I Haven't Eaten A Plant in 6-weeks | Carnivore Diet Update

“ A little imprisonment—if it’s of your own making—can set you free.

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— Austin Kleon, Keep Going

So I haven’t eaten a plant in 6-weeks. Firstly, let me start with why — because I know most of you will be thinking: why the fuck would anyone want to just eat animal-based food for 6 weeks.

Good question.

I’ve had a difficult relationship with food my entire life. When good things happen: food. When bad things happen: even more food. When boredom sneaks in: oh glorious fucking food get in my face.

The why comes in three parts:

1. I’m mainly doing this because of extreme IBS/SIBO/GERD symptoms I’ve experienced over the past few months.

2. I’m overcoming the addiction to food as a safety net when rough water rocks my ship.

3. I’ve been brainwashed by people I admire — Joe Rogan, Mark “Smelly” Bell, and more recently, Kevin Stock — into believing that plants may be more damaging than good. If you don’t want to read much further, at least head to Kevin Stock’s piece on The Health Dangers of a Plant-based Diet — it isn’t meant to be obnoxious, in fact, it is one of the most well-written pieces on the potential side-effects of a plant-based diet (and I love how he mentions we are all already eating a plant-based diet) I’ve read.

I’m 6 weeks into this self-imposed protocol of dieting. Carnivore, animal-based, meat-based…call it what you like: but the basic premise is you can only eat food that comes from an animal. And generally, that involves mainly fatty meat (fatty because there is next to no carbs so you need the energy from fat, hence the other name for it, zero-carb) 

If you have read anything related to diet these days, it either begins with ke- and ends with -to OR it begins with ve- and ends with -gan. Like politics or religion — or anything human-related — these two ideologies are in the spotlight. For the most part, my diet is ketogenic (where most of my calories come from fat).

I haven’t had much experience on the vegan side of things. But, I have seen the benefits of eating meat. N=1 benefits. Thousands of people around the world are losing weight, reversing decades-long autoimmunity issues, and are doing the thing we are all meant to be doing by going carnivore: being human. 

Being human means thriving, thinking and wondering. All of which are pretty dismal if you feel like shit 24/7 and are on enough prescription meds sink a 200-ton blue whale off the coast of California.

So here I am, 6 weeks in, and I have some thoughts. It would be great to revisit these thoughts when I’m deeper into this experiment. I believe we should all be striving to design the lives of our choosing and mini self-experiments are great ways to see what works and what doesn’t. 

Thought #1: The Good Program You Follow Is Better Than The Perfect Program You Quit

What helps me follow an animal-based diet, and avoid boredom, is a few things:

• Coffee. I’ve tried weaning myself off — and I still plan to do an extended 30+ day coffee sabbatical sometime in the future — but, for now, my writing, mood, exercise, and energy is elevated with bean-juice in my system. 

• Dairy. I’m a sucka for creamy, rich dairy. Always have been. Cheese helps make boring days less boring. I do notice that yogurt is a bit like playing Russian Roulette with my intestines. I’m either all good in the hood or it’s feeling like the Suez Canal is going to have a baby with the Grand Canyon down there.

Thought #2: Could Animal-based Elimination Diets Expose External Toxins?

I recently discovered through a HTMA that I’m allergic to mold. It’s crazy. I can almost immediately walk into a bathroom and know whether there is mold or not. My throat closes up and I struggle to breathe. Usually, I would relate any bodily weirdness — feeling tired or lethargic — to the food I’ve eaten.

But, since being animal-based, I’ve felt so good. However, I soon noticed that things started to change. Serious brain-fog would hit me in the mornings. I considered quitting my experiment, thinking it was the food (or lack thereof). I soon discovered that my bathroom was turning black — producing tiny spores in the corners of the room. So if it wasn’t for my radical experiment, I may have just dismissed the brain-fog as the flu or maybe even Coronavirus. Bottom line: Know Thyself goes a long way.

Thought #3: Ego Is The Enemy of Everything

A few years ago, some friends from school collectively commented on an Instagram post of mine, exclaiming how me eating meat and promoting it as natures superfood was immoral and going to kill people. I felt victimised and responded in a childish manner. You can read my response here.

I would hope I’ve grown as a person since then. My response was purely egotistical. I hypocritically responded in the exact same fashion as I was pointing out what was wrong with vegans.

I’m not writing this to change your way of eating or inspire you. This is purely experimental and anecdotal. My content, as Kevin Stock would say, is Notes to (my)Self.

I want to look back and see how my thinking has changed.

I just believe there should be another voice and perspective. We all want the same thing: health and happiness. But vegan-agenda is thriving and billionaires are getting even richer creating shitty products filled with sawdust and pea-protein fillers that are near impossible to digest. Corporations like Nestle couldn’t be happier as they market products as vegan, selling these ideas to younger and younger audiences, in an effort to make insane profits — at the cost of, not only the environment but also your health.

Thought #4: Be Patient

If you are coming to this diet for something other than weight-loss, I can’t stress reading Kevin Stock’s piece on How To Build Muscle on Carnivore Diet enough.

Being a leaner person has clearly made this tough. I always see the success stories of people with autoimmune disorders and morbid obesity feeling fucking fantastic after just a week. My hypothesis is that if you’re leaner and active — let’s say doing CrossFit — it will naturally take time to adapt. No joke, I’m 6-weeks in and only feeling like myself now.

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I am not saying that this way of eating will cure everything, but it just makes logical sense to try this if you’re suffering. My biggest concern is not for the Gymshark-wearing-yoga-bitch that raves about how celery juice will make you lose fat in 10-poops or less.

No, my biggest concern is for the people in the world that are trying. The people plagued with autoimmune issues, mental health problems, and the lot. These people are trying. Maybe trying a little too hard. What if you just gave something like this a shot? I think what stops most is social pressure. Fuck that. Your life is worth more than what anyone thinks about you. You deserve health. You deserve abundant energy.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can think your way out of your problems. To an extent, you can. But, what you first need is the energy from real food to give you the insights that you need to live a beautiful life.

It sounds selfish, but in order to help the world, you need to help yourself first. Whether you are vegan or carnivore or pescetarian — it’s up to you to set the example and follow through.

If you are doing carnivore, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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