This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com, and I have shared this wonderful information with their permission.

Source

If you’re like many adults you’ve tried numerous diets only to remain fat, sick and tired. A lectin free diet, as we promote in the carnivore diet, may be just the thing you need to finally achieve good health.

You see, most foods encouraged in a traditional “healthy diet” are in fact poisoning you and ravaging your gut. “Gut” does not refer to your beer belly, although the carnivore diet will probably fix that too.

When I say “gut”, I’m talking about your digestive tract, the center of health as we know it. The home to our immune system, a superhighway to our brain and cognitive health and our main tool for using food for energy. 

You’ve undoubtedly heard “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” This is pure and utter nonsense. Nevermind the fact that apples are nothing short of small pesticide bombs, they are a prime example of nature’s defense system. I hate to break it to you but fruits, vegetables, beans and other plants are not put on this earth to serve us humans. 

In fact, they don’t want to be eaten. Over millions of years evolving with animals, they’ve developed innate defense mechanisms. 

Remember, evolution is about maximizing genetic fitness. That is, increasing the chance genes are passed down to the next generation. If a plant’s seeds are eaten, it cannot reproduce more plants. 

So, to protect themselves most plants are equipped with edible land minds that poison their predators. Lectins are one such defense tool used by many plant foods to survive and reproduce.

What are lectins?

Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins designed to damage cellular communication. 

I know what you are thinking: “Come again?”

Let me rephrase that. Lectins are sticky, carbohydrate-binding proteins that function as a defense mechanism for plants. They are designed (by evolution) to cause a severe immune response in the animals that eat them (including humans) which ultimately results in paralysis.

Lectins are associated with both mental and physical health problems. They bind nerve endings, cause blood cells to clump and also attach to viruses and bacteria. In some cases people with lectin sensitivity are more likely to get sick because of this.

Health problems associated with lectins include:

• Leaky gut (intestinal permeability)
• Brain fog
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Gas
• Diarrhea

Lectins are highly inflammatory, and resistant to cooking and digestion. So, they pass right through the gut where they wreak havoc.

After passing through your gut undigested, Lectins attach directly to the intestinal lining. There they cause digestive discomfort and can even pry your gut lining open. Additionally, lectins like gluten also stimulate the release of zonulin which opens up a space in the lining, causing leaky gut.

Yet we humans continue to try to eat them. Oh hello wall, let me keep running into you…

Compare this to an insect, who after having an adverse reaction, will actually avoid eating the food again in the future. On the contrary we humans just down acid blocking medications like candy, instead of avoiding the foods that caused discomfort in the first place.

Is a Lectin Free Diet Healthy?

Yes, in fact, there is research that a lectin free diet can heal the gut, quiet an overactive immune system and calm inflammation (*).

In addition, you can get all the protein, vitamins and minerals you need from a lectin free diet. The hardest part will be breaking your addiction to food and the social pressures of avoiding the normalized SAD diet (Standard American Diet). So, you’ll feel amazing but you may have to practice how you’ll turn down Aunt Betty’s famous pumpkin roll over the holidays.

Foods to Avoid on a Lectin Free Diet

There are 5 main categories of foods highest in lectins:

1. Beans and legumes
2. Squash: pumpkin, butternut, zucchini
3. Grains: new food to us. Lectin bombs. Even gluten free
4. Nightshades: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers
5. Fruit: out of season. If it has a seed it’s a fruit. Peppers and cucumbers. 

The most infamous damaging lectins are gluten and wheat germ agglutinin. 

Gluten

Gluten is the most renowned lectin.

Gluten is a complex of 100s of different proteins mainly consisting of: gliadin and glutenin. It is the main protein in wheat, barley and rye. 

Gluten can cause a whole spectrum of reactions. It can even kill people that are highly allergic. This alone should make you skeptical of all the health claims around gluten containing foods. But even if you’re not allergic, you do not have the enzymes to break down gluten’s amino acid structure. It is incapable of being digested and anything that cannot be digested or expelled causes harm.

It should be noted that Celiac disease — a severe gluten allergy — is on the rise. 

However, gluten is not just a concern for people that have celiac disease. It increases intestinal permeability in all people. 

When you eat gluten, it stimulates the release of zonulin, which prys the gut open. This is why gluten has been linked to so many autoimmune disorders.

