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Nathan recovers from Guillain-Barre Syndrome on the carnivore diet

March 22, 2023 No Comments

Nathan is 47 years old, married, and a father of three. He spent 11 years traveling in the U.S. Army and several years as an operative in the U.S. Intelligence community. He says he had always worked out and stayed fit without following a particular diet and ate whatever he wanted.

In his early forties, Nathan began noticing more injuries and what he thought were age-related issues. He showed signs of adult acne, radial neuropathy, premature balding, and skin tags. He also developed symptoms of inflammation, such as gingivitis, tinnitus, and plantar fasciitis.

“In hindsight, I was intensely sick. I was very insulin resistant and probably pre-diabetic. I put my body through a lot. Between the stress of my job, a poor diet, and everything I went through, I’m confident that my metabolic health was damaged. The only thing I was doing well for myself was lifting weights and exercising” Looking for a way to improve his health, Nathan began a ketogenic diet in 2016.

“I ate bacon and eggs for breakfast and steak or salmon for dinner. I usually had a big salad for lunch with bacon and avocado. One day, I was too lazy to make my salad, and the next morning, my gums didn’t bleed when I flossed. It hadn’t been like that in ages.”

Nathan skipped the salad for a second day and noticed new hair growing on top of his head, and the ringing in his ears from tinnitus was gone. “I realized the difference between me and optimal health was a salad!”

Nathan credits a ketogenic diet for improving his body composition and restoring his energy levels but says, “I did not recover my health until I went carnivore in 2019.”

In August 2022, Nathan suffered a health scare that stopped him in his tracks. One day, he was at work, and suddenly his hands and feet went numb. Within 48 hours, he was almost completely paralyzed from a neurological condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

Nathan’s doctors expected him to be hospitalized for up to eight weeks and would need several months more of physical therapy to regain the movement, feeling, strength, and endurance he had lost. However, he walked out of the hospital just two weeks later. He went to one outpatient physical therapy appointment, and the doctor told him he didn’t need to return.

“I view the last several years of following a ketogenic and then a carnivore diet as making deposits into my health account,” Nathan explains. “When I got hit by GBS, I was able to recover in such a way that it didn’t have the same impact on me that it has had on others who end up in wheelchairs. Twenty days after it happened, I was playing in the front yard with my kids.”

Since his full recovery six months ago, Nathan has enjoyed traveling in his RV with his family and also runs a coaching and consulting business out of his home in Texas.

“We all have the same goals. We all want to be happy, healthy, and fit. How do you build the daily habits to get there? My approach to lifestyle design helps put you on a path to get where you want to be.”

 

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.”

 

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.

 

Lauren manages eating disorders, mood, and skin issues on a low-carb diet

December 21, 2022 No Comments

Lauren is in her early 30s and has been carnivore for 8 or 9 months. Her disordered eating began when she was 11 or 12 years old. She struggled with anorexia, bulimia, and what she describes as “very restrictive eating behaviors” up until she began her low-carb meat-based journey. She always had a weird relationship with food and describes how she was obsessed with watching what she ate and counting calories. This had led to problems, though.

Lauren started college anorexic—she was 100 pounds—not much for her 5’8” frame. For comparison, she is 145 pounds today. Her anxiety became so extreme in college that she had to drop out. She explains that she was in “fight or flight all the time” and couldn’t sleep at all.

Lauren would usually eat one big meal each day and use sugary foods throughout the day to give her quick energy. She didn’t focus on protein but on things like fruit, veggies, or a piece of candy for that quick pick-me-up.

A friend tried a carnivore for a month, and Lauren decided to give it a try too. She found the diet liberating because she finally felt full and didn’t have to restrict her calories.

Lauren had eczema on her body and rosacea on her cheeks, and those completely went away after the first month. “For lack of a better word’” she describes her skin as “radiant.” As an additional plus, she found that she lost 10 pounds without trying, attributing the effortless weight loss to consuming no carbohydrates.

