more than seven days without consulting your doctor or naturopath.
2. Raw Foods
Raw, uncooked food is rich in enzymes, which aid in digestion, and is also higher in vitamins and other nutrients. A healthy, balanced diet should include lots of raw fruits and vegetables--and some people make this their entire diet. The bulk of a raw foods diet comes from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, with protein coming form raw (not roasted) nuts and seeds. Some raw foodists will also consume raw, unpasteurized dairy products, raw eggs and raw fish, such as sushi or sashimi.
3. Veganism
Vegans are people who take vegetarianism one step further--not only do they cut meat and fish out of their diet, they also remove dairy, eggs, honey and all other animal products. A vegan diet can be a very healthy one, as long as you be sure to get enough calcium, iron, protein and B vitamins--nutrients that are generally more plentiful in animal products. Leafy green vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach are a great plant source of calcium, and many processed foods, such as soymilk, orange juice and tofu, are fortified with calcium. Leafy greens are also a good source of iron, as are lentils, nuts and seeds, and blackstrap molasses. Plant-based sources of protein include beans, nuts and seeds, and soy products such as tofu and tempeh. B Vitamins--especially B12--is a bit tougher. Vitamin B12 is produced by a bacterial microorganisms found primarily in animal products, and the plant sources of B12 have levels that are low and unreliable. Nutritional yeast--a food yeast with a cheesy, nutty flavor--is fortified with microbial B12, as is some brands of soymilk and breakfast cereals.
4. Fruitarianism
Fruitarians believe in doing no harm to any living thing, including plants, so they only eat foods that are harvested without doing damage to the plant--in other words, fruits. Fruitarianism is expensive and difficult to follow, and is also severely lacking in many nutrients, making it a poor choice for a long-term diet.
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