Don’t think you can just buy the gluten free versions of all your favorite foods – many can be even worse, filled with refined flours, gums and stabilizing agents. Your best bet to improve your health is to avoid common gluten containing foods and the imitation gluten free products.

Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA)

Gluten is not the only damaging lectin. The other lectin that’s especially pernicious is wheat germ agglutinin. 

An agglutinin is a protein that is in seeds to protect against insects. Crops today are modified to contain higher levels of agglutinin to make them even more resistant to insects. 

Wheat Germ Agglutinin is an especially small lectin. So even if the gut wall isn’t compromised, it can still pass through the walls of the intestine easier.

Some of the damaging effects of WGA include [*]:

• Disrupting endocrine dysfunction by binding to insulin receptors
• Blocking sugar from getting into muscle cells
• Interfering with protein digestion
• Increasing inflammation
• Crossing blood brain barrier
• Stimulating weight gain. 

One of the biggest reasons the damage from WGA is so insidious is because it is in the bran. 

Given this fact, whole wheat grains are worse for you (mind blown, right???). 

So what is the solution? If you’re having health issues, try cutting out lectins for 30 days. 

After that, you’ll probably feel amazing and not look back but, if you do decide to eat lectin containing foods check out this awesome post about reducing lectins in food from Kevin Stock.

Foods to Eat on a Lectin Free Diet

Now that we’ve thrown the food pyramid and all conventional diet wisdom out the window, you are probably wondering what the hell you are supposed to eat. 

Don’t worry, we are getting there. Now, we’ve been conditioned to think that variety is better in the diet. I’m actually going to make the argument for simplicity here. In the age of information overload, why not embrace the fact that simplicity is the key to health when it comes to diet, so long as you are choosing the right foods.  

Here is what you can eat on a lectin free diet:

• Pasture-raised meats 
• Liver
• Butter and ghee from pasture-raised animals 
• Olives and extra virgin olive oil
• Cooked sweet potatoes (note that this is a starch and will interfere with ketosis, aka burning fat for energy)
• Leafy greens
• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Onion
• Celery
• Mushrooms
• Avocado

Not all low lectin foods promote health so, use some caution with these next few.

•  Eggs and dairy

Both eggs and dairy products can be inflammatory triggers for some people, but you know your body best. It’s up to you to determine what works and what doesn’t.

Egg whites contain protective proteins that can irritate the gut, trigger autoimmune disease and cause acne. Egg whites are actually one of the most prevalent causes of allergies, affecting 1-3% of the population.

Dairy can cause inflammation for two reasons: lactose and dairy proteins . If you’re just lactose intolerant, you can try hard cheeses and fermented products that have had the lactose fermented away.

If that still irritates you, then you should drop the dairy altogether – it’s likely the proteins that bother you.

• Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and any other vegetable that smells like sulfur (aka farts) is a cruciferous vegetable. Goitrogens can block iodine from entering the thyroid and eventually cause a swollen thyroid or goiter.

Iodine is required for thyroid hormone production. Without it, the thyroid cannot produce the T4 and T3 hormones. 

Low thyroid is diagnosed by abnormal thyroid lab values and presence of goiter. You may also have symptoms including fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, trouble sleeping and constipation. 

I know, this is a post about lectins and now I am springing this on you! But, let’s not trade one problem for another, ok?

Lectin Free Diet Trial for Good Health

A brief but spectacular recap for those of you who skipped to the end for the bottom line:

• Lectins are natural defense mechanisms found in plants that damage the gut
• Plants are trying to teach you a lesson to not eat them, you should listen
• If you have health problems or would like to optimize your diet, try a lectin free diet (such as the carnivore diet) for 30 days
• After that, avoid lectins all together or prepare foods to reduce lectins

This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com, and I was very happy to share this knowledge with you.

Source

Salmon roe is a real superfood unlike Kale — or what I refer to as green toilet paper.

It’s loaded with almost every vitamin and mineral you need to function optimally.

For thousands of years your ancestors prized superfoods like salmon roe. But western society has replaced them with green smoothies….which is almost like replacing a ferrari with a toyota camry. 

What is salmon roe and what are some nutrients it’s high in?

What is Salmon Roe?

Salmon roe are the fish eggs that come from salmon. While the size of them can differ depending on the salmon species they come from, they all showcase the same bright orange hue. 

