Free Trial
Free Trial

Mental Health

Real People, Real Results​

Denise improves digestion and mental health and loses weight on the carnivore diet

February 27, 2023 No Comments

I am a Covid ventilator survivor and started the carnivore diet a few months after release from the hospital in January 2022. Prior to my illness, I was at least 50 pounds over weight.

In early November 2021, I unfortunately contracted Covid and was not getting better after 10 days. Under a doctors supervision, I took Ivermectin and Z-pac, but I could not get Hydroxyclorequin in pill form at that time. It must have been too late to take those protocols as Covid had already done it’s damage and I only got worse. My oxygen started dropping daily, I became very incoherent and on Nov. 24, I had a friend take me to the ER when my oxygen dropped to 67. I had no idea how sick I really was, why it hit me so hard and what terrible things were about to transpire.

At the ER, I was hypoxic and had a pulmonary embolism in my right lung. I was admitted into the hospital and from that day forward my nightmare began. After 10 days of quarantine, on Dec. 4, I was awakened in the early am and was told that I needed to be put on a ventilator. I felt ok and thought I was getting better and was going to be released after my quarantine period so I was shocked to hear that. I was very much against that and was petrified of being put on a vent but was told that I would die if I did not go on one. It all happened so fast and was chaotic that you really do not have a chance to even think about it. Faced with death, you just say ok. By some miracle, I was taken off the vent after 15 days and survived. I had no recollection of any of it and only realized I had been through all of that when told a few days after I got off the vent. Even then I had a difficult time understanding it all and my brain could not comprehend what had taken place.

I had to learn to breathe on my own again, learn to stand, learn to walk and had a difficult time doing simple, normal tasks, like going to the bathroom. By the grace of God I improved and after 37 days in the hospital, I was released on Jan 1, 2022. I had lost approximately 50 pounds while in the hospital and came home at 164 pounds. I also lost most of my hair and had trouble talking and swallowing due to vocal chord damage that thankfully healed. I recuperated a few months with family and at the beginning of March, I started to eat Carnivore to help with my recuperation and healing and to not gain any of the prior weight back.

Prior to my illness, I was at least 50 pounds overweight, at 214 pounds give or take. I am 5’6 ½ inches tall so I carried that much weight pretty well, or so I thought. All blood tests always came back great, except my Cholesterol was a little high from 250-280 and Triglycerides from 256-270. I am 60 years old and I have never been on prescription drugs most of my life except for currently on Eliquis due to my blood clot from Covid. As of my last scan in September my lungs were clear and no more blood clot thank God. I will be getting off of the meds soon. I have never smoked and I never took statin drugs as I wanted to cure myself naturally by losing weight. I exercised and for the most part ate very clean, organic food but ate a lot of fruits, veggies and huge salads, thinking those were so healthy for me. I sometimes ate pasta, pizza and I loved bread but never felt good afterwards. I took good supplements and drank a little wine or a margarita here and there.

I did not feel good after drinking alcohol, had bad brain fog and could not lose any weight no matter what I tried. I started having stomach issues, bloating and felt sick after eating even the smallest of meals. I had days of depression and mood swings. After eating I always felt a vibrating feeling between my belly button and my breast bone and that scared me. I had some joint pain in my shoulder, right wrist, and foot pain. I just felt off and not good and wanted to get to the bottom of why I felt so bad so I went to see a rheumatologist. I thought I must have an auto-immune disease. All tests came back fine and I was told there was nothing wrong with me other than needing to lose some weight.

My friend Al told me about your videos and Dr. Berry and I had been watching them all for a while and was very excited to start the diet. The only apprehension I had was if the diet was safe while being on blood thinners and after all I had been through. I found no evidence that it would not be safe. I have been taking Eliquis since I left the hospital. I could not ask my GP if it was ok to start the diet while on blood thinners because she was always trying to get me to take a Statin drug for my cholesterol. She would tell me I was crazy to do such a diet as she had always recommended the SAD diet. I would like to know your thoughts on taking blood thinners while on the diet as I have not seen any Carnivore podcasts on that subject yet.

I have been on the diet now for 11 months and have kept off any weight gain since I came home from the hospital. All of my brain fog is gone and I have never felt so clear and alert. Definitely improved mood and mental clarity. I have more energy and no more issues with my stomach or bloating. My skin looks great and my hair is growing back nicely. My A1C test in August 2022 was 5.2. My last A1C test before that one was in 2017 and was 5.8 so I was very happy with that result.

