Many people are asking, are humans frugivores? On this essay I explain what is a frugivore, what is the definition of the frugivore diet and much more. Please note that this is a subject I have studied extensively for the past few years. Some of the information in this article includes sources and other pieces don’t. This is because I have been wondering if humans are frugivores for a very long time and collecting tons of information in my head. If you need additional sources please leave a comment bellow. 🙂

Are Humans Frugivores? The Plain Truth

This can be a loaded question, but in short, the answer is yes, humans are frugivores. Of course, before making such a statement, I did heavy research on what is a frugivore. After much research I learned that there are several frugivore definitions that vary slightly, but point towards the same truth.

Just to give you a few examples, we know that dictionary.com defines a frugivore as “any chiefly fruit-eating organism”. The oxford dictionary, states that a frugivore is simply “an animal that feeds on fruit”. Wikipedia’s frugivore definition is a bit more complex and somewhat strange, stating that “a frugivore is a fruit eater” and that “a frugivore can be any type of herbivore or omnivore where fruit is a preferred food type”. That means that herbivores and an omnivores can simultaneously be frugivores. Then there is the Encyclopedia Britannica, which states that “a frugivore is any animal that subsists totally or primarily on fruit”.

It is clear that all these definitions point to the fact that frugivores feed on fruit, their differences are on how much fruit they eat. Some people define a frugivore as an animal that feeds primary on fruit, while others define a frugivore as an animal that feeds on fruit, regardless of the amount. If we take a composite of these definitions it would be logical to say that humans are frugivores because they feed on fruit, some eat more and others less.

Are Humans Frugivores or Omnivores?

Of course there are those who believe that humans are not frugivores but omnivores instead. This controversy is understandable because an omnivore is often defined as an animal or person that eats a variety of food of both plant and animal origin. This means that omnivores can feed on fruit, vegetables, algae and of course, animal products. With all of these definitions in mind, we could conclude that humans are omnivores AND frugivores at the same time and that variations to this norm depend on cultural characteristics, location and personal choices.

That being said, it is important to note that, when we look at the anatomical traits of humans, we tend to show way more frugivorous traits than omnivorous traits. We can clearly see this when we compare ourselves with other animals in nature. For example, omnivores tend to have four paws with claws or hooves, humans have feet and hands without any claws. Omnivores walk on four paws and humans walk on two legs. Omnivores mouth opens wide and humans mouth opens small. The frugivore teeth are rudimentary and flatten, the omnivore teeth are sharp.

There are other major details in humans anatomy that are clearly different, and sometimes totally opposite to those of omnivores. These include the facts that humans, just like frugivores, have big salivary glands, alkaline saliva and alkaline urine. On the other hand, omnivores have small salivary glands, acidic saliva and acidic urine.

Moreover, frugivores, just like humans, have an intestine that is 9 times our body’s length, omnivores,  instead, have an intestine that is only 3 times their body’s length. This implies that omnivores are better suited for digesting and eliminating animal products, which tend to putrefy in the intestines on their way out. To show the logic of this argument, consider that true carnivores have intestines that are often just 1.5 times the length of their body.

Are Humans Frugivores by Nature or by Choice?

After much research, it is clear that humans are frugivores by nature. Humans are clearly designed to eat mostly fruit, just like monkeys and chimps. We have the same physiology, the same stomach acidity, the same tooth structure, the same sweat glands, etc. The evidence that humans are frugivores and primary fruit eater is quite overwhelming.

We can look at other clues, perhaps more subtle but equally important. For example. humans are considered to be the most evolved specie on earth, fruit is considered the most evolved part of a plant. Humans have the most electrical bodies of all species, with the largest brain and the most complex nervous system, along side, fruits are the most electrically charged foods.

Most of us have a natural “sweet tooth” and instinct to crave fruit, this has been sadly suppressed by modern nutritionist who condemn sugars as dangerous. The truth is that fruit sugar is not dangerous, what is dangerous is processed sugars, which a large number of the population are clearly addicted to. There are people who love fruit, but I never met anyone addicted to fruit, on the other hand, many people are addicted to refined sugar.

Why Are Humans Frugivores more than Omnivores?

In today’s society, most people are omnivores because of convenience, food availability and indoctrination by the animal product industry. This is more clear than water. Think about it, how often do you see advertisements for animal products such as milk and burgers, it is constantly pushed to most people around the world.

On the other hand, we almost never, ever, see any advertisements for fruits or vegetables. The animal product companies need to push their products and pair them up with celebrities, half naked women and fast cars to get people to fall into the trap of buying them. Surely enough, there is a tiny chance that humans could do well with a bit of animal products here and there, such as a glass of fresh raw milk, or some honey. What is obvious though is that we do not need nearly as much animal products as we are told by advertisers, misguided nutritionists and lobbied governmental institutions.

So we can say that humans are omnivores by choice or adaptation but considering our specie’s past and anatomy, it is clear that humans are more likely to fall in the frugivore category than the omnivore category.

Are Humans Frugivores? What do the Experts Say?

We already looked at many reasons to conclude that humans are frugivores. Let’s expand on this idea by quoting some experts on the field. Lets first look at the words of Laurie Forti, a researcher with 42 years of study on various vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based diets says that. He was quoted saying that “all available scientific evidence indicates that humans are frugivorous apes.  Regardless of how large and arrogant our cultural egos are, and regardless of unsupportable religious dogma created by ignorant people who knew absolutely nothing of biochemistry, comparative anatomy, genetics, or science thousands of years ago, our physiology is that of a frugivorous ape”. We also have the words, of Gordon Latto, former president of the International Vegetarian Union and of the British Vegetarian Society. He shared that “”The knowledge we gain from anatomy tells us in no uncertain language that by nature we were intended to be frugivorous, and to live on flesh foods violates the fundamental laws of our being”.

There is also evidence from fossilized human feces that show our human ancestors ate a very high fiber diet consisting of five times more fiver than what most people consume today on the standard american diet. Extensive research shows that the main source of the fiber came from a frugivore diet consisting mainly of fruit, with some additional vegetables.

To add another important name to our list we have Hans Georg Dehmelt, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1989. Hans also published two papers on  the suitability of fruit-based diet for humans. He stated that “humans should ask themselves how wise it is to deviate widely from a diet on which the primate line has flourished for many tens of millions of years” and added that “a raw diet is still the healthiest diet also for Man because for about twenty million years it has been eaten by the common ancestors of Man and Chimp”.

Further professional observations from those wondering if humans are frugivores can be found on this link. Other useful links to find out if humans are frugivores include this one, this one and this one.

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