Giovanna is Peruvian. She explains that Peruvian food is very carb-centric—the country has over 3000 varieties of potatoes, and the nation consumes a lot of quinoa, rice, and fruit. Giovanna had weight issues after high school until she was in her thirties.
She came to the United States 21 years ago. Giovanna lost weight with the calories in/calories out method and lots of exercise. Until menopause, her weight was stable.
She never liked fast food, but she did eat some packaged foods, and she describes her diet as not quite the typical American one—a little of everything. Giovanna visited her doctor when she began to experience hormone-related issues during menopause. She advised her to avoid sugar and gluten and eat a lot of cabbage in order to get rid of the extra estrogen. She also recommended avoiding red meat in favor of occasional servings of chicken or fish. But Giovanna didn’t follow that advice—she likes red meat too much.
Soon after, in 2016, Giovanna began the keto diet. After a year, she went back to her doctor, and her hormones were balanced. Giovanna attributes this to her keto diet.
In 2017, Giovanna went to KetoCon, where she learned about the carnivore diet. In 2018, she transitioned to carnivore and noticed changes in her body. Unaware that she was bloated before, Giovanna realized on the carnivore diet that her stomach was flatter. She noticed eating meat reduced the inflammation in her “trigger finger.” She also feels her skin has improved, and she says people tell her she doesn’t look 52.
Giovanna experienced other improvements as well. She says her nails are much stronger. And not only her nails, but she is stronger and gaining muscle mass. “I like to work out,” she explains. At the gym, she can lift heavier weights. Her husband jokingly refers to her as the “hulk” in reference to her growing biceps. She says, “It’s nice that I’m getting older and gaining muscle.” Giovanna also worked on doing pull-ups for a year, and when she first began, she couldn’t do any. Now it’s part of her routine, and every morning she does them.
Giovanna explains that she responds to stress with less emotion now. She describes herself as a “crier” before the carnivore diet. In 2019, she experienced family stress and says she successfully navigated that time. She believes the glycine and amino acids from eating meat and consuming bone broth helped her fall and stay asleep.
Giovanna has two teenage sons, both of whom had acne, despite the many topical treatments they tried. One of her sons agreed to do carnivore for a month. She took pictures of his skin throughout the month so he could gauge his improvement. In the end, his skin was better.
Giovanna also helped her type 2 diabetic mother during a recent visit. Her mom ate a lot of carbs and had blood sugar levels ranging from 100 to 116, sometimes spiking to 140, despite being on metformin. Giovanna helped her mom transition away from carbs to a meat-based, low-carb diet, and in doing so, her mom discontinued her medication.
Giovanna describes the carnivore diet as a “biohack.” She enjoys helping others find their motivation to get healthy and start their carnivore journeys.