I have not had any alcohol and surprisingly that was the easiest thing to give up. Prior to my illness, I loved my wine and margaritas but I do not miss drinking at all. The hardest thing for me when starting the diet was not having any sweets or breads. I never had a real bad sweet tooth but I did enjoy some sweet snacks here and there. I had some really bad cravings for pizza, bread and chocolate cake for whatever reason. I even had dreams about chocolate cake, lol!! Those were tough and lasted for weeks but I fought through it. I soon lost all cravings for the junk food and started craving a steak, my ground beef, bacon and eggs. My appetite shrank so much and most days I only do OMAD, one meal a day. My hunger is manageable and I only eat when I start to feel hungry. I primarily drink water and sparkling waters and occasional home brewed unsweetened iced tea. The only thing I could not give up was my morning coffee. Hey, we have to at least have one vice!! I drink 2 cups a day with a little coconut oil or a low carb 4g non GMO coconut creamer.

The only negative thing so far that I experienced with this diet early on and still occasionally has been some constipation. Not sure why that is, could it be the coffee or creamer? I mostly have very regular bowel movements once a day.

Unfortunately, losing the weight I did so traumatically, I also lost most of my muscle mass which has been really hard to see. I had great leg, calf and arm muscles which is now all gone. I am going to be starting a workout routine with weights to slowly gain back that muscle that was lost. I know that being on the carnivore diet will help my body/muscles to get back to where they were before. I am feeling stronger every day and look forward to my healthier, better life going forward. I would love to hear your advice on the best ways to regain lost muscle mass. I know that muscle has memory as my leg function came back pretty quickly thank God. What a rollercoaster this all has been.

Thank you, Dr. Baker, for all you do and for your never ending inspiration.

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 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 Needed Help

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!”

Prescription Drugs Didn’t Work

“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.”

Carnivore Diet Wins

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, optimizing his sleep, improving his sprint speed, and finding more energy and focus. He does eat a little fruit and has no problems with portion control.

These two young men have both optimized their health through a carnivore diet!

Trevor heals from depersonalization, body pain, and being bed-ridden on a carnivore diet

January 10, 2023 No Comments

Born and raised in the small town of Lancaster, Ohio, Trevor was always active and athletic. He grew up eating the Standard American Diet, filled with the usual culprits of fried food and sugar, but still had plenty of energy to keep up with his fellow athletes on the field.

After serving in the Marine Corp for four years, he opened up a gym in his hometown and started eating what he calls the “Bro Diet,” one that is beloved by bodybuilders the world over. Full of lean chicken and rice, he adhered to it strictly as he was doing some modeling at the time, however, even though Trevor looked good on the outside, he was far from feeling well on the inside. “My fat [intake] remained extremely low. I believe that’s what led to me getting really sick…that was the diet that ultimately plunged me into a spiral of sickness.”

When Trevor turned 30, he started to experience bizarre and upsetting symptoms. The very worst would go on to include being bedridden for 3 months, paralysis on half of his body, brain fog, loss of balance, exhaustion, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. “I forgot who my wife and family were…I had episodes of like, passing out—[but] not hitting the ground. You couldn’t have a conversation with me. It was like I was a statue.”

This was the beginning of a cavalcade of doctors entering Trevor’s life. He visited neurologists, cardiologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, and optometrists. “I saw everyone under the sun—I mean, they cut, prodded, poked me—they did everything.”

The eventual diagnosis turned out to be even more confusing, with the medical professionals deciding that it was most likely all psychosomatic. Stunned and running out of options, Trevor and his wife kept searching for answers, spending their life savings trying to find a solution to his health nightmare.

“I remember going downstairs to my wife and…the disassociation was the scariest. I remember asking her, ‘Am I alive or am I dead?’ I just couldn’t comprehend…my brain had a hard time just wrapping around the normal ideals of life.”

After trying varying vegetarian diets to no success, Trevor came across Dr. Shawn Baker and the carnivore diet, and decided to give it a go. After about two to three weeks, he says his brain started to turn back on. “That’s kind of a weird thing to say, but it was the truth. I could remember people’s names that I was struggling with…I could read a book and I could remember what I just read.”

