Sometimes it is good to have a little treat

Snacks? Is that an animal you eat on the carnivore diet? No. 

Snacks are often a foreign concept to carnivores. But you’ll still crave them every now and then. 

Here are my 6 favorite carnivore diet snacks. 

When to Snack?

Snacking is fine if you’re trying to build muscle or already at excellent health.

However, if you’re used to emotional eating or trying to lose weight, I recommend against it.

If you find yourself craving snacks often, it usually means there’s an issue with the full meals you’re eating.

Most of the time when I’m eating my baseline carnivore diet, I can barely even eat 1 satiating meal a day. 

When I crave snacks, it’s usually because I didn’t eat enough fat or if I’m missing some nutrients like the ones only in beef liver.

But if snacking is the worst thing you’re doing, you’re in a great place. Here are some good carnivore diet snacks.

My 6 Favorite Carnivore Diet Snacks

#1 Pork Rinds

Pork rinds are made from pig’s skin, and are typically fried into chip-like snacks. First, the skin is dried, and then it is fried and flavored. Pork rinds come in a variety of flavors, shapes and sizes. The majority of pork rinds are sold as a light and airy crunchy snack, but they’re also available in a breadcrumb consistency.

Pork rinds are very high fat and satiating.

The only potential issue with them is the high omega 6 content if the pigs aren’t eating their natural diet. 

The best way to eat them is to make your own and work with a local butcher to get skin from pasture raised pigs. 

#2 Liver Pate

Beef liver is nature’s original superfood. When I started eating it I experienced so many benefits:

• My skin cleared up
• My energy was better
• I had more muscle growth
• I think I even developed xray vision…
• But the problem is it tastes like something from fear factor.

Over the last year I’ve experimented with countless different recipes. Here are some of my favorite carnivore and keto liver recipes.

Pate is a great way to improve the flavor and get a bunch of good fats. 

Here are some beef liver recipes. 

#3 Beef Liver Crisps

My favorite way to eat beef liver is dehydrated as crisps. On the carnivore diet I was missing the crunch so much, that I spent 100s of hours in R&D to make these crisps. And now 1000s of people swear by them.

They have 14g of nature’s cleanest protein and are packed with over 100% of the RDA of many essential nutrients. And spinach, supposedly the most nutritious veggie, looks like cardboard next to them. 

#4 Beef Jerky

Beef jerky, the crossfit bro staple, is a great addition to the carnivore diet. If you’re on the go, it’s especially helpful.

The one downside is that most jerkies are loaded with additives and sugar (it’s appalling to me how many companies hide sweeteners in their product).

#5 Sardines & Mackerel

The beauty of the carnivore diet is that many of the most nutritious foods in the world are meat based and also the cheapest. A can of sardines or mackerel will run you around $3 and is loaded with protein, omega 3 fatty acids and the b vitamins. 

They’re also a great source of minerals like selenium, iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus (many of these people are deficient in). 

#6 Cheese

Cheese is one of the most nutritious foods in the world. New evidence has emerged showing that full fat dairy products can help to reverse chronic disease .

Cheese is one of the best sources for Vitamin K2, a vitamin that weston price called activator X, and was one of the commonalities between the healthiest indigienous tribes he visited. 

Vitamin K is necessary for your body to fully bind calcium and direct it to the proper place. That’s why the rotterdam study showed that Vitamin K intake was significantly negatively associated with heart disease . 

Cheese is also one of the best and only sources of calcium on the carnivore diet. 

However, many people cannot tolerate the dairy in cheeses which can be inflammatory. If you notice you don’t feel your best when eating cheese, cut it out immediately. 

Bonus: If you have “lactose intolerance”, try a raw goat milk cheese and see if it irritates you still.

Conclusion 

If you’re just starting the carnivore diet, your life is going to change in inexplicable ways. 

If you’ve already been a carnivore for a while, how’s the x-ray vision treating you? Lol.

I hope these 6 carnivore diet snacks can make your journey easier.

This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com.

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

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

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.

Low Content Books – Carnivore & Keto inspired Journals, Notebooks, Diaries, and Planners.

Media

• The majority of my personal journey is documented on Instagram.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.

Did Ancel Keys send us down a dark path

Cholesterol is one of the most feared molecules in the world today.

Yet new research shows it’s one of the most beneficial molecules for your health.

How does everyone have it so backwards?

First off, this is not medical advice. If your LDL is above the reference range, you should work with a doctor. Before making any dietary changes, always consult with a healthcare practitioner.

