Weird Things Carnivore Helps With

https://youtu.be/q4MWuJLp8Rg

I asked on X what the weirdest thing a carnivore diet helped you with was, and the responses were incredible.

From stubborn skin issues to autoimmune symptoms and other surprising improvements, here are some of the weirdest things carnivore has helped people with and why.

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Overview

  • Thousands of people were asked about unexpected bodily changes after going carnivore, with answers ranging from humorous minor changes to improvements that raise questions about what people accept as normal.
  • The recurring pattern is that many day-to-day problems can change substantially with diet, including secretions, pain, skin, dental health, and digestion.

Bodily secretions

  • Many people have less earwax buildup, less eye gunk, and less body odor after going carnivore.
  • The exact reason diet changes earwax or these other secretions is uncertain, while having less of them is generally a positive change.

Pain

  • A lot of people have less overall pain, including less joint pain, nerve pain, neuropathy, musculoskeletal pain, and tendon pain.
  • Achy joints at age 50 or 60 may not simply be normal aging; diet may play a major role, and scientific literature supports dietary effects here, particularly around hypoglycemia.

Skin

  • Itching, dry skin, psoriasis, eczema, dandruff, acne, and general rashes often improve substantially on carnivore.
  • What enters the gut can show up through the skin, and skin problems are clearly connected in many cases with gut function or gut dysfunction.

Dental health

  • Teeth are built to last a lifetime, so widespread cavities, gum disease, tooth loss, bridges, implants, and partials point to a diet humans are not suited for.
  • Carnivore commonly improves gum and dental health, including less gum swelling and tooth sensitivity, and some people have tooth remineralization; dental health became very solid on keto and then carnivore.

Digestion

  • Digestive health is one of the biggest improvements: reflux, IBS, bloating, gas, and hiccups can diminish, and many people essentially stop farting.
  • Hiccups can disappear; gut distension from high-fiber foods or sugary foods may contribute to hiccups, although the exact cause is hard to know.
  • Digestion should be silent, painless, comfortable, and smooth. Persistent pain, discomfort, bloating, gas, and foul smells are signs that digestion is not working as it should.

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-4 points · 14 comments · view on lemmy.world

14 Comments

fyzzlefry@retrolemmy.com · 5 pts · 11d (2 replies)

I can't tell if this whole thing is satire or not.

jet@hackertalks.com · 2 pts · 11d

It's all true. It sounds unbelievable, but it's all true. The issue is lots of people have low intensity but prolonged poor reactions so something they eat. Carnivore is a type of elimination diet, it's minimal, bio complete, and almost all people tolerate it well.

It turns out if you take out all the things that might be causing a problem, lots of problems go away. The link between carbohydrates and diabetes is well known. Gluten and celiac, of course. Various nut allergies. Constipation and fibre, etc etc.

The point of this video, and sites like https://whycarnivore.com/ , are to catalogue all the big headline things a elimination diet helps with, but also all the surprising things it helps like eczema... Did meat cure my lifelong low intensity eczema? No! But taking out whatever plant food was causing it did!

xep@discuss.online · 2 pts · 4d

Those of us in here who are carnivore can attest to its effects. Small sample size, but incredibly consistent testimonials.

tacosanonymous@mander.xyz · 4 pts · 11d (2 replies)

I agree that diets that focus on the gut biome are important in helping with a myriad of problems but it’s not the carnivore diet that’s doing it. There are may individual foods that trigger different people's immune systems and finding those is important. Sticking to a fad diet will bring about its own problems.

xep@discuss.online · 1 pts · 4d

If we called the process of eliminating every trigger food "carnivore", then wouldn't it stand to reason that carnivore is doing it? Sounds like arguing semantics to me. Plenty of time later to do that when we've sorted out the epidemics of non-communicable diseases we have today.

jet@hackertalks.com · -1 pts · 11d

Sticking to a fad diet will bring about its own problems.

Not a fad diet, its the diet humans ate pre-agriculture.

 it’s not the carnivore diet that’s doing it. There are may individual foods that trigger different people's immune systems and finding those is important

Actually yes! Carnivore isn't magic, it just removes everything that is causing problems. Some people can tolerate some plants, but everyone can't tolerate every plant.

matelt@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 11d (6 replies)

I can confirm the body odour bit, when you think about it, it makes sense since most bacteria feed on sugar and odours are caused by them. No more stinky pits!

This one might be a bit niche but as a sufferer of heart failure I have to be super careful of fluid build up. When I'm on low carb I have no issue whatsoever with fluids, but as soon as I eat carbs my water weight shoots up (7kg in 2 weeks 😭). I don't watch my sodium intake but I'm willing to bet that carbs cause the majority of water retention.

Oh and for the ladies, strict carnivore gave me my first (natural) period at the tender age of 32. I have pretty bad pcos and never had one before without the help of medication.

I'm so glad more and more people realise that carbs are the enemy.

jet@hackertalks.com · 4 pts · 11d (5 replies)

I'm so glad more and more people realise that carbs are the enemy.

Raising awareness of carbohydrate addiction and intolerance is probably the single most impactful thing i can do with my life. I'm also glad more people are getting control of their metabolic health!

When I'm on low carb I have no issue whatsoever with fluids

what is your eating pattern now?

matelt@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 11d (4 replies)

I always try to gently nudge people towards reducing their carb intake, it's not an easy thing to do and we all know that changing dietary habits is a touchy subject (preachy vegans come to mind), raising awareness and letting people make their own choices is the way to go. Baby steps!

My current eating pattern for one more day is eating like a piggy :D but I've been eating lazy low carb - no carb or calorie counting for about a year. I've done keto back in 2011 and carnivore in 2019. It was bloody hard to do it my own (without a glp1 boost) but it worked so well. Perhaps that's where I should move next.

jet@hackertalks.com · 2 pts · 11d (3 replies)

What made carnivore hard for you to do? Social pressure?

If lazy low carb is working, that sounds great!

raising awareness and letting people make their own choices is the way to go. Baby steps!

100%, baby steps

matelt@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 10d (2 replies)

The monotony absolutely killed me 😭 it took me a few years to be able to eat beef again.

jet@hackertalks.com · 2 pts · 10d

Oh you were doing strict beef only?

I mix it up: salmon, shrimp, lamb, tuna, bacon, chicken, pork, and of course beef.

xep@discuss.online · 2 pts · 4d

I have a friend who is the same way. He got so sick of beef he couldn't bear the thought of it, and went back to eating carbs :(

jet@hackertalks.com · 0 pts · 11d

eczema, less poop, no farting, no pimples, better sleep, great teeth, no heartburn... all things i found myself. as a bonus, i don't really burn in the sun anymore.