Seven months after going carnivore, and Trevor is now totally free from the symptoms that haunted him for the better part of two years. He eats two meals a day full of red meat, eggs and bacon, and is experiencing stellar results in and out of the gym. His mental clarity is sharp, his libido is great, and he even has plenty of energy to remodel his home after a long day at work. In addition to his gym business, he does health coaching online, and is happy to share his powerful testimony with his clients. “It was life-changing. It was life-saving.”

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 arriving where he is today! Let’s take a look at his experiences.

Early Life

He didn’t start out 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 seven more heart operations.

The Problems

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. Normally, our brains recuperate at night, clearing out the metabolic waste products and refreshing supplies of vital neurotransmitters. However, this requires deep restorative sleep, and Travis experienced restless nights instead.

Gut Disorders

Travel also suffered from stomach ulcers, as well as ulcerative colitis. “All of it was horrible!” he says.

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!

Diet Trials, Finally Carnivore

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!

The Impact of Meat

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…”

The Human Appropriate Diet

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!

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

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.”

Victoria improves health on low-carb diet

November 26, 2022 No Comments

Since 1975, Victoria has divided her time between her native Paraguay and the United States. Coming from a long line of family members who were active and healthy well into their late nineties, Victoria became concerned last year when—at 66 years old—she felt she was losing energy and generally not feeling her best. Not keen to go on medication, she decided to do some research to see what else she could try, and when she came across the carnivore diet—it was advice that sounded vaguely familiar. “My God,” she said, “My grandfather and my father used to eat basically meat. A lot of meat in the morning…beef with a lot of eggs. My father passed away this year in January and he was 100 years old, and he could do everything by himself. He was a little slow, but he could bathe and eat by himself, walk—and his mind was so clear!”

Victoria decided to take the plunge and go fully carnivore. The result? Her psoriasis disappeared and she ended up losing 32 pounds! Her son, who was considering a plant-based diet at the time, saw his mother’s transformation and decided to give it a go. An avid athlete and fighter, he was able to heal many of his past injuries and is feeling fantastic. Her daughter was a bit more wary, but as Victoria was doing the cooking, she inadvertently signed up to do the carnivore diet too! Initially, her daughter experienced terrible hives, but after a few days her body calmed down and she has since experienced the same life-changing results as her mother. They both believe that it was her body releasing years of toxins, which surprised Victoria considering her family always ate high quality organic food in the past. Victoria says to people who are transitioning from a standard western diet to expect some detox symptoms when going carnivore, but encourages them to press through and keep going.

Another family member that experienced relief on the carnivore diet was Victoria’s 84 year old aunt, who was able to go from using a walker, to using a cane, to not needing any mobility aids whatsoever. A great reminder that you’re never too old to try something new, or to give your body the opportunity to heal.

Now, Victoria’s meals take 10-15 minutes to create, and she’s delighted with all of the extra time she has to do other things. At 67, she is on no medication, and has recaptured the boundless energy that she had been seeking just 9 months before.

Victoria’s story reminds us that the carnivore diet isn’t a new way of eating, but a return to what people in many different countries considered perfectly normal not so long ago. Whether she’s taking part in barbecues in Paraguay or eating ribeye steaks in the United States, Victoria feels amazing and is happily spreading the word far and wide. “Try it for 90 days—it won’t kill you—but it can change your life!”

Paul Manages Type 1 Diabetes As An “Accidental Carnivore”

October 9, 2022 No Comments

Paul and his wife live in Oklahoma. He is 66 years old, and when he was 62 he was eating a standard American diet with “everything in balance.” He developed a problem with insatiable thirst, urinating very frequently, craving sweets, and losing weight. Paul discovered that he was a Type 1 diabetic after experiencing a severe thrush infection. His blood glucose was over 400, and he was put on insulin therapy. He was told to follow the American Diabetes Association recommendations of 50 grams of carbohydrates per meal, with fruit juice or fruit permitted, and this “failed miserably.”

Unstable Glucose Levels Using ADA Guidelines
Paul’s blood glucose levels were a “rollercoaster,” and this left him unable to work. The brain fog and emotional instability made it impossible for him to do his highly technical engineering work. He found that following the ADA guidelines made it impossible to stabilize his blood sugar using his insulin prescription.

On one visit, Paul says “I was irritated with my wife when she made me go to the doctor, so when they came in to check my blood sugar, I told them they couldn’t check mine until they checked hers, and hers was 325. She was a serious Type 2 diabetic.”

