Tag Archives: ketogenic

The Carnivore Diet: What is it, and is it right for you

March 9, 2018Uncategorizedbest meat, carnivore diet, carnivore diet plan, eat meat, grass fed beef, grass fed beef health, keto, ketogenic, low carb, Paleo, Shawn Baker, weight loss, zero carb, zero carb dietDennis Keohane

Imagine a diet consisting of meat and potatoes, sans the potatoes.

While some of you are probably thinking, “Sign me up!” others are left wondering, “…You call this a diet?”

The Carnivore Diet is exactly what the name implies — a diet consisting of only meat; no vegetables, fruit, nuts, or any other plant foods. While it’s gained quite a bit of attention this past year, scientific research to support its health benefits is still limited. Those who follow it swear by it, claiming it leads to weight loss and a host of other health benefits.

The Carnivore Diet: What is it?

Picture what a true carnivore’s diet entails, and you have the answer to your question. A carnivore diet for humans means meal after meal consisting entirely of meat and animal products. No plant matter whatsoever.

Yes, you read that correctly. Enjoy all the ribeye steaks and bacon you want, but anything grown—not raised—from the ground is off-limits.

While a salad-free diet might sound enticing to some, others wonder how it could possibly provide the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that humans need to grow and thrive.

The Carnivore Diet was relatively unheard of until late last year (there was a 10X spike in searches for the diet from October through December). Shawn Baker, an orthopedic surgeon and world record holder in master’s rowing, gained quite a bit of attention for his zero-carb way of life. Baker followed a strict, carnivore meal plan (mostly red meat) for an entire year. As a result, his strength and performance in the gym soared.

Often confused with Keto and other low-carb diets, the Carnivore Diet is distinct because it only contains animal products:

Meat (mostly red meat)
Fish
Eggs
Cheese
Other animal-derived products (butter, organ meats, bone broth)

The philosophy behind the Carnivore Diet states that humans need only protein, vitamins, and minerals to survive. However, those last two—vitamins and minerals—can actually come from animal sources (more on this later).

The benefits of a zero-carb diet

So what are the health benefits of an all-meat, no-plants lifestyle? Following a strict carnivore meal plan cuts out all unnecessary sugar and carbs. Though scientists told us for decades that saturated fats were linked to heart disease and other ailments, new studies show that other foods might bear some responsibility.

Similar studies show that low-carb diets lead to faster, more-prolonged weight loss than low-fat diets. Contradicting studies from the ‘70s, low-carb diets actually help lower cholesterol which can improve heart health.

When eating only meat, individuals report increased strength and muscle mass. This is usually credited to the unsurpassable protein intake — often topping 200 grams in a single day.

It’s not just about the sheer quantity of protein, either. Meat and eggs are considered “complete proteins,” containing all nine essential amino acids. While there are twenty amino acids available for consumption, “essential” refers to those the human body can’t produce on its own. Plant-based protein sources like lentils and nuts contain a few, you’ll only find all nine within carnivorous sources.

“But what about fiber, vitamins, and minerals?!” you ask. A carnivore diet contains much more than we’re led to believe. Red meat, in particular, contains B vitamins, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and other minerals. Chicken and other types of poultry contain high amounts of phosphorus, choline, and B vitamins.

Results of the Carnivore Diet

Many individuals transitioning to the zero-carb approach started with a more moderate, low-carb diet — think Keto or Paleo. After experiencing decreased inflammation, better cognition, and a slick digestive system (yes, we went there); they thought, “Why not take it one step further?”

At Meat Heals—a site Dr. Baker references frequently on social media—individuals share their personal stories and successes after switching to a carnivore meal plan. Eating an all-meat diet has people raving about their results, including fat loss, top-notch blood work, and improved symptoms related to a variety of diseases.

One woman claims following the Carnivore Diet helped cure her constipation, as well as bloating, water retention, and skin issues. Another man reports eating a diet of all animals and no plants completely cleared his acne (a constant issue, even at thirty years of age). One jaw-dropping story—126 pounds down in six months—by a man who saw little success with a ketogenic diet, states he no longer needs his diabetes medication.

Is the Carnivore Diet just another name for Keto?

