30 Days on A Carnivore Diet: My experience as a health coach
If you ask AI to write a blog post about the carnivore diet, it uses superficial Google searching to skim the internet for biased information about the dangers of meat and saturated fat. The information in question is backed by "research," of course, but the “research” is supplied by the industries that benefit from confusing you about health. Of course, our most vocal financially driven industries provide the most available information online about nutrition.
Welcome to stockholder capitalism in America, where one sector buys its way into another (or even into our government), weaving a unique web of bias and lies that ripples its way through the entire fabric of American society using biased research, propaganda, lobbying, and political endorsement.
Everything from the methods for which we grow food on an industrial level to the education provided by medical schools is pumped into the minds of well-intended medical students, arming them with the ability to effectively peddle pharmaceutical products while simultaneously leaving them woefully ill-equipped to give nutrition-based care. It’s all linked, and it’s all corrupt; a well-oiled machine designed to sell products at all cost and placate their mutual shareholders.
As a health coach passionate about finding the truth regarding nutrition, I have faced the difficult task of rebelling against this industrial/corporate fabric that holds up our consumer-driven society.
I have to question everything.
I have to read the research and then investigate the source of funding for that research to know whether I should take the research at face value! It's HARD and time-consuming. The time and ability I have to read is a blessing that isn't afforded to everyone.
I came across a carnivore diet in my journey to learning the truth. When I did, I thought there was NO WAY this was real and figured the only way to know for sure was to try it for myself and report on the results.
On April 19th, I started Carnivore. The week prior, I ate up all my non-carnivore foods and prepared for the next shopping trip, combing over the products I would buy and prepared myself to be armed with supportive items and nothing tempting or addicting. I boxed up all of my spices and sauces, leaving myself only sea salt, and locked them away in the guest room.
The carnivore protocol I chose involves eliminating all carbs and sugar. The goal here is Keto, assuming that the research I read about Keto's healing properties was accurate. It makes sense to me that taking a break from carbs and sugar (yes, even fake sweeteners of ALL types) is healing, especially since I have also come across information claiming that many of the conditions plaguing average Americans today are the result of metabolic dysfunction (i.e. insulin resistance and pre-diabetes).
So, I gave it a try.
When I started, I was suffering from a nasty case of Peri-oral dermatitis, an inflammatory breakout around the nose, mouth, and eyes. Based on my research, the outbreak correlates with yeast overgrowth in the intestine. Yeast overgrowth can be associated with a few things, namely excessive sugar consumption and/or the presence of parasites. Tackling both of these things has been a goal of mine for a long time, but I didn't know how to do it, or rather, I didn’t know how to do it properly.
The Carnivore Diet offered the right launching point for me to address both of these things simultaneously. 2 birds with 2 stone, if you will.
Navigating a parasite protocol on the side, I cut out all carbs and sugar for 30 days, consuming a tier of Carnivore that was pretty radical compared to other animal-based diets. Meat, salt, water, eggs, and an emphasis on animal fats was the combination of animal-based foods that fit me best.
Everyone is different.
Some people can't have eggs; some people can't have pork, so this diet is very individualized. Since I quit drinking a year and a half ago, I had a propensity to be surrounded by lots of different beverages at any given time, not emphasizing water. That's why I cut out all beverages and emphasized water. I tailored the diet to meet my goals and to challenge my habits, addictions, and desires, making it VERY challenging and emotional.
Here is my 30-day experience trying out the carnivore diet.
Day 1-5
Keto flu. It's not fun or pleasant. I am grateful I got to be home all weekend with my partner. Consider being close to a bathroom during this part. I gather that this is a very common and expected detox phase, where the body adjusts to the absence of carbs and sugar. Sugar is a drug, after all. We don't acknowledge it as such, but it makes sense there would be a detox and withdrawal after consuming a high amount of carbs long-term.
Depending on how carb-dependant you have been, this icky keto flu phase can last 5 days or two weeks.
IT WILL PASS!
My advice is to let yourself feel like crap, take it one day at a time, and know it will not last forever. Many people quit during this phase, not realizing that detox is an essential phase of healing. Drink lots of water, get a good quality mineral salt (Celtic sea salt, sea salt, pink salt- NOT TABLE SALT), apply it liberally to your food, and add it in pinches to each glass of water you drink so you can stay hydrated and optimize mineralization. Ensure you're getting lots of good animal fats (about 2-5 tablespoons a day of butter, ghee, tallow, steak fat, etc.)