Finds Carnivore Diet
Paul began studying online, trying to find a way to solve his wife’s diabetes. He found several high-fat low-carb influencers as well as Dr. Shawn Baker and the carnivore diet. “This different take on nutrition and health, that nobody even knows is out there, is the best kept secret on Earth.”

He had already stopped eating plant-based foods because he didn’t like them, and thought they were “a pain in the butt,” before he learned of the carnivore diet. Effectively, he accidentally became a carnivore.

Glucose Control on Carnivore
After being on the carnivore diet, Paul’s insulin use is significantly reduced, and only covers the glucose released by the body as gluconeogenesis when eating proteins, as well as compensating for cortisol release in the mornings. His blood sugar is far easier to control, staying between 70-120 without excursions above or below that. Paul’s A1c, which measures the stability of blood glucose, is between 4.9 to 5.1, the same as someone who is not diabetic.

Retinopathy and Neuropathy Healed
He has also been able to resolve the diabetic retinopathy that had occurred when his blood sugar was very high. His peripheral neuropathy in his legs, feet, hands, and arms has also completely resolved.

Emotional Stability
Paul says “I did not even understand that I had emotional issues before this happened. I didn’t even know I had it. It’s gone! I’m a happy person, a well-adjusted person.”

Helping Others
He tries to help others understand how to better manage their diabetes as he has, and gets frustrated by the spread of misinformation. “When I hear people talk about ‘saturated fat causes insulin resistance, that’s why you have to be a vegan if you’re a type 1 diabetic’ I come unglued.”

Lily healed from inflammation and digestive and skin issues on a strict carnivore diet

October 9, 2022 No Comments

Lily is a self-avowed anarchist, living in Mexico. She was featured in an HBO special about the anarchist movement, and her carnivore journey is also chronicled in that special: “you can see the progression of me from my pre-carnivore very sickly days until, you know, now, where I’m more or less healed from a lot of the stuff that I dealt with.”

Lily and her boyfriend stayed engaged in the anarchist community, eventually moving to Mexico where a large group has formed. This choice, however, would lead to her boyfriend’s murder later.

Vegan Troubles at First
When she and her boyfriend moved to Acapulco, they were planning on participating in the anarchist community. What they found, however, was “it was a bunch of rich snooty vegans, and something not mentioned in the series that is actually a big part of the conflict that happened within the community (the conflict is covered but not this specific part of it) was the opinion of the people that were running the event at the time, and running the community…that you couldn’t be an anarchist and still consume animal products, that it was inherently violent in nature.”

Cartel Dangers
Lilly and her boyfriend got into a situation where they were processing marijuana that they bought from the drug cartel into oil, which they sold to “gringos.” When they started growing their own marijuana and cut out the cartel, her boyfriend was murdered.

Health Issues
Lilly was eating a standard American diet, with “emphasis on junk food because that’s how I was raised” and was nauseous most days, “having to sit down and calm my stomach,” was dizzy all the time, and had “horrible migraines that would put me to bed at 7 p.m. every day. She had IBS, and felt “like I was falling apart.” She was “covered in open sores from chronic cystic acne.”

Finding Carnivore
Lily saw the Joe Rogan interview with Dr. Baker and “that’s actually what got me to give it a try.”

She “practiced strict carnivore for almost 2 years, with about 6 months of the lion diet to deal with inflammation, nervous system inflammation, chronic digestive issues, and horrible skin issues. This was from about mid-2018 to early 2020, which was during the filming of the HBO series The Anarchists.”

Her carnivore experience shifted the Acapulco anarchist community away from dogmatic veganism, and many members are now carnivore.

Symptom and Health Improvements
Lily has found great relief from her acne, IBS, nausea, chronic diarrhea, or constipation, and she has better energy. Her depression is gone, as is her joint pain. She still has some anxiety and tension headaches, but attributes this to her stressful life choices.


Lily has been working on reintroducing some foods back into her diet, while remaining vigilant about not returning to the ill health she had earlier. Her diet is still heavily meat-based, and she is “Still very much a believer in carnivore being good for healing the body and for determining specific trigger foods.”

Categories

Join us to Achieve Your Optimal Health!

Start your Free 30-Day Trial. Cancel Anytime.

Join Us