My eating style generally follows the Nordic Diet, which aligns with my focus on a healthy lifestyle. Those of you who have followed my blog know that I am not someone who is into fads. I am not a person who diets or follows every new trend that comes along, but I’m always interested in understanding the reasoning, and in some cases, I like to give it a try. The latest trend in eating that I’ve been hearing so much about over the last few months is the Carnivore diet.
Have you ever been advised “Don’t eat too much meat, especially fatty meats. You will develop high cholesterol and clog your arteries, and increase your risk of heart attack”?
What if I told you that the reason for clogged arteries is two-fold—first, inflammation in the arteries is caused by eating sugar, and foods high in added sugar and carbohydrates, and then, eating fatty foods and fatty meats cause the arteries to clog up. It is actually the combination of sugar and fat that is dangerous, yet we generally hear about only half of this equation—eating fatty foods. If I were to demonize one thing over the other, it would be sugar. Fat is essential, sugar is not.
Those of you who have followed my blog know that I am not someone who is into fads. I am not a person who diets or follows every new trend that comes along, but I’m always interested in understanding the reasoning, and in some cases, I like to give it a try. The latest trend in eating that I’ve been hearing so much about over the last few months is the Carnivore diet.
What is the Carnivore diet, and what are its principles?
On a Carnivore diet you are allowed to eat only meat, fish, eggs, and some dairy products, thereby eliminating all plant-based foods as well as all carbohydrates. In contrast to a keto or paleo diet, the Carnivore diet aims for zero carbs, whereas on the keto diet you can consume around 20-50gms of carbs per day.
The benefits to the Carnivore approach are said to be managing your weight, fighting inflammation, regulating hormones, lowering blood sugar, and more. The concept is simple–cut out all carbs and your body will react in the following way:
- Since burning carbohydrates is the easiest way for the body to produce energy, the body always starts by burning carbs
- If you eat a high carb diet and don’t exercise much, you may end up having excess carbs in your body
- Excess carbs in your system turn to fat and are stored in your body as a reserve energy source
- The energy you get from carbs is relatively short lived, especially carbs from sugar, flour, rice, etc. so after eating/drinking a meal high in carbs your blood sugar spikes and you have a lot of energy, but it usually falls again quickly leaving you in need of more, or crashing and feeling tired
- If you eliminate carbs your body starts to look for an alternative energy source, and that energy source is fat
- Fat is the best energy source for the body because it causes you to maintain a longer period of steady energy
- This is similar to what happens when you fast–the body always finds a way to get the energy it needs, and if it can’t get the quickest fix, the carb, it goes for the alternative, fat
"The benefits to the Carnivore approach are said to be managing your weight, fighting inflammation, regulating hormones, lowering blood sugar, and more."
I decided to try two weeks of the Carnivore diet to see how it would affect me. Here are my results:
Positive
- I lost some weight–I didn’t weigh myself before and after, but could see the change in my body. If I had to take a guess, I would say that I lost 5-7lbs over the 2 weeks.
- Energy levels were very high, and I was more focused.
- I didn’t have to go to the toilet as much. Since most of the food you ingest is protein, your body absorbs most of what you eat and there is little left to poop, so over these two weeks I think I went to the bathroom only twice.
- I was almost never hungry and I had no cravings. Because all the food I consumed was protein and fat I became full more quickly and wasn’t even hungry when it was time for dinner. I ate 2 times a day and I probably ate too little because I always felt full.
- I felt less inflammation in my body, fewer body aches–come to think of it, no body aches!
- Cooking time was cut to 10-20 minutes a day.
Negative
- I didn’t fall asleep when I went to bed. Because of the higher energy levels, I had a hard time falling asleep, especially in the beginning.
- So incredibly boring. I love to cook, and I love to eat. On the Carnivore diet you are only adding fuel to the tank–no pleasure, excitement, happiness, or fun. For example, dinner consisted of a roasted chicken thigh and cream sauce made from stock and heavy cream. Life should be fun. This was not fun.
- I peed a lot, almost like I was cleansing, and when that happens you need to be constantly drinking electrolytes to maintain your salts and minerals.
So, these were my results, and here are my thoughts after these two weeks. If you are, for any reason, interested in the Carnivore diet, I think you should see your doctor for a consultation first. Note that I am not a doctor, this information is my personal research and experience after trying this myself. I think it would be wise to have your blood sugar level tested before and after, as well as your cholesterol levels. If they are high, this way of eating may not be for you. Just be mindful of the fact that when you stop the Carnivore approach that you don’t just dive into a pool of carbs. Ease into it and be mindful of the fact that carbs scream for more carbs.
My takeaways are the following:
This made some sense to me if you were trying to lose some fat quickly. As a lifestyle, I could never continue this for a longer period of time. It was simply so uninteresting and boring. I am going to the doctor’s office this week and will have my bloodwork done to see if there is any elevation in cholesterol and will add that info to the story. I don’t recommend this unless it is for some sort of a kickstart for a short amount of time. I always recommend eating balanced meals, made from whole foods, with few ingredients.
"My philosophy is the 80-20 rule. Be healthy 80% of the time and allow yourself some indulgence for the remaining 20%."
I have tried many things and have found my ideal lifestyle. I fast from 8pm–1pm every day, and in that 7-hour window of eating, I eat twice a day, with fruits as a snack in-between. My first meal consists of a collagen protein smoothie, and the second is a full meal made from organic, whole foods.
If you are able to, I encourage you to try different things and see how it feels on your body. If you have upset stomach issues, try to stop eating dairy; if your joints are painful, cut out sugar and flour, etc. Your body is unique, and may react totally differently than mine. So, experiment on yourself (safely of course and after consulting with your doctor) and see what works best for you.
My philosophy is the 80-20 rule. Be healthy 80% of the time and allow yourself some indulgence for the remaining 20%. If your goal is to lose weight, remember much of that happens in the kitchen, less in the gym. But overall, I believe your goal should always be a balanced life of healthiness and happiness.
Let me know if you are interested or have tried the Carnivore approach, and if so, please share your story with me. Send me an email at bjorn@justbjorn.com
In the meantime, eat healthy, be happy and enjoy life.
