So I am super super new. I've been browsing every forum I can get my hands on. That being said, I'm still a little confused on something. Some forums say do an 80-10-10 diet (woohoo! I'm learning my lingo) others are more fruits to and veggies and a little fat vice versa and some just cut out all fats. Some just eat what they want. I'm entirely confused. I apologize if this has been asked before but I haven't been able to find a definitive answer.

There is no definitive answer. The issue is that most people start of with the Standard American Diet, and moving to a healthful raw diet is a very large step. There is much healing that has to happen before being able to move from a high fat cooked diet, full of foods that stimulate or numb the body, into eating foods that offer none of these emotional aids.

Long term on the raw diet, you want to be eating simple meals with lots of fruits and salads. But to get there, you may have to take smaller baby steps.

This might mean slowly upping your raw intake over a period of several months or years. Or going high or all raw, but hanging on to high fat until you can lower the fat. Or a small minority is able to go to a healthy all raw diet right away. If you are not attached to any particular foods, and don't eat for emotional reasons, you may be able to jump to a low fat all raw diet right away.

You need to find out what works for you.

Hello Mello,
I think there is a number of different views on what is optimal. I used to be confused and annoyed that there wasn't a consensus on these issues. I have grown to accept that, and actually appreciate that a lot! People try different things and might advocate one thing or another, only to modify it later based on their experience or knew knowledge. Some may also have some particular needs for health conditions or habits which just fit into their taste preferences and lifestyle better than others. So there may not be one single answer to your question!

I am not a newbie, but not an old hand either. Since I see that no one has posted yet, I'll give a first stab at an answer. I'm certainly no expert, but here's what I have found:

When I first went raw, I trusted my instincts and ate whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted as long as it was raw. I think that helped me to be successful in my transition, although many others transition much more slowly. By experimenting on my own I found that I felt better with less fat and protein. I got interested in 80-10-10 by reading about it on forums like you've been doing.

80-10-10 is referring to 80% carb, 10% fat and 10% protein. I haven't read The 80-10-10 Diet by Dr. Douglas Graham, but people who have read the book often recommend it strongly. To monitor what your percentages are, you can enter what you eat on a site like fitday.com or nutridiary.com. Doing that also allows you to look at the nutritional value (vitamins and minerals) of what you've eaten to see where you might want to vary your diet. If you eat as many bananas as I do you won't be lacking in potassium! Some people supplement B12. You can read about that elsewhere on this forum. I feel great keeping my fat and protein low. I eat lots of fruit for its nutritional value and for the energy it gives me. Besides, I LOVE it! It's not JUST fruit, though. Leafy greens are important too. And vegetables provide minerals.

But, everyone isn't the same. Some people feel that they do better with less fruit and more fat. As long as you read enough to be knowledgeable about what you are doing, it makes sense to experiment and find out what feels right for you. It may be a slightly higher percentage of fat (from nuts, seeds, avocado) or more. Either way, it's still good to eat lots of leafy greens.


My favorite raw vegan

Thanks everyone. I have a program I got from another raw forum and I was testing it out today and it looked really good. (the name is somethingmeter. I'm not sure) and I put in all of my favorite foods and 80-10-10 will NOT work for me. I would love to lose a little bit of weight but that's not the big deal for me. I'd like to feel 23 instead of feeling like I'm double that age.

Hi Mello,

As you continue to read around, I'm sure you'll find quite a few comments from people who have lost quite a bit of weight and made huge strides in their personal energy and health while eating fairly high-fat raw food diets, e.g. 2-3 avocados a day. If a higher fat raw diet is what you feel drawn to right now, then don't feel conflicted about it (or try not to feel conflicted). Where you are now is not where you will always be. The best thing is to be where you are, and try to make sure that your road is taking you to higher places.

Try all the diffent types and see what works for you. After learning a little bit you'll liberate yourself from other people's recipes and restrictions and make up your own diet just for you.

How to eat, Simple:
50% fruit
40% greens
5% other vegetables
5% other things (you choose)