A couple of weeks ago I shared about the health improvements I’ve seen since upgrading my nutrition, and naturally a number of you asked me to share what I’ve changed.
Eight years ago, I encountered a dietary approach that was new to me. I did some brief reading on a personal website of someone sharing her experience, and while I appreciated it was beneficial to the individual sharing about it, I didn’t read more deeply with the intent to understand.
A year later, I came across information about this same approach, but this time I was intellectually curious enough to do a LOT of reading. After a deep dive, I was intrigued by the level of healing I had never seen before on any eating plan I had investigated – not whole foods, vegetarian, vegan, keto, WAP (Weston A. Price) – all of which I’ve experimented with personally at length.
What was most fascinating and surprising to me was seeing the healing of significant mental health issues that are assumed to be treatable only with medication. I had never seen testimonials of people with issues like these healed by any other diet. I also saw a tremendous amount of physical healing of many issues that generally aren’t considered dietically related (everything, everything, everything about your health is impacted by what you eat!!!). It was just amazing.
My husband has a much more sensitive digestive system than I do and as a result, has to be very careful about what he eats. I told my husband about the many testimonials of physical healing I read about, and it was about seven years ago that I suggested he consider following these guidelines.
My husband has a lot of faith in my research, and began immediately without even reading any more about it. I began with him and felt great for the five weeks I did it but budgetarily it was a strain for us and since I wasn’t suffering any health issues or discomfort in any way, wanted to direct our food budget resources to him. He stayed with it for two and a half years before shifting back into GAPS due to finances.
Since then I’ve continued learning and reading about this approach. When I first came across it, it was known about by a relatively small group of people who had tried everything else to heal and were desperate enough to do something different. I came to believe this was an ideal way of eating but almost never spoke of what I learned: I wasn’t doing it myself, and secondly because it was completely opposite all mainstream nutrition advice so there’s so much to explain. I expected it would remain far outside of the social norms forever.
However, there were some high profile individuals who shared about their success eating like this. As a result, interest in this approach has grown and particularly in the last couple of years it has really gained traction.
This way of eating has become popularly known as the carnivore diet, though the term I originally heard used and still prefer is zero carb. I follow the guidelines of the original group where it’s kept really simple: meat, chicken, eggs, fish, beef fat and butter. I stay away from dairy for the most part (the hardest thing for me to give up was our own raw goat dairy, and why I took a very long time to commit to trying this).
I’ve been eating this way for ten months. Despite my reticence to share about this, this is something that can help with so many health issues and it would be selfish to keep it to myself.
Unfortunately our public nutritional guidelines are so completely corrupted that there’s no way for a person to achieve good health long term by following those guidelines. The official guidelines will lead to the doctor’s office and long term medications for physical and psychological diagnoses.
In contrast, zero carb eating can reverse many chronic conditions and keep a person healthy with minimal input from the medical system in most cases.
When I began researching this topic, there was very little available online. Most of the information was in Facebook groups. But now you can find so many people with lots of experience with this way of eating talking about it at length, including medical doctors from all disciplines.
If you want to know about why not vegetables (Dr. Anthony Chaffee), or what about cholesterol/ won’t this give you a heart attack (heart surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia), or how does it affect your mental health (pyschiatrist Dr. Georgia Eades), how to eat for fertility (Dr. Robert Kiltz), how it affects your eye health (Dr. Lisa Wiedeman), or every aspect of general health (Dr. Ken Berry, Dr. Shawn Baker) you have so much information available. I have listened to hundreds of interviews of people sharing their personal health transformations (No Carb Life has eight hundred so far; a number of other Youtube channels have many great interviews as well).
I believe this is the way of eating that will give the most health benefits to the average human, and though it’s not necessary for everyone, in that vast majority of people it will be very beneficial. I was in pretty good health but still have seen improvements in hormone balancing, joint pain, metabolism, energy and mental clarity.
