The Carnivore Diet

PaleoJays Smoothie Cafe

I just finished reading Paul Saladino’s well researched book The Carnivore Code. This is not an ‘easy read’ type of book, and that is just as well, since he goes into great detail on all of the why’s and wherefores of following the ultimate no carb diet. The reading is not easy or simple, since it is so deeply researched and explained, which is a strong plus for serious students of diet and nutrition.

The author is very convincing in his arguments, and is also well spoken, as I have also watched many of his YouTube videos and am a (permanent) subscriber to his podcast. Even his podcasts and videos are long, and go into great depths. Luckily, he is an entertaining and engaging character, and quite likeable. Look him up- I’m sure you will be both entertained and instructed, as I was.

What I find both the most compelling and also the most difficult part of his book to incorporate is not his recommendation to cut out most vegetables, especially those with high oxalates (like spinach, kelp, and other leafy greens) and most nightshades (like tomatoes and peppers); no, it is his praising the merits of organ meats, like liver, heart, brains, and testicles…

I have experienced the downside of high oxalates in the somewhat recent past, where I got a kidney stone from ignorantly including beets and beet greens in my daily smoothies for several weeks! I was like most people, thinking ‘greens are all good for us’, and knowing nothing of oxalates. Let me conclude by saying that kidney stones are very painful, and something to be avoided at all costs!

There is a simple cure though- chanca piedra- which is an herb extract you can buy online, from a South American herb. It dissolves the stone, quickly in my case- but only after several days of pure agony! Just avoid the problem by avoiding oxalates- my smoothies are much less veggie laden these days.

But back to the organ meats- it is hard to make ourselves eat some of this stuff. I think that liver is the most important and nutrient loaded organ, and I just eat liverwurst and braunschweiger with a few gluten free crackers frequently. I actually like it in that form!

Sardines are another great way to include ‘head to tail’ carnivore eating, and not painful at all to consume. Various pate’s are good as well, but it is also good to know that beef is king! So good, and so very nutrient rich- people who avoid beef are the most misled people on the planet. Only wealthy, spoiled first-world people can convince themselves to avoid wonderful foods like beef and instead eat ‘survival fall back foods’ like plants and grains on purpose. Hunter gatherers always go right for the protein and fat- real food powerhouses!

So, like most things, I realize that Dr Paul Saladino and other members of the Carnivore club have lots of good information to offer. As in the book by paleo guru Robb Wolf called Sacred Cow, a big portion is devoted to showing how raising beef is anything but bad for sustainability and the environment, and is, in fact the only way to save our soil and return fertility to our earth.

So, what is my verdict? Well, like the Keto Diet that has been the bee’s knees for quite a while now, I think that the Carnivore diet is a wonderful diet for a reset. To address and autoimmune disease, either Keto of Carnivore is a wonderful option. In fact, if I had an autoimmune disease or condition, I would immediately go carnivore until it resolved. Then, I would add in food items, one at a time, and see which ones caused problems.

If my arthritis, or diabetes, or any number of other conditions disappeared, I would careful

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