I Haven’t Eaten a Plant in 11 Months (Meat-based Diet Update #3)
““If you don’t take risks for your opinion you are nothing””
Two things before I begin:
#1 The title is sort of a lie (kind of).
#2 This post is about 5 months overdue.
Let’s begin by discussing #1. I say its a lie because I will dive into what my diet looks like currently and how it has evolved from the strict-ish carnivore diet in the beginning to a now more 'inclusive' diet ('inclusive' as in inclusive for carnivore not the average foodie).
#2: I was supposed to post a 6-month update which never happened. Because you know…COVID, lockdown, 2020, all of the above. But I think a larger part of me wanted more clarity on what was happening in terms of bloods (see cholesterol below) and subjective energy
Before I go any further I’m going to paint you a big caveat picture and say that this is purely N=1 — what has worked for me may not work for you. Everyone is unique. I’m not a doctor, expert, scientist or registered dietician.
What my diet looks like (and how it's evolved):
I’ve been predominantly low-carb for the past 6 years ever since I lost over 70lbs of fat. Being plagued with gut and mental health issues in 2019 led me to take my health that much more seriously.
As Naval Ravikant said: there is nothing like a health crisis to put your entire world view into perspective.
I started the carnivore diet (meat-based / keto) in February this year. Kevin Stock describes 3 levels of carnivore:
All animal products and coffee -- no plants.
Just beef and salt.
Just grass-fed beef.
I've never gone past the first level (well, at least not for more than a week or so). Therefore, I like to call my diet, if anyone asks: Mostly Meat and Coffee.
To me, Mostly Meat and Coffee is a diet that does not fool myself and my creative-inducing vice: caffeine. Everyone has a vice and I think it's good to acknowledge it. I do however think it is a good idea to go periods without stimulants -- like when you're winding down from a heavy year of non-stop go-go work action or doing plant medicine work.
And because my diet is not the 'perfect carnivore,' I do realise there are many confounding factors to take into account: foods like dairy and coffee may throw me off at times. But again, this blog was never intended for perfection -- quite the contrary. So that brings me to the 'bad' first.
The Bad side of Banging Meat Daily:
There isn't much. But I do feel it's necessary to point out the negative effects of eating meat day-in-day-out.
Lack of cravings: Feeling full and never hungry
This might not seem like a bad problem to have -- in fact, it's kind of weird to describe: you almost miss the feeling of hunger🙃
Sometimes you just don't feel hungry but you're tired and often being tired is a sign of hunger. Sometimes the thought of eating more meat is the last thing from your mind. But sometimes it's the difference between feeling good and feeling like shit. Most of my problems come from not eating enough meat (especially fat).
"Constipation"
I've suffered with constipation for the past year. It's gotten better. Magnesium is the game-changer. I like this brand for oral and this brand for topical.
But, for most, and even me, at times you will think you are constipated when in fact you are not. You see, this meat-based way of living gives your body all the nutrients it needs with little to no waste.
Sleep
According to my Oura Ring, which is supposed to be an accurate sleep tracker -- all the biohackers have 'em! -- my sleep is terrible.
I'm not sure if my ring is broken or I have sleep apnea or our ancestors tossed and turned like cement trucks at night?
I'm not necessarily tired in the day (which is a good thing), but I do go to bed early and wake up early. Often I go to bed at around 8:30pm and wake up (without an alarm) at around 4:45am.
Lack of variety
I dedicated 2020 to my creativity: it's my final year of university and I made a decision to become the best creative I could. This aligned smoothly with going keto-carnivore.
But, it has also forced me to seek pleasure outside of going to the pubs on weekends and throwing up my 3am McDonald's Big Mac in uncle Barry's garden pot.
Because it's hard (not impossible) to be keto-carnivore in social settings, it does get a little monotonous. I crave variety. Variety is It's one of my driving forces ala Tony Robbins.
Neutral
2013 Josh vs 2020 Josh: My Cholesterol Numbers
This is a biggie. I'm also not sure whether this should fit into the good or bad section which is why I made it neutral. I love seeing the responses I get when I tell people what my cholesterol numbers are.
Before I reveal the numbers, I would like to draw your attention to a two photos: which person would you say is healthier? Left or right?
The person on the left is me at my fattest. Over 90kg's of fatness to be more precise. That is also when my cholesterol was at its lowest. In 2013 I was smoking regularly, eating pies and living off Monster Energy drinks. Yes, you read that correctly: according to conventional medical literature, I was the healthiest I've ever been in 2013 with total cholesterol of 7.6.