How Did We Get Here?

Why did cholesterol get put into the penalty box? Three main studies damned cholesterol:

1. 1913 Russian study on rabbits showed that cholesterol caused lesions. 
2. Ancel Keys and his CORRUPT seven countries study showing a correlation b/w saturated fat & heart disease
3. A study in Framingham, MA 60 years ago claimed cholesterol led to heart disease .

All three ultimately led to the diet-heart hypothesis and Food Pyramid.

Cholesterol was the critical second link of the diet-heart hypothesis. The hypothesis was that saturated fat increased cholesterol. And based on the studies above, that cholesterol then caused heart disease.

After cholesterol was found to be present in artery walls in patients with heart disease, cholesterol was blamed as the cause of the disease.

But we convicted the wrong enemy.

The Truth About Cholesterol

All three studies used to convict cholesterol would turn out to be flawed and corrupt.

The 1913 study on cholesterol by the russian scientist was on rabbits. Rabbits are herbivores. Of course they react negatively to cholesterol.

Ancel Keys cherry picked seven countries out of 22. After including all the countries there was no correlation.

There was not a shred of truth in any of the three studies. 

A 30 year follow up to framingham actually showed a negative correlation between cholesterol and disease.

“There is a direct association between falling cholesterol levels over the first 14 years and mortality over the following 18 years (11% overall and 14% CVD death rate increase per 1 mg/dL per year drop in cholesterol levels).”

So of course the USDA and health authorities backtracked on their cholesterol recommendations and saturated fat vilification right…? Of course not. They doubled down and still recommend people limit saturated fat. 

Studies Confirm LDL and Total Cholesterol Are Not Risk Factors

Now that cholesterol has been rigorously tested, more studies continue to emerge that cholesterol is not predictive of heart disease.

In 1987, a thirty year follow up to the Framingham study was conducted — the study that crucified total cholesterol in the first place.

Those aged between 48 and 57 with cholesterol in the mid range (183-222 mg/dL) had a greater risk of heart attack than those with higher cholesterol.

They also found that “for each 1 mg/dL per year drop in serum cholesterol values, there is an 11% increase in both the overall death rate and the CVD death rate.”

In fact, there are zero studies that show that high LDL is a risk factor, independent of triglyceride levels and HDL levels.

What matters is the functioning of your lipid and energy transport system.

And a big reason why there is often a correlation between LDL, HDL and heart disease is because they are potentially indicative of a broken system.

And you know what? New scientific research confirms this.

There’s not a single randomized control trial that shows people with high LDL die younger. David Diamond has done some great work here.

In fact, some studies show that higher LDL-C is associated with equal or greater lifespan . 

When it comes to total cholesterol, a study in Hawaii found the same. Having low cholesterol for a long time actually increases risk of death:

Instead of continuing to dig their heels in, I do appreciate the honesty of the study above: “we have been unable to explain our results”.

Whoops.

This study from UCLA showed that 75% heart disease patients had LDL below 130 mg/dl — the level at which doctors prescribe statins.

The above data shows that saturated fat can raise cholesterol. But no evidence has shown that, independent of other factors, high  cholesterol is a cause for concern.

New evidence continues to pile up that cholesterol alone is not the culprit when it comes to heart disease. And that lowering it is not necessarily beneficial (in fact in some cases it can cause more damage). 

In 2019, the BMJ reviewed 22 interventional trials and found that “‘The preponderance of evidence indicates that low-fat diets that reduce serum cholesterol do not reduce cardiovascular events or mortality”

In the recently unearthed Minnesota Coronary  experiment researchers lowered cholesterol like they intended by 14%.

But this led to a “22% higher risk of death for each 30 mg/dL reduction in serum cholesterol”

This study was BURIED for 40 years.

Lastly, remember the seven countries study that blamed saturated fat and cholesterol for heart disease? Well Zoe Harcombe added in 290 more countries and the correlation flipped. Cholesterol actually becomes negatively correlated with heart disease.

What BioMarkers Are Predictive of Heart Disease?

Yes, cholesterol is present in the artery walls of heart disease patients. 

But it’s because it was there to rescue their artery walls.

It’s like condemning firefighters for starting fires just because they’re present at all fires. The logic is completely backwards.

What matters is how the fire started in the first place.

LDL, the “bad cholesterol”, is not predictive alone. Of course not. Because it is not inherently harmful. It’s only indicative of an atherogenic environment when it’s coupled with inflammation and oxidation.

What is the signature of inflammation and oxidation?

