I've been doing a ton of reading and research on the biggest controversy in the raw food world - high fruit vs. high fat. Both sides have very compelling arguments.
Of course High Fat Rawist I ndulge in tons of seeds, nut butters, avocados, raw chocolate yummies and more. I analyzed my diet and, in fact, at least 60% of my calories given the day come from fat - good fat but fat nonetheless. Critics of the High Fat Raw diet content that fat (whether cooked or raw) in high amounts is not good for the body and has a laundry list of ailments associated with it - included are many of the diseases that we, as raw vegans, are trying to avoid.
The High Fruit Rawist adheres to an 80/10/10 philosophy of 80% carbs, 10% protein, and 10% fat. The only way to have those types of percentages is to incorporate a large amount of fruit. Critics will site all the disadvantages of a diet with sugar - tooth decay, addition, sugar highs/lows, pancreas problems, etc. Critics may also attack the low protein levels as problematic. Interestingly, wild fruit has a much lower sugar content than our cultivated fruits.
So, what make the High Fruit Rawist think this is the right approach? In one word - NATURE......
These are the four closest species to humans and what they eat:
Bonobos: Primarily frugivorous (fruit eaters). Supplements with leaves and small amounts of meat from small vertebrates.
Chimpanzees: Mainly vegetarian – raw fruits, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, insects and occasionally hunts for meat.
Gorillas: Herbivore – raw fruit, leaves and shoots. Small amounts of insects.
Orangutans: Raw fruit, shoots, bark, mineral-rich soil, bird eggs, insects, small invertebrates.
And here is the Standard American Diet plus the two versions of Raw:
Standard American Diet: Grain-based, processed and cooked carbohydrates, significant animal protein and dairy with minimal amounts of fruit and cooked vegetables.
High Fat Raw Diet: Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconuts with some greens and small amounts of fruit and sprouts. Lots of dried foods.
High Fruit Raw Diet: Primarily fruit, leafy greens, vegetables. Small amounts of nuts, seeds and avocados.
Basically the only diet above that a primate would eat is the High Fruit Raw Diet. Also, in terms of protein I read the most interesting article about protein and breast milk. The infantile stage is probably the stage where most growth and development occur. Protein as been anointed as the Bullet that propels strong growth. However, breast milk only contains 5-10% protein. This is a diet that a baby could conceivably be on for several years if our society was more accepting. How does that small amount of protein result in a strong, healthy child if protein is so important? Also, in the China Study, Dr. Campbell studies people living in rural China who eat as low as 6% of calories from fat.
Having been on the "high fat" side of raw food for about four years now, I do have a crazy yearning to go deeper into the world of raw. It seems that all High Fruit proponents followed the High Fat lifestyle for several years but no "raw newbies" jump in on the High Fruit side. So, maybe I'm just done with my indoctrination period?
I'm interested in given this a try. I'm going to do a little more research and then perhaps give myself a little trial period of going High Fruit for a bit. I don't know why but this makes me nervous........................