All carnivore diets are ketogenic by nature, but not all keto diets qualify as the Carnivore Diet. Make sense?

An individual following a strict, carnivore diet plan would—undoubtedly—enter ketosis. Both Keto and the Carnivore Diet include meat, eggs, fish, and small amounts of dairy. Followers of both diets report on the seemingly limitless physical and mental health benefits. The similarities, however, appear to end there.

Keto follows a low-carb (but not a zero-carb) approach. Iron Man competitor Ben Greenfield claims to eat 100-150 grams of carbs—even 200g on a high-mileage day—and stays in ketosis. Keto also encourages the consumption of low-carb plants, such as leafy greens and other vegetables (fruits, due to their high sugar content, are typically avoided). Plant-based protein sources and cooking fats such as coconut oil, brazil nuts, and coconut milk are highly encouraged.

So….Is it right for you?

That’s for you to decide. You certainly won’t see some of us giving up our avocados and kale anytime soon.

When switching to any diet, it all depends on how you feel. Many individuals report unprecedented health benefits when transitioning to Paleo, while others had to take it one step further—say AIP or Keto—to experience the full benefits.

Almost any diet can be beneficial, just as any diet can be detrimental. Take the popular gluten-free diet, which so many people swear by as a solution to health issues ranging from pain and inflammation to hyperactivity and concentration problems. Despite the potential health benefits of a gluten-free diet, not all gluten-free foods are healthy and there are plenty of gluten-free items on the grocery shelf that don’t belong in our carts (like cheese puffs, for instance).

It boils down to this: The quality of your food choices matters. Particularly if you’re limiting your plate to only one-or-two food groups, then ensure you’re maximizing the nutrients you get from those foods. If you decide to opt for an all-meat diet, then ensure the cuts of meat you consume are of the utmost quality. Grass-fed meats and pasture-raised eggs will take you further than their lower quality equivalents. Plus, unlike other carnivores, your dinner can be delivered right to your doorstep.

What about you? What are your thoughts on the Carnivore Diet?

Would you ever try eating all animals, no plants, for thirty days or more? Do you know anyone who’s tried it? Let us know in the comments.

Image via Paul Hermann and Unsplash

Mark Sisson on living a well-balanced, healthy, and active life

July 21, 2017Profilesbalanced diet, balanced life, Fitness, grass fed beef, grass-fed, healthy diet, keto grassfed, keto lifestyle, keto reset diet, ketogenic, ketogenic beef, Mark Sisson, paddleboard, Paleo, Performance, primal, Primal Blueprint, Primal KitchenDennis Keohane

Mark Sisson is not only a leading voice on how to eat healthy foods and maintain peak athletic performance, but he is the embodiment of what better living is really all about.

At age 63, Mark is able to balance family, business, pleasure, and an active lifestyle better than anyone we’ve ever met. And he doesn’t run just any business, he manages an entire multimedia and retail operation that includes books, blogs, restaurants, online stores, publishing, and coaching. What’s more, he does all that and still has time to play ultimate Frisbee each week, spend time with his family, and workout or paddleboard when the calling comes.

Mark is a truly incredible person, and we were lucky to catch up with him and to ask him about how he evolved from a champion runner to the face of a massive life-changing organization.

ButcherBox: Mark, great to catch up. Can you talk about the progression of your running career to being an advocate for eating healthy foods to improve performance?

Mark Sisson: In my early running career, I ran track at Williams College and later went on to finish 5th in the USA Marathon Championship. I qualified for the 1980 US Olympic Marathon Trials but had to miss that “career goal” race due to issues with overtraining and a highly inflammatory diet. I was disheartened, to say the least. I was competing at the highest caliber class, but issues like arthritis, IBS, tendonitis (the list goes on) were inhibiting my competitive career.

After losing both health and vitality through the training regimen and the highly inflammatory diet, I vowed that I would find a way to be as fit, strong, and healthy as possible, with the least amount of pain, suffering, and sacrifice required.

After extensive research and years of experimenting, I regained my health and enjoyment of life by simply changing how I ate. That was a huge epiphany: Food was 80% of the solution to ALL my health issues.

BB: What led you to write The Primal Blueprint?

MS: I was so blown away by the dramatic shifts in my own health that came from simply rethinking my food choices, that I started to wonder how many tens or hundreds of millions of others might be suffering the same fate.

