The Carnivore Diet has been quite a hot topic in the recent nutrition news especially with the Liver King and his new found success and demise. The first time I heard about the Carnivore Diet was from a documentary film maker named Chris Bell. Chris and his brother Mark Bell were on an episode of the Joe Rogan Podcast in 2018, where Chris talks about a diet of red meat and water that an OG at Venice Golds told him to do to cut weight. I had been following both Chris and Mark Bell for a couple years at that point. Both brothers have been fitness and dieting for almost as long as Ive been alive so their opinions about fitness and nutrition held weight with me. The thought of eating only red meat and it being healthy for you was the opposite of what I was taught my whole life. After a little research, the science of the Carnivore Diet made sense to me; more so than any other diet I attemped in my life. Also, the reason for my curiosity was about longevity, not aesthetics.
It seems like every few years there’s some new “fad” diet that comes out. I remember being in high school and trying the South Beach Diet, eating grilled chicken salads with oil and vinegar. It wasnt sustainable for me. Throughout my 20s I followed the traditional body builder diet of eating rice and chicken/beef/fish and broccoli. I would TRY to cut out the carbs for a period of time and seemed to always fail (I’m sure my liquor consumption had nothing to do with my failure lol). The food wasnt always the most flavorful, and i was ALWAYS hungry. When I first heard of the Carnivore Diet I was skeptical to say the least. Eating only meat can be healthy for me? I can eat red meat, fish, eggs and bacon? This shit sounds fishy….no pun. But I decided to dive down the rabbit hole about the Carnivore Diet and lemme show you what I learned….
What is the Carnivore Diet?
Our food today in America is so riddled with poisons. Id like to say there is one answer to this. If I asked this question to 50 people who are somewhat knowledgeable on the subject, you’d get many different perspectives. Simply put, the Carnivore Diet is eating animals from nose to tail. The most dramatic cases of the Carnivore Diet consists of only red meat, salt, and water; whereas other variations of the diet include eating fruits, eggs, and some non processed dairy products.
Carnivorous Celebrities
Dr Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist and Canadian media personality, has adopted red meat, salt, and water as his diet. He gives credit to the carnivore diet for healing his physical and mental health ailments, although he is vocal about how boring and difficult it can be. Joe Rogan the comedian, podcaster, and UFC commentator is also a huge advocate of the diet. He adopted it as a challenge in the month of January 2020 and 2021, which is World Carnivore Month. After 2021, Rogan adopted the diet full time due to how sensational eating only red meat and fruit made him feel. Rogan doesnt take Carnivore to the extreme Dr Peterson does, since he does eat fruits as well. Rogan seems to benefit from the Carnivore Diet just as much as Dr Peterson.
Why I chose the Carnivore Diet
Who doesnt like a nice juicy steak?…Well im sure some people dont, but I sure as hell do. SInce I was a kid I always enjoyed the meaty dinners. Meatloaf, pot roast, burgers, and steak were my favorite meals growing up so eating only red meat didnt sound unappetizing to me. I figured I enjoy eating lots of meat anyway, so it would make the diet more enjoyable than others in the past. Second, once I learned about the health benefits such as reversing certain diabetes, curing depression and possibly starving cancer cells, it seemed like a no brainer. Even with my new found learning, I still found myself eating bags of M&Ms; and Doritos without a care after a few months. This showed me that I obviously didn’t care about myself too much if I was CHOOSING to ingest all that processed garbage. Something had to change, and that something was me. Today I decide to eat the Carnivore Diet for my health and longevity. Once I started to truly take care of myself, I knew I had to make a decision: Life or illness? Feeling well or unwell? I see the reprocussions of not taking care of yourself physically and nutrition with my parents. Heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight runs in my family, so I figured the Carnivore Diet must be way safer and healthier than anything else I had been eating.
Why you should too…
Ingesting mostly red meat and eggs seems like an extreme way to eat. You know what? It is extreme. As I get older my will to be healthy and play the “long game” grows stronger and I know I can’t be alone. Who doesn’t truly want to live as long as they could? Notice how I didnt say “exist” as long as they could? Thats because there is a huge difference in existing and living. I was tired of merely existing and realized you have to be great in order to truly live. So I am going to inspire as many people to live the healthiest they can through the Carnivore Diet, exercise, and continuous self improvement. Lets BeCarnivorous not only in the kitchen, but in our pursuits as well. Stay blessed and strive to be the best.
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