Salmon roe isn’t the same as salmon caviar. A caviar requires the salmon roe to undergo an aging process in a soy sauce type of brine. Salmon roe is usually eaten by itself or placed within sushi, and it has a unique taste. 

I think of them like adult gushers. 

You may be wondering why you’d want to eat salmon roe when you can simply add a handful of vegetables to your plate. Well, apart from the protein, salmon roe is bursting with a variety of nutrients that you’d struggle to find in other food sources. 

If you’re on a carnivore diet, it’s the ultimate sidekick to beef liver and muscle meat. Loaded Let’s look at its full nutritional profile. 

Nutritional profile of Salmon Roe

100 grams of salmon roe provides 200 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 2.90 grams of carbs. Let’s delve deeper as to why many people are choosing to eat these fish eggs. 

Below is the nutrition content of 100g of salmon roe

High quality source of protein

100g of salmon roe contains 25 grams of protein. As a valuable protein source, these fish eggs fit perfectly into a low carb diet, offering more protein per calorie than almost anything else.

It’s also packed with essential amino acids, including lysine, which has many impressive benefits. Lysine can’t be made by the human body, so the only way to retrieve it is via food or supplementation. As a building block of protein, lysine can enhance wound healing, may promote calcium absorption, and may potentially diminish blood sugar response in diabetics. Pretty good, right?

Another amino acid found within salmon roe is leucine. 100g of salmon roe contains around 2g of leucine; a branched-chain amino acid which helps muscle growth. If you’re hitting the gym and searching for ways to build or maintain muscle, a serving or two of salmon roe is a great solution. Leucine has many benefits, including being a potent mTOR activator. 

Packed with Omega 3 fatty acids

Salmon roe is packed with healthy omega 3 fatty acids. You’ll find around 3.5g per 100g serving, providing one of the best natural sources of DHA and EPA – Docosahexaenoic Acid and Eicosapentaenoic Acid. In fact, a study discovered that over 30% of the fatty acids found in salmon roe are either DHA or EPA.

DHA is massively beneficial for optimal brain functioning. So much so that almost 25% of all the fat in your brain is DHA. Unlike some other fish products, salmon roe contains DHA in a phospholipid form, making it easier to cross the blood brain barrier. 

If providing brain fuel wasn’t enough, DHA boasts anti-inflammatory effects which could prove useful in treating a number of issues, including heart disease and arthritis.

On the carnivore diet it’s a challenge to obtain adequate DHA. Salmon roe is a great addition to do so.

Contains Omega 6 fatty acids

The majority of us gain way too many omega 6’s from our diets. But, if you’re eating a balanced diet and getting them from healthy sources, there’s no cause for concern. 

Omega 6 fats like AA can be beneficial and are great for promoting skin and hair growth, as well as nurturing bone health, regulating metabolism, and potentially reducing the risk of heart disease. Like omega 3, it also has advantages for brain development and functioning. 

Vitamin D dietary source

100 grams of salmon roe gives us around 232 IU of vitamin D, or around 58% of the suggested daily intake. If you’re looking for one of the few food sources of this vitamin, salmon roe is a great source.

Depending on where in the world you live, vitamin D is essential if you’re not getting enough exposure to sunlight. That’s because the body creates vitamin D via cholesterol. The energy from UVB (ultraviolet B) rays synthesizes cholesterol, producing vitamin D. If you’ve ever heard the term ‘sunshine vitamin’, now you know why!

Vitamin D is often associated with depression. A study examining depressed subjects found that vitamin D supplementation improved their mood. Additionally, the vitamin is linked to playing a part in other illnesses, including reducing the risk of getting the flu, and multiple sclerosis. This may be partly due to the role vitamin D has in enhancing the immune system.

Vitamin B12 and other B vitamins

If you’ve been feeling anxious, fatigued or simply ‘under the weather’, eating a portion of salmon roe may be a good remedy. Many common cognitive issues are due to vitamin B deficiencies — some of the most important vitamins for cognitive function. In a 100g portion, there is a whopping 20.0mcg or 333% of your recommended daily amount of vitamin B12. One thing to know is that your body can’t produce it, so it needs to come from dietary sources or supplements. 

Why is this vitamin important? Well, it keeps nerve and blood cells healthy, supports bone health, and gives you an overall energy boost. Pregnant women are especially advised to intake adequate levels as deficiency has been associated with birth defects and even miscarriage. 

