The Discovery of the Carnivore Diet
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 (a yeast infection which often occurs in the mouth and throat). 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.”
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.”
Paul began studying online, trying to find a way to cure 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.
The Benefits of the Carnivore Diet for Pau's Diabetes
Paul’s insulin use has significantly decreased since starting the carnivore diet and now only covers the glucose that is released by the body as gluconeogenesis when eating proteins and balances out the morning cortisol release. 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.
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.
Resolving Complications and Emotional Issues
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.”
Advocating for Better Diabetes Management
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.”
