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    I Live On Fruit Today
    I Live On Fruit Today
    I Live On Fruit Today
    Ebook132 pages2 hours

    I Live On Fruit Today

    By Chris Viljoen

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    About this ebook

    In 1971, she participated in a rare scientific study into the fruitarian diet, conducted by prof. B.J.Meyer, dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Science at the University of Pretoria. The physiological and biochemical effects of the fruit diet on Essie Honiball’s life was researched.
    Prof Meyer and his team established that, amongst other things, she was not suffering from any deficiency illnesses, and that her physical work-rate was above average. These astonishing results were published in the 1971 South African Medical Journal. It left medical scientists and dietitians speechless, as it had previously been generally accepted that humankind had adjusted (through evolution) from a primarily vegetarian, herbivorous diet, to an omnivorous one that included both plant and animal products.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBenedic Books
    Release dateFeb 11, 2016
    ISBN9780981440828
    I Live On Fruit Today

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      I Live On Fruit Today - Chris Viljoen

      How I became a fruit eater

      We do not easily reject fixed habits and adopt new ones, virtually overnight – and yet this is exactly what I did in l958. After three days on a water fast, I embarked on a life-long diet consisting almost entirely of fresh fruits and nuts.  

      No-one does something like this without good reason, but I was desperate. The cause of my suffering is a tale of intense anguish, over which I have long since drawn a veil. Suffice to say that by 1958, my life had reached the bottom edge. I was a wreck, both physically and mentally. My health and happiness were in jeopardy, with no relief in sight, and the fruit diet was the last straw at which I grasped in my moment of despair - not knowing how drastic the consequences would be. 

      The name Cornelius Valkenburg de Villiers-Dreyer plays a crucial role in my story. Although a South African by birth, he had spent much time abroad, working tirelessly on his lifelong project: human nutrition. Though no trained scientist, this remarkable man was possessed of  extraordinary intelligence and powers of observation.

      Cornelius was already 76 years old when I met him. He embodied the essence of what the fruit diet could do, and this – far more than words - influenced me to follow his example. Despite his advanced years, he showed no sign of ageing, either physically or mentally. He was dynamic and fit! I later married him – and, until his sudden death (due to a brain haemorrhage following a fall), I never once saw this vital man debilitated, depressed or ill. Impressed as I was by his physical health - his honesty, courage, determination, serenity and clarity of thought impressed me more. 

      I had no difficulty placing my life in the hands of such a person, to do with as he deemed fit.

      It was due to coincidence that I became the guinea pig for an unique experiment, destined to create a breakthrough for the fruit diet. At the time that I sought Cornelius’ help, he was living in isolation, totally immersed in formulating a hypothesis on which he had worked for a lifetime. 

      Fate, in all likelihood, determined that when the experiment was ready to be conducted, a suitable human guinea-pig would come to the fore; someone who was prepared to subject herself to the relentless discipline of a long-term experiment, using fruit as a primary source of human nutrition.

      At the time, this sort of thing was totally unheard of - being both scientifically and socially unacceptable. Worse, it was regarded as evil!  However, for Cornelius de Villiers-Dreyer, the fruit diet was an earnest endeavour. He knew very clearly what he wanted to do, and why. Everything was carefully planned and executed. He had by then already tested the diet on himself and others, with favourable results. His knowledge of the effect that the fruit diet had on the human body was impressive, and had been gleaned from years of careful observation. He was a passionate believer (along with a paltry few other visionaries who came before and after him) in the power of fruit as both human food and healing tool, and he endeavoured - almost fanatically - to prove this.

      Cornelius de Villiers-Dreyer was not interested in money. He helped everyone who came to him with their problems, and he used this experience to augment his knowledge of the fruit diet.

      When I became part of the experiment, my own health was in a critical state. At this point, I was already so weak that I could perform my daily tasks only with the greatest of effort. (Ironically, I was at the time a Lecturer in Physical and Health Education at a Teacher’s Training College). 

      Although I had been cured of my former affliction – Tuberculosis - my body continued to waste away like a diseased plant. I had no appetite, and regardless of which diet I followed, my deterioration increased alarmingly. There was nothing I could do to stop the continuing decay. I had no vitality, and was plagued by troublesome pains, nausea, skin rashes and insomnia. My weight had dropped to below the danger point.

      At the time that I began the fruit diet, I was naturally unaware that Cornelius was conducting an experiment. I simply wanted to be relieved of my misery, as it brought no joy to slowly and painfully waste away. 

      After a three day fast - during which I drank two glasses of distilled water per hour - I started with a diet consisting solely of fruit and nuts. I was not allowed to take any medication or vitamin preparations. 

      The first few weeks were the most difficult. Instead of showing progress, I became weaker, and my weight dropped to 31,3kg. I was literally just skin and bones, and looked like the victim of a Concentration Camp. I fainted regularly, and when I wanted to get up out of a chair, I would fall flat on my face. Until Cornelius taught me the secret of correct breathing, I didn’t dare climb steps.

