Jennifer’s Struggle with Plant-Based Diets and Exercise
Jennifer was on a plant-based rollercoaster and saw her weight go up despite her intense exercise. Through a carnivore diet, she has finally been able to get off that ride and find stability.
The Emotional Rollercoaster of a Plant-Based Diet
She had been trying diets ranging from vegetarian to vegan, and even raw vegan, for over 20 years. Jennifer saw her weight continue to increase and began using running to try to get control over her weight.
Jennifer also found that she was a victim of the “emotional rollercoaster of a personality” that her plant-based diet promoted. This robbed her of energy as well, and she says it “ran me ragged.”
The Switch to a Carnivore Diet
Jennifer took this strategy to an extreme yet didn’t see the results she was looking for. “Before, I was an ultrarunner to try to keep my weight down. Running and eating a ton of supplements and “clean” foods.
No matter how much I ran and ate clean my weight eventually increased. I am a tough girl and dragged this 200+ body over more trail miles than I care to admit. My longest race was a 50 miler.”
Fiber, while it is almost universally recommended by well-meaning health ‘experts,’ is often the cause of gut inflammation and irritation. In Jennifer’s case, she was experiencing stomach bloating, which is certainly uncomfortable.
Symptoms are the body’s way of communicating to us when there is a problem, and bloating is certainly an effective message! Jennifer decided to finally stop running and also to dramatically change her diet. “So, I stopped running and started lifting weights and eating strict Carnivore.”
The Benefits of a Carnivore Diet on Gut Health and Mental Health
You could say that a carnivore diet is the polar opposite of a vegan diet, and the results also proved to be very different. Jennifer’s gut liked the change in diet, and her bloating vanished.
“First thing to go was stomach bloating.” If our diet promotes systemic inflammation, our brains become unstable. Some neurotransmitters, such as glutamate (which is excitatory) and GABA (which is calming), become imbalanced when there is inflammation.
This can cause anxiety. Our brain is made of 60% fat, with 25% of that being cholesterol. A ketogenic diet can stabilize even an epileptic brain, and in general, saturated fats help our brains work better.
One of the most common observations of a carnivore diet is called “carnivore zen” because the diet promotes a calm mind. Jennifer saw this too, saying, “I definitely experience the zero carb zen now.”
Long-Term Benefits of a Carnivore Diet
Jennifer continued on her strict carnivore diet and has made some decisions based on the results after 3 months: “I have been on strict Carnivore now for just over 3 months and I am not going back to vegetarian, vegan, or raw vegan (did that for 20+ years).”
The benefits of the carnivore diet can be lifelong, too, as Jennifer notes, “The changes now are now as fast as when I first ate raw vegan but now they feel sustainable with ZERO cravings and I like calm, strong, grateful me.”
