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Gina manages IBS, anemia, joint pain, migraines, anxiety, and mood on the carnivore diet

March 24, 2023 No Comments

I’m Gina. I’m a 52 year old wife, mom and dental hygienist. I had my two oldest when I was in my early 20s and became very physically active when they were little to stay in shape. I lifted weights and even worked at a gym as a trainer. In my 30s I was involved in karate, and in my 40s and 50s I was running. In the 90s, the “fat makes you fat” idea was in full swing. You could eat all the Snack Well cookies you wanted, just stay away from butter. I followed that but eventually transitioned into more of a mainstream diet most of my life. I also figured I had wiggle room due to being active so I never turned down chips, cookies, cake, etc.

In 2019 I was 49 and had been running several years doing everything from 5ks all the way to ultramarathons. I was looking ahead to 2020 when I would be turning 50 and decided to celebrate by signing up for a 50 mile race. It was a good training year until end of summer, early fall. I started to experience trouble running. I would get very winded and unable to continue. I’d go for a 6 mile run and quit in the first mile or two. My legs felt like they were stuck in wet cement. Severe fatigue, numbness and tingling followed. MS was suspected so I had MRIs, tests and a spinal tap. All came back fine, and I had no diagnosis for the illness.

I quit running for six months, but was desperate to feel better. I began to think about my diet. My best friend and running partner is vegan. Everywhere you turn, vegan is promoted as the healthiest diet. I decided to give it a try. I watched all the documentaries. I liked Game Changers because it was about athletes. I was whole food, plant based for 18 months. At first things went well. I began running again, and it felt good to have such a “healthy” diet. I even got my certification in plant based nutrition. I was gearing up for possibly health coaching.

As time went by, my health began to decline. But I had no idea it was diet related. I had gallbladder pain and an ultrasound revealed a polyp. I had my gallbladder removed. I had IBS for about 10 years, it was mostly manageable but suddenly was becoming really bad. It was interfering with my work. It got so bad at one point it I almost had to quit my job. My cycle became extremely heavy and painful. I had a hysterectomy. Then one night I woke with my heart pounding and I was panting. A trip to the ER revealed severe anemia. They wanted to give me a transfusion, but I managed to hold them off and got 4 weekly iron infusions. My bones and joints began to ache really badly. I was Googling bone cancer. Brain fog and some cognitive issues began to arise. I was sure I was dying from something.

I quit veganism in early 2022, not because I thought the diet was the problem, but because I figured, what’s the point in eating well if I’m just going to feel like garbage anyway. I spent about 6 months alternating between a terrible diet and trying to get back to veganism, but I just was over it. I gained 20 pounds. I felt like my health was in freefall.

Then I read a blog post by The Peasant’s Daughter called “Why I Am No Longer Vegan”. It was the first time the idea that the diet may have been behind my health troubles. Down the rabbit hole I went, consuming everything I could and eventually landed on the countless stories of carnivores.

I transitioned slowly because I wasn’t completely sure it was a good idea. I took things out of my diet like vegetables, kept things like oatmeal, and increased meat. For 2 months I worked toward carnivore, which I think helped me transition because I never got the keto flu. Mid December I was pretty much full carnivore.

I lost the 20 pounds I gained. My joint and bone pain disappeared. My migraines were about 90% gone. Brain fog gone. Energy soared. But the biggest, most wonderful thing has been that my IBS is gone. To live life like a normal person and not have a brain completely consumed with going to the bathroom or holding in gas. Just a feeling of nothing going on in my gut. It is unreal.

I want to learn and devour everything I can about this way of life. I no longer think about food all day. I know that this way of eating could stave off Alzheimer’s which I am at great risk of developing. I’m lifting again and feel better, stronger, more energetic than I have in years. I’m even beginning to talk with my dental patients about this diet. Everyday I see patients trapped in bad metabolic health. My hope is more people can heal like I did.

James recovers from veganism on the carnivore diet

March 22, 2023 No Comments

James is from Bermuda and is recovering from a vegan diet. He grew up eating the SAD diet and says, “I was a pretty chunky kid.”

James gained a lot more weight at university “from drinking and eating the wrong things.” He became a vegetarian after contracting a Salmonella infection from eating chicken at a restaurant.

