The Carnivore Diet
- February 15, 2020
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What is carnivore?
It is a nutrient dense whole meat focused diet. This means it is the exact opposite of a vegan diet. It adheres to the fact that the human body requires protein and fat to survive and eliminates a non-essential macronutrient group, carbohydrates.
Why would someone want to participate in a carnivore diet?
There is solid data coming out suggesting the carnivore diet can be hugely beneficial for those with autoimmune disorders and gut health issues. Many people who have participated in it report that it was much easier for their body to digest. Read more about carnivore on this blog post from <<CHOMPS>>.
For myself:
If you have been following my story for the past year then you might have read or heard me speak about my own digestive health struggles. After a trip to Hawaii with my husband, I came back home, to the worst abdominal pain of my life, appendicitis, complete colon distress and a 13 day hospital stay. In case you missed it, you can read the whole story, “From Hospital Bed to TEDx” HERE.
When I first got out of the hospital, I had a physician mandate a “low residue” diet. Typically, this diet normally means highly processed foods, the type of foods I truly don’t eat and don’t recommend to my clients. The only healthy foods out of this suggested way of eating were well cooked meats (think stewed meat, roasted) and boiled vegetables. Eating this way gave my digestive system time to heal and allowed me to consume nutrient dense foods without much difficulty. I did miss my normal way of eating but slowly adapted.
What I found, after I had my appendix surgery in April 2019, was that my gut was very sensitive to foods I had previously loved eating. These foods were things like, nuts, seeds, most vegetables and fruits. Following this, I kept to my gluten, grains and dairy-free diet. I started eliminating even more, like oxalates.
What are oxalates?
High oxalate foods include popular paleo diet foods like: almonds, chia, cashews, kale, chocolate, cinnamon, cumin, raspberries and blackberries. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but you can read from the items listed, that these are some of my personally favorite foods. To not be able to eat them, made my “eating world” very small. I adopted a mostly carnivore diet and has been what has worked best for me for the past year. Read more about oxalates in a blog article from Jill Carnahan HERE.
My personal version of carnivore differs from that of strict versions.
I do enjoy some vegetables (asparagus, cucumbers, riced cauliflower) but most others still cause digestive issues for me.
So, my diet incorporates eggs, beef, pork, bison, fish, rare poultry. I’ve managed to gain back most of the weight I lost last February 2019 during my 13 day hospitalization and I’m sleeping well and have great energy!
This picture of me is 10 years old. I worked a grueling NP schedule, got little sleep, ate gluten, grains and dairy. I was too skinny, in my opinion. Everything changed when I eliminated inflammatory foods, began eating meat and lifting heavy.
This picture is more recent. I lift weights never eat gluten or dairy and prioritize a variety of animal proteins.
Carnivore Diet Recommendations:
1. A general elimination diet can be beneficial for most, if not all, individuals at some point in their lives.
2. Each person has their own genetic makeup. Please do what works for you and understand it may not work for someone else …and that’s ok!
3. Start with the removal of the most inflammatory foods… gluten, grains, dairy, processed sugars, soy; if you continue to have gut health issues, it may be beneficial to restrict more items: cruciferous veggies, oxalate rich foods, eggs, nuts, seeds, etc.
4. Work with someone that is knowledgeable in helping to support you.
5. Consider intermittent fasting. More digestive rest is HUGELY beneficial for most people. We, first world people, eat too much and all day long which makes it harder for our bodies to process food efficiently.
If you would like to know and learn more from a Carnivore Diet expert, then I highly recommend checking out the Carnivore Diet Meal Plan by Carnivore Aurelius. You can visit this additional information <<HERE>>
Let me know your thoughts on The Carnivore Diet. I would love to hear from you and engage in thoughtful conversation. The way we fuel our bodies is not one-size-fits-all. I encourage everyone to try whole foods and eliminate inflammatory items as much as they can.
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