Barbara improved rheumatism, mental, emotional health on carnivore diet

Barbara is 74 years old and has been living alone since her husband died in 2011. She had some typical issues for a woman her age and felt that she needed to lose weight. She had some chronic physical pain, too. Her hip and knee hurt from injuries sustained in an accident many years earlier, and she had “rheumatism pain I have lived with all my life.”

Barbara was having a tough time keeping an interest in food, which is a common problem for seniors living alone. It is more challenging in some ways to prepare food for oneself. She says, “I lost motivation to prepare meals and gradually came down to just snacks with some vegetables.”

This type of diet pattern usually results in eating a lot of carbohydrates, driving weight gain and health problems. Barbara wasn’t getting enough quality protein and fat, and she saw the problems developing. She says, “My health deteriorated as my weight increased. I was forced to face the truth, but I didn’t know what to do.”

A carnivore diet can provide different benefits to different people. For someone like Barbara, one of the immediate benefits is the overall simplicity of the diet. This includes not only shopping but also preparing and eating. If you think about it, a “conventional” diet requires a significant amount of time and energy to create menu ideas, and shopping lists, get the shopping done, and prepare complete meals.

Barbara found a simpler way, saying, “Then I learned about the carnivore diet. This was so simple! I went shopping and began immediately. That was eight months ago.”

Cutting out the carbohydrates and eating meat worked its metabolic magic, and Barbara says “The weight loss has been slow but fairly steady (9kgs).” She was also getting more complete nutrition, and the results began to take effect.

Inflammation and old injuries are stabilizing, as Barbara notes: “The rheumatism pain I have lived with all my life is less; my hip and knee (injured in an accident years ago) are getting stronger and more supportive.”

She is also finding some brain-based benefits to her diet, noting that her mental clarity and emotions are improving due to her all-meat diet, saying, “Mentally and emotionally, I am more alert and relaxed—I like myself!”

Like many people dramatically changing their diet, Barbara’s transition has not been without challenges along the way. “Some things have been hard; giving up bread was the hardest, so obviously an addiction, but now I’m addicted to feeling better, moving more easily, and taking up interests and hobbies again. Life is good.”

Barbara is grateful for the carnivore leaders and community members who showed her how to reclaim her life and supported her on her journey back to better function. She says, “Thank you to all you men and women who have taught me so much, supported me when I was “down”, and encouraged me with your stories.”