It’s wonderful that something so simple can make such a big difference, and maybe that’s the hardest part about it. We’ve been conditioned to believe that achieving good health is complicated and difficult, when actually our bodies are intended to be healthy and move towards healing and wellness when given the nutritional building blocks it needs.
Avivah
Interesting. If it works, it works.
It would cost a fortune to feed a whole family this way, especially if using organic products.
As for me, I already aim for super-low carb/keto and lots of animal protein, but I think I need my salad.
Cost is the biggest issue. I don’t use organic products only – I can’t even imagine what stratosphere my budget would be in if I did!
Surprisingly to me since I enjoyed eating vegetables, I don’t miss salad. Unless I’m hungry, I actually never miss anything. That’s been a very nice benefit -as long as I eat enough, I have no food thoughts or cravings of any kind, regardless of the social situation.
I don’t understand. Once one cuts out all the highly processed food as well as the food waste I find even though I’m eating kosher and mostly organic non vaccinated non antibiotic and grass and hay fed , I save money . Plus you can eat hamburger and eggs and other items that are cheap
Thanks for your comment, Francine, and welcome!
If you are a typical person who eats out a lot or whose grocery shopping includes a lot of processed foods, eating carnivore can potentially save you money.
For me, I rarely ate out, didn’t eat any processed foods, bought things like grains and legumes in bulk and minimized food waste. So for us, we’re definitely spending more by eating like this – even eating the least expensive cuts of meat.
I’d love to hear tips of where and how you shop to cut your carnivore food costs, Francine! Where do you live?
I’m on israel . Tomorrow I’m going in on 1/4 of a cow , I’ve done that twice before plus lamb and goat and I do the kashering process myself after it has been slaughtered kosher .
I eat kosher carnivore and you don’t have to buy expensive cuts if meat ;hamburger and eggs will be fine . I find because I’m not buying all that processed food. I’m not throwing away unused vegees and there is hardly any waste. ( bones used for broth , and the fact that I’m no longer almost bedridden , less medical costs and soon I may actually be able to work again in my profession . Plus all the time I have saved on food prep. To me it’s a win win
How wonderful that you’re regaining your health! Absolutely that’s a huge gain in every way, potentially financially as well. Can you email me privately about how you buy a cow directly? I have a couple of other specific questions about the process as well. I’d be glad to buy an entire one if the price was right. (avivahwerner@yahoo.com) Thanks!
Thank you for posting your experience. Very interesting. Yes agree official diet guidance is very flawed. We have got a leaflet from our doctor for example suggesting basing all meals on starches such as bread and pasta for resolving issues such as diabetes (how does this make any sense, I do not know). I personally feel much better with mainly vegetables and beans/plant proteins and some fish but also, when you are generally well, sometimes it’s hard to know what the long term impact is of how you eat now. You might only find out in 10 years.
The diabetes recommendations are so disturbing – following the recommendations could even lead to diabetes and definitely make it worse if it already exists.
I agree about the generally well issue. That’s me – I’ve bli ayin hara been healthy my whole life and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I got this pain in my hip that motivated me to do something different. What’s interesting is to resolve things that I didn’t know were issues – there are ways that I now function better that I didn’t realize weren’t functioning ideally until they improved.
I am not sure what to think about this. I can’t imagine giving up Vegies. I have read books on eat according to your blood type, and Keto . I’m gonna continue looking into what you wrote. Hatzlocha and very happy it’s helping you.
I thought giving up vegetables sounded completely crazy, Rachelli! It wasn’t until a year later when I came across it a second time that I was willing to look into it more.
Carnivore is on the spectrum of ketogenic diets.
I don’t agree with the premise of the blood type diet, but can’t say there’s nothing to it because there’s so much we don’t know.
It’s definitely interesting learning more, that’s for sure!
Fascinating. I would love to hear how you reconcile your eating habits halachicly and hashkaficly.
Halachically I assume you mean eating challah/matza – I eat matza for the seder, and I had challah for the first night of Sukkos. Otherwise I have a reviis of grape juice (usually watered down a bit but not always) at kiddush to be yotzei.
