Pam Johal is a raw vegan and claims her children don’t need to see their GP since taking up the diet

A mum 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 behaviour”.

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 mum 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 favourite 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 with kids Henry and Georgie

Pam, unemployed, from Southampton, said: “I’ve lived on 90 per cent fruit for four and a half years – I’ve never felt better. I feel like I’m five years old.

“Even in my 20s, 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 mum has been “suffering” from the condition for years.

Pam says eschewing meat and processed foods has cured her rheumatoid arthritis and keeps her looking young
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 is not enough evidence to support this, but the National Center for Biotechnology Information says a raw vegan diet may decrease some symptoms. The only known cure for ulcerative colitis is surgery, although 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.

Pam is 46 years but says she feels much younger

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

The mum-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. Her children were first vaccinated when they were little but she will “not vaccinate them again” – as she claims “fruit is medicine.”

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 yoghurt, raisins, vegan jelly and healthy crisps

Snack: Smoothie or vegan KitKat

Dinner: Often their choice but it can often be soup