Eating only raw fruits may not be healthy

From HOME, My News

MY PAPER MONDAY JULY 7, 2008

 

Cheryl Lim

 

FOR some Singaporeans, as much as 80 per cent of their diet comprises raw fruits, nuts and

vegetables. What’s more, they also put their children on the same diet.

 

But nutritionists my paper spoke to feel the diet is not suitable for adults and even less so for children.

 

Ms Yondi Lee, a holistic nutritionist at Ascension Healing said: “Unless quite a bit of nuts and seeds are taken, protein and fats will be very much deficient. For a young growing child, these two nutrients are highly essential for muscle and structure building, and brain development.”

 

One parent who follows such a strict diet isteacher Lidia Djingga, 30, who put her 14-month-old son on the same diet of raw fruits and vegetables she has been on since last November.

 

Little Fung Win was six-months-old then. He was taken off solid food like porridge, and fed breast milk and fruit juice. Ms Djingga usually takes fruit juice for breakfast, fruit smoothie for lunch and a fruit salad for dinner.

 

Ms Djingga used to scarf down bak kut teh and other local food with relish a few times a week. She converted to her austere diet after her son came down with coughs and flu as frequently as once a month.

 

After spending up to $200 a visit to various paediatricians, she attended a class on healthy eating conducted by Our Place International, a US-based alternative lifestyle organisation with an office here. The organisation believes that the body can heal itself, said Ms Djingga.

 

Apparently, cooking “kills healthy enzymes in food”. Instead of cooking, she “dries” her food using a dehydrator she bought from Tangs for about $200.

 

When asked about the diet’s effects, Ms Djingga said: “My son no longer falls sick. And I feel more energised and sleep better. My mood’s improved.”

 

She added that she did not consult a doctor before she went on the diet.

 

But nutritionist Teo Kiok Seng from Nutrition Network Services said: “A fruitarian diet, when taken by an adult for a prolonged period, and even more so, when given to a child, can cause serious consequences, like a deficiency in protein, iron, calcium, Vitamin D, B and omega-3 fatty acids.”

 

cheryll@sph.com.sg