I’m not sure what you mean about hashkafically?
I tried it and I did feel better but found it extremely difficult to maintain long term with everyone else being on a regular diet. I think for a normal healthy person something more like a mediterranean diet is much more doable. And yeah we are so conditioned that you must eat vegetable to be healthy, it’s hard to assimilate not eating any:)
Hi, Regina! A Mediterranean diet is easier and more affordable but isn’t going to have the same kind of positive health impacts.
For me, it’s easier to eat this way when it’s just me. When my husband and now two sons joined me in eating this way, it actually became harder because now I don’t want to say, this xyz item in the fridge is mine and no one should touch it. Right now another challenge that comes with not not feeding everyone this way (cost) is wanting to make things that those who don’t eat this way can have that won’t be too tempting for my twelve year old.
Thanks for including so many links, Avivah. I’m particularly interested in the mental health benefits. But concerned about losing too much weight, as I’m very slender. Do you know if there is anyone who addresses this in particular?
Chaya Dina,
There’s a video by Matt Fradd (Pints with Aquinas on YouTube) where he interviews his wife who had several health issues for years that have been resolved with carnivore & she was already thin & also worried about losing more. She not only didn’t lose, but put a little on and looks healthier than she has in a long time too!
I’ve heard of others finally resolving health issues on carnivore too. I just don’t know if I have enough self discipline to pull it off if ever I needed to for some reason.
Thanks for sharing Avivah!
Kelly
Thank you for your response to Chaya Dina, Kelly!
I suppose if someone had a really good reason, they could do whatever they needed to in order to feel better. When my ‘why’ is clear to me, it’s much easier for me to stay committed. It doesn’t take much discipline once you feel good to keep eating the way that made you feel good. 🙂
But sometimes I get so busy that I don’t prepare my food in a timely way, and then I get hungry – and once you’re hungry, you need discipline!
I understand your concern – I had the opposite hesitation about beginning, as women sometimes gain weight when beginning to eat this way. I’ve seen that the body what it needs to heal when given the input it needs. A common mistake I see is people not eating enough, which ironically leads to stalls in losing weight for some and causes others to lose more weight than they want to lose.
There’s something called the ZC (zero carb) Zen, which is the sense of well-being people experience when they begin eating this way. The mind calms down and people generally feel much less anxious and more positive soon after beginning. It’s a very real thing and it’s amazing to see people with decades of serious depression feel better in a short time.
Can you explain more about the vegetables part? (I clicked the link and my filter blocked it.) I understand no carbs, and I understand that carbs includes not just sugar and grains but also legumes, starchy veggies, and fruit. I feel great on “regular” keto, although I don’t keep it up consistently. (I often eat a bit of fruit here and there, and/or plain old “cheat”/taste/ do 90-10, which knocks me out of keto.)
When I try to pay attention to what my body wants/needs, a lot of the time I feel like I need a good salad with greens, non-starchy veggis, garlic, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice. Just animal protein gets too “heavy” for me. It’s what I eat when I’m lazy and don’t take the time to cut myself a salad. Is this some unhealthy craving, like the people who tell me that they just “need” something sweet/carby? (and I’m thinking to myself that if they would just eat less of this stuff, they would also crave it less.) Or is the problem that I often have sauces etc. with my animal protein that have some sweeteners and other non-carnivore things? Maybe that’s what my body can’t take too much of.
Please reassure me that in general, vegetables are healthy!
There are anti-nutrients in vegetables. Here’s a link that hopefully will be helpful that your filter will allow – https://ukcarnivoreclub.com/2023/04/22/is-dr-chaffee-right-are-plants-trying-to-kill-you/. I won’t say that vegetables are unhealthy but personally would be very cautious about green leafy vegetables, due to the high oxalate load – I’ve seen a number of long term vegans and vegetarians have a lot of issues with joint issues due to oxalate overload (also in almonds, a popular alternative flour substitute). I still serve vegetables to my family.