When James graduated and moved back home to Bermuda in 2014, he met the woman who is now his wife. She suggested they follow a vegan diet, which they did. They both saw their health improve initially, which James now believes was because “I got off all the processed garbage that I had been eating.” That was a good start, but he wanted a specific plan.

James and his wife watched all the vegan propaganda movies, and “bought into the whole agenda… we were very strict.” But, the good times would end soon: “It was about the fifth year my health went off the cliff.” James began experiencing brain fog and body pain; a lot of fibromyalgia, and his gums were bleeding profusely. He developed severe anxiety and depression and found his memory getting worse.

He says he was “Was losing weight rapidly, and got down to 127 pounds, at 6’ 2” which is severely emaciated…My condition deteriorated. I started to notice my skin was cracking, my nails were cracking, and my hair was falling out. I got severe constipation and ended up with blood in my stools right before the pandemic.”

James lost his job because the company knew he couldn’t work any longer. “So, I had no job, no insurance, I was bleeding every time I went to the bathroom, I was severely depressed and anxious, and… had no idea how to get out.” His diet was failing, but he didn’t realize it yet.

James doubled down on his vegan diet, making smoothies with chia seeds, kale, spinach, and fruit three times a day. He started passing out, had more blood in his stool and ended up in the ER. He began finally questioning if plants were harming him and then found Joe Rogan’s podcast with Dr. Baker. He says, “We as humans evolved eating meat, and I’ve got to put this behind me and realize that I had been duped.”

James “began to go the keto route,” lowering his oxalate consumption and slowly working his way toward being a carnivore. “My brain fog started to lift after a couple of days… It wasn’t until I went fully carnivore…that I saw the full benefits.” All of his symptoms, except some of his tinnitus, cleared up on the carnivore diet. He is regaining weight and rebuilding muscle.

“Now with this diet, my stools have never been better; I’m satiated; I don’t feel like I need to snack at all; the food I’m eating is sustaining me, and I can fast if I need to. Unbelievable difference!”

James urges, “If you’re vegan, please realize that it will catch up with you.”

Rory improved Joint Pain, Skin problems, Gut Health, and aches On The Carnivore Diet

March 22, 2023 No Comments

Rory is from Brisbane, Australia, and says, “I’ve had health problems my whole life; diagnosed at four as an asthmatic. I had tonsils taken out… From that point I’ve had a lot of health issues; mainly asthma, gut related stuff, food intolerances, and then acne as I became a teenager. As an adult, I was a vegetarian when I was 19, to impress this chick on MySpace. Then I was like, hey, this sounds pretty good and I kept going.”

Rory decided to take it further, saying, “I found out about veganism, and it aligned with my values at the time. I think everyone who goes into it has good intentions.” Rory was originally plant-based, out of “a desire to improve my health.”

“I found that within six months, I had low energy, fatigue, and joint pain, and I started seeing doctors who had no idea how to help me.” Rory was also having heart palpitations and “heavy left arm pain” and was worried because he has a strong family history of heart disease.

Rory slowly started adding some animal products to his diet, and “It helped a little bit, having meat, but I was still on a whole foods diet. I still had low energy, fatigue, candida, brain fog, but the main thing was low energy and joint pain.”

He once again took it a step further, but toward meat this time: “One day last year, after seeing all this stuff online about carnivore, I decided to give it a crack because I’m like, I was sick and tired of feeling like crap. I felt like I could eat basically anything, without having a reaction. My skin breaking out and joint pain. I’d eat a bowl of rice, and immediately be inflamed and have joint pain.”

“I found that the only thing I could eat was basically meat, and yeah, it made sense to just go into carnivore.” Rory didn’t have too many problems adjusting to a carnivore diet: “There were moments within the first 30 days where I was like, man I’m really sick of this.” “Week three or week four into it and the cravings…I just adjusted…I started adding in lamb and meat stock for the gut, which was really helpful for me.”

Rory found that his bowel movements reduced to one every two or three days, which he found “weird when I was used to big ones, once a day.” He also had some “keto flu” around day 18 and was bedridden for three days, with four days of diarrhea, but then felt much better afterward.