It's been downhill ever since.
My cholesterol has exponentially increased the more I've lost weight and the fitter I've got.
I have no idea why I even got my cholesterol tested back in 2013 but it is a good proxy to have going forward.
I had my cholesterol tested more recently, and as to be expected, it was higher than high -- probably the highest any doctor has seen.
I'm not worried as this can be an entire blog post on its own. I had a calcium scan a year ago while eating still very low-carb which came back with 0 (that's like really good). In addition, my blood pressure sits cooly at 110/70, my High-sensitivity CRP is 0.5 (again, if this is all gibberish, it's all good signs) and I’m not overweight.
The only thing that worried me a tad was my triglycerides which were elevated. Listening to Dave Feldman helped in this respect. I assumed it was the Bulletproof Coffees (coffee with a shit-ton of butter in) I consume in the mornings prior to my CrossFit training that threw the numbers off.
So I retested with black coffee and a few more carbs in the system and voila -- it dropped to 1.2 (and my total cholesterol dropped, too).
This exposes a very real observation: cholesterol is malleable and very easily triggered -- that does not mean it is the driving force behind heart disease. 2013 Josh was the spear-driven metabolically dysfunctional force going in the direction of diabetes and heart disease.
If you want to view more on cholesterol, visit Dave Feldman. He has helped me put things into perspective. I fall into the category of being a Lean Mass Hyper-responder (LMHR). This means that I'm insanely fat-adapted and therefore I will have loads of cholesterol circulating in me from training, fasting and eating a predominantly fatty meat-based diet.
I'm not completely naive and dogmatic. My insulin was 1 point fucking 6. That is extremely low. So therefore my chance of diabetes any time soon is slim. Based on this, and the amount of training I do, I am adding more carbs into my diet. I will retest in a few weeks to see what this does to my LDL cholesterol (I assume it will steadily decrease with my body having a different fuel source).
The Good of going Meat-based:
It's been a stressful year (as I would Imagine is the case with most people) so there are many factors that have affected my subjective observation of how good or bad things have been since taking my health this seriously. But If I look back, I have seen many improvements since being meat-based.
Meat-based mental energy: it's good to have my brain back
Without a doubt, the biggest benefit is the sustained mental clarity I've got when I stick to meat. I'm able to be insanely productive early on in the day. It's the 80/20 in perfect action -- literally, all my work gets done in the first 4 hours of my day: the rest of my day is dedicated to fucking around, reading and chilling (currently freshly degreed from Vega and unemployed).
Body changes on a meat-based diet
I've put on at least 5kgs (a good thing!). I have not been for a DEXA scan but judging by my leanness, it is mostly muscle.
Ever since my heavy course of antibiotics from a cyst on my face the size of a baseball last year, I have found it difficult to put on weight -- something completely new to me. I tried eating a shit-ton of carbs but that just made me feel bloated and constipated. That feeling was the catalyst for going my own route and ditching the dietitian that told me I have to consume 8-10 cups of vegetables a day.
Energy and strength levels on a meat-based diet
It's been a slow transition and my goal is different to most who come to the diet -- my goal is to put on size and strength so I can do CrossFit at a decent level again.
Decent level for equals training with intensity at least 6 days a week. I'm not there yet, but I'm close. These things take time.
Slowly. Incrementally, I have regained strength in the CrossFit box. There are many days when I do feel 'pap' -- weak, tired, fatigued -- but, I would rather take my time to adapt than use electrolyte drinks disguised as sugary pick-me ups to get me through workouts.
One of my beliefs in the training room is that your training should supplement your eating habits -- not the other way around. You should not eat to be able to lift more or run further. This will only force you to eat the wrong foods.
Rather take the time to adapt, to become fat-adapted, and work your way up from there. Sure, this means you'll have many days where the last thing you feel like doing is training, but it's worth it. Think long term. Thats why I like training in the morning. Get it done. I'm about as useful as pig shit in the afternoon.
Anti-balding Effects: How meat has healed my hair (sort of).
Listen, I have been balding since my early teens. And judging by close family members (sorry Trev), there is a good chance my hair won't be on my head for much longer.
In the beginning stages of strict-ish keto-carnivore my hair was actually falling out! It was getting worse. I was convinced that I was dying. However, I read a few articles of people facing similar experiences and that put my mind to ease.