It usually rears its head as high TG / HDL ratios and high fasting insulin.

In a recent study of 103,446 men and women, LDL levels showed very minimal effect on heart disease.

But an increase in triglycerides/HDL ratio doubled the risk of heart disease.

High triglyceride/HDL ratios are indicative of high remnant cholesterol, which is a better indicator for heart disease than LDL alone .

Dave Feldman showed below that remnant cholesterol correlated highly with all cause mortality.

And guess what is significantly associated with remnant cholesterol? Insulin resistance .

When it comes to biomarkers, I like to see:

• Total / HDL < 4
• TG / HDL < 1
• HDL > 40
• TG < 100
• Fasting insulin < 10
• Fasting glucose < 5 mmol/L

LDL, the “bad cholesterol”, is nowhere to be found…Why?

Big pharma can’t make money off the REAL predictive biomarkers

Make sure to also keep an eye on fasting insulin levels.

From the great Ivor Cummins: When insulin is low, high LDL particle count and high triglycerides don’t indicate that you’re at higher risk.

But when insulin is high, the risk of high triglycerides and high LDL is magnified.

When fasting insulin is  >15 uU/mL, your risk of heart disease with the same triglyceride levels go up 6.7x. And with the same LDL-P levels, it increases 11x.

High LDL with high insulin is much more concerning than high LDL with low insulin.

Too Little Cholesterol is Worse Than Too Much

Cholesterol is an organic molecule found in cell membranes and most tissues. It’s in the food we eat and is naturally occurring within our bodies.

Of the cholesterol present, around 75% is created in our bodies, and 25% is ingested.

Cholesterol is one of the most vital compounds in our bodies. So vital that our bodies make around 3000 mg of it every single day. We can’t leave it to chance to get it externally – it’s that important.

Without cholesterol, we would literally be dead.

Cells would disintegrate. We’d have no hormones, no brain function, and no muscles. Every cell membrane is constructed out of cholesterol.

All of the following critical body components are made from cholesterol:

• Estrogen
• Testosterone
• Cortisol (anti-inflammatory stress hormone)
• Aldosterone (regulates salt balance)
• Vitamin D
• Bile (required for fat and vitamin absorption)
• Brain synapses (neurotransmitter exchange)
• Myelin sheath (insulates nerve cells)

Not having any cholesterol is MUCH worse than having too much of it.

Conclusion

Cholesterol is one of the most important molecules in your body. It is not a direct etiological agent in heart disease — it is merely correlative because it can indicate fundamental damage. 

We’ve talked about a lot here, and I really hope that you get a lot out of this article. It wasn’t easy for me to learn all this information – it took me years to learn about these things and improve my own health.

This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com.

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

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

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.

Low Content Books – Carnivore & Keto inspired Journals, Notebooks, Diaries, and Planners.

Media

• The majority of my personal journey is documented on Instagram.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.

Know your Amino Acids

Glycine is one of the most underrated amino acids in the world. Sort of like the beef liver of amino acids. 

These 7 glycine benefits will shock you, especially if you’ve never heard of it. And most people aren’t getting enough of it.`

Let’s dig in.

What is Glycine?

Glycine is a non-essential amino acid that the body is able to make in small amounts. Don’t get scared off by the term amino acid, I’m not getting into complex science here. Amino acids are simply the building blocks of protein. 

There are twenty different types of amino acids the body relies on to build and maintain tissues like muscle and bone. Eleven of the twenty are considered non-essential because technically, to stay alive, you don’t need to get them from food.

One of the biggest glycine benefits is more strength in the gym

But merely staying alive compared to thriving are two different matters all together. You don’t want to just have a pulse, right? This is a distinction modern medicine so often ignores. If you want to be just average, then skip this post all together.

But you’re not mediocre, or you wouldn’t be here.You want to excel. If so, this post is for you.

Where is Glycine Found?

In humans and animals glycine is concentrated in collagen, the most abundant protein in the body. Gelatin is also a good source of glycine. That’s because gelatin is a food derived from hydrolysing collagen. This essentially means breaking down the protein into individual amino acids. Gelatin is often used in food and food products as a gelling agent.

You may be surprised to learn that the chocolate pudding or cherry jello you grew up with is actually a product of hides, bones, connective tissues and other animal parts. While many kids would turn their noses up at this fact, the gelatin is by far the healthiest ingredient in the package. 