He reports that his gut and digestion are normal now, without any of his old issues. About brain fog, Rory says “it’s helped tremendously, 100%.” He says that “eating this way has given me more mental focus and clarity… I’m able to work longer, harder.” Rory says the changes have also helped with his son, saying, “I’m a better father, because I’ve got myself sorted in this way, and I can really be there for him.”

Irina overcame candida infection, vitamin D deficiency, and vasculitis on a carnivore diet

January 19, 2023 No Comments

Irina struggled with many different ailments before she found the carnivore diet. She had Candida, IBS, a vitamin D deficiency since birth, bleeding gums, vasculitis that manifested when she was a teenager, PCOS, chronic inflammation, and exercise induced asthma. Her doctors told her, “This is just how it is, some people are just affected with these things.” Irina was in her mid-20’s and didn’t want to accept this, so she tried to approach her problems with nutrition.

Before starting her carnivore diet, Irina tried a vegetarian, pescatarian, veggie and meat combination diet, and keto. The keto diet caused her to gain weight and have digestive problems. She thinks now that it was because she ate too many nuts and nut products and veggies with fiber. All that fiber gave her painful bloating. Also, she never felt satisfied and had to eat constantly throughout the day.

None of these diets helped her various ailments. She continued to have IBS, joint pain from inflammation (swollen ankles or knees), asthma with lots of coughing when she exercised, a cyst on her ovary, Candida flares, chronically low vitamin D, gums that bled when she flossed, and vasculitis. Dealing with her candida flares, the PCOS, and her other conditions came to a head when Irina was 31. She became “fed up with doctors just trying to give me medication.”

She believes that the body is designed to be healthy, and she was doing something that prevented it from working properly. “I just wanted to find what it was.” At this point she decided to try the carnivore diet because she “was already kind of a hot mess.”

About two months before she did, Irina’s husband started the diet. She saw his eczema clear up, and this made an impression. In May of 2020, her husband showed her Dr. Baker’s podcast with Joe Rogan and she thought, “I have to try this. I have nothing to lose.”

Irina says she gets full and eats less than before. She enjoys eggs and bacon or natural sausage for lunch and various meats for dinner—pork, cheaper cuts of beef for slow-cooking, lamb, liver once a week, and sometimes chicken thighs. She enjoys the simplicity of the carnivore diet because there are few ingredients and meals are easy to prepare.

Irina now exercises about four days per week, doing weight training and high intensity workouts without asthma, joint pain, or swelling, and with faster recovery.

An ultrasound at the end of 2020 revealed that the cyst on her ovary was gone. There are no signs of inflamed capillaries from vasculitis, she doesn’t have IBS, no Candida flares, her dentist told her she has healthy gums—they never bleed anymore—and a blood test showed normal vitamin D levels, without any supplementation.

Since going on her carnivore diet, she “hasn’t had a single recurrence of any of this stuff. It’s like a magic cure.”

 

Daniel and Ed thrive on a carnivore diet

January 19, 2023 No Comments

Ed started a keto diet as a way to improve his focus and productivity and noticed that it provided more consistent energy. His father had been working on losing weight and had lost weight and found his productivity and mood improved on a carnivore diet.

Ed wanted these gains for himself, so he started the diet also. “I was like, damn this is crazy so let me hop on this carnivore thing and try it out. I tried it out and that’s exactly what I saw for myself as well.”

Dan was working with a different set of circumstances, and needed more than optimization-he needed help! Ed and Dan followed the “Typical bodybuilding advice; eat high carb, take protein powders, all that and yeah it worked really well for building muscle but my skin got absolutely terrible” reports Dan. That wasn’t the only problem this diet caused, however.

Dan said, “I have a bit of a history with depression, and I just felt like garbage all the time, and then my skin got to the point where I had these massive cysts on my skin, like huge volcanoes, and even have a scar where I had to have surgery on one of them. It was awful!”

The regular medical system didn’t provide a good solution for Dan: “I went to the doctors… they chucked me on this pill called Accutane… man, that pill is evil, dangerous. Although it did make my acne go away, it literally destroyed my whole body. I got shin splints on it the entire time, tore both my labrums in my shoulders, and then was in bed for six months with debilitating pain before starting carnivore. The doctors said it was all in my head and the drug didn’t cause it. I got ADHD and depression; they said there’s no cure for ADHD. They chucked me on Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, all this stuff, and I was on so many drugs, and I’ve seen all my friends play sports, and I’m just like, “This isn’t really the life I want to live. I feel pretty hopeless.”

