The Carnivore Diet: My Goals and Why I Decided To Try It
I very recently decided to try the very controversial and extreme carnivore diet. You probably think I’m crazy… but let me explain why. I’ve been hearing many benefits of this zero-carb diet for a while now. Many of the people online who are reaping the most benefits are those with autoimmune conditions, similar to mine. These stories have been intriguing, and have sparked my interest. As an avid nutrition researcher I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now, but have always been hesitant.
When I first heard about this new eating trend I was blown away. I’ve been a huge advocate for fruits and vegetables for years now, so this diet scared me. But I finally decided to give it a shot. Disclaimer: I am not trying to give dietary advice, nor encourage anyone to try the carnivore. I am merely sharing my thoughts, experience and the little information I have learned to far on the diet.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet consists of eating only animal foods, salt and water. No fruits, vegetables, breads, grains, nuts, seeds or drinks. Some claim there is flexibility for fatty dairy and eggs, while some suggest strictly eating red meat and salt. Pretty insane right? It’s based off the idea that our ancestors primarily lived on meat and fish. Hunting big animals had a much greater calorific return rate than foraging small fruits and vegetables. Additionally, it is well known that plants contain certain protective chemicals that may be harmful to humans. Take a look at content from Dr. Shawn Baker, Dr. Kiltz, or Dr. Anthony Chaffee if you want to learn more about the diet.
What are the benefits of the Carnivore Diet?
I don’t want to go into too much depth here since there are already tons of good resources describing the benefits, but there are a ton you can expect from this diet. The advocates claim you can experience weight loss, improved metabolic health (increased insulin sensitivity), improved gut health, increased testosterone, improved skin health, decreased inflammation, reversal of autoimmune conditions, increased mental clarity and focus, increased energy levels, and increased muscle mass.
Why Carnivore is the Ultimate Elimination Diet
I’ve come to the realization that eating carnivore is the ultimate elimination diet, here’s why. By only consuming meat you are giving your body a break from anything that could potentially be difficult to break down and damaging to your gut. Plants have certain defense chemicals that can disturb the lining of your gut, despite providing nutritional benefits. Your gut can therefore heal, thus healing your immune system and improving autoimmune conditions.
Why am I doing it?
For the past 2 years I have implemented an elimination diet known as the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP). The AIP diet removes all processed foods, gluten, dairy, nuts, seeds and nightshade vegetables. Eliminating these foods has worked great at improving my psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. But I decided to take it a step further.
The primary reason I’ve chosen to try carnivore is that I want to get a strong hold on my autoimmune diseases, without the need for medication. I’m a big proponent of natural and functional medicine. I believe the less medication the better. In the past year I’ve experienced quite a severe and stubborn flare of Psoriasis. I don’t want to rely on topical steroids to clear my skin. I realized I need to tighten up my diet and take my elimination further. Considering carnivore is essentially the strictest form of an elimination diet, I figured it was a good time.
Additionally, I really wanted to see what all the hype was about. As I said, I have been an avid nutrition and diet researcher for several years now and the carnivore diet has always been on my radar. It’s hard to knock other people down for loving a diet when you haven’t tried it yourself. I’ve heard countless success stories online from people who claim the carnivore diet has made them feel like a superhero, which doesn’t sounds too bad!
How I am doing the Carnivore Diet?
My goal is to go 30 days strict, only eating meat, fish and animal fat. Depending on how I feel I will push to 3 months. I plan on eating mostly ruminant meat and fats. Only occasionally eating chicken or pork. I’ll also get at least 2 servings of organ meat and fish in per week. I am striving for grass fed, grass finished, organic and non-GMO animals.
Here is a list of what I’ll be eating:
- meat – beef (ground, steaks, roasts), lamb, poultry, pork
- organ meat (mostly beef liver and heart) 1-3 times per month
- fish – salmon, sardines, cod, halibut
- animal fats – bone marrow, beef tallow, ghee, duck fat
- bone broth (salt, water, bones only)
My goals with the Carnivore Diet.
I’m hoping to heal my gut and reset my immune system, ideally putting all my autoimmune conditions in remission. In the next 30-90 days I want my psoriasis flare to be gone and my joints to be inflammation free. I was diagnosed with Scleritis a few years ago and have had stubborn eye floaters since, I want those to be gone. I’ve had problems with receding gums in the past, I want that to completely heal. I sometime experience unexplained fatigue, which is linked to autoimmunity. I’m hoping for those energy dips to go away.
In addition to the autoimmune benefits, I want to have better focus and mental clarity. I also want to get super lean and increase physical performance. I realize I sound quite ambitious, and it’s important I don’t forget that just because it works for some people, doesn’t mean it will work for me. Nevertheless, I am really excited about finally pursing the carnivore diet. I will be sharing my progress throughout, posting videos and short writings describing how I feel and look. Stay tuned!