Let’s not forget the other nutritious B vitamins found in salmon roe. Each 100g gives around 0.14mg (9.3% of your suggested daily value) of vitamin B1, 0.36mg (21.2% DV) of vitamin B2, 0.40mg (2% DV) of vitamin B3, 3.50mg (35% DV) of vitamin B5, and 0.32g (16% DV) of vitamin B6. 

The benefits of these include aiding energy levels, fat burning, digestion, eye health, and much more. 

Antioxidants, including Astaxanthin

With 91mcg of vitamin A (10% of your DV) and 2.68mg of vitamin E (13% DV) in 100g serving of salmon roe, salmon roe is high in antioxidants. Oxidative stress occurs via free radical damage. In other words, unstable atoms provoke damage to healthy cells. This can result in premature aging, as well as potentially genetic degenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, and dementia.

Another antioxidant found in salmon roe is called Astaxanthin, which is the chemical responsible for their orange color. You may be wondering what makes Astaxanthin so special? Well, for starters it’s 500 times more potent than vitamin E, and 6000 times more powerful than vitamin C, providing a multitude of health benefits. 

Research has discovered that this substance may enhance the skin’s fight against UV damage. Then, there’s also the possibility that it helps battle liver disease and oxidative stress. 

Need something natural to boost athletic performance and diminish muscle soreness after workouts? Astaxanthin has you covered. You could call this a super-antioxidant as it really does boast endless benefits. 

Copper

Salmon roe features 5.5% of your daily copper intake (0.11mg) per 100g. 

Copper is difficult to find in foods other than beef liver. It aids collagen functioning to help the skin look smoother and firmer. Additionally, it helps to maintain good immune health, bones, and nerves. 

Iodine

While it can be a challenge to hit your daily requirement of iodine, salmon roe provides an excellent source. Iodine aids the construction of thyroid hormone. Deficiencies in this often leads to fatigue, low sex drive, digestive problems, brain fog, and much more. 

Calcium

100g of salmon roe has 275mg of calcium or 27.5% of your recommended daily intake. If you tend to avoid dairy, getting as much calcium as possible from the rest of your diet is essential. Why? Not only is it great for bone health, it’s also necessary for your heart and muscles to perform correctly.

Additional vitamins and minerals

Salmon roe is high in selenium and choline: two of the most important nutrients for cognitive function. Two that are also only found in substantial quantities in salmon roe and beef liver.

You’ll get around 65.5mg of selenium (roughly 100% of your RDA) from a 100g portion. Selenium is often absent from many peoples diets, yet it’s imperative for cognitive functioning, memory, motor performance, and coordination. 

Choline is another vitamin which assists cognition. So much so, a deficiency is often linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. In 100g of salmon roe, you’ll find around 45% of your RDA or 247mg of choline. 

Conclusion

Salmon roe is one of the most nutritious foods you’ll come across. While the downside is that it can be difficult to track down the high quality stuff, if you can get your hands on it, you’ll be adding a true superfood to your diet.

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

If you like what I am about, check out the below.

Amazon

Carnivore Fit Expanded edition – eBook and Paperback

Low Content Books – Journals, Notebooks, Diaries and Planners.

Media

• Carnivore Diet Success Stories on Instagram.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.

Damn right it is bad for you. Stop eating it right now!

This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com, and it was a pleasure to share this on my blog with their permission.

Is Soy Bad for You?

We live in the age of soy today. Soy boys and soy food everywhere…It’s ubiquitous as a vegetarian staple and a filler for many health products.

Soy has been marketed a health food for years – tofu, soy-milk, soybean oil, edamame. But is it actually any good for you? Or does it just “feel” like a health-food because it’s bland, expensive and highly marketed?

Let me give it to you straight: if good health is what you’re after, stop eating soy. I didn’t want to lose the main point of this article by burying it away at the end. Now that you know, please read on to learn why.

The elevation of soy as a health food

When the USDA erroneously decided all animal fat and meat were poison, Americans were told to eat more plant foods, like soy. Soy was touted as a perfect protein and source of fat to replace meat, lard and butter. Soybean oil was marketed as a versatile cooking oil that wouldn’t increase your cholesterol, textured protein crumbles made in a lab were smashed together and dyed to look like hamburger patties and soybean oil was hydrogenated to be solid at room temperature. “Eat margarine,” they said, “it’s better than butter,” they said. 