Dan gained weight and had to drop out of university because of his pain. His doctors told him that he would be this way for the rest of his life, which drove him to research more, looking for answers. He found the diet, and “life wasn’t even worth living at that point, so I went all in.” Dan lost 30 kilos in five months (66 pounds), cured his depression, and reduced his chronic pain to the point that now he’s working on rebuilding strength. He eats mostly meat and finds that he has to avoid fruit, or he feels worse and develops cravings. “I fully got my life back!”

Ed also benefited by sleeping better, running faster, and having more energy and focus. He does eat a little fruit and has no problems with portion control.

Through a carnivore diet, these two young men have both improved their health!

Martin improves ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis on the carnivore diet

January 11, 2023 3 Comments

Early in life, Martin developed psoriasis, and by age 16 he had about 85% coverage, with cracking joints as well. He gained weight to 215 pounds after school and continued trying different diets. He also developed IBS, was told “you’re going to have to deal with it,” and was given medications that didn’t help much.

Martin even tried to go vegan after watching a “documentary” about sports teams and vegan diets. “I started doing the smoothies, and all of that stuff, kale, and spinach. “I lasted probably a week, and my IBS completely disintegrated me and I couldn’t keep anything down, and I felt completely like crap.” It also made his skin condition worse.

Over time, his psoriasis progressed to psoriatic arthritis, and while his skin looked a bit better, his joints hurt far worse. After experiencing some acute back pain, “my body went into full inflammation… there was barely a joint or part of my body that didn’t hurt. The fire in my skin over parts of my body raged for days and then weeks. It didn’t matter if I was moving or staying still, I just hurt all the time.”

Martin was diagnosed with two more problems: ankylosing spondylitis and fibromyalgia. “I tested positive for HLA B27. In the next few weeks, I got the next diagnosis of fibromyalgia.” His doctors suggested mycophenolate, which is an immunosuppressant medication, and a high dose of vitamin K.

Martin researched both diagnoses and the prescribed medication. His thoughts turned dark: “Your dreams of retirement holidays, playing hockey, or riding my motorcycle… all seem impossible now. I might be able to postpone the main event of the diagnosis, but this might be the best I am.”

“I stumbled upon a TEDx talk about a woman that had her knee and hip replaced by age seventeen because of an autoimmune illness. At around 20ish she tried the ‘carnivore’ diet and within a relatively short period of time, she recovered from a lot of the pain and joint discomfort. I listened to Dr. Shawn Baker, Dr. Ken Barry, Dr. Anthony Chaffee, and Dr. Paul Saladino.

Martin considered the immunosuppressant medications that were recommended and looked up the side effects. He thought about what he had learned online. This made him decide to try the carnivore diet. “March 3rd, I went all in.”

On the 18th day, he woke up without his IBS and joint pain raging. “I woke up and my system was quiet. Nothing, no pressure to go. No heartburn… It was eerie.”

Later, Martin’s pain level dropped further to a 4/5. After 90 days, Martin had: “No more IBS. Suffered for 40+ years. Cleared 95% of my psoriasis which I had since 10. Lost 35 lbs. Played my first hockey game!”

Martin continues to heal his IBS, psoriasis, and weight. He has noticed more resistance to sunburn, reduced body odor, a better sense of smell, and far better athletic endurance when weightlifting. He is off of all medications.

 

Travis improved mental health, skin issues, and ulcerative colitis on a carnivore diet

January 6, 2023 No Comments

Travis is a health coach with a focus on a carnivore diet. He has had quite the health journey to get where he is today! Let’s take a look at his experiences.

He didn’t start life on an easy path, experiencing his first heart operation when he was only three years old. By the time Travis was 34 years old, he would have had seven more heart operations. That is truly a challenging beginning to life!

Travis experienced many other health problems in his quest for health. He suffered from several brain-based problems, such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and brain fog. These issues all indicate a person’s brain is inflamed and running on empty. When you push your brain to perform, and yet the mitochondria in those billions of nerve cells can’t provide the energy, the result is oxidative stress. The combination can make a normal day extremely challenging.

