Interview with Natalie
1) Introduce Yourself.
My name is Natalie, I am 37 years old and currently living in Barcelona, Spain. I work as a nutritional therapy adviser and recently joined the ICMNI – Paleomedicina Hungary team assisting Dr. Zsofia Clemens and Dr. Csaba Tóth.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore?
I grew up in the south of Italy eating what can be considered as a modern Mediterranean diet.
Pasta, bread, rice and potatoes were the base of my diet, followed by vegetables, some lean animal or vegetable protein and small amounts of olive oil.
I started having health issues very young and after doing some research, I decided to slowly remove animal products from the diet. The first few years, I was still consuming fish and eggs and felt lighter, but this diet didn’t have much impact on reversing my poor health condition. My menstrual cycle disappeared and my health was declining very quickly. Despite all this, I decided to follow the advice of vegan promoting doctors who claimed that my health problems were related to a still “dirty” diet. Thus, I removed eggs and fish and focused on legumes, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains and fruits.
Following along the same chain of thought I then became raw vegan and a fruitarian for a short period.
In 2015, thanks to an Ayurvedic doctor I reintroduced animal products into my diet. And in the past 4 years I went from an Ayurvedic diet passing through a Paleo, Keto and Carnivore, to finally my most successful one, the Paleolithic Ketogenic diet. This latter, helped me get my health back 100%.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with?
Desperation! I had many symptoms and doctors weren’t able to understand the reasons behind them. I visited all kind of conventional and alternative specialists, spent an unimaginable amount of money on supplements/therapies, but no one ever mentioned the possibility to remove vegetables and oils to improve health conditions until I heard Shawn Baker talking about the carnivore way of eating.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet?
I don’t have a “regular” carnivore diet. The diet I follow is called Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet (PKD) created by Paleomedicina Hungary.
It is a high fat and moderate protein diet.
I eat a 2:1 fat to protein ratio and follow my hunger feeling to decide how many times to eat per day.
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet?
As I previously mentioned, all the benefits I received came from a Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet (PKD) and not from a “mainstream” carnivore.
In less than a year on PKD I was symptom-free.
Hypothyroidism (medicated for 14 years), non alcoholic fatty liver, scalp eczema, rashes, itchiness, allergies, insomnia, joint pain, amenorrhea, bloating, acid reflux, constipation, nutrient deficiencies, hair loss, water retention, restless leg syndrome, extreme teeth sensitivity and receding gums, very low energy and vitality, lack of memory and concentration, lack of physical strength, inability to deal with stress, foggy mind, often depressed. All these conditions left my body and became the past!
I was able to quit my thyroid medication, painkillers and hundreds of supplements I was consuming. I, then, started nourishing my body only with meat, fat and organ meats, which was in itself a process full of mental challenges and up and downs before my body was completely symptoms-free and healthy. And here I am, feeling better than ever!
Author: photo from when she was sick.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet?
My experience with the regular carnivore diet was 2 months long.
During this time I got my menstrual cycle back and noticed a huge improvement in my gum health. But all of my other symptoms were still present and some of them were getting worse.
I was consuming around 750-1000gr of meat daily with insufficient fat intake. My blood glucose was going through the roof and, despite being fat adapted after 8 months on the ketogenic diet, I was on a very low ketosis level.
As soon as I reduced my protein intake and upped the fat levels following the PKD, I started to feel better shortly.
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do?
Yes, I do strength-training three times a week, as well as yoga. I also enjoy hiking, roller blading and swimming.
I must add that when I was in the middle of my healing process I had to stop exercising. It was hard mentally at the beginning because I always loved being active. It was only when I learnt to respect my body’s needs that I really started to notice a big shift in my health.
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 would be to try the diet and see the benefits on your own body. Find a specialist who can guide you personally and avoid following mainstream and Facebook groups suggestions.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet?
I hope and wish so, but considering all the interests behind the plant based diet I doubt it will be accepted as a mainstream diet. It’s undeniable that the carnivore lifestyle is quickly gaining more visibility thanks to social media and conferences. Stories of successful results from people, healing through an animal protein and fat diet are a fact, at the same time, I can see how despite this, people are more prone to choose plant based diets with trendy smoothies, Buddha bowls and detox juices.
The food industry and the pharmaceutical companies are doing a “great” job brainwashing people’s minds.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
Feel free to follow me on Instagram @ancestralcarnivore
Left after PKD, right before PKD
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