Carnivore baseline to determine food intolerances

[Ben.]

I did the carnivore diet and it ended up wrecking my digestive system, causing gastroparesis, fatique, extreme irritability and PMDD. It is NOT a harmless "baseline" diet that will simply reveal to you your intolerances. Imo, it can *cause* intolerances, as many will find that foods that never bothered them before suddenly cause serious reactions.

It's like saying, "I'm going to completely alter my microbiome as well as the macro/micronutrient makeup of my diet by eliminating all sources of fiber/sugar/anything but animal products. If I stick to this long enough, it will reveal to me my 'true' state so that I can identify any food intolerances that I was missing before." No, you're dramatically changing the way your body is fueling itself, affecting who knows how many systems, and clearing out whatever beneficial bacteria you had that had helped you to digest fibers (even poorly, in your case). You are also possibly becoming nutrient deficient, depending on what you're eating and how long you persist with the diet. Someone even reported developing anemia due to B1 deficiency while on carnivore. I think you're priming yourself to be more sensitive, especially if you do carnivore diet long term.

I came to this forum after listening to a video by Danny Roddy that explained why he quit the carnivore diet. It was the first time I'd heard someone who had clearly done the diet long term, to a T, and was admitting that he felt terrible on it. He was admitting that it didn't work, that it caused negative symptoms. What a breath of fresh air after being in the carnivore echo chamber in which everyone assures everyone else that the diet is at worst harmless, and at best a cure-all or the perfect human diet ... In my experience, this restrictive diet (and food elimination mentality) will cause more problems long term than it appears to be solving at first.

I don't have any advice for you wrt your issues, as I'm still trying to eat like a normal person, two years after quitting carnivore. I will say though that I'm now able to eat foods that before were causing me extreme bloating and discomfort as well as depression/anxiety. I thought I had SIBO, I thought there was something terribly wrong with me, that I needed a cure, or I needed to eliminate more damaging foods. But now ... I drink milk. I eat potatoes. Both caused serious reactions even a year ago.

Anyway, good luck. Just know that carnivore is not a miracle, not harmless, and, imo, not a solution to anything.

Awsome post animalcule. Thanks for sharing your pov.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

I did the carnivore diet and it ended up wrecking my digestive system, causing gastroparesis, fatique, extreme irritability and PMDD. It is NOT a harmless "baseline" diet that will simply reveal to you your intolerances. Imo, it can *cause* intolerances, as many will find that foods that never bothered them before suddenly cause serious reactions.

It's like saying, "I'm going to completely alter my microbiome as well as the macro/micronutrient makeup of my diet by eliminating all sources of fiber/sugar/anything but animal products. If I stick to this long enough, it will reveal to me my 'true' state so that I can identify any food intolerances that I was missing before." No, you're dramatically changing the way your body is fueling itself, affecting who knows how many systems, and clearing out whatever beneficial bacteria you had that had helped you to digest fibers (even poorly, in your case). You are also possibly becoming nutrient deficient, depending on what you're eating and how long you persist with the diet. Someone even reported developing anemia due to B1 deficiency while on carnivore. I think you're priming yourself to be more sensitive, especially if you do carnivore diet long term.

I came to this forum after listening to a video by Danny Roddy that explained why he quit the carnivore diet. It was the first time I'd heard someone who had clearly done the diet long term, to a T, and was admitting that he felt terrible on it. He was admitting that it didn't work, that it caused negative symptoms. What a breath of fresh air after being in the carnivore echo chamber in which everyone assures everyone else that the diet is at worst harmless, and at best a cure-all or the perfect human diet ... In my experience, this restrictive diet (and food elimination mentality) will cause more problems long term than it appears to be solving at first.

I don't have any advice for you wrt your issues, as I'm still trying to eat like a normal person, two years after quitting carnivore. I will say though that I'm now able to eat foods that before were causing me extreme bloating and discomfort as well as depression/anxiety. I thought I had SIBO, I thought there was something terribly wrong with me, that I needed a cure, or I needed to eliminate more damaging foods. But now ... I drink milk. I eat potatoes. Both caused serious reactions even a year ago.

Anyway, good luck. Just know that carnivore is not a miracle, not harmless, and, imo, not a solution to anything.

The goal is not to go back to Carnivore / Zero Carb, but to try an animal-based diet while not being in Ketosis. The goal is to find which carb / sugar sources I would tolerate well, there must be some.
I would eat steak and potatoes everyday, I crave baked potatoes so bad…but living with permanent bloating & low energy & brain fog is not the way to live.

 

[Nomane Euger]

The goal is not to go back to Carnivore / Zero Carb, but to try an animal-based diet while not being in Ketosis. The goal is to find which carb / sugar sources I would tolerate well, there must be some.
I would eat steak and potatoes everyday, I crave baked potatoes so bad…but living with permanent bloating & low energy is not the way to live.

Do you eat ripe fruits?do you sleep deeply?do you remember your dreams?

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Do you eat ripe fruits?do you sleep deeply?do you remember your dreams?

I don't remember most dreams, and if I do, only some details.
I feel like my cognitive function has declined significantly in the past 3 years, due to the hypothyroidism.

I sleep fine, not super deep, but don't wake up except rarely. What I could improve here is my bedtime, I often go to bed at 1AM and use my phone late in the night.

It is a bit harder to find raw fruits where I live, they are tricky, I think they ferment in my intestines. Fruits containing seeds and fiber especially.

