12/02/2025
Food either fuels you or poisons you.
I've been 99% carnivore for 6 months. Recently I tried adding other foods to see how my gut would react.
What is a carnivore diet?
Animal products. Minimally processed.
Meat, as rare as tolerated
Raw milk, full fat
Farm eggs, also undercooked
Butter
Greek yogurt, full fat
Cottage cheese, full fat
Doesn't the body need carbs?
It doesn't "need" carbs, carbs are quickly broken down to provide fast energy.
Fast energy = fast crash = insulin spikes = overeating
Fast energy also underworks the gut. The gut gets to be lazy. The gut slows down. The gut turns more into a grazing, fermented gut, instead of the purifying, powerful acid-containing organ it is.
So where does the body get energy from?
Fat
The body can safely use fat for fuel. Fat is digested more slowly BUT keeps the gut moving properly. Fat keeps the chronicity of the gut intact. The gut doesn't stall - aka bloat - on fat like it does with carbs.
The fat lubricates the gut, leading to less build up of fermenting food stuck in the colon.
Wasn't Arnold hospitalized for eating this way?
He ate high protein. Little fat. No carbs. It destroyed his kidneys.
Fat is needed for fuel. The body "can" use protein if there is nothing else available.
But it's a process in which the byproducts of the breakdown are toxic. The breakdown of protein as a fuel source creates an aldehyde mess in the blood, the liver, and the brain. And then the kidneys try to rid the body of the byproducts and get physically damaged.
It's vital to get enough fat to prevent this. And I'll say this now because it needs to be said...
Fat does not make you fat
Inflammation makes you fat.
40% of calories from fat is a good start.
How do you know you're getting all you need from carnivore?
I feel better
My lab work is better
My visceral fat deceased
My muscle increased
Is it expensive?
After a few weeks of transitioning into carnivore, insulin regulation becomes tight.
You don't feel "starving." Ever. So don't forget to eat, even if you don't feel hungry.
Once you begin to eat you'll likely keep eating and surprise yourself with how much you can eat.
You won't feel stuffed and bloated.
Listen to your body. Eat until you feel satiated. It's very difficult to overeat on carnivore. It's much easier to undereat.
That being said, after a few weeks you will naturally shift to less meals during the day.
After about a month I was eating one meal at day.
During that meal I may eat 2200 calories.
If I am feeling that I need that much, I eat it. It is not uncommon to have days of "refeeding" where I'm eating more than normal. That's OK. It's my body telling me that I need more fuel.
So, long story is... I spend a lot less on food.
No chips
No sauces
No condiments (other than salt)
No veggies
No fruits
Look at your cart in the store next time and look how much you spend on all but meat, eggs, and dairy.
Is it a lifelong diet?
I'm not sure. But I do think there should be times in the year for fasting, followed by no meat, dairy, or fat.
Keeping carbs and meat/fat separate keeps the gut happiest.
After a fast it is reasonable to eat only fruits and vegetables, but only in the summer with many hours of daylight to help process these.
Some fruits and veggies are better for the gut than others.
Those with anti nutrients should be avoided, such as spinach, kale, etc.
Sauerkraut is great at this time.
After that I would fast again. My refeed would be bone broth for two days to move all the fermented stuff out before I switch back to things that don't do well fermenting in the gut, aka carnivore food.
And the 1% food I ate to test my gut? Pizza.
I did not suffer the next few days like i usually do.
My gut didn't hurt
My gut slowed a little but recovered by the next afternoon.
Everyone has a different path with food, physically, emotionally, spiritually...
This isn't medical advice.
