Lara,

>A question for Wes and other fruitarians:

I don't consider myself a fruitarian. I'm not sure what I consider myself
as, actually. ;^)

>How are your teeth?

They're doing very well. And I haven't been to a dentist in several years.

>I was a natural hygeine vegan
>eating primarily fruit for four years and then a vegan
>raw foodist for a few months before going paleo, and I
>used to have really strong teeth but during the vegan
>raw foods phase I suddenly started getting a lot of
>cavities (or at least I suddenly started noticing
>them, because they were getting really bad). I blamed
>this partially on the fruit (which I love and have
>always eaten a ton of for most of my life) and
>partially on the lack of animal products, but of
>course I'm just guessing. What do you think?

The problem may have been both the fruit and the veganism.

Overly acidic fruits can and do damage/erode tooth enamel. Acid fruits
should be eaten in moderation, due to this factor. However, the problem in
particular is that often the fruits are picked prematurely, and the fruit
acid pH is still low enough to erode tooth enamel. Fruits are often picked
prematurely due to commercial reasons. If they were picked when ripe, they
could start going bad by the time people were to go buy them at the market.
This (premature picking) isn't a problem with most fruits (in regard to acid
levels), except for the overly acidic ones. By that, I'm referring to
pineapples, oranges, kiwis, grapefruits, tangerines, etc.. I personally can
tell right away if a fruit is too acidic, when I go to eat it. However, it's
often the case that I have access to acid fruits that aren't too acidic. I
had an orange today (which was the only acid fruit I ate today) that was
very sweet and not very acidic. So, the quality of acid fruits can and does
vary. One little "trick" that I always use with acid fruits is I leave them
sit out in a sunny room (by a large window) for several days to a week or
more. The sunshine helps to increase ripening of the fruit, and also lowers
acid levels in the fruit. The result is a less acidic, more sweet fruit. I
can attest that this works. I also read about a study that confirmed that
sunshine can help reduce acid levels, including in the body (such as when
sunbathing).

Again, most fruits won't damage tooth enamel. Just eat the acid fruits in
small amounts, if you eat them at all. BTW, unripe fruit of any kind can
also be overly acidic. Make sure to eat only fully ripe fruit. And the
quality of the fruit overall is another big factor (which includes the
matters of overall nutrient levels, taste, etc.), so it is a good idea to
stick with the best quality fruit you can get. Quality can vary dramatically.

As for fruit sugars, they don't appear to be a problem to the teeth.
Processed/unnatural sugars damage teeth (and bones and everything else), but
natural, raw sugars in fruit do not. In fact, I read about an experiment
that was done basically as follows: an extracted tooth was placed into a
solution of water + raw sugar and left to sit for a few days. No damage was
experienced by the tooth. Another extracted tooth was placed into a solution
of water + processed sugar and left to sit for a few days. It suffered
damage and decay.

Having said all that, it also helps to practice good oral hygiene. Some
things that I do to help that are to eat greens at the end of my meals
(helps to clean the teeth well), and rinse the mouth well with pure water
after eating.

The lack of animal products in your diet may have also been a problem with
your experiencing damage to your teeth. Are you familiar with the studies of
Weston Price? He concluded that *quality* (key word) animal products are
essential for most people to help them to experience optimal bone and teeth
health, as well as overall genetic health and robustness (including
generational). And it's my understanding that many vegans do experience
problems with their teeth. It's not uncommon. However, many vegans also
apparently have fine teeth.

One more thing that comes to mind is minerals and trace elements. Make sure
to get enough of those in your diet. Organic fresh greens such as kale, and
wild sea vegetables such as dulse, are excellent sources of important
minerals and trace elements. Those are obviously needed for strong teeth and
bones, and health overall.

Wes