Travis experienced that in the form of these several related symptoms. In addition to these brain symptoms, he also suffered from chronic headaches. These are often one of the major symptoms of the brain functioning in an imbalanced way. Our brains typically rest at night, purging metabolic waste and replenishing supplies of essential neurotransmitters. However, this requires deep restorative sleep, and Travis experienced restless nights instead.

Travis also suffered from stomach ulcers as well as ulcerative colitis. “All of it was horrible!” he says. He still didn’t give up, though.

Burdened with this list of symptoms, Travis continued seeking solutions. He was originally on a “standard Western diet” and began to look for alternatives. The standard western diet is well documented in research as the standard to use when the researcher wants to make the lab animals develop a disease, which they then experiment on. It’s also known as the Standard American Diet, or SAD, which it certainly is!

Travis tried a vegan diet, but despite how much it is currently promoted as the solution to everything, he did not find it helped him. He also used a paleo diet, before transitioning into a ketogenic diet, and finally found and followed the carnivore diet. He has followed the diet for seven years now!

He has put a lot of work into understanding how it works and is amazed at the impact of the carnivore diet on today’s belief systems. “I’ve studied nutrition professionally, and currently research nutrition obsessively, now that modern understanding of nutrition has been turned on its head…” Personal experience is certainly very motivating when it comes to learning.

Travis is now a complete believer in the diet, having seen the results it has brought him and his nutrition clients. “Based on my previous experience, my education on the subject, and current years of practice in carnivory I can easily say that not only was carnivore the solution, but it ultimately solidified itself as the human-appropriate diet, and I have remained on it since.”

Michelle ran her first half-marathon at 61 on a low-carb diet

December 20, 2022 1 Comment

Michelle – 61 year old female, soon to be 62 in January

12/2021 Started carnivore – At that time, I was using a type of macro tracker which, based upon my metrics and goals, had me at adequate protein, low fat, and low carb. Since the end of 2018, I had been dealing with chronic forearm tendonitis and both lateral and medial elbow pain in my left arm. Also, I have always dealt with constipation, bloating, and lower energy. Since my early 40s, I’ve had a small eczema patch, which I affectionately began to call my barometer. Since I had a sense of how much protein to eat and my carbs were quite low, I decided to give carnivore a try to see if I could mitigate my arm pain, and address constipation, bloating, and eczema.

What I learned during my first year as a carnivore:

  • I call meat, with its requisite fat, my gate keeper. As long as I have adequate protein, with the fat it contains, my energy is stable and I have no cravings.
  • I hydrate throughout the day (water), and use electrolytes during endurance activities.
  • Constipation and bloating resolved immediately, as if I never had them. Eczema resolved, but it does present a bit when I eat eggs.
  • Arm pain is much better, but not completely resolved. Most of the time I am not in pain (prior to carnivore, I was always in pain). While I do love to lift (compound movements), they don’t always love me back (sometimes my arm hurts and sometimes not). The pain doesn’t necessarily present in real time, so I am never sure of what’s going to hurt and what won’t until after I’m done with a workout. There’s something about stepping up to a bar (regardless of the grip) or dumbbells that doesn’t always agree with my arm, regardless of the weight. However, during this year, I discovered that lifting really heavy things (sand bags, tire flips, hay bales, grain bags), close to my body, generates great blood flow, without any pain in my arm. This type of activity makes me so happy. I can work hard and I never experience pain.
  • I realized that I had forgotten to take my supplements for thyroid and adrenals, which I dutifully had taken for years, after starting carnivore. Once I realized this, I no longer felt that I needed them.
  • Initially, I didn’t take off weight, but I could tell that my body was changing because my clothes fit differently. I ditched the scales. Eventually, I took off about 8 lbs, but my clothes fit the same.
  • I no longer feel compelled to chase errant bio-markers (mostly thyroid). If I feel fine, I’m going to assume I’m fine, and as long as I stay carnivore.
  • My sleep is solid.
  • I eat when I’m hungry.
  • Favorite steak cut: chuck-eye
  • Favorite braise cut: cross-cut shank
  • When I go on longer runs (5-6 miles), my body is fine. Before carnivore, I felt like I had done work after a long run day, and I would give my body a break the next day. Now I don’t even notice the longer distance and feel that I could do it again the next day.
  • Highlight during my first year as a carnivore:
    In June, I ran a half-marathon at altitude (about 4800 feet elevation, near Glacier National Park). I neither train that distance, nor run at altitude. My energy and expenditure was fine throughout the run. Afterward, I felt like I had worked, but my recovery was rather seamless. I took the next day off, except for some light walking. The following day I was fine. No carbohydrates required!