I started blogging in 2006 at Mark’s Daily Apple about my life’s transformation with this incredible new way of eating and living. Since then, millions of people have followed the advice in my blog and seen remarkable transformations themselves. The response led me to take the lessons I had learned and shared on my blog and organize them in a comprehensive book, The Primal Blueprint. Later, I went on to put those same (and new) findings into the book Primal Endurance, which details the changes I made to my training and fitness regimen.

BB: What has been most surprising, looking back, about the reactions to your books and blog posts?

MS: Beyond the millions of readers, tens of thousands of testimonials, thousands of before and after pics, I guess I am most surprised (pleasantly) by the number of health professionals who have reached out and told me that they have completely changed the way they treat patients.

I would also add that the immediate traction our Primal Kitchen® products received right out of the blocks was a testament to the demand for clean foods that I and a number of other bloggers have espoused for over a decade now.

BB: What is your take on grass-fed meats?

MS: Not only am I in favor of consuming grass-fed meats, I firmly believe farming grass-fed animals represent one of the only ways to effectively reclaim barren and/or desertified land and generate enough new topsoil to be able to grow healthy vegetables. It’s critical to our ability to feed more people. (Vegetarians, too!)

BB: What were some of the realizations that made you feel that way about grass-fed?

MS: The fatty acid profile is superior in grass-fed meats. Also, grass-fed animals are generally living in better conditions, consuming the foods for which they are evolutionarily suited; as such, they are generally free from antibiotics and added hormones. The #1 realization came while eating one of the best grass-fed steaks I ever had in one of my ButcherBox deliveries!

BB: What have you noticed about eating grass-fed meat versus grain-fed?

MS: Probably the weird fact that I feel more satisfied with less meat eating grass-fed versus grain-fed. I like that since I have a tendency to overdo a nice big steak.

BB: What do you value most when making decisions about the foods you eat?

MS: First and foremost, it has to taste great. I don’t put anything in my mouth that doesn’t taste fabulous—no matter how “healthy” you tell me it is. Having said that, the ingredients must all be nutritious and “clean.” No bad oils, nasty artificial flavors, sweeteners, refined carbs, etc.

BB: When did you discover the idea of a paleo or (neo-paleo) diet?

MS: As a young kid, I actually remember gravitating towards a few food options, like soup made from full chicken (or bone broth as we know it today) and, without knowing it then, other foods that were nourishing what my body craved.

But, my primal instincts really began to ignite in high school and as a pre-med student at Williams College when I could read and learn as much as I could about anatomy, biology, anthropology, food systems and so on. I was fascinated by evolution and decided early in my career to use evolution as the lens through which I would evaluate most of my diet and lifestyle choices.

BB: What is it like to run a business built around books and a blog focused on healthy eating and athletic performance?

MS: It’s a dream come true, actually, to have a business based entirely on my passions for eating healthful and great-tasting food, having fun staying fit, and educating people on how to regain excellent health.

BB: How do you separate yourself from the noise in the healthy food and diet industry?

MS: That’s difficult at times. There are so many companies that are trying to enter the “better for you” space in food. But we keep upping the ante with each of our endeavors. Our Primal Kitchen Restaurants are designed to offer clean eating fast casual breakfast,

There are so many companies that are trying to enter the “better for you” space in food. But we keep upping the ante with each of our endeavors. Our Primal Kitchen Restaurants are designed to offer clean eating fast casual breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There our emphasis is on tasty “curated” signature dishes — versus the proliferation of “protein bowl with side” concepts. The idea was to have a place anyone and everyone of any eating style could go to and get a great-tasting meal based on clean, lean proteins, healthy fats, and low or no sugars.

Our Primal Kitchen food company is centered around making healthy sauces, dressings, and snacks. We recognized that once you get rid of grains, sugars, and industrial seed oils, you are left with a relatively small list of clean food ingredients available on a regular basis — such as meat, fish, fowl, eggs nuts, seeds, veggies, and fruit.

What makes the difference, and what keeps eating healthy exciting, is what you put on the food—the herbs, spices, sauces, dressings, etc. The response to these products has been overwhelmingly positive and made us one of the fastest growing food companies in the US last year.

