A mother-of-two has revealed she’s raising her kids as fruitarians, meaning they surviving almost entirely on fruit and veg alone.
Pam Johal, 46, from Shirley in Southampton is a raw vegan and only eats uncooked fruit and vegetables, believing humans were designed to ‘only eat fruit’.
Pam has followed this very specific diet for the past four years, previously eating red meat four times a week until a health scare prompted her to change what she was consuming.
Pam suffered with rheumatoid arthritis from the beginning of 2020, but by August in that same year she claims she has reversed the condition by eating fruit.
She cut out lots of her favourite foods, like cheesy pasta and bacon sandwiches, opting to live on raw fruits like mangos and avocado instead.
Pam Johal, 46, from Shirley in Southampton is a raw vegan and only eats uncooked fruit and vegetables, believing humans were designed to ‘only eat fruit’
Georgie, seven, (right) and Henry, six, (left) have fully adopted the diet and Pam reckons ‘a fruit smoothie a day keeps the doctor away’
Now she follows a strict vegan diet and is making sure her two young children do the same, claiming it ‘makes them behave better’ as ‘food is highly linked with behaviour’.
Georgie, seven, and Henry, six, have fully adopted the diet and Pam reckons ‘a fruit smoothie a day keeps the doctor away’.
The pair never touch milk, eggs or processed meats – but are occasionally allowed some vegan chocolate, ice cream and jelly.
Pam, who is unemployed, said: ‘I’ve lived on 90% fruit for four and a half years – I’ve never felt better. I feel like I’m five years old. Even in my twenties, I didn’t feel as good as this.
‘My kids notice how I eat, I take them to vegan fairs and teach them the truth about food. They love the food I make and they never get sick.
‘My kids are always happy and thriving, they are always singing and dancing, they are much happier now they eat more raw vegan foods.
‘I make sure everything is as free from rubbish as much as I can, becoming fruitarian has changed me in many ways – I feel out of this world.’
In February 2020, Pam was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis after experiencing symptoms for months on end.
Her symptoms included feeling depressed, muscle stiffness, fatigue and swelling.
Pam said she suffered when she ‘tried to walk, get dressed and perform basic tasks’.
The condition is hereditary and Pam explained that her mother has also been ‘suffering’ from the condition for years.
After visiting her GP eight months ago Pam was told she may need to use a wheelchair permanently due to deformed joints.
Pam found out about the raw vegan diet back when she was 23 and she suffered from ulcerative colitis
The mother-of-two says she feels better now at 46 than she did in her 20s
Four years into being a fruitarian, Pam believes she’s reversed the effects of arthritis
Pam believes ‘a fruit smoothie a day keeps the doctor away’
The only known cure for ulcerative colitis is surgery, however, patients can go into remission. Pam says her gastroenterologist said her results were ‘shocking’ and ‘couldn’t believe it’.
She said: ‘I used to start my days off having a hot bath to help with the stiffness. Then I’d have to take naproxen in the morning.
‘Tasks like getting out of the bath, completing housework, picking up my kids and even opening bottles became painful.’
She found out about the raw vegan diet back when she was 23 and she suffered from ulcerative colitis.
She went on a three-day retreat where she fasted for three days.
She claims fasting, along with upping her fruit intake, ‘reversed’ her condition.
There isn’t enough evidence to support this, but the NCBI says a raw vegan diet may decrease some symptoms.
After starting the diet she was ‘shocked’ at her dramatic improvement.
‘Within a few months I had changed my life and reversed my arthritis,’ she added. ‘It takes a while for your stomach to get used to a different sensation, but I’ve never felt better.’
Now, four years into being a fruitarian, she feels she’s not only reversed the effects of arthritis, but feels she’s added years to her life.
She claims she can even stay awake until the early hours – listening to music and dancing, pain-free.
‘I have a tonne of energy, no aches or pains,’ she said. ‘I’m 47 – I have no grey hairs. My family thinks I’m crazy, but in truth, dieting can make you feel incredible.
‘I also don’t go through my day thinking about protein, it’s all a myth. I don’t count calories either.’
Pam also takes herbs to compensate for any minerals or vitamins she misses in her diet.
One of the supplement she takes contains cordyceps, which is a type of mushroom that Pam claims can be used to cleanse organs.
The mother-of-two tries to raise her children as plant-based as possible.
She gives both of her children smoothies that she says ‘gives them all their daily vitamin needs in one drink’.
She puts in ‘anything she can’ which can consist of bananas, dates, pine nuts, and mangos.
‘I can’t influence them completely,’ she said. ‘We haven’t needed the GP before like some other children.’
Pam claims her kids’ plant-based diet has stopped them from getting common childhood illnesses like the flu and prefers to treat ailments and illnesses at home if they do occur.
‘If I got sepsis, I’d treat it myself at home,’ she explained.
Her children were first vaccinated when they were little but she will ‘not vaccinate them again’ – as she claims ‘fruit is medicine’.
When Pam was asked about her daughter’s future, she said: ‘I will not be vaccinating her against HPV.’