The Diet 80/10/10: Safe Diet Or Dangerous Fad?

In the last decade or so the 80/10/10 Diet has achieved popularity. This low-fat, raw-food diet aims to help you find a healthy lifestyle that results in weight loss, good health and avoidance of diseases. Any people who adopt it are raving about the major physical improvements they experience, while others criticize the diet as unhealthy and overly restrictive. And is the 80/10/10 Diet actually working, and is it really healthy to test it out? This post describes what you need to know about Diet 80/10/10.

What Is the Diet of 80/10/10?

The 80/10/10 diet is a low-fat, organic vegan diet created by raw food specialist Dr. Douglas Graham, professional chiropractor and professional athlete. It is also also called 811, 811rv or LFRV (low-fat raw vegan). The diet is focused around the premise that the healthy diet will have at least 80 percent of carbohydrate calories, and no more than 10 per cent protein calories and 10 per cent fats. Unlike other common diets, there's no time limit to the 80/10/10 Diet. Instead it is marketed to improve lifespan and reduce obesity and diabetes as a long-term remedy.

Why Raw?

The 80/10/10 Diet is based on the premise that humans are not necessarily omnivores, but instead frugivores, or fruit-eating creatures. It indicates the digestive system is built physiologically to eat fruit and fresh, leafy greens.It indicates that while humans can handle certain food types, certain foods are not ideal. A diet primarily focused on fruit and tender greens in nature will have approximately 80 percent of calories from carbohydrates and no more than 10 percent of calories from protein and fats respectively. This is on which the nutrient distribution of 80/10/10 is based.

It is assumed that fresh fruits and soft, leafy greens provide all the nutrients that humans need in the ideal amounts that the body requires. Cooking is thought to destroy the naturally occurring nutrients in foods, rendering them nutritionally inferior to the raw foods. Cooking is also known to create toxic substances that cause various diseases including cancer, asthma, hypothyroidism and chronic fatigue.

What to Eat on the Diet 80/10/10

The guidelines related to the 80/10/10 Diet are fairly simple. People who observe the diet are advised to concentrate on consuming raw plant foods that are low in calories. The 80/10/10 diet encourages the intake of low-fat, raw and unprocessed fruits and soft greens in the first place.

Non-Sweet Fruits

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Peppers
• Okra
• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Other squashes

Sweet Fruits

This diet does not limit sweet fruit consumption, and is legally appropriate for all forms. Here are only a few instances.

• Apples
• Bananas
• Mangoes
• Berries

Soft Greens

That group contains soft greens, for example:

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Leafy greens

Many forms of vegetables such as cabbage, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower may also be eaten. They are considered more difficult to digest though, so they shouldn't make up the greatest proportion of the diet.

Fatty Fruits

The diet advises that you reduce these to less than 10 % of total calories.

• Avocados
• Durian fruit
• Ackee
• Olives
• Nuts and seeds

Safety Demands

The 80/10/10 diet promises to offer a range of health benefits.To begin with, its high carb content reportedly helps deter eating disorders, reduces extreme food cravings and strengthens symptoms of lethargy and fatigue. By comparison, its higher protein and fat content is said to provide protection against obesity , diabetes, organ dysfunction, weak muscles, and heart disease. The diet also advises against fried meals to avoid chronic fatigue, hypothyroidism and arthritis. Many assumed advantages of the 80/10/10 diet include weight loss, cleaner sinuses, smoother breathing, improved sleep, smoother skin, increased emotional stability and a fuller, happier life overall.

Benefits Supported by Research

Despite the broad range of benefits that the 80/10/10 Diet is claimed to provide, research supports only a small few in reality. Despite the broad range of benefits that the 80/10/10 Diet is claimed to provide, research supports only a small few in reality. The main value of the diet is that it allows its adherents to consume untreated fruits and vegetables. Data reliably connects greater fruit and vegetable intake as part of a healthy diet with reduced risk of disease including coronary attack, elevated blood pressure, stroke , diabetes, depression and other forms of cancer.

There is also evidence that diets that contain less than 10 percent of total fat calories can help reduce blood pressure , cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Several studies also show that vegan diets can typically help minimize the risk of heart failure, lower blood sugar rates, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 78 percent. In addition, many high-quality studies note low-fat vegan diets being particularly successful for weight loss. However, while there is empirical evidence to support certain facets of the 80/10/10 Diet, it is notable that in this particular ratio no clear statistical data could be found to support the advantages associated with nutrient intake. The existing list of purported health advantages is still missing solid medical support.

What are the Big Drawbacks?

1. High-volume food

The 80/10/10 diet encourages very high carbohydrates consumption, with minimal protein and fat consumption. Let's say on average, the body needs 2,000 calories a day. To satisfy your needs you will need to eat about 6 lbs (3.3 kg) of fruit, 4 lbs (1.8 kg) of vegetables and 2 teaspoons of nuts per day. The amount of food is greater than most people are used to. Many that fail to consume these vast amounts of food will have trouble fulfilling their dietary needs for calories and nutrients.

2. Small fat and higher protein diets

The 80/10/10 Diet advises that you restrict your protein and fat intake to 10 per cent of total calories each. Although scientific research confirms the benefits of a low-fat diet, there is only insufficient evidence to support the cutoff point of 10 percent. That's how studies usually equate low-fat diets with American high-fat diets, which traditionally contain more than 30 percent of fat calories. Even if it is seen that a very low-fat diet is safer than the traditional American diet, it doesn't mean a moderate-fat diet is bad.

