Maria healed eating disorder, gastroparesis, osteoporosis, and arthritis on carnivore diet

Maria’s Digestive Issues

Maria has been down a long road of digestive issues. She experienced many issues with her gut, starting as a young adult. She describes struggling to eat because it felt like the food was stuck in her stomach two hours after each meal. Maria was diagnosed with gastroparesis– a condition that affects food digestion by hindering the muscle contractions of the stomach.

From Anorexia to Gastroparesis

Maria says she was anorexic as a child, and some bad habits stuck with her through her adult years. She describes her previous diet as what most would consider “healthy.”

Her diet was very similar to the Mediterranean way of eating– lots of vegetables, cheese, bread, and very little meat. Maria says she was taught only to eat four ounces of meat per meal, and that habit stuck with her for many years.

Unhealthy Diets and Surgery

Maria says after her diagnosis, her diet became very unhealthy. She consumed only foods that were supposed to be easily digestible, like rice and bone broth. Maria eventually started the ketogenic diet, which she says helped with her mental health.

However, looking back, she realizes her version of the keto diet did not contain enough meat. Instead, she still ate a lot of seed oils, butter, fat, and other foods, which were hard on her digestive system.

Maria eventually had her entire colon removed after her bowels stopped working, and she now has a colostomy bag. Maria says after she healed from the surgery, she tried to return to the keto diet, but her body couldn’t handle the amount of fat she was eating. Maria struggled so much that she got down to only eighty-two pounds.

Discovering the Carnivore Diet

Maria knew her body felt the best when she ate meat, so she decided to try the carnivore diet. Maria, over the years, had developed arthritis along with rosacea, which was quickly eliminated by the carnivore diet.

Maria says the carnivore diet took time for her body to get used to, but she also knows she is a special case. Over a year later, she is still tweaking what works for her.

The Importance of Finding What Works

Today, Maria eats a lot of beef; however, she has found she can’t grill the meat. She usually eats ground beef cooked in broth or slow-cooked pot roast. Maria says she eats some chicken and treats it like a supplement.

Maria doesn’t eat dairy as it is difficult for her body to digest. She says she had also learned along the way that treats like Diet Coke, alcohol, and coffee don’t work for her digestive system.

Maria also learned from an interview with Kelly Hogan and Kendall McBride that bone broth is too strong for her delicate digestive system. Maria has now switched to chicken stock which she says is much easier to digest. Maria says the carnivore diet has been a learning curve, but she seems to have found what works for her.

She knows her journey looks different from others on the carnivore diet, which is okay. She even had her kidney doctor, unfamiliar with the carnivore diet, tell her, “whatever makes your bag happy makes me happy.”

Tips for Healing with the Carnivore Diet

Maria says her advice to anyone looking to heal their digestive system with the carnivore diet is to “be patient.” She also suggests walking after each meal to help the digestive system get going and swapping bone broth for chicken stock.

Maria is thankful she found the carnivore way of eating to heal her gut and says to anyone else, “don’t be afraid to try it.”