Day 5-20
This phase is different for everyone, but as my energy started coming back, I still had minimal capacity for gym workouts for the first 20 days. I very quickly became exhausted, but I learned that this was okay.
I didn't push it.
My body was learning how to adjust to a carb and sugar-free lifestyle and was switching from carb-burning to ketone and fat-burning.
I highly encourage you to listen to your body.
If you feel exhausted during a workout, stop. Go on a walk, enjoy nature, and move, but don't overdo it. This time was mine to build that inner wisdom I have so deeply wanted to be in touch with.
During these 15 days, I struggled with massive carb cravings and was very emotional. I cried a lot and had to write in a journal daily to process everything that was coming up for me, and even by day 30, I had these "What the fuck?" feeling that would come up every few days that I didn't recognize.
Carb and sugar addiction is real.
For me, as an ex-alcoholic, I coped by leaning into sugar cravings, carb (grain) cravings, lots of soda waters and juices and bubbly NA drinks, and I think that it's actually an important phase.
Cutting out all these things led to a cascade of what I would describe as suppressed emotions that now had nowhere to go, as they could no longer be appeased by food. This awful phase also passed, and I don't know if it affects everyone, but it was the dominant symptom I dealt with
Days 10-30
SO MUCH ENERGY
SO MUCH MENTAL CLARITY
Best of all, my peri-oral dermatitis was receding. YAY!
I lost 15 pounds. The word ‘carbohydrate’ indicates how essential the role of water is in carbohydrate metabolism. Lots of water hangs around the body when we consume carbs, puffing up the face, neck, and midsection. All this water falls off when we stop consuming said carbs, a thrilling part of my carnivore experience! It wasn't why I was doing it, but it was a pleasant symptom to remind me to keep going- that things were changing. Again, I am not saying everyone will respond the same way, but it is definitely a perk that I was fortunate enough to begin to experience about 15 days in.
Here's what I am still grappling with. A high-fat carnivore diet seems to fit me very well, and my body seemed very happy on it for the most part, but my parasite situation is still very misunderstood. I don't know if the protocols are working, and I don't know how to tackle these little buggers or how long it takes to recover from them. For this, I have been seeking counsel from my doctor, and I can keep you updated if it interests any of you.
I have been reading that people who try to treat peri-oral dermatitis with Carnivore often need to go as long as 9 months on the protocol! Everyone is different, but that was a daunting possibility for me.
The lack of variety in my diet was the most challenging part of this whole thing, and 30 days felt like an eternity, if I am being honest. I feel so good, however, that I think another 30 days is entirely possible for me, and after an indulgent sushi date with my fiance, we feel ready to try another round, as my peri-oral dermatitis is still lingering, although greatly reduced.
Experiencing Ketosis for the first time was fun and exciting!
I love that I have allowed my body to experience metabolic flexibility, the ability to effortlessly move between fat-burning/ketosis and carb/sugar-burning. I look forward to experimenting with this further. Something to keep in mind is that some people absolutely thrive being in Ketosis full-time, and some people really don't thrive. Everyone is different, and I am still learning what works for me. Not everyone wants to cut out veggies, and that's okay! Some people are desperate for someone to FINALLY give them permission to never have to touch another veggie for the rest of their lives, and that's okay, too! The point with health, wellness, and healing is that YOU decide.
You try something and decide what supports you the best.
I appreciated this process and even fell in love with the challenging parts, especially the addictive and emotional components. I learned so much about myself on Carnivore, and it is a beautiful tool to access, especially for individuals who enjoy taking their health into their own hands.
As a health coach, I love having the knowledge of Carnivore in my toolbelt to help support patients as they journey to heal their chronic inflammation, weight gain, unwanted chronic health symptoms, low fertility, skin breakouts, and nutritional deficits. I feel blessed to have stumbled upon it as a healing modality!
Do you have questions about Carnivore, coaching, or both? Fill out the contact form on my website here or book a free 30-minute consultation with me here! I would love to meet you!
Happy healing,