Instead of hunger and thoughts of food, she says, “I feel full, happy, and satiated throughout the day,” Lauren reports. She loves that there is no counting calories, planning what foods to eat, or feeling constantly hungry.

She believes that people with eating disorders may do well on a carnivore diet because they tend to restrict themselves already. Lauren didn’t think the diet was hard because she was already used to restrictions; this may appeal to those with eating disorders as well, she explains.

Lauren is surprised by how much her mood improved on her carnivore diet. Needing fewer hours of sleep and waking up in a good mood without an alarm were both unexpected benefits of the diet. Gut issues, such as bloating and constipation, plagued Lauren. She could eat a grape or a nut first thing in the morning and 10 minutes later “look 6 months pregnant.” She was “shocked” that there was no bloating from eating this way. Her bowel movements are regular compared to before, when she may have had one per week.

Cooking and eating mostly at home, Lauren eats ground beef, bacon, eggs, some steak, occasionally liver, and uses tallow for cooking. She doesn’t measure how much fat she eats, but “the more fat I have usually the more full I feel.”

Lauren hopes to continue learning about the carnivore diet so she can help others get healthier on their carnivore journey.

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!

Jessalyn improved acne, constipation, weight gain, and mood swings on a carnivore diet

December 18, 2022 No Comments

Hi,

My name is Jessalyn. I have been carnivore since January 2020. Before I found this way of eating, I suffered from chronic constipation (only going poop about once every three to four weeks for almost 19 years of my life). I tried eating more fiber but that did not help. Eventually, I went gluten-free and that helped slightly, but I was still constipated, couldn’t lose weight, and had acne.

Due to my gut issues, I had an awful immune system and often got sick. I could not lose weight no matter how often I worked out, and my perpetually bloated stomach hurt to the touch.

After carnivore, I lost about 20 lbs of fat, my skin cleared up, and I haven’t been sick once (not even COVID, and I moved to an entirely different country last year because my husband got stationed in Japan).

The most surprising change, though, is the mental health benefits I have seen since being carnivore.

I suffered from extreme mood swings, anger issues, and frequent anxiety attacks. Anger and mood swings are very common in my family, so I always assumed my mental issues were genetic and uncontrollable. However, eating meat miraculously chilled me out and has helped stabilize my mood.

There have been other things that carnivore has helped as well, such as my PMS. I used to get such bad cramps that I would shake uncontrollably and throw up from the pain. Now I barely get cramps.

My vision has also improved since eating carnivore and I had to get a new prescription since my old one was too strong.

I have less body odor and no longer wake up with awful morning breath.

I am currently gaining weight, as I love working out and have been putting on muscle.

I still have healing to do, but carnivore has completely changed my life and literally turned me into a different person.

Thank you,

Jessalyn

Alan improved training recovery and marathon time by 28.5 minutes in one year on the carnivore diet

December 17, 2022 No Comments

Alan is a 61 year old runner who has been eating carnivore for approximately 8 months. The diet changed everything for him. “I call it the Fountain of Youth,” he quips.

Alan battled with his weight all his life. At 6 feet tall, he was his heaviest, at 305 pounds. About 5 years ago, he decided to lose weight because he was metabolically ill. He describes his weight loss as 7 months of starving himself. “I was cold and tired and hungry all the time.” He got down to 195 pounds.

Alan started running and then began training for marathons. He says he had a hard time figuring out what to eat to give him energy and keep his weight down. He wanted to stay lean so he could run faster, so he ate a lot of chicken and broccoli and counted calories. The high fiber veggies gave him gas and made him bloat.

He describes feeling cold, tired, hungry, and exhausted with a lot of muscle aches. Plus, he had no muscle mass. Although he felt better after his weight loss, he says that “it really wasn’t sustainable.” Alan wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon and started searching for something to help him have better energy when he trained.

