Don’s carnivore success story is proof that you’re never too old to make positive changes in your health.“I’m 87 years old and have finally gotten my health back! Or, at least, what I could.”
Don says his journey to better health and proper nutrition began nearly 20 years ago. He was eating a standard American diet (often dubbed “SAD”), full of highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, refined fats and seed oils, and plenty of added sugars. “I ate a lot of carbs,” Don recalls, “including pizza, pasta, doughnuts, rolls, buns, toast, cakes, potatoes, corn, and beets. I also ate everything that was recommended by the national dietary guidelines. It was a disaster for me!”
Up until this point, Don had faithfully followed the U.S. dietary guidelines, which called for 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, and pasta per day, 2-3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese, 2-5 servings of fruits and vegetables, and just 2-3 servings of meat, poultry, and protein. Once Don realized that this advice wasn’t serving his health, he began to question the science of these dietary recommendations.
Over the years, Don developed several health issues that affected his overall quality of life. He suffered from hearing loss and eventually needed hearing aids. Due to a slow heart rate, Don had another surgery to install a pacemaker.
Don developed cataracts in both eyes and had surgery to remove them. Cataracts are often associated with diabetes. High blood sugar over a long period of time can lead to damaged blood vessels, including those in the eye. For this reason, cataracts are more likely in patients who are prediabetic or diabetic. While Don’s diabetes was never formally diagnosed, he certainly showed signs of high blood sugar.
In his late sixties, Don finally realized his diet was playing a role in various health conditions, so he decided to make changes. “My transition to avoiding all plant foods was gradual,” he explains. “I slowly learned how dangerous these foods were to my health.” Don learned how consuming highly processed carbohydrates and excess amounts of sugar in his diet could lead to insulin resistance and weight gain. “Fortunately, I realized what path I was heading down before I got diagnosed with diabetes.”
Today, Don adheres to a strict diet of animal products, including beef steaks, liver, eggs, and bacon. “I avoid all foods from plant sources!” The results have been astounding, as Don has seemingly returned measurements of his youth.
“I have at last returned to my high school physique!” He’s the same weight as he was 60 years ago and wears the same pant size (32×32) and shirt size (medium) as he did back then.
Though it may have taken him longer than he would have liked to get to this point, Don is thrilled with his results. “I’ve been zero-carb now for almost 33 months.” During that relatively short amount of time, he has avoided diabetes and improved his overall vitality.