My hair has not been this thick in a long time. I take that as a good sign -- that hormones are functioning well and nutrients are getting absorbed (read up on Kevin Stock's article below under resources for information on how phytates and oxalates -- plant chemicals -- prevent your body from absorbing vital nutrients like Zinc).
Blood glucose levels on a meat-based diet
I've recently experimented with the FreeStyle Libre continuous Blood Glucose monitor. My blood glucose was so well-managed that I actually thought the device was broken.
So I decided to eat a bowl of oats with honey and see if I was right: turns out, it wasn't broken. The 'healthy bowl of hearty oats shot my blood sugar past 7mmol from its average of about 4.4.
Spiritual growth on a carnivore diet? Wait...
This may seem like a tangent to what carnivore does. But I honestly believe that going meat-based is a spiritual experience if you are someone who has suffered an eating disorder or has food addiction.
It’s spiritual because it gives you the nutrients to deal with the difficult emotions in your life instead of using food as a mechanism to runaway. Instead of outsourcing food to process emotions, you sit with the difficultly.
Having given my caveat in the beginning about everyone is unique, I have to add a thought: I believe that if you cannot handle animal fat or animal products — not if you don’t eat them for ethical reasons — that is a biological response to which your body needs time to adapt. In other words: if you can’t handle the taste of fat, its a sign your body probably needs it the most. Your body has been conditioned to run on dirty glucose fuel for energy.
I believe there will be future rehab centres that have a carnivore diet as a common practice when healing from any addictions: drug, alcohol, food, social media.
This brings me to what I currently eat.
Mostly Meat and Coffee: What I eat on a meat-based diet
Sounds simple, right?: 'just eat meat.' But you'd be surprised how many people don't know what that means (which is why I'm working on a website called Mostly Meat and Coffee to solve this problem for people). So I've compiled a list and a "when-in-doubt" piece (probably the most important part):
Fatty beef: the majority of my diet is beef-based (I buy grass-fed when I can -- but mostly I either buy from Impala Butchery in Johannesburg or Woolworths). My favourite cut is obviously a juicy rib-eye -- which can be expensive: so my go-to is a chuck-eye steak (aka the poor-mans rib-eye).
Organ meats: I aim to have some organ meats at least once per week in the form of cooked chicken livers or ox liver. There is a lot of debate on the subject of Nose-to-tail eating. I actually enjoy the taste of chicken livers, so that’s the only reason I eat them (but be aware, they can easily be overdone and you won't want to see another liver for a few months).
Pork: who doesn't like bacon? Plus, pork is cheap and has tons of fat for energy (think Nemo when keto: fat is your friend, not enemy).
Lamb: I love grass-fed lamb at least once per week, but as the liver situation, it can easily be overdone (I often enter a lamb-induced coma from overeating).
Dairy: I eat a lot of cheddar cheese and yoghurt at least once per week. This is only because I view dairy as a 'supplement' to my CrossFit training. If I weren't so active I probably would not deserve the amount of dairy I consume. Again, it all depends on your goals -- but generally, if you want to lose fat, stay clear of dairy as much as possible.
Coffee: this is my vice and the one plant-based food item I consume daily. Coffee is a also a metaphor for any weird food item you may want to include that will help you stick to a meat-based diet.
Rice: on my carb-refeed day (usually Saturday) I often enjoy Rice Pudding with some honey. The idea behind this is a strategic way of having carbs to give me a boost for the training in the week. Again, all depends on your goals.
Finally, if I can give you advice when is comes to eating:
When in doubt, steak it out.
Of all the ways to buy, prepare and cook meat, one thing remains constant: steak. Good old fucking steak. Steak is the baseline. It's the easiest to digest, cook and consume. Yes, it may be boring sometimes, but your gut will most likely love it.
Sometimes my variety seeking reptilian brain gets too fancy with slow-cooking too much or buying organ meats, I just feel so blaaaah afterwards: like I didn't achieve my goal of feeling good after a meal. When I feel like this, returning to steak is like returning home after war -- I sleep better knowing I ate better.
You are not alone in your meat-based meanderings
I'm probably the worst example of what it means to be "carnivore." Sometimes I feel like I'm walking this path alone. When that feeling hits, I seek a spiritual uplifting from the resources below. Having resources like this is crucial. It reinforces your mission to heal knowing you are not alone.
Mentors and Recommendations on where to start:
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you feel you have transformed and changed via meat-based eating, pop me an email hello@joshsnyman.com so we can connect. I'm always looking for people to come on my podcast to chat to.
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