The Keto Carnivore Experiment Week 1
A steak lover’s dream, the carnivore diet may sound crazy but it can provide an incredible amount of health value. My personal version of a keto paleo diet has always been more protein intensive than average and I’d been curious about going full carnivore for a while, so I decided to run a little experiment and try out the keto paleo carnivore diet. In this article, I’ll be sharing my overall experience, struggles with cravings, and the results I observed.
Dr. Shawn Baker has his version of the carnivore diet, which I recommend you read about on his website. However, some micronutrient gaps in the carnivore diet have been identified and I would suggest incorporating organ meats to bypass the lack of nutrients. Scroll down to the bottom of the article to find links to some amazing recipes using liver, heart, and other organ meats.
It should be known that I do not intend to blindly endorse this particular way of eating. There’s a wealth of research proving the benefits and disadvantages of eating a carnivore type diet. Here, I am just simply attempting to do my own version of a “clinical study” to observe the results and how it affects ME on an individual level. I always encourage you to remember your own BIO INDIVIDUALITY. I also invite you to listen to your own body and its needs. As you will see below, I am doing my own modified version due to how I’m feeling as I move through the experiment.
The Keto Carnivore Experiment:
- A modified version using 90% meat with 5-10% bitter greens.
- Plus, some fat tea in the mornings with the occasional matcha and nootropics.
- Consuming mostly animal proteins three times per day until feeling full without counting any calories.
- Daily workout program: The 30-day Animal Moves Challenge.
- Monitor mood and energy levels while also watching for strength gains.
Try 30-day Animal Moves Challenge!
Transitioning from High-Carb to High-Fat Diet
I’m a believer in including more protein in your diet than what is normally recommended. There are lots of benefits like building muscle and getting leaner, but it’s also a helpful bridge in transitioning from a high-carb to a high-fat diet. When making the transition, patients of mine often complain of constantly feeling hungry because they’re used to all the carbs. Protein is incredibly effective for curbing cravings because it makes you feel full. Before you go really high fat with a ketogenic diet, use protein to suppress your desire for carbs and keep your energy up throughout the day.
Individual Experience and Different Physiologies
There’s a ton of incredible research and studies done on the nutritional benefits of a carnivore diet, but the reality is you have to try it out for yourself. All kinds of different factors come into play as to how your body will respond to a change in diet. A 20-year old athletic male is going to have a different experience with a particular diet than a 50-year old woman. Some people will get more satisfied by eating protein, and for others it’s fat. It’s all about finding something that is sustainable and works for you on an individual level.
Furthermore, due to a large degree of difference between microbiome form from one person to another, this way of eating could be either very beneficial or possibly inadequate. In my case, it made me constipated until I gave in to my bitter greens craving, then all went back to normal. In the case of my patient who went full carnivore for 3 months, her experience was exactly the opposite.
Observations from week 1:
- I’m seeing an increase in energy that is maintained throughout the day.
- My mental focus has improved.
- More than anything, I’m seeing a dramatic increase in mood.
Consuming all that meat has given me A LOT of energy. I’m feeling invigorated all day long and I have plenty in the tank to attack the new exercise program I’m trying out. The impact on my mood has been amazing. For those of you who know, when you’re in perimenopause you can go into some funky places (LOL) and I observed a noticeable difference in this regard.
I’ve also discovered that I’m simply not ready to give up vegetables and my body feels like it needs them. I was craving some greens pretty much all week. For this coming week, I’ve purchased all kinds of delicious meats, brisket, steaks, ribeye, lean ground beef, plus I’m also mixing in some bitter greens, like radicchio, escarole, dandelion, and endive. This time around, I’m going with about 80% to 90% meat with 10% greens.
Summer is here and there’s no better time to get in shape with a new workout program.
Try 30-day Animal Moves Challenge!
Your feedback is always encouraged and appreciated. Have any of you tried a carnivore diet in the past? What’s your experience in dabbling with a high-protein diet? Let’s keep this conversation going. I learn a ton from you guys as well!
Not sure what to cook? Try out some of these delicious carnivore recipes!
And a last quick tip! Check out this great resource page to get started with Keto Carnivore!
I really appreciate that you always stress the essential point that YOUR version of sonething not necessarely would work as well for others, and above all that everyone must be conscious of any kind of choice about health, but let me please express a personal point of view, without any criticism anyway: even if every “diet” is not a dogma, and consider some different option and approaches in some limited points, they still have to mantein a clear border to understend what is in and what is out. Here’s the point: in CARNIVORE diet, you must avoid everything that doesn’t enter in the diet of this species (the “grey zones” in this case would be eating whatever a carnivore would eat in general, not case by case, or more strictly just eating meat/organs; but both these interpretation remaind to the carnivore kingdom); so if you add even just a small portion of greens, it can’t be properly defined “carnivore”. If you change the distinctive tract of any kind of category (in nutrition, religion, political science etc.), it automatically stop to have its distinctive mark that makes it part of the category. So, you have to choose: follow the “rules” (with adaptation remaining in the bords), or just “doing something that takes the good from here and add something I want to eat but it wouldn’t be allowed” And if you’d do this choiche for a particular nedd of eating that food, this would’nt allow to state if that diet works or doesn’t for you, because you modified it in his nature (and, please, don’t misunderstand! I’d agree the healthy and responsible choiche!That is what i know you always encourage your followers to do, so honor to you). It’s just a definition, but too shadows are nowdays making darkness about nutrition, just because yes, everyone in unique, we’re not created equal, but jet we’re biologically identic, and understand this will open our eyes about the main point: any “personalization” is respectable, but we have to ask and answer hnestly to ourselves before than to others if the adaptation we apply derive from real need or from the incapacity to leave out habits and make the real change (speaking in the long term propsective, after a period of adehesion to the rules). You cannot keep one fit in two shoes.
Thank you for reading
Good point Roberta. That is why I call it an experiment. I do want to try and be strictly carnivore to see how that will affect me, but due to life demands (mainly too busy these last 2 weeks) I have not been able to fully relinquish my habits (fat tea and greens). To be entirely proper I would have to put carnivore as “carnivore”. I am fully honest and transparent of the experimental nature of this attempt, but I alos getting some of my conclusions from a patient who has been 100% carnivore.
By the way I think that even strict carnivores like cats and big cats in the wild do sometimes consume plants, even just as medicinals or by consuming the contents of herbivore’s stomachs…So it’s a bit of a grey line there…
What about having 10% greens AND veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms) depending on the day? I have been trying to do this but I still have a fat coffee and a fat matcha and/or tea just to fill me up. Instead of the animal moves, I walk and do Zumba for a workout.
I would then call that high protein keto paleo 🙂 I started with my fat tea and just meat, did that for 4 days, then craved green but not veggies…I think we should all find the version of “keto” that fits better for our individual lifestyle and health. Also depending of you sex and age it will vary.
Vivica, Thank you for your willingness to experiment, learn, grow and develop new strategies. So many people become do entrenched with one way “the right way” of doing things that they can/will not even entertain experimentation. I appreciate all you do for us, your clients. You look fabulous! Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration, especially as I go through times of struggle.