Carnivore Diet

Apr 11

Our Diet Should be 80/20

Edited: April 16th.

Until early 2022, I followed a conventional "balanced diet" recommended by doctors. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables (get your five a day. UK only). Carbohydrates and sugars are the "best energy source for your brain."

And like the rest of us, I believed it; why wouldn’t we, their doctors, they have our best interest at the heart of their decisions? They are not out to hurt us; they protect us. Sometimes from ourselves. They are taught from decades of scientific research. Saturated fats and salt are bad. Sugars are good.

Well, BULLSHIT!

Before the age of the internet, or the World Wide Web, if you grew up in the 90s, all we had was doctors and their research that wasn’t funded by cereal or pharmaceutical companies.

Am I just regurgitating some conspiracy theory? Maybe.

But the age we’re in right now, where information is freely available at the literal touch of a button, has other plans. A simple search will tell you that sugar is one of the worst compounds you can put in your body; third, I think only to high fructose corn syrup and maltodextrin.

If cut from your diet, it will greatly reduce the risk of cancer. Cancer feeds on sugar and carbs (glucose), and it damages mitochondria (our cell’s power stations), which leads to cells feeding on a different energy source,

“Cancer cells, due to the Warburg effect, constitutively exhibit decreased oxidative metabolism of glucose and are thus expected to inherently possess a survival advantage in suspension.”

Read more here.

In early 2022, I switched to the Keto diet; I had already given up sugar sometime before. I reduced my carb intake by a third and increased my protein and animal fat consumption.

This wasn’t a great leap for me as my previous diet wasn’t too far removed from Keto. With a few minor changes, I was set. At this time, due to my job as a bartender and my work ethic, once I start, I don’t like to stop, not even for a food break, as that will slow me down, and I’d find it hard to get back up to speed.

So, I was already doing O.M.A.D. One Meal A Day. More commonly known as Intermittent fasting.

Some debate whether humans are herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, or hyper-carnivores. This is not a discussion I am interested in having. Whether we should all be vegans or carnivores is debatable, just like which is better for the animals or the planet.

I'm only interested in what is best for me.

Having said that,

Vegans quote “research” from vegan doctors on vegan websites. They pronounce that “Meat is Murder” and eating “None Human Animal Flesh” is animal abuse. They try to shame you into quitting meat.

Unbiased research says animal products liquefy in our digestive system, whereas fruits and vegetables (fibre) do not. In fact, they pass pretty much as chewed.

And, of course, eggs, red meat and liver are some of the most nutrient-dense foods out there. Unlike plant-based foods that do not contain B12 (except seaweed), you need a B12 supplement. Maybe this is why vegans are fucking crazy. A deficiency of B12 will affect the brain in negative ways.

This is recognised as pregnant vegan women are told to eat food that contains B12 or take a supplement as a lack of B12 will affect the baby’s brain development.

Am I unbiased? No.

I’ve been around for 47 years, and over that time, I have rarely eaten vegetables. In fact, I’ve only eaten them when someone else has cooked them for me. Mother, sister, aunties, vendors. Why did they cook them? Because it’s what we were all taught by doctors and advertising growing up. Get Your Five-a-day.

I never get sick. Apart from the odd cold once a year, which usually only lasts a day or so. But that’s it. I never take medication as I see it as nothing more than a plaster to cover the problem rather than solve it. I’d rather my body did the work. The healing.

Some people find that stupid. These people usually suffer a lot from illness. They also can’t understand that I only eat once a day (OMAD). Again, these people usually suffer from fatigue and illness and are either very thin or overweight and eat junk. Yet, they tell me to eat more…

Rant over.

As someone always looking for the optimal diet, I occasionally switch things up to see what happens. Switching from Keto to Carnivore wasn't a giant leap; it just meant I'd cut out the carbs and replace them with more red meat and fat. Although I love meat and always have, I did find the Carnivore diet boring. There isn’t a lot of variety.

I am not a "foody" by any stretch of the imagination and see food as nothing more than fuel for my body. The idea of "First, you eat with your eyes" is not something I care about. I want to eat my food, not look at it.

I want food, not a Picasso.

Again, this is something I hear from friends who are less healthy.

So, my plates are broken into segments, such as eggs, liver, sausage, and steak. It may not look pretty, but it's not supposed to - it's supposed to fit on the plate.

To combat the blandness of this diet, I figured it was not something I'd do long-term. I'll fit it into my yearly diet plan but keep it from becoming the one and only. It's an excellent way to kick-start ketosis, starting after a high-carb bulking workout phase before going back to Keto.

I like this diet, but only as a transitional phase from one diet to another, such as High-Carb to Keto. The ultimate goal is to consume nutrient-dense foods year-round without becoming the be-all and end-all of my food intake.

While food is just fuel to me, I still want to enjoy eating it. After all, if you don't enjoy it, why eat it?

I’ll get used to Liver soon, I promise.

Over the last few months on this diet, I haven’t really noticed any great difference in the way I feel, physically or mentally, but then, as I’ve already said, it wasn’t a big change from Keto.

Also, a week before starting this, I went 99% sober (read the previous post), which I think has more to do with any cognitive differences.

I have found that getting up in the morning is more difficult. It used to be easy to get up every morning at 5 am. Now, not so much. That could be because of reduced carbs/sugars or that I have been cheating. By eating a few carbs and chocolate.

Which kick me out of ketosis and reduce my energy levels. I don’t know; I’m not a doctor.