To know if it’s the animal protein that’s too heavy or something that you’re adding to it, you’d have to try eating it without it and see how you feel. The additives are definitely a factor to consider before coming to conclusions about what your body is reacting to/craving.
Though eating all animal protein sounds heavy, I don’t experience it that way at all. I eat until I’m comfortably full, high fat/moderate protein. I usually eat twice a day.
I appreciate that as long as I eat this way, I never have gas, indigestion, bloating or physical discomfort after eating any food; I don’t have the experience of getting too full or uncomfortable from eating more than I should (which used to happen sometimes).
No more Shabbat challah?
No. 🙂
What about fiber? Are you saying that we don’t need it for gut health?
Yes, that’s right – it’s not necessary for gut health. If this is a topic that interests you, do some exploratory reading/learning about what creates a healthy microbiome.
What is the reason for not eating fermented foods like kefir/yogurt or vegetables?
If your personal body responds best to fermented foods, then eat them for optimal health. I think they can be very beneficial. However, many people have become healthier by removing dairy and vegetables of all kinds, even fermented.
How can vegetables be unhealthy? They’re created purely by G-d’s Hand.
I don’t think that’s persuasive since everything in nature is created by Hashem and most of the green growing things on this planet are poisonous to humans.
If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a link – https://ukcarnivoreclub.com/2023/04/22/is-dr-chaffee-right-are-plants-trying-to-kill-you/. It’s food for thought, whether you agree or not.
This is the first I am hearing about a carnivore diet. I would generally dismiss it as radical but I respect your opinion and generally learn a lot from most of your blogposts so it is making me more curious. Can you explain how dioxins fit into this diet? If plants have antinutrients etc then animal meats and fats have other unhealthy equivalent problems? Maybe all diets have pros and cons in terms of health?
Fwd: Dioxins are found throughout the world in the environment and they accumulate in the food chain, mainly in the fatty tissue of animals.
More than 90% of human exposure is through food, mainly meat and dairy products, fish and shellfish .
Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and cause cancer.
I also wonder if you changed your mind about this diet how would reintegrating the other food groups would work? Thank you for all your fascinating posts.
Hi, Erica, thanks for your question and I appreciate your openness to consider something that sounds so radical as worthy of further thought.
I know it sounds quite extreme; that’s why I dismissed it out of hand when I first read about it.
Dioxins are an interesting topic and I’d love to see a global conversation about how to reduce them as they are primarily caused by industrial processes. Instead, the consumer is given platitudes like trim the fat from your meat and eat more grains and produce while the toxins continue to be pumped into our ecosystem (and all of those recommended foods are highly contaminated by pesticides that are known to cause cancer, even a high percentage of organics). If dioxins are actually the concern we’re told they are, then it’s infuriating to see the mouthing of platitudes and the do-nothing attitude towards the real issues that are harming us. Telling people not to eat one of the most nutritious and healing substances available to us isn’t good advice.
Unfortunately, all of our food is contaminated by toxins, as well as the air we breathe and the water we drink. Again, that’s caused mainly by industrial processes that put profit over human well-being.
The question I ask myself is, what can I do that will be of most benefit to my health? Since the leading health issues we suffer as a society (such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimers, obesity) are directly related to diet, that’s where I choose to put my efforts. All of these health issues are reversed/ improved/ prevented by a zero carb diet. Reproductive issues, developmental issues and the immune system are all positively affected as well.
So it seems to me that the potential negatives of dioxins are more than offset by the health benefits of eating a carnivore diet.
I’m not committed to eating like this forever. As I’ve said about other topics, like homeschooling – as long as that’s what’s working best for me and my family, that’s what I’ll do. If I find something else that is better, or I find some negative effects down the road, I’ll reevaluate. I’ve been researching this way of eating for about eight years now and have looked at the potential downsides from every side I could think of. Right now I’m enjoying feeling healthier all the time. When I add in non-carnivore foods to my diet (supposedly healthy foods, nothing processed or junky), the physical reaction reminds me of why I started to eat this way.
Thank you, Kelly, I appreciate your response!