      My body was often racked with so many pains and cramps that I was rigid from head to toe. Cornelius, however, had a solution for every problem. Although I should have been hospitalised, I still went to work daily and tried to go about my business. I obstinately refused to go to bed because I knew that if I did, the diet - which had become an obsession with me - would fail. Although my family and friends were eager to have me admitted to hospital, I knew that this kind of diet would not be tolerated in hospital. I therefore had to keep going, come hell or high water. During this time of crisis, I learnt to pray and fast.

      My diet consisted of eating three fruits a day - one every seven hours. Apart from that, I drank water and only water. Naturally, I still craved the old established foods to which my body had grown accustomed over the years, and I would often enviously observe people in cafés, enjoying all the foods that I was prohibited from eating! The rules of the experiment were, however, unrelenting, and there was no room for liberties. Cornelius showed no mercy to himself, and even less to me. To him, his whole life’s work was at stake; to me, my life was.

      He watched over me assiduously, and taught me how to remain on my feet each day, until the next time I saw him. I learnt the value of oxygen for the body and the amount of strength it enabled me to develop. I had to do breathing exercises, on a daily basis, from the time I awoke, until I went to bed at night. This was even more important than my feeding. With the help of breathing exercises, I was able to do my daily tasks and - although these were performed with great effort and strain - I never missed a single day of work.

      Although I was still very weak after a month, the worst was over. My unsightly skin rash and sinus pains had cleared up, and this progress gave me courage to withstand what lay ahead. That I could keep going throughout this ordeal was due to the miracle of the fruit.  As time passed, the reactions that of necessity accompany such a sudden change in diet gradually diminished, occurring less frequently, until they disappeared entirely. 

      According to Cornelius’ hypothesis, my bloodstream had been purified of the polluted substances that had caused my illness, which he called "misplaced material’. As a result, my body had - due to its new fuel and building material - increasingly started functioning as it should.. 

      It was a lengthy and laborious task to rebuild a sick and degenerated system (such as mine had been, in 1958), on a diet comprising fruit and nuts alone – but the miracle was that fruit did in fact stop the continuous deterioration (degeneration), and replace it with a process of reconstruction (regeneration).

      After Cornelius and I married, he withdrew me from normal life. Whilst in isolation, I underwent a complete transformation. Not only did I acquire a new body, but also a new outlook on life; after all - what is the use of having a healthy body when there is still lifelessness, depression and despair in one’s heart?

      It was only in unspoilt nature, removed from the complexities of civilisation, that I could begin to get my life back on track. I was surprised to learn how little there was that did not need radical reformation. Being far away from the things I had been accustomed to all my life, and free from any temptations, Cornelius was able to teach me the joys of the fruit diet. 

      Shortly thereafter, my sleeping pattern and appetite returned to normal; in fact, I developed such a good appetite that I was embarrassed by my ability to consume such a large quantity of fruit. 

      I was also able to mix the fruit, and eat it heartily together with those fruits which I had not previously enjoyed, such as avocado (that was initially too oily) and pineapple (which had stung my mouth).

      My weight also started to increase.  Whereas initially I had lost weight after starting the fruit diet, I  now starting regaining this - without changing my diet. I could almost walk normally and climb stairs with greater ease. Most of my discomfort and pain had also disappeared.

      When I returned to my family and friends a year later, they could not believe their eyes. The person they had bid farewell to the previous year as a deeply depressed, living wreck was now in glowing health; scintillating, suntanned, full of the joys of life - and looking ten years younger!

      Ultimately, my recovery was directly attributable to Cornelius de Villiers-Dreyer, and his knowledge of the fruit diet! 

      When he passed away on the 11th of August, 1961, I was already deeply involved in the work he had strived for. On his deathbed, I promised him that I would continue with the experiment until it attracted scientific interest, even if this took a whole lifetime to achieve.

      This was my husband’s last wish, and I am grateful that I could fulfil the ambitions of this courageous pioneer. 

      On the 12th of August 1961, Cornelius de Villiers-Dreyer was laid to rest in a modest grave. He was 78 years old.

      Thankfully, he had ensured that - at the time of his death – I was fully-equipped to deal with any problem that might arise. The self-discipline Cornelius had  instilled in me, and the way in which he had so clearly stipulated the way ahead, empowered me to be able to tell the story of the fruit diet today. 

      Ten years later, assisted by Prof. B.J. Meyer from the University of Pretoria, I was able to fulfil his last wish. Prof. Meyer and his team of scientists - with the aid of a group of human guinea pigs - examined the effect of the fruit diet on the human body, and drew up a report. 

      Those ten years after Cornelius’s death were difficult ones. I was on my own, and had to return from my isolated existence to a more normal life. I soon discovered that my eating habits did not meet with approval - scientifically or socially! In addition,

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