There is no evidence that consuming less than 10 percent of calories from fat is much more effective than eating a 15 per cent to 20 percent fat diet, for example. Moreover, there is no clear evidence that if you limit all protein and fat to less than 10 percent of your calories, you will gain health benefits. Although ideally such low levels of protein and fat can be adequate to satisfy essential biological requirements, there are many benefits to eating more than the required acceptable amount of protein your body requires.

Adding a bit extra protein to meals, for example, will help protect against hunger, minimize cravings and improve bone health. A bit of extra protein can also help maintain muscle mass, particularly after a weight loss cycle. Likewise, a little extra dietary fat can fend off hunger. Additionally, dietary fats help the body consume fat-soluble vitamins more efficiently and are necessary to preserve healthy skin , hair and brain. And it may become worrisome to limit them too heavily.

3. Too poor vitamin B12

Another major drawback of the 80/10/10 Diet is that the consumption of some nutrients, including vitamin B12, can be reduced. Several studies indicate that while anyone may have low levels of vitamin B12, vegetarians and vegans, especially those who do not take any supplements, are at higher risk of deficiency. Vitamin B12 plays essential functions in the synthesis of proteins, the production of red blood cells that bear oxygen and the health of the nervous system. Too little vitamin B12 can lead to anemia, damage to the nervous system, miscarriage, bone and cardiac disease.

The 80/10/10 Diet suggests that humans themselves are already producing ample quantities of vitamin B12 and can get the remainder from organically produced food. However, there could be no empirical evidence to support such claims. So anybody who thinks of following this diet should consider taking a supplement of vitamin B12. The present minimum daily consumption is 2.4 mcg a day.

4. Insufficient yoke

Iodine is another important element in the 80/10/10 Diet. Dr Graham advises that salt be avoided. That includes iodized salt and seaweed-two strong iodine sources. Individuals who adopt vegan diets prefer to have 50 per cent lower levels of blood iodine than vegetarians. Avoiding these two sources of iodine may produce an increased risk of iodine deficiency for adherents of the 80/10/10 diet. Iodine is crucial to the thyroid gland's healthy functioning and regulates your metabolism. Thus, poor dietary intake can induce low energy levels, dry skin, hand and foot tingling, forgetfulness, insomnia, and even weight gain.

Other Aspects in This Diet

In addition to the above food deficits, this diet has many other downsides. It overemphasizes the harmful effects of cooked food and spices.The 80/10/10 Diet advises adherents reduce their herbal and spice consumption.The reasoning is that these additives supposedly irritate the lungs, increase the development of mucus and flood the nervous system with toxins.There is, however, no clear scientific evidence to back this claim. There's in fact plenty of evidence to the contrary. Scientific evidence promotes the usage of spices for wellbeing, and has shown the anti-diabetic benefits of cinnamon, the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, and the immunity-enhancing properties of garlic 

1. It demonizes poorly cooked foods

Cooked foods are often viewed in the diet as nutritionally deficient, harmful and the source of many illnesses. It's real cooking will decrease the nutrient content of certain foods. Yet different forms of cooking have different effects on the depletion of nutrients. Cooking foods for brief periods at low temperatures with limited water tend to be the very best method for reducing nutrient losses. This being said, there is no clear medical evidence to support the claim that all fried foods are harmful to the body or raise the risk of illness.

In reality some fried foods can be safe and nutritious. For example , research shows that daily legume intake will reduce the colorectal cancer risk by 9–18 percent. Moreover, some foodstuffs are fried more nutritious than raw. Cooking for example increases the abundance of nutrients in asparagus, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots.

2. For the long run it is not viable

Another possible drawback of the 80/10/10 diet is that long-term follow may be challenging. In restaurants or other social contexts, for example, you may find it hard to find appropriate meal choices.The diet further limits how much protein and fat you can consume.While the 80/10/10 diet is undoubtedly rich in food, it contains relatively little protein, which in some instances can contribute to elevated feelings of hunger. This will make maintaining this diet more difficult in the long term.

3. It's mainly Pseudoscience focused

The 80/10/10 Diet makes some other statements which science does not confirm. For example, there was no clear statistical evidence to support the argument that all forms of cooked foods, regardless of the manner of cooking, raise the risk of illness. Many false arguments include those concerning gluten, a protein present in wheat , rye and barley.The diet 80/10/10 says gluten is extremely addictive and may lead to extreme neurological disorders. However, the assertion is not confirmed by any empirical evidence.

Lastly, the 80/10/10 diet often refers to the suggestion that such foods "acidify" the body and thereby encourage sickness.This definition, which is common among alkaline diet advocates, is based on the belief that certain foods will acidify the blood by reducing its pH. This "acidification" in effect is considered to be toxic to the bones and raise cancer risk.Yet science does not accept this definition. Indeed, multiple experiments suggest that the foods you consume have a very small effect on your blood 's pH. This is because the human body is programmed to control the blood 's pH closely, maintaining it still mildly alkaline. Moreover, science does not support the suggestion that diets that "acidify" raise the risk of cancer or damage the bones.

Will you have to do it?

The 80/10/10 diet encourages a healthy consumption of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and grains. But it's also unnecessarily conservative, not science-based, and likely to reduce the intake of essential nutrients. Overall, this diet can make it hard for you to fulfill your nutritional needs, which is why you should avoid it.