Long before the commercial food industry made these sugar laden wiggly desserts, gelatin was consumed mostly in soups, broths and stocks made with bones. Have you ever made homemade soup with bones and noticed a thick layer of gel form as the soup cools? Bingo – that is gelatin, one of the best sources of glycine you can eat. 

This is also why glycine is highly concentrated in collagen tissues — it is the glue that keeps many of your internal structures together. 

You Aren’t Getting Enough Glycine

Our grandparents and generations before them likely got enough glycine eating ‘nose to tail’. Decades ago, the entire animal was eaten, not just the tender, lean cuts of muscle meat that are popular today (boneless skinless chicken breasts anyone???). Think about it, when was the last time you saw cow tongue or pig trotters on a restaurant menu or even at the grocery store for that matter? Exactly.

People look at me like I’m a lunatic when I eat chicken bones after finishing the meat (maybe I am a lunatic?). 

True, your body can make glycine but not in amounts high enough to meet the demands of optimal health . Between what we make (approximately 3 g) and what a normal diet provides (between 1.5-3 g), research shows that we are short about 10 g of the glycine we need to maximize our body’s collagen production.

Because of the gap between what we need for optimal health, experts argue that glycine should be considered “semi-essential” (*). And eating muscle meat, like most of us are used to, isn’t going to do it. Take a look at how a typical serving of muscle meat (3 oz) compares to a typical serving of collagen (10g):

3 oz flank steak, cooked = 1.42 g

3 oz ribeye, cooked = 0.976 g

3 oz 80/20 beef, cooked = 1.56 g

3 oz pork chop, cooked = 0.91 g

3 oz sockeye salmon, cooked = 1.08 g

3 oz beef liver, cooked = 1.38 g

10 g collagen hydrolysate = 2.5 g

Collagen has double the glycine as compared to muscle meat (*,*). Additionally, when you consume substantial amounts of methionine from muscle meat, a sulfur containing amino acid, you need to eat more glycine to balance it out (*,*). 

Daily intake varies slightly based on the cuts of meat you’re eating. But on the carnivore diet, 2 lbs of meat should provide roughly 10-16 g of glycine per day. Some experts estimate we need 10-60 g per day, on the lower end when health is good and on the higher end in poor health or if muscle meat intake is high because of the methionine (*).

I’ll get into the specific glycine benefits and best sources below, but glycine plays an essential role in physical and mental health. It’s common to think of building muscle when it comes to protein but glycine does so much more. From keeping your digestion running smoothly to reducing joint pain and protecting each and everyone of your cells, glycine is truly an ancient super nutrient that has taken a backseat in recent years

7 Glycine Benefits That Will Supercharge Your Health

#1 Aids in building and maintaining muscle. 

So let’s get this one out of the way first. Glycine is the second most abundant amino acid in the body. It helps to build and maintain your muscle and other structural tissues in the body. When you exercise you break down muscle tissue, damaging the tissue a bit. 

Following exercise, your body starts the process of repairing that muscle and building new tissue so the muscle becomes stronger and better able to handle the exercise the next time around. Glycine plays an essential role in this process.

Given this information, it’s probably no surprise that glycine also plays a role in preventing age related muscle loss known as sarcopenia. Studies investigating muscle loss in animals have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of glycine, to reduce inflammation, stop muscle loss and to make muscles more responsive to exercise and other activities that normally build muscle in younger individuals but tend to be less effective in the elderly. Researchers concluded that eating glycine rich gelatin regularly might be a simple and effective strategy to prevent, slow or stop age related muscle loss (*). 

In humans, one study found that compared to placebo, collagen supplementation (one of the best sources of glycine, remember?) in combination with resistance training resulted in a significantly higher increase in lean body mass (muscle, bone and other tissues), muscle strength and fat loss in men with sarcopenia than exercise and placebo alone (*).

#2 Heals a Leaky Gut

Your digestive tract is a long hollow tube made of smooth muscle. While this muscle does contract and relax like the muscles in your arms and legs it is different in that you can’t consciously control it – it moves on its own. 

Your digestive system sees a lot of action and as a result is highly susceptible to damage. Pesticides, herbicides, environmental pollutants, chemicals in drinking water, you name it – can all damage the cells that line the digestive tract. When the cells are damaged they loosen up and let undigested food particles and other digestive remnants into your circulatory system to excite your immune system and cause all sorts of problems. This is known as leaky gut syndrome or intestinal permeability. 

Glycine, along with other amino acids helps repair the lining of the digestive tract to keep food and other particles from getting out before they are supposed to. This helps food become fully digested and efficiently absorbed and metabolized while waste products remain contained and eventually eliminated.

