I am a carnivore! A diabetic carnivore to be precise. This post will lay out my current ‘fully carnivorous’ diet experiment, also known as Zero-Carb, which technically means zero carbs from plants.
- Motivation for going ‘full carnivore’
- Carnivory discussion
- My 30 days experiment
Carnivore: Plants or animals who eat the flesh of animals. YES, even plants are carnivorous! There are approximately 600 species of carnivorous plants, with the Venus Flytrap being the first to come to mind.
I will ONLY be eating foods derived from animals … fish, poultry, beef, pork, including eggs of course. Before this experiment I mainly ate ‘fatty meats’ and eggs. The only difference from my standard low carb meal plan, and this experiment will be removing the ‘edible’ garnish as I like to call the vegetable side dish in most meals.
Motivation for Carnivory
Experimentation
I have no pressing need to go full carnivore, my health and fitness are great… including my blood sugars. However, I LOVE to experiment… who knows, perhaps going 100% carnivore will provide benefits. I’ve known for years that plants (vegetables) are not required to survive, nor thrive.
I do like to push and challenge myself… to prove that I am, ‘the boss of me’!
Note: I don’t believe the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) are correct. However, if you think the RDAs are accurate, in this post, “Carnivore RDA Chart” a friend detailed how the RDAs can be met eating only animal products. Translation: We don’t need plants to survive, nor thrive!
Carnivorous Friends
I have a lot of friends who are or have been fully carnivorous at various times. I’m leaving people out but some of my closest carnivorous friends include Tonette Cherie and Marykate Danaher. Due to their influence in the ‘early years’ after my diabetes diagnosis, I conducted a fully carnivorous “Zero Carb” experiment back in 2010. Zero Carb means -0- carbs from plants or plant derived foods. The distinction is made because even foods from animals *can* have carbohydrates, with liver and eggs quickly coming to mind.
L. Amber O’hearn
Several years ago I became friends with the carnivorous L. Amber O’Hearn. Because of her writings, once again I heard ‘the call’ of carnivory. Ketotic.org and her personal site http://www.empiri.ca/ are two sites she writes about her nutritional research and personal experiences respectively.
Two posts I found particularly interesting, “Experiences of a Five Year Carnivore” Part 1 and Part 2“. In these posts she provides details of her experiences … it’s well worth the read. Carnivory, has allowed her to self-treat and heal her body. Except for what I call ‘edible garnishes’, she and I eat much the same.
Several times since my original Zero Carb experiment I had attempted to go ‘full carnivore’ but failed. If I eat so few vegetables why had a I failed? … am I addicted to plants?? I think not, but who knows. My last attempt was prior to Thanksgiving 2016 … yeah, the seasonal pull was too much for me. :)
Shawn Baker
Shawn is an amazing guy. He’s a 50 year old orthopedic surgeon… who has achieved amazing results on a low carb meal plan. He recently completed a 30 day fully carnivorous experiment himself and shared his experiences on his twitter account, “@SBakerMD“. If he can do it, I can too. :)
So why try again to go ‘fully carnivore’ now?
Diabetic Carnivore
In the end, my main motivation for going fully carnivorous was to prove to myself that I could avoid plant-based foods for 30 days. It’s a test of willpower and self control.
I AM THE BOSS OF ME!!!
Of course, I’ll track blood sugars and other health & fitness aspects. I don’t expect any significant changes in health & fitness, I eat so few plants…. but we shall see.
For thirty days I’ll be eating only animal derived products. Last night I was on the road and stopped at a Wendy’s and ordered a bun-less, vegetable-less, Wendy’s Triple — it was AWESOME!!!
Note: Many processed meats *can* have carbs added during processing, including carbs from sugar and grains. Diabetics especially should be aware of the carbs in these products. I avoid these products as much as possible.
Here’s my ‘day 75’ Summary Post.
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