Further background about me
I have always been very active, but struggled with weight (either over or under eating). I was constantly on the go, yet fatigued. I always assumed that I was low thyroid, based upon my symptoms. The doctor would check one thyroid marker, which would be in normal range, and tell me I was fine. I love to cook and love to eat. I’ve always been bloated and constipated. I like to do deep dives into information and many N=1 experiments.

In the early 2000s, we embraced Weston Price and Nourishing Traditions. We sourced local grass-fed meat, always tried to source organic produce, and adopted food and lifestyle as our medicine.

Between 2008 and 2018 we farmed in Oregon, raising/selling pastured/grass-fed meat. I started paleo in 2012 and Crossfit in 2013 (5 days per week). I was also active in physically-demanding equine sport and ran 3-4 days per week. I was perimenopausal/menopausal. By 2014, I was in post-menopause and in the pre-diabetic range (A1C of 5.7).

Between 2014 and 2019, I began keto paleo and intermittent fasting, often interchanging days of each. I tried low-fodmap for bloating. Sleep was not great. Adrenals were tapped. I had some low thyroid markers (mostly T3). No autoimmunity. I probably had a cortisol response from much underfeeding, intermittent fasting, and much activity. I tracked blood glucose throughout the day for several years. My A1C didn’t really lower significantly but glucose ranges were so narrow that it was assumed that I wasn’t headed for diabetes, given my food choices and activity level.

By the end of 2018, I had developed chronic forearm tendonitis and both lateral and medial elbow pain from overuse. In 2019, I began using the RP app, which gave me a breakdown of macros that were right for me. I stopped intermittent fasting and started fueling, especially on protein! Had more carbs than I previously had. Great results! Lowered weight and body fat.

In 2020 I got out of the pre-diabetic range (A1C 5.4). I assumed it was because I added back in some carbs. I now know that it was more so that I wasn’t underfueling and stressing my body out.

At the end of 2021, I started carnivore. I love vegetables but don’t miss them, as long as I eat enough protein and fat. In 2022, a few months into my carnivore journey (March), I tried the fruit/honey (small amounts) route for a few weeks. My energy wasn’t great during this time and especially with the honey, it was a slippery slope having it in the house. My lower energy resolved when I ended the short fruit/honey stint. I didn’t miss either. After the brief fruit/honey experiment, I added in some electrolytes, which my body seemed to crave. Was it the electrolytes or was it the hydration that my body was craving? Now, I use electrolytes during endurance activities or if I feel tired, but I endeavor to stay well-hydrated. Recently, I tried adding in more butter. I like the idea of it, but if I add it on top of adequate daily protein, it is just too much fuel for me. Even with increasing activity, my clothes were just getting tighter. I’d need to decrease protein, if I am going to add more fat. Right now my activities include: Functional Range Conditioning, strength training (not always with a bar), rowing, running, rucking, hiking. While I am interested in getting stronger, I no longer want to work against a clock in HIIT activities on a daily basis. It’s great fun and comradery, but too much wear and tear for me.

 

For 2023, I have plans for two more half-marathons: one near Grand Tetons and one near Yellowstone. Hope to get to more runs in other beautiful locations, as I am able.

#Carnivoreforthewin!

Coach Evan reverses ankylosing spondylitis on a carnivore diet

November 30, 2022 No Comments

Ever since Evan was young, he had an insatiable hunger that caused him binge eat, in addition to his other daily struggles of ADHD, OCD, brain fog and fatigue. When he turned eleven—embarrassed by his heavy frame—he decided to go on a diet. Following the conventional wisdom at the time, he started eating a low-calorie/low-fat diet, full of lots of “healthy” whole grains, seed oils and tofu. He lost 30 pounds, but describes his body composition as “skinny fat ” at the time. He also couldn’t help noticing that he was a lot weaker than his fellow classmates. Using sheer willpower alone, Evan struggled with yo-yo dieting and calorie counting throughout high school, but it wasn’t until he entered college that the real trouble began.