How does it work? Glycine and other amino acids act as fuel for the cells that line the digestive tract and act as precursors to essential substances like the antioxidant glutathione. Because of this it is considered essential for maintaining the integrity of the intestinal lining (*). 

#3 Glycine Keeps the Brain Calm & Helps sleep

Glycine is not only an amino acid but it also functions as a neurotransmitter, essentially a gatekeeper of nerve impulses that regulate behavior. It both stimulates and inhibits the brain and central nervous system. It participates in the regulation of memory, sleep, appetite and mood, among other things.

Glycine also helps produce serotonin, another neurotransmitter that has a calming effect on the mind and body, in turn stabilizing mood and improving sleep (*). For this reason, high doses of glycine have been used successfully in the treatment of psychotic disorders.

#4 Glycine Protects Joints

Glycine is one of the main amino acids found in cartilage, the tissue that makes up our joints (knees, elbows, hips, etc.) (*). If you aren’t getting enough glycine, your body will have a hard time producing or maintaining the cartilage.

Some studies show a reduction in pain and stiffness among athletes and individuals with osteoarthritis who supplemented with gelatin, a rich source of glycine.

#5 Prevents Inflammation

Glycine acts as a potent anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is an immune response initiated by the body during times of illness or injury as a protective mechanism. Acute inflammation will kick in for example, if you break a bone, causing the area to heat up to prevent infection, swell to stabilize the bone and provide cushioning. Clotting factors in the blood will even increase to prevent excessive blood loss. 

In an emergency this can be good but when inflammation is turned on chronically it can actually wreak havoc. Enter glycine. Glycine suppresses activation of inflammatory cells including macrophages and suppresses free radical and cytokine production that can further damage cells.

Glycine also helps prevent inflammation by being an essential ingredient for methylation. Methyl-what??? I hear you! But I’ll keep this short and sweet. Methylation is where a molecule known as a methyl group is added to another substance (like DNA or another protein) so that the other substance can do its job (*). So, methylation is like the first domino in a line of dominos that keeps the body’s systems running.

Nearly every physiologic function you can think of requires methylation but some really important ones that help keep inflammation under control include running the body’s detox and immune systems.

#6 Glycine Protects Cells from Damage 

Cells are damaged constantly through oxidative stress. Exposures including UV rays from the sun, environmental pollutants, alcohol, cigarette smoke, eating junk food, etc. all contribute to oxidative stress. Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from damage by actually neutralizing the threat (*). Sure, you’ve heard of vitamin C and other nutrients functioning as antioxidants, but there are many more less commonly known antioxidants including glycine.

Glycine is somewhat unique in that it both protects cells against free radicals and also reduces production of free radicals (*,*). Glycine has demonstrated this protective activity in many disease states including cancer, arthritis, liver fibrosis, organ transplant, drug induced kidney and liver damage, hemorrhagic shock, and gastric ulcers (*).

Finally, glycine supports production of the body’s master antioxidant glutathione (*). Therefore in absence of glycine the body down regulates manufacturing glutathione.

#7 Protects against signs of aging and skin health

Because of glycine’s role in the production of glutathione it also has the potential to protect against signs of aging. Damaged cells contribute to the visual signs of aging like wrinkles as well as the internal signs of aging like decreased functioning of tissues and organs. Adequate glycine helps the body continuously make more glutathione to prevent cellular damage. 

A study of elderly adults found that supplemental glycine restored suboptimal glutathione production (*).

In addition to its antioxidant properties. Glycine is also an essential component of human collagen. And collagen is the spongy substance under your skin that keeps joints gliding pain free and skin plump. Studies show that elevated levels of glycine boost collagen production to make sure your body has what it needs to look and feel vibrant.

How To Get More Glycine: These are the best sources

Because glycine is an amino acid it is found in most protein rich foods like meat, poultry, fish and eggs. But, as I’ve alluded to earlier, muscle meat is not the best source. Collagen and gelatin are the best sources. Sure, you can buy supplements but you can also get a significant amount of glycine by making a bone broth.

Additionally, bones, tendons, and ligaments are good sources of glycine. I also consume suet regularly to get some more collagenous tissue.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to revitalize your health, you need to get some of these glycine benefits.

It’s abundant in my favorite way of eating, the carnivore diet.

This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com.

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

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

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.

Low Content Books – Carnivore & Keto inspired Journals, Notebooks, Diaries, and Planners.

Media

• The majority of my personal journey is documented on Instagram.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
• Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.