BB: Wow. Some really amazing insight Mark. Thank you for the time to talk! Make sure you check out Mark’s books, blog, and the Primal Kitchen restaurants and store. If you want to read more about Mark, check out Outside Magazine’s great profile of him last year.

Also, look out for The Keto Reset Diet, Mark’s book coming out on October 3rd.

Maria Emmerich – Guiding light of the ketogenic lifestyle

June 29, 2017Profileschemical-free, cooking, flavor, grass-fed, health, ketogenic, superfoodsDennis Keohane

Maria Emmerich is one of the people in the wellness and nutrition space whose passion for helping others achieve healthy lives we greatly admire here at ButcherBox.

Emmerich is the best-selling author of The Ketogenic Cookbook, and eight other books on health and wellness including Keto-Adapted and the soon-to-be-published Keto Restaurant Favorites. She also runs the popular blog Maria Mind Body Health, which features unique recipes that use alternative ingredients and information on how eating better can improve one’s health in a wide array of unexpected ways.

We interviewed Maria to find out more about her, ketogenic nutrition, and how grass-fed meat is a vital part of a healthy diet.

ButcherBox: What does it mean to live a ketogenic lifestyle?

Maria Emmerich: Almost every cell in our bodies can run on two fuels, glucose or fat (free fatty acids or ketones). Living a ketogenic lifestyle means you restrict carbs enough (less than 20 grams or so a day) so that you use fat as your primary fuel for your body.

BB: When did you realize the importance of being selective about the foods you consume? And how did you discover a ketogenic diet?

Maria: I have always tried to “eat the right food” since I was in high school. Back then, I followed the low-fat, whole grains thinking and it didn’t work. I got into running marathons, but I was overweight and suffered from IBS, acid reflux, and more. I knew there had to be some way to avoid these issues, so I spent the ten years researching the ketogenic lifestyle and writing books about it. Changing my diet ended my IBS and acid reflux. I also shed the extra pounds, and now I feel amazing.

BB: What has been most surprising, looking back, about the response to your books and blog posts?

Maria: I am always amazed at the support from our followers. I think the amount of time and heart that we put into helping people makes people want to support us and creates an amazing group of people all helping each other get healthy!

BB: What is your take on grass-fed meats?

Maria: In addition to a ketogenic lifestyle we also emphasize quality whole foods and chemical-free ingredients. It is important to have grass-fed meats as part of your diet because it gives you much more nutrient-dense protein without antibiotics or other chemicals in your food.

BB: What were some of the realizations that made you feel that way about grass-fed?

Maria: There are so many things wrong with cattle feedlots. The over-use of antibiotics is one, but there are also problems with cattle being fed corn because it is often GMO corn that likely contains glyphosate which can then get into the animal. I believe that some of the leaky gut that is so common today is due to these small amounts of glyphosate getting into the food supply.

BB: What differences have you noticed between eating grass-fed meat versus grain-fed?

Maria: I just love the flavor. There is nothing like a grass-fed hamburger full of rich beef flavor.

BB: What is your take on the meat industry as a whole?

Maria: Animal proteins are one of the most nutritious foods we can eat. For some reason, this is lost in the popular understanding of food. In our soon-to-be-released book Keto Restaurant Favorites, we outline how animal proteins are some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. When you think of superfoods, everyone thinks of fruits and veggies. But animal proteins, especially offal (organ meats), are the real superfoods. This chart from Keto Restaurant Favorites shows the comparisons: BB: What are your views about the dieting space in general?

Maria: There is a ton of bad information out there. Some of the food studies that exist are very flawed, and quite a few studies are actually the result of corruption. Take, for example, the focus on saturated fats and their connections to heart disease. That idea arose in large part due to studies funded by the sugar industry to take the focus off of sugar according to a recent story by the New York Times.

BB: How important is it to you to maintain authenticity while making food recommendations to others?

Maria: That is of absolute importance to us. I believe it is why we have such a strong following. People know they can trust us. We get tons of offers to promote products that contain ingredients or methods that don’t meet our standards. We could make a lot of money off of these products, but it would compromise what we stand for. Our followers know that if we approve of a food or product that we trust it enough to feed it to our sons.