Week 3: The Keto Carnivore Experiment Live Q&A
Today we’ll be answering some questions regarding a keto carnivore diet and the experiment that I’ve been doing over the past few weeks. First off, I wanted to say thank you for all of your amazing questions submitted through Facebook, Instagram, and email. It’s been amazing to go on this journey with you all and it’s extremely rewarding to see so many of you trying some of this on your own.
Let’s recap the past few weeks.
Week 1
80% strict carnivore diet with 20% ketogenic. I was still eating some greens, mostly dark leafy greens, and fermented foods. The macronutrient breakdown included 60% protein, 30% fat, and 5-10% carbs.
Week 2
Strictly carnivore as I only at meat and drank water with a macro breakdown of 70% fat and 30% protein. I understand that this is not a substantial amount of time, but I do feel like my body has adapted rather quickly, mostly due to the fact that my typical diet is a high protein version of keto. My bowels stopped working after 3 days of this strict diet.
Week 3
I switched back to a similar breakdown as week 1 and resumed including some greens in my diet. I had a bowl of kimchi the first night and the next day my bowels were back to normal.
This week I have switched back to my normal keto paleo diet I’ve also noticed some additional observations. The first day I resumed my normal diet I got a migraine. I’m not sure how all of this is related, but I feel that it’s important to report. Even though this experiment takes place over a short period of time, all of these factors are useful and should be considered.
It is important to note that it takes the body roughly 3 weeks to adapt. In order to properly experience the effects of a carnivore, keto, or any diet, you must commit to it for at least 3 weeks, if not longer. Everyone is different and you’ll never know exactly how your body will react to a diet unless you try it for a substantial amount of time.
When patients come to me for help, I want to not only speak from a knowledge standpoint but also, and maybe more importantly, I want to speak from an experience standpoint. I can read all of the books and study all of the research available, but this is just mere information. You cannot simply trust everything you read; you must apply a particular idea, concept, or diet and see how it works in real life. When having a conversation with a patient, I’m not just sharing my knowledge on the subject and what I’ve learned, but I’m also reflecting on my own experiences.
Contrary to popular opinion, it’s important to understand that a carnivore diet is not necessarily high in protein. A carnivore diet is actually high in fat and resembles the breakdown of a keto diet, that is unless you’re only eating lean meat, which is not recommended.
The Arctic explorer, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, discovered the immense benefits of the carnivore diet while living among the Eskimos in the early 1900’s. Upon returning from his arctic exploration, Stefansson gave science the first chance ever to observe human subjects as they subsisted on an exclusively meat diet over a 12-month period. A committee of specialists put Stefansson through a series of examinations to gain a better understanding of the health impacts.
They discovered a stark contrast in his experience with a lean meat diet vs a meat diet higher in fat. He felt great and had a good amount of energy while consuming a carnivore diet with a breakdown of roughly 70% fat and 30% protein, which is very similar to a ketogenic breakdown. However, when eating a lean protein diet, he experienced diminished energy levels, dehydration, diarrhea, and even got sick. This experiment should remind us that, from an ancestral point of view, like that of an Eskimo, the carnivore diet is a high-fat diet and is a more ketogenic way of living, particularly keto paleo.
Now it’s time for the questions. Below you’ll find a series of question that I cover in full detail in the video. Hope you enjoy the video and learn a thing or two!
Keto Carnivore Questions:
- What lead you to do this and why did you decide to do it now?
- How do the Macros breakdown?
- Would a keto carnivore diet be considered high in protein?
- Can you give an example of a day of eating carnivore?
- Can someone still have a coffee with MCT or cream?
- What kind of impact can I expect to experience as a post-menopausal woman?
- I’m in perimenopause and wonder about the impact that a carnivore diet will have on hormones?
- What about drinking bone broth while eating carnivores?
- How does your blood type impact a carnivore diet and what you may experience?
- Can you explain how your version of a keto carnivore diet impacts menopausal women specifically?
- Could you elaborate and provides some examples of what types of meals you ate?
- Raw vs cooked. What are the benefits of both and what is best?
Struggling with poor health, losing weight and maintaining that weight loss?
