Carnivore diet
How Can You Heal Gut Issues, Lose Weight and Improve Your Overall Health?
The answer might surprise you!
Remember when we were kids and our parents would always repeat the doctor’s words: “Eat your veggies, because they will make you healthy”? It is sound advice, in most of the cases. But what if you can heal many health problems by avoiding all the veggies?!
The carnivore way
After all the trends with the Vegan diet, and especially the Keto diet, there is a new-old kid on the block: the Carnivore diet! Why is this diet any different than all the other ones?
It advocates eating almost exclusively meat. Some include eggs and dairy, but a strict carnivore diet (at least in its rawest form) comes down to consuming red meat, poultry, and fish. OK, you might ask, why would you eat this kind of strict diet?
Elimination diet
First of all, it is an elimination diet. Many proponents of this food choice will claim that it is the ultimate elimination diet. The reason is in the fact that there are almost no allergic reactions or digestion problems among people with red meat. Eggs and dairy are higher risk and are often excluded from the diet, at least in the beginning. Also, all the fruits and vegetables are not allowed.
Why is that?
Unfortunately, many people have problems digesting various plants, since they can cause bloating, allergies and some chronic health issues. Vegetables contain some substances that are mostly there to protect them, such as oxalates, nitrates/nitrites, glycoalkaloids, etc. These substances can be very bad for us and we should avoid them. So, avoiding them can remove many causes for our health problems. In time, when you start feeling better, you can slowly include these types of foods to see how your body reacts to them. That way you will identify what food was causing the problems in the first place.
Origins of carnivore diet
Our ancestors in the distant past were eating mostly meat. There is evidence that ancient people were eating meat as early as 2 millions of years ago. Agriculture, eating vegetables and grains in particular, started just about 11000 years ago. So, meat as a primary source of food is much older than eating fruits and vegetables.
In modern times, we can mention the famous case of Vilhjalmur Stefansson. He was an explorer with an unusual name (Icelandic by origin) and an even more unusual story. Stefansson was fascinated with the Innuit and did a lot of research about them. On one occasion, he was stranded in the North for a long period of time and remained with them for a long time. During these times, he was forced to eat only meat, most of it fish, prepared in different ways. He experienced no side effects; on the contrary, his health improved and he felt great!
When he returned to America, along with one member of his expeditions, he was part of an all-meat diet experiment. For a whole year, they were eating only meat, including organ meat.
The results were as follows:
- they were in good mental and physical health.
- no problems with digestion or the deterioration of their teeth was present
- their blood pressure was normal and had no vitamin deficiency
- the acidity of the urine was higher 2–3 times than normal, but they had no kidney issues.
According to the mainstream science paradigm 100 years ago, and even today, this should not be the case. In fact, it contradicts the basic recommendation of mainstream medicine to eat vegetables, fruits and grain on a daily basis. So, this experiment has shown that you can be healthy eating only meat.
One thing that might surprise you is that in fact, our body does not need vegetables or any other carbohydrates! There are essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, but there are no “essential carbs”. You can live, survive and thrive without carbohydrates.
For decades, we have been taught that we have to use carbs as fuel for the body. That is simply not true. If you start eating a low-carb diet, with enough fat and protein, your body will adapt and start using fat as fuel. That is the essence of keto, carnivore, and any low-carb diet. This way of eating is sustainable and many people practice it for years, while staying healthy and fit.
What about vitamins and minerals, you might ask, that we find in vegetables and fruit, such as vitamin C? It turns out that you can get even vitamin C from eating fish and still stay healthy. For example, Innuit specialty called Muktuk (frozen whale skin and blubber) has 36 grams of vitamin C, which is comparable to an orange! That can prove that carnivore is sustainable and can be a healthy way of life.
An interesting example of implementing a carnivore diet as therapy in a medical clinic can be found in Hungary. This center, known as Paleomedicina , is famous for using a paleo-carnivore diet in treatment of diabetes, many autoimmune diseases, and even cancer. The diet consists of fat vs. protein in a 2:1 ratio. All carbs are excluded, except some small amount of leafy greens, as long as they don’t kick patients out of ketosis. The doctors claim to have reversed Crohn’s disease , had success with type 1 diabetes, and with leaky gut syndrome.
In America we also have strong proponents of carnivore diet as a sustainable, healthy way of life. Dr Shawn Baker and Dr Paul Saladino are among the most famous representatives of this movement. For example, Dr Baker has many testimonials on his website from people who have cured many different mental and physical issues with carnivore diet. Now, they are preparing a big, clinical study to prove the beneficial effect of going Carnivore. Dr Baker is convinced that it will confirm all the personal testimonials and cases from his medical practice. Interestingly, many people, including Dr Baker himself, have used this diet as treatment, but are planning to stay on it in the future. For them, a carnivore diet has become a way of life.
Final thought
This diet probably won’t become mainstream, because, let’s face it: it is not politically correct and is a pretty strict type of diet. It is like a radical version of the Keto diet that is rather popular today. Many claim that they have solved various health problems with this diet. However, it is not likely that they will remain carnivores for the rest of their lives.
As already stated, it is very restrictive (not too many options out there) and frankly, can get tedious. You are allowed to eat meat in all shapes and forms (including fish and seafood) and eggs. Some would also include dairy products also, but this would depend on how strict your definition of carnivore diet is. Everything else, meaning fruits and vegetables, is not allowed. When it comes to drinks you have water and bone broth. No juices, or alcohol. Sounds very dull, right?
Let me be clear: I eat meat and eat it often, but I also love my veggies. Unless I develop some serious health issues, I would never become a true carnivore. It is my deepest belief that eating salads, or some type of leafy greens, will do good for most people and won’t make you fat.
Therefore, everyone should find out what works for them best. Test it and see if you are vegan deep inside, a carnivore, a Keto person, or a good old omnivore. One last hint: there are no wrong answers! Whatever works for you, that is your truth. Bon appetit!
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Sources:
Carbohydrate is NOT essential for your health
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/75/5/951/4689417?login=false
https://chem494.community.uaf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/507/2016/01/inuit-paradox.pdf
https://www.paleomedicina.com/en
International Journal of Case Reports and Images 2014: Type 1 diabetes mellitus