Interview with Rich

1) Introduce Yourself.

Hello, my name is Rich Northrop. I am 32 years old, born and raised in Upstate New York. I have worked in the medical field for the past 10 years. Five in emergency administration, and five now clinically in cardiology. I am formally trained and have my degree in Exercise Physiology and Biology. I have a heavy interest in evolutionary biology and nutrition, ketogenics, and lipidology. I’ve been on with Dr. Paul Saladino and his live videos, featured by Mikhaila Peterson, and am listed on Dr. Shawn Baker’s list of low carb providers on MeatRx.com which is a great platform for this way of life.

2) How did you eat before Carnivore.

Before carnivore I ate very clean. Most of the time I did concise meal prep lunches for work with roasted vegetables, chicken, and small amounts of rice or quinoa. Eggs, and other lower carbohydrate options. Had the periodic beer with friends, but never a soda drinker or candy eater or anything like that on a regular basis. My occasional sweet was ice cream if anything. When I was younger, around middle school and high school I ate poorly. I saw Mt. Dew and gummy worms say “0 grams of fat” or “A fat free food” and think it was somewhat healthy.

3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.

I tried carnivore to begin with because when I graduated high school I was 305 lbs, I slowly started to gain weight when my parents divorced around the age of 9. My mother frequently kept sugary snacks around the house like little debbie cakes, and hostess things, and cereals. I lost weight with portion control and running after graduating high school. Got down to 225 lbs and stayed there for years, then once I was 26 years old, my weight started to creep back up slowly to 280 lbs again which I said I would never allow happen. This is even with eating clean meal preps, trying plant based for 3 months, zero alcohol, etc. Mind you, I am an exercise physiologist, I’m not your average person that has trouble with nutrition and exercise techniques. Despite all of my knowledge and studies, I couldn’t seem to get my weight under control, plus other health issues were starting to start. I had gut issues that started in high school. I was a C-section, formula fed baby, and took many antibiotics growing up for teenage acne. I eventually had what seemed to be IBS. Gassy and bloated with most foods, I figured it was my normal life. Eventually my anxiety got worse, my stomach issues got worse with reflux, bloating, and indigestion. I had lower abdominal pain that they couldn’t figure out if it was my bladder or bowels causing it since it’s all so close together, the nerves get confused. I saw others able to eat carbohydrates like rice or potatoes in their meal preps, and stay fit and lean. I thought I was doing something wrong, or calories, or exercise, or timing of eating. But how could I; not me right? Unfortunately, childhood obesity undoubtedly ruined the way my body stores/uses fat and responds to insulin, therefore making this ancestral way of eating essential for me to thrive. It took me 30 years to find it. September 1st, 2018 I began this way of life and I will never look back.

4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.

I approach the carnivore diet with the ideology being we most likely evolved on ruminant animals and didn’t always eat three meals per day. I’ve found that I feel best on beef. I add salt to my food and have water as well. Occasionally I will eat eggs, salmon and scallops as well but I consider them a side dish to supplement my main steak or beef. I think we should eat until we are satiated and that is all. There are days I crave more food than others, it depends on activity, and the same goes for water as well. I intermittent fast as well, naturally based on hunger. Most days I don’t eat until 4:30-6pm.

5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.

The benefits I’ve seen are numerous and unequivocally easy compared to what I’ve tried in the past. I exercise the same amount or less, and have lost 70 lbs. I am currently around 210 lbs. My IBS, gas, bloating, lower abdominal pain is completely resolved, along with my acne prone skin. My anxiety is much better, but I have health anxiety that stems from something when I was younger and most likely unrelated to diet. My hair and nails grow thicker and faster. I am sleeping much better.

6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.

The only real negatives are being able to find something out at a restaurant and social aspects at times. My wife, friends and family all understand that I eat this way now and there isn’t too much pressure to eat or drink things outside of meat. Some restaurants will still charge the same price for a burger without the bun and no sides, and not give me any type of discount despite not having anything else.

7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.

I exercise by doing full body resistance exercise at my local gym 2-3 days per week. I focus on large muscle groups, and logical compound movements that humans would naturally perform in life. I do cardio 2-3 days per week as well and cross train with this. I will run outside about 2 miles when the weather is nice, and when indoors I switch between shorter anaerobic cardio like the stair mill or Jacobs ladder, and longer bouts on a stationary bike, treadmill, and elliptical. Nothing extreme really. I find that my endurance is better during steady-state aerobic exercise and I can run longer; and my resistance capacity is the same or better as it was before carnivore. Recovery and soreness is much better. I dedicate one day to stretching, foam rolling, and myofascial release if needed.

8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.

My advice to someone that is thinking about trying this diet is to work with someone like me who has done it for a while and maybe came from the same boat. Join an online group where you can ask and access questions to issues that may arise. This is an extremely easy diet, but there are intricacies to it and not every person is the same. Think outside the box and get real knowledge about how the body works. Why it doesn’t cause heart disease, and constipation, etc. Why humans are made to and evolved eating meat. Commit strictly to 30-60 days and see for yourself. The worst thing for the human body is insulin resistance, and this nourishing way of eating completely reverses and avoids that while providing the best absorbable nutrition possible. Take that leap and thrive.

9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.

I do and don’t think it will ever be accepted as a main stream way of eating. I think all these personal stories of healing and thriving long term on this diet more than any other thing will have the biggest impact. Peoples doctors will be shocked but probably say I guess keep doing what you are doing. I think once the people my parents age pass away (sorry to be so morbid) that were brought up and brainwashed to think fat and animal foods were bad and caused heart disease, that we will make some ground. The internet and YouTube is helping this as well; the age of social media is massive to any type of information and knowledge. On the other hand, I’m afraid that medical schools will teach the same old outdated information and treat symptoms and not prevent disease. They will be funded by pharmacological companies, and big food companies. Large grain companies like Kellogg’s and General Mills make large donations to academic programs, and vegetarians/vegans love to use cherry picked epidemiological data from poor studies to prove they are right about animal food being unhealthy. It’s sad but true, but there is much more money and less work or “farm share” in making sugary cereal than there is collecting and selling eggs from chickens.

10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow you.

After my success and personal studies over the years, I wanted to give back to the community and help people just like myself. People with diseases their doctors cant seem to fix, weight they cant seem to get off, and all types of things of the sort. That’s why I created my own Facebook group called “Strict Carnivore – Zero Carb Life” where I post and interact the most, and it now has nearly 5,000 members. I hold frequent live Q&A’s to take any questions, share recipe ideas, testimonials, supplement facts, and deals on meat. I can also be reached on Instagram at Ribeye.Rich, or through Dr. Baker’s MeatRx platform.

Strict Carnivore – Zero Carb Life link : https://www.facebook.com/groups/714310302259750/

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

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Amazon

Carnivore Fit Expanded edition – my eBook and Paperback looking at why meat is good for you, why plants are bad, and how to exercise on zero carbs.

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Media

• The majority of my personal journey is documented on Instagram.
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