Well folks, it turns out hydrogenated vegetable oil is a source of trans fat. And eating trans fat not only increases your risk of heart disease but the Food and Drug Administration now prohibits food manufacturers from adding the major source of artificial trans fat to foods and beverages (*).

But, I digress, let’s get back to the soyification of the world. So the government declares all animal meat and fat bad, processed plant foods are better. AKA “we know better than nature what is healthy ”. So, cheap soy floods the market. And now you can pick up 80% of the items in the grocery store and see soy in the ingredient list. Soybean oil, lecithin from soy, soy protein, textured vegetable protein (also soy), vegetable gum, vegetable broth, vegetable starch, this list goes on. 

The organization food allergy and research education lists nearly all processed foods and even some personal care products as having a soy component:

• Baked goods
• Canned broths and soups
• Canned tuna and meat
• Cereals
• Cookies
• Crackers
• High-protein energy bars and snacks
• Infant formulas
• Low-fat peanut butter
• Pet food
• Processed meats
• Sauces
• Soaps and moisturizers

Americans have not improved their health as a result of these recommendations, in fact as a nation we have become more sick (*).

But it’s just a plant right? How bad could it be? Well, that depends, how much poison is acceptable in your food? 

Is Soy Bad For You? The 4 Dangers of Eating It?

#1 Weed-killer in Soy

Soy is a leading food source of glyphosate (the weed-killer Roundup). Oats, wheat and corn are up there as well and you’ll notice I don’t recommend eating those either. 

Glyphosate is a synthetic herbicide patented by the Monsanto Company and now manufactured and sold by many companies in hundreds of products. Glyphosate has been associated with (*):

• Cancer
• Liver damage
• Reproductive and developmental issues

According to the Environmental Workgroup (EWG) genetically engineered soy has the highest levels of Roundup:

“Crop scientists have genetically engineered soy to survive blasts of Roundup so farmers can spray this chemical near crops to get rid of weeds. But some so-called “super weeds” resistant to Roundup have developed.  In turn, some farmers use yet more Roundup to try to kill those hardy weeds. This leads to more Roundup chemicals being found on soybeans and ultimately in the food supply.”

How much poison is acceptable?

The company that owns Roundup (Monsanto) defined an extreme level of this herbicide as 5.6 milligrams per kilogram of plant weight. A Norwegian study comparing the accumulation of pesticides and herbicides on 31 different soybean plants found an average of 9 milligrams of Roundup per kilogram. The study found high levels of Roundup in 70 percent of genetically engineered soy plants (*).

#2 Soy is a Goitrogen

Goitrogens are foods that interfere with normal, healthy thyroid function and cause goiter — or swelling of the thyroid. 

Goitrogens do this by interfering with iodine absorption in the thyroid. Iodine is required for healthy levels of thyroid hormone production. Without it, the thyroid cannot produce the T4 and T3 hormones. 

In response to deficient T4 and T3 levels, your pituitary gland produces more of a compound known as Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (i’ll give you one guess what it does). The TSH is meant to signal to your thyroid to produce more T4. But, the excess TSH causes swelling of the gland known as goiter.

Goitrogens can also interfere with healthy thyroid function through interfering with TPO: Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) enzyme is like the assembly line that constructs Thyroid hormones. If it’s damaged, thyroid hormone production is impaired.

Symptoms of Thyroid Issues: Side Effects Include

The thyroid plays an important role in all metabolism. So, when you have low circulating thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) you’d expect everything to get sluggish – your brain, your energy levels, even digestion!

Common symptoms of hypothyroid include (*):

• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Constipation
• Trouble sleeping
• Dry skin
• Sensitivity to the cold
• Depression
• Dry, thinning hair
• Joint and muscle pain
• Fertility problems
• Decreased heart rate

Sounds like a blast, right?

#3 Soy and your Sex Hormones

Soy is an endocrine disrupter – that is to say it interferes with hormones. I’ve detailed its action on thyroid hormone above but healthy function of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone can also be disrupted.

Soy is a natural source of phytoestrogens, a compound that mimics human estrogen but is thousands of times weaker. Researchers have found that the impact of soy phytoestrogens on individuals depends largely on their age, gender and menopausal status and the issue is complex. However, aside from the phytoestrogens in soy, the glyphosate (Roundup weedkiller) on soy can contribute to estrogenic activity on its own (*)

Phytoestrogens have demonstrated the ability to(*):

1. Disrupt of normal sex hormone levels and the female ovulation cycle
2. Decrease sexual behavior in animal research
3. Increase  social, aggressive, and anxiety-related behaviors in animal research

#4 Soy is a Source of Lectins

Soybeans, like all beans, area a source of lectins. Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins designed to damage cellular communication. 