Like many athletes, Alan was searching for a way to improve his performance, and he discovered how saturated fats may be good for you. Alan started keto about a year ago, eating lean meats, such as chicken breasts, along with lots of low-carb veggies. Keto helped with his recovery but not his muscle mass. About 7 months ago, Alan challenged a family member to start eating the “beef, bacon, and eggs diet.” His carnivore journey had begun.

Alan’s digestive issues completely resolved. Overall, he “trained more, felt better, got more sleep, and had constant energy.” The biggest change for him was his recovery. He went from training five days per week to six and increased his miles from 45 to 65 per week.

Alan started with a few pushups and squats—no weights—and within a month he was getting abs. He gained an inch on his quads, glutes, and arms. Currently, he’s up to 100 push-ups and 100 squats.

Alan qualified for the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:43. After carnivore, he improved his marathon time by 11 percent. He says he doesn’t need carbs to train and trains fasted every morning.

He says that carnivore has eliminated his carb and sugar addictions, and he’s satiated after a meal. He eats a lot of beef and eggs, salts his food, and uses electrolytes because he sweats so much. He eats a 20 ounce ribeye, a few slices of bacon, and 4 or 5 eggs for breakfast and another ribeye or 1.5 pounds of very fatty ground beef at dinner.

Alan wants to help people get healthier and tells everyone he can about his success as a carnivore.

 

Evan E 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.”

Darby manages graves’ disease and type 1 diabetes on low-carb diet

November 26, 2022 No Comments

Darby grew up being plagued by every kind of allergy imaginable. At 5 years old, he was diagnosed with hundreds—from trees to weeds to bee stings and everything in between. At 11, he needed reconstructive sinus surgery due to the many sinus infections over the years, and later had to have his tonsils out as well. As the years passed, the allergy shots helped a bit, but his health problems inhibited his ability to engage in the sports he loved. Fast forward to 2013, and Darby begins to experience heart palpitations, which are dismissed by doctors, as they advised him simply to “stay away from caffeine.”

In 2015, he was hospitalized with a heart attack, and two weeks later with another one again. This time, his doctor was wise enough to check his thyroid panel. He was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, and was given more medication to manage yet another health condition. He was able to feel a bit better and add a few pounds to his underweight frame, but in January of this year there was even more crushing news. Darby was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes. In his mid-thirties, his mind was filled with dread as to what could possibly come next. In a moment of sheer desperation, he prayed for an answer. Not long after, he found Shawn Baker and the Revero community.

“Behold, I was messing around YouTube and I stumbled upon you and Dr. Ken Berry initially, so I started watching video after video…and realized that maybe my issue had been plant material this entire time. What is it that is causing my body to attack itself? Is it the oxalates? Is it the lectins?”

In March, Darby slowly transitioned to the carnivore diet, and after two weeks, he didn’t need to take insulin anymore. By mid-April, he was able to come off his Graves’ disease medication, and this past October his labs revealed his thyroid hormone levels were completely normal. Now, he’s able to do things he’s only dreamed of; running, lifting weights, and carrying his daughter on his shoulders for hours at Disney World. He’s also free from the allergies and sinus infections that have haunted him his whole life.

“It’s absolutely amazing. It completely blew my mind, and—it’s strangely satisfying. I do not have a craving to eat anything but meat anymore.”

Darby started off doing a strict version of the carnivore diet—his meals consisting of red meat, salt and water. He has since branched out to add pork, eggs, and chicken, but he’s planning to go back to a stricter approach soon, as he believes that was one of the reasons for his rapid recovery.


“I can’t say how truly thankful I am—from the bottom of my heart—for what [Shawn Baker] and people like Ken Berry and Anthony Chaffee do on a daily basis to try and help people, because it really, truly is amazing. It’s a miracle—like nothing I’ve ever seen. I was told that, you can’t cure this. This is what you’re going to be for the rest of your life… If it wasn’t for you…I would have never known. I would have just stayed being sick on the SAD diet and getting sicker.”

As far as Darby’s concerned, he has a new lease on life, and when asked whether this diet is worth the risks, he says “Bring it on!”

 

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