Vegan woman raising her kids on strict fruit-only diet

By Madeleine Lake via SWNS

A mom says she's raising her kids as fruitarians - surviving almost entirely on fruit and veg alone - because she believes humans were designed to "only eat fruit."

She also claims it "makes them behave better" as "food is highly linked with behavior."

Pam Johal, 46, is a raw vegan - meaning she only eats uncooked fruit and vegetables and has done so for the last four years.

Before adopting her diet, she’d eat meat four times a week - until a health scare prompted her to change what she was consuming.

The mom suffered from rheumatoid arthritis from the beginning of 2020 - and by August she claims she has reversed the condition by eating fruit.

She cut out lots of her favorite foods, like cheesy pasta and bacon sandwiches, opting to live on mangos and avocado instead.

Now her children - Georgie, seven and Henry, six - have adopted the diet because 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, unemployed, from Southampton, 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 - said and her mom has 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.

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 this along with fruit "reversed" her condition - there isn't enough evidence to support this, but the NCBI says a raw vegan diet may decrease some symptoms.

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."

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 ton of energy, no aches or pains,” she said.

“I’m 47 - I have no gray 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.

The main ingredient is cordyceps which is a type of mushroom, she claims they can be used to cleanse organs.

The mom-of-two tries to raise her children as plant-based as possible.

She gives both of her children smoothies that she claims '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 needing the doctor for childhood illnesses like the flu.

"If I got sepsis, I'd treat it myself at home."

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."

A typical day of eating for Pam:
No breakfast, fasts until 11 am
Lunch: Salad, mangos, orange juice, watermelon juice and grapes
Dinner: Leek and potato soup, fruit

A typical day of eating for the kids:
Breakfast: Fruit
Lunch: Fruit, vegan yogurt, raisins, vegan jelly and healthy crisps
Snack: Smoothie or vegan KitKat
Dinner: Often their choice but it can often be soup