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What is the carnivore diet? A simple guide to this new WOE
Breaking down the carnivore diet to its core
What is the the Carnivore Diet?
As the term carnivore diet is becoming more popular, it has become trendy to jump into it or to become an influencer promoting it. With any new trends, this means there is a bunch of misinformation being shared. I want to try to simplify what it is, who it is for, and what to expect when you follow a carnivore diet.
You will find many people refer to it as a WOE which means Way Of Eating.
Forgoing what the social media influencers promote to make this seem more appealing, let's discuss what this WOE is all about.
It's a long read because there's a lot to go over but I'm attempting to keep it as simple as I can.
First I will start off by saying this WOE is not a weight loss diet.
Let me repeat, the purpose of this WOE is not to simply lose weight in a short amount of time.
Yes, there are many people who have lost hundreds of pounds in a rather short time period, but it came after the body healed.
Weight loss is a by-product of this WOE, but it is not the intention of this WOE.
Carnivore diet is an elimination diet.
Read that line again because at the root of it all, it comes back to this.
The Carnivore diet is an elimination diet.
We are eliminating all of the inflammatory products from our lives. All the “foods” that are causing brain fog, stomach issues, joint pain, rashes, skin conditions, inflammation and stiffness, and causing sickness and disease.
That mean we will not be eating anything that is processed, has added sugar, preservatives, chemicals, grains, plants, etc.
Our endgame is to eliminate or reduce the amounts of all medications we're taking.
There will be no need for supplements (other than electrolytes in the beginning) other than Lugol's Iodine which will be required if you're not eating multiple eggs each day.
When converting from Standard American Diet (SAD) to carnivore you need to cut all carbs.
No grains, no vegetables, no starches. Just protein and fat.
No seasonings other than salt at first.
No seed oils or vegetable oils.
No sugar.
Carnivore diet means we eat animals and animal products exclusively.
This should be in the form of red meat.
Beef, Bison, Lamb, Mutton, Venison, Goat, etc.
Ruminent animals are what we are aiming for.
Beef has all of the essential nutrients we need to survive and thrive. We can live off of beef alone.
Eggs (namely the yoke) are vitally important but since commercial chickens are fed things we are trying to avoid, you will want farm fresh eggs.
I prefer duck eggs over chicken eggs, and some people allergic to chicken eggs can tolerate duck eggs.
When making the switch from SAD to carnivore, commit to 90 days of being strict.
Strict means avoiding any cheat meals or added ingredients.
This gives the body time to heal and recover from all of the inflammation and oxalate buildup.
Contrary to widespread misinformation, plants have defense mechanisms to protect themselves from being eaten. This is why most vegetables taste bitter, kids don't like them (instincts), and they make people gassy. Vegetables are hurting you.
Depending on how your healing goes, after the 90 days you may be able to start bringing new foods in if you choose to.
I would start slow and only 1 thing at a time so that if you have a reaction, you know what is to blame.
If you have an autoimmune issue your healing may need to go far past 90 days.
Carbs are not essential.
There is nothing essential about carbohydrates. Whether you're an athlete or a regular person working a stressful job, there is no reason to have carbs other than addiction. All carbs convert into sugar which causes a spike of insulin.
The body uses carbs for energy because they're fast an convenient, but a body that uses fat for energy is working at it's most optimal.
In the absence of carbs, the body will become fat adapted which means it will use fat as a fuel source. It will no longer feel like it needs to store fat for later, as long as you're feeding it enough fat.
This is where most people coming over from SAD fail at this diet.
YOU MUST EAT HIGH FAT!
Fat is needed to heal the body.
The cholesterol is the building blocks to hormones, so you can get into a proper hormonal balance. In the beginning I recommend a 4:1 fat to protein ratio before settling in at closer to a 2:1 ratio for the remaining time.
This is a lot more fat than you think. You need to eat lots of fat.
Eat fat to become fit!
How to get more fat?
- Make tallow and add it to your meals or eat it straight.
- Cook with tallow, butter, or ghee
- Eat fatty cuts of meat or high-fat ground meat.
While most new carnivores are including pork and chicken, I do not recommend it unless you are raising your own.
They are not ruminent animals which means anything they eat will also be in their flesh which will cause an inflammatory response to those affected by it. The Omega 3 vs 6 ratio is off as well.
If you do add chicken or pork, make it an addition as it will not be satiating like red meat.
Red meat should be the bulk of your nutrition.
Important Tips:
- Make bone broth. This is a great source of electrolytes.
- Take Electrolytes during the transition phase.
- Don't buy over-priced electrolyte supplements being pushed all over YouTube. Buy the bulk powders I listed here: Magnesium and Potassium
- Buy and use pink salt.
- Throw out your table salt. Pink or Celtic Sea Salt only.
- Fiber is not needed and only blocks nutrient absorption.
- You may have diarrhea in the beginning as you get acclimated to a high fat diet, this is why I recommend a transition phase where you gradually decrease your carbs while increasing your fats until you're at zero carbs.
- Being that red meat is so bio-available, you will have significantly smaller poop and may go days without needing to poop. Not pooping is NOT the same as constipation. Just because you haven't pooped, does not mean you are constipated. This is normal.
- You do not count calories. You eat when hungry and stop when satiated. Intuitive eating, listen to your body. If it's hungry, feed it. Still hungry? You need to add more fat.
- Salt is your friend, you will need lots of it in the beginning. Heavily salt your food and also add salt to your water to make it more hydrating. Without fiber, this is how you get things moving.
Approved Foods:
- Beef
- Lamb
- Goat
- Venison
- Bison
- Eggs
- Tallow
- Butter or Ghee if tolerated
- Sea Salt
Questionable Foods:
- Pork
- Bacon
- Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Wings
- Pork Rinds
- Organic Coffee
Things to expect:
Better Energy
Stable mood
Less gas
Improved skin conditions
Deeper Sleep (especially if you work out)
Less inflammation, stiffness, or pain
No desire to snack
Fat loss
Muscle Gain
Increased bone density
Final Words:
Regardless of what online groups say, in order for this to work you have to be strict.
Give yourself 30-90 days minimum before you deviate from the plan. You will feel so much better that it will make sticking to the program that much easier. Your health is worth much more than a cheat meal that will hurt you...and yes, once you transition those cheat meals will hurt worse than they did prior. Your body will start recognizing the poisons you were ingesting with more acuity. Don't set yourself backward during the healing phase.
Only when you've followed this for a measurable amount of time will you begin to realize how bad you used to feel. Your new normal will feel like a superpower. Stay the course and you will feel optimized.
***Throw out the scale, and measure yourself with a ribbon tape measure and photos. Take notice of how your clothes are fitting. You will be gaining natural muscle and bone density which will increase your weight, which is what you want for body composition and health. A scale will never tell the whole story. Remember this is about healing first and foremost.
I feel like I turned the clock back 20 years, and after you follow this WOE for a few months, you should feel amazing too!
If you are ready to learn more about the benefits of Carnivore Diet or you would like a support group, we just created a new Facebook Group for you. Join here. True Carnivore.
Send me a message with any questions to dave@higherfrequencylife.com
You've got this!
Raise your frequency.
-Metahuman Dave
Coach
P.S. I created an eBook all about escaping the Standard American Diet (SAD): A Comprehensive Guide to Health and Transformation. You can purchase it here.
I appreciate every one of you who support me by purchasing the book and using my links provided.
