Pros and Cons of the 80-10-10 Diet

A new diet trend called the 80/10/10 diet is making the rounds, and several of you have asked me to weigh in. The goal is to get 80% of your calories from carbohydrates–primarily raw fruit–and 10% each from raw, plant-based protein and fat. Raw food and vegan diets are nothing new, of course. But the catchy new name has breathed new life into an old trend.

As with any diet fad, this one comes with big claims, such as weight loss, reversal of chronic disease and aging, and better energy, sleep, mood, and athletic performance. The 80/10/10 diet also boasts a best-selling book by a guru with questionable credentials, a bevy of true believers, and a crowd of equally passionate critics and detractors. 

I’m going to steer clear of the personalities and the politics, though, and try to focus on the nutritional aspects of the diet itself. Is the 80/10/10 diet a healthy way to eat? Is it necessary to go to these extremes in order to feel and function at our best? Is it safe? Here are what I see as the primary pros and cons of this approach:

Pros of the 80/10/10 Diet

1. You eat a lot of produce. The primary advantage of this approach is that you eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, foods that provide a lot of nutrients for relatively few calories. Compared to the typical American diet, where adults average just 2 servings of vegetables a day, this represents a big upgrade. But the amount of produce you eat on the 80/10/10 diet is probably overkill. While diets higher in fruits and vegetables are associated with longer, healthier lives, recent analysis suggests that the benefits peak at around 5 or so servings a day. Eating 10 (or 50) servings a day doesn’t seem to bring any additional dividends over the long haul.

2. You don’t eat any processed foods. In my previous show on raw food diets, I concluded that a mix of raw and cooked foods is probably ideal. While some nutrients are lost when foods are heated, others are made more absorbable. In my view, the primary advantage of raw food diets is simply that they exclude most of the highly processed, nutrient-poor food that junks up so much of the American diet. Similarly, the 80/10/10 diet completely eliminates refined grains, added sugars, fried foods, and processed foods.

Cons of the 80/10/10 Diet

1. It’s very high in sugar. On the 80/10/10 diet, you eat a lot of fruit—20 servings a day or more. Why? In order to get 80% of your calories from raw vegetables, you’d have to eat virtually around the clock. Because fruit contains a lot of sugar, the calories add up a lot quicker. But even natural sources of sugar, like fruit, can be consumed to excess. For those with diabetes or blood sugar issues, eating massive amounts of fruit all by itself can even be harmful. So, while I want you to load up on the vegetables, I usually advise keeping fruit to 2-4 servings a day.

2. It’s very low in fat. Although the fat you get on the 80/10/10 diet is from healthy sources, such as avocados, I don’t think there’s nearly enough of it. For one thing, fat helps slow down the absorption of sugar from foods, which helps to keep blood sugar, energy, and appetite on a more even keel. But fat also supplies important nutrients that keep your heart, brain, skin, and other systems healthy, and enhances the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. Although I wouldn’t be that worried if you only did it for a day or two, eating a very low-fat diet such as this one for extended periods can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

3. It’s very low in protein. The 80/10/10 diet provides enough protein to meet basic biological needs—but no more. As I’ve talked about before, there are several advantages to getting a bit more than the minimum amount of protein. Protein helps regulate appetite and preserve lean muscle mass, supports immune function and tissue repair, and fuels brain function. If you are losing weight on the 80/10/10 diet (or you are over 60 years old), you are likely to be losing a substantial amount of lean muscle tissue.

4. Risk of incomplete or inadequate nutrition. Along with all cooked and processed foods, the 80/10/10 diet eliminates meat, fish, eggs, dairy, grains, and legumes. Although no one of these foods is essential to a healthy diet, highly restrictive diets like this one greatly increase the chances of nutrient shortfalls.

See also: How Important is a Varied Diet?

Bottom Line on the 80/10/10 Diet

Personally, I think the the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of the 80/10/10 diet–all of which could be gotten from a far less extreme approach. For some people, such as those in poor health or with diabetes, I think it could be downright dangerous. For those who are in good health, it might be interesting to do for a day or two at a time, but I really can’t recommend the 80/10/10 diet as a sustained lifestyle.

If you have comments or questions, I’d love to hear them. Post them below or on the Nutrition Diva Facebook page. And be sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter, for more tips, recipes, and answers to your nutrition questions.

Photos of fruit stand and grocery-scale bag courtesy of Shutterstock.