These sticky, carbohydrate-binding proteins function as a defense mechanism for plants. They are designed (by evolution) to cause a severe immune response in the animals that eat them (including humans) which ultimately results in paralysis.

Lectins are associated with both mental and physical health problems. They bind nerve endings, cause blood cells to clump and also attach to viruses and bacteria. In some cases people with lectin sensitivity are more likely to get sick because of this.

Health problems associated with lectins include:

• Leaky gut (intestinal permeability)
• Brain fog
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Gas
• Diarrhea

This just keeps getting better, am I right? As I said in the beginning, if you care about your health, don’t eat soy.

The Bottom Line on Soy 

Yes, it turns out that many ancient, healthy cultures did eat soy. But they went through an extensive fermentation process to neutralize the toxins that no longer exist today (same with many other plants we eat).

Whatever chance soy had at being even an option for food has been completely destroyed by large scale agriculture and corporate greed. The soy in our world is nothing but a delivery mechanism for glyphosate. In addition to toxic weed killer, soy is a food that can interfere with your thyroid hormones, sex hormones and gut health. 

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

If you like what I am about, check out the below.

Amazon

Carnivore Fit Expanded edition – eBook and Paperback

Low Content Books – Journals, Notebooks, Diaries and Planners.

Media

• Carnivore Diet Success Stories on Instagram.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.

….. and should you care?

This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com, and they asked me for permission to post it on my blog to help spread low carb knowledge.

Source

One of the most common questions about the carnivore diet is if it puts you in ketosis.

Ketosis has many benefits including:

• Reduced inflammation
• Increased satiety
• More endurance
• The ability to speak to electricity

So of course people are concerned. 

Let’s discuss

What is the Carnivore Diet?

First off, what is the carnivore diet? 

The carnivore diet is a high fat, high protein diet where you eat only animal products. Yes, that’s right. No more grains. No more sugar. And no more vegetables.

This may sound wacky at first. But there are many benefits of it including:

The carnivore diet took the world by storm when Shawn Baker appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast. He is an orthopedic surgeon and athlete. Dr. Baker is in his 50s and is absolutely ripped (I tried counting his abs but lost count at 1,421). He recently set two indoor rowing world records and he attributes his success to the carnivore diet. 

Other prominent advocates include Mikhaila and Jordan Peterson, the clinical psychologist. Both have reversed lifelong autoimmune and mental health issues with the carnivore diet.

It’s also a variation of the Ketogenic diet as cutting out all carbohydrates will put you into ketosis.

What is Ketosis

Ketosis is like the shoes in the movie like mike. They give your body metabolic superpowers.

What is ketosis?

Ketosis is the metabolic process of using fat, specifically ketones, as the primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates. 

It’s a natural metabolic state that you evolved to spare muscle. Throughout evolution, there was not a grocery store nearby to have 6 meals a day. Your ancestors often went long periods without access to food (gasp, they even skipped breakfast, the “most important meal of the day!!”). 

How did they survive without a constant IV drip of food like most people in Western countries today? They survived because of seamless and caviar. No, they survived because of ketosis. 

Your brain is very energy hungry. It lacks its own engine, thus requires a continuous supply of energy. For most people, this is glucose. Every single day a normal person’s brain consumes approximately 120g of glucose. This is 420kcal of energy which is almost 60% of all glucose utilization at rest .

However, at any given moment, your body only stores approximately 120g of glucose in your liver. Meaning, you’ve only got a day’s supply of glucose! Any longer fast than that and you’d be dead.

Your body has a couple ways of dealing with this challenge. 

1. Your liver can turn amino acids from protein into glucose via gluconeogenesis. However, the problem is that when you’re fasting you need your muscle for strength to capture food. Muscle mass is associated with longevity and your body wants to preserve it at all costs
2. Ketosis

Let’s discuss #2. 

Even a very lean person that’s ~10% fat has upwards of 50,000 calories of fat on them at any given point. Yes…fat isn’t just a fashion statement. It’s stored so you can survive without food.