“Out of nowhere,” Evan says, “I became incredibly depressed, anxious and suicidal.” He tried exercising daily to combat his negative feelings, but saw zero improvement. Exasperated, he turned his focus to his diet, and in his research experienced the cognitive dissonance that goes along with learning that animal fat is an important part of the human diet, while also simultaneously being the main driver of heart attacks and cancer. In the end, the “experts” won out, and Evan persisted in following their low-fat/high carb recommendations—to no avail. “I just felt worse and worse—I wasn’t getting better at all.”

After years of declining health, a defeated Evan began binge drinking and eating candy to deal with his frustrations. He eventually was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis—an autoimmune condition that runs in his family that affects the spine. He would go on to gain 40 pounds, and when hospitalized with bruises all over his body, nausea, diarrhea and night sweats, his doctors told him that his symptoms were most likely psychosomatic.

Finally, in 2020, one of his friends—who happened to be on the carnivore diet—invited him over for a steak. After eating it, Evan was surprised by how satiated he felt, and ended up not eating for the rest of the day. He woke up the next morning still feeling full, so he decided to give the carnivore diet a try. After the first week, Evan had lost ten pounds, and while he didn’t feel great—he didn’t feel terrible either. “Within the next two weeks, all of a sudden my depression and my anxiety had vanished, my Ankylosing Spondylitis had gotten 90% better, the numbness in my hands was gone, my bruising started going away, my asthma went away, my heartburn went away, my digestive issues went away…my libido came back—pretty much everything you can think of went away within two or three weeks.” He also noticed a remarkable improvement in his ADHD and OCD symptoms. “My whole outlook on life is a lot different: I’m a lot more motivated, a lot more friendly, outgoing, happy. So, pretty much, everything for me has changed.” His friends and family all agree. “I’m not the same beaten down person that I was before.”

KasumiKriss recovers from veganism on the carnivore diet

November 3, 2022 No Comments

Kasumi was a top-tier soccer player in the Netherlands when she became vegan in 2014. Within months, aching joints and declining energy levels sidelined her soccer career.

She “got convinced by YouTube videos to try a vegan diet” to help with a skin condition when she was 23 years old. “In the first two weeks I did see some improvement, but I actually think back now that was because I eliminated all processed foods.” This may be the reason why many people initially benefit from vegan diets, though they lose health later.

Kasumi stayed on the vegan diet, “whole-food plant-based” for four years, and “it was really in the end of the second year that I really started seeing my health deteriorate. I couldn’t do soccer anymore, my joints were aching, everything I wanted to do I couldn’t do anymore when it came to physical activity. I did train a lot in the gym, but my muscles wouldn’t grow anymore.” She tried a raw vegan diet also but lost her period for four months as a result.

“After a year or so, I started to see my health decline. I couldn’t run as fast anymore…everytime I wanted to do something, or kick a ball in a certain way, it just wouldn’t go the same like I used to. At some point I really started to feel my joints aching. I never had issues with that, even though all the types of sports that I always used to do in my life…Injuries started to come, and I would be so extremely exhausted after matches as well, and I just couldn’t keep up. I went from really the best player on my team to someone who couldn’t even keep up with the other girls.”

Kasumi began to notice that she was even afraid to walk up stairs because she felt weak and thought she might “break something.” Her body shape suffered as well: “When I went vegan, all my feminine curves just went away, my boobs shrank, my hips disappeared, and I started to look more boyish.”

Kasumi listened to some Michaela Peterson videos, and “I decided in 2018 to try some eggs again; try a little bit of butter again, and I instantly noticed a difference. So I also ate some chicken again and then added back beef into my diet, and it was just in a couple of days I felt so much better mentally, so much more stable right away, and I really thought ‘the vegan diet is probably not the way to go’ so I completely dropped it.”

Kasumi started eating more meat after learning about the keto and carnivore diets. She continued to see improvements.

“I’ve been on this diet now for four years, and I’ve only seen improvements. It’s never went downhill from that anymore…physically, mentally, everything just keeps on getting better…hitting new PRs with weight lifting is so much more easy now.” Kasumi is “stunned and amazed, still today, and so grateful for the way I feel right now.”

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