 

[skuabird]

I was no-dairy carnivore until I tried treating what I thought was h. Pylori on my own...I took zinc carnosine and nac on an empty stomach. Chewed mastic gum a couple times a day (and sometimes swallowed a little piece). I also ate a lot of ginger and garlic. It took a week or two but suddenly I felt like I could digest things again. I reintroduced raw milk kefir very slowly...and built up a tolerance. Then raw milk. Now I can eat/drink regular store bought dairy and can eat most fruit and veg (apples still hurt). I do get bloated from high fibre fruit but it doesn't bother me as much as it used too...i think high serotonin made my gut very sensitive. Grains are still too irritating, except for white rice.

Who knows if I actually had h pylori, but something definetly changed. I also took l reuteri for a week around that time and felt so sick from it I stopped and got a refund. That may have done something too...

 

[Nomane Euger]

I don't remember most dreams, and if I do, only some details.
I feel like my cognitive function has declined significantly in the past 3 years, due to the hypothyroidism.

I sleep fine, not super deep, but don't wake up except rarely. What I could improve here is my bedtime, I often go to bed at 1AM and use my phone late in the night.

It is a bit harder to find raw fruits where I live, they are tricky, I think they ferment in my intestines. Fruits containing seeds and fiber especially.

Thanks for the detail answer.do you have any symptom of chronically elevated histamine,rash,sneezing,eyes pressures specifically when you wake up,burps even when you have not eaten,like neutral burp no smell no taste.had there been a period these last years where you had accès to perfectly ripe fruits in abundance,if yes did you notice a difference in any of your symptoms or how you felt?you don’t have to swallow the seeds or all the fibers if you chew the fruits swallow the soup that sit at the back of your tongue and spit out the residues That are left on the sides of your teeths or you juice it.do you eat grass fed grass finished organs such as liver and kidneys?when I eat a high amount of sugar(mostly organic raw honey)relative to perfectly ripe fruits and organs(I don’t eat starches)my health slowly get worst and I get the same bloating and pressure feeling than you,and poor dream memory,poor cognition,daily fatigue,lower dopamine,and other symptoms that I associate to high histamine.and fructose taste become less and less pleasing and I can tolerate less and less sugar unless I eat ripe fruits or grass fed grass finished healthy lamb /veal liver

 

[animalcule]

Awsome post animalcule. Thanks for sharing your pov.

Thanks!

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Thanks for the detail answer.do you have any symptom of chronically elevated histamine,rash,sneezing,eyes pressures specifically when you wake up,burps even when you have not eaten,like neutral burp no smell no taste.had there been a period these last years where you had accès to perfectly ripe fruits in abundance,if yes did you notice a difference in any of your symptoms or how you felt?you don’t have to swallow the seeds or all the fibers if you chew the fruits swallow the soup that sit at the back of your tongue and spit out the residues That are left on the sides of your teeths or you juice it.do you eat grass fed grass finished organs such as liver and kidneys?when I eat a high amount of sugar(mostly organic raw honey)relative to perfectly ripe fruits and organs(I don’t eat starches)my health slowly get worst and I get the same bloating and pressure feeling than you,and poor dream memory,poor cognition,daily fatigue,lower dopamine,and other symptoms that I associate to high histamine.and fructose taste become less and less pleasing and I can tolerate less and less sugar unless I eat ripe fruits or grass fed grass finished healthy lamb /veal liver

I sneeze more often than most people, and when I do, it is a very powerful sneeze, when I do it around people, they are surprised / scared, saying how they never heard someone sneeze so hard. But my sister has the same sneeze, so maybe it runs in the family.
Eyes pressure in the morning - mild
I sometimes have burps, but mostly after eating.

 

[Nomane Euger]

I sneeze more often than most people, and when I do, it is a very powerful sneeze, when I do it around people, they are surprised / scared, saying how they never heard someone sneeze so hard. But my sister has the same sneeze, so maybe it runs in the family.
Eyes pressure in the morning - mild
I sometimes have burps, but mostly after eating.

Hi okay,have you ever eaten ripe fruits in abundance and notice any difference in your symptoms?have you ever eaten freshly slaughtered grass grass finished liver/kidneys from lamb/veal that was Bordeaux with some Ruby red tint on it,that tasted neutral with some sweetness and 0 unpleasant taste?have you ever tryed an anti histamine?

 

[Randle Cyclist]

Something else you may want to check is the ph of your drinking water. My SIBO symptoms really flared up after I moved a couple of years ago. The ph of my current water is 9 whereas the water I consumed before was 6. I only just now made the association lol. I will be buying higher quality, lower ph water from now on. The fact that my current water source is exactly right at the upper safety limit for fluoride and radon only solidifies my decision.

I bet the ph of your water is doubly important on carnivore given the extreme thirst the diet produces. You really need strong stomach acid to break down all that meat. Stomach acid is your body's first line of defense against ingested bacteria. Neutralizing its acidity gives harmful bacteria a fighting chance. Just another thing to consider.

 

[FrenchKiwi]

I feel forced to go back to the drawing board and start again with a Carnivore Diet and reintroduce from there Carb sources, starting with honey and white sugar.

My chronic bloating is disgusting, literally walking with a pregnant man-belly. Not even 4 bowel movements / day resolves it.

Foods problematic for me: vegetables, starch, fibre of any kind, fruits with seeds, UHT milk.
It’s also possible that all kinds of fruit bloat me, but I will have to test this.

Plan:
I will eat: beef(cooked in ghee or butter), pastured eggs, honey & sugar.
If I am still bloated, I will remove honey / sugar.

Can you tell me about your previous experience on carnivore and why you stopped?