In response to fasting (or low glucose levels), insulin levels fall and your body pulls fat from storage. Many cells in your body, like your heart and brain, cannot use fatty acids directly for energy. So your body shuttles body fat to your liver to make into ketones (and actually fatty acids can be broken down into glucose too).  

(P.s. how freaking cool is it that this is all happening behind the scenes?)

As you can see in this photo below, one of the main ketone bodies Beta Hydroxybutyrate rises dramatically into a fast as your blood glucose levels flatline. 

Without this metabolic trick, we would not be here today. In fact, despite your brain needing glucose to function, you dont have to eat any glucose at all. Your body can synthesize it all on its own. If this isn’t magic, i dont know what is. 

This study showed that after three days of starvation, the brain will get 25% of its energy from ketones. During much longer term starvation this number can rise as high as 60% .

Ketosis has a number of benefits I’ll get into below, 

Once your ketone levels reach a minimum of 0.50mmol/L of BHB, you’re considered to be in nutritional ketosis (according to Dr Steve Phinney). 

The Benefits of Ketosis

Beta-hydroxybutyrate is a much better fuel than glucose. It has major benefits:

1. Upregulates FOXO genes which regulate oxidative stress, insulin sensitivity and influence longevity.
2. Ketones improve mood and have antidepressant like effects
3. BHB reduces oxidative stress in the brain and may be beneficial in preventing neurodegenerative disease
4. BHB lowers inflammation and blocks NLPR3 inflammasome
5. Increases endogenous antioxidant production
6. Ketones improve insulin sensitivity
7. Improved sleep quality
8. Increased fat loss while preserving lean muscle mass and performance
9. Ketones can slow tumor growth by starving them of their preferred fuel, glucose, and lowering IGF-1
10. Appetite regulation: One of the first things people often notice 

In fact, your brain and heart will preferentially use ketones when they’re available. 

And in my opinion, this is a huge reason why mental health has deteriorated — most people are starving their brain of its favorite fuel.

So Does the Carnivore Diet Put You in Ketosis? 

Do you need to starve yourself to go into ketosis? No, the benefit of the carnivore diet — a low carb variation of the ketogenic diet — is that you can still enter ketosis while providing your body with all the nutrients it needs (this is key!). 

The carnivore diet gives you the benefits of fasting, without fasting.  

As mentioned, your body stores around 120gm of glucose in the liver when stores are full and can make a good deal more from protein. If you’re eating a high carb diet, your body doesn’t ever need to go into ketosis because you’re eating all the glucose you need. 

To go into ketosis, you need to eat fewer than 50g of carbs per day and sometimes as low as 20g (actually, some people can eat more carbs if they are extremely active, but lets leave those superstars out) .

When you restrict carbs to these levels, within 2-4 days you’ll usually be in ketosis. 

Because carbohydrate intake is approximately zero on the carnivore diet, it will put you into ketosis. Most people’s levels tend to be > 0.5 mmol, but this depends on how much protein they’re eating. 

Choosing between glucose and ketones is like deciding between rocket fuel and sludge that produces a massive amount of toxic waste.

What About Protein on the Carnivore Diet?

This is a highly debated topic within the ketogenic community. A properly formulated ketogenic diet is considered ~80% fat. But most people in the carnivore community are eating closer to 65% fat. 

Does this hinder ketosis?

From my anecdotal experience and from working with others, it does. 

I think of protein as more of a structural component than a fuel source. And when you exceed your protein needs, it strains your metabolic pathways (like your urea cycle). 

This great presentation from Ben Bikman illustrated one mechanism whereby protein could reduce ketosis. If you’re starting the carnivore diet with already elevated levels of insulin and blood glucose, protein tends to increase insulin. And when insulin increases, fat burning and ketosis shuts off. Whereas Fat does not increase insulin and does increase glucagon, which increases ketosis.

I’ve tested this personally, and my ketone levels are much higher when I eat 80% fat and I feel much better. 

With that being said, protein’s effect on ketosis seems to be highly individual. Many people can eat more protein and feel just fine. 

Regardless, you will be getting many benefits from this way of eating. But in general, I recommend to experiment with macro ratios.

So does the carnivore diet put you in ketosis? The answer is an emphatic yes. 

Conclusion

Ketosis has many benefits. The carnivore diet puts you into ketosis and this is one of the many reasons why it works so well.