Why I have gone carnivore

While my partner has seen first hand how the carnivore diet has improved my physical and mental health, the rest of my friends and family, while supportive, do not fully understand my reasons.

Can I blame them? No. I haven’t even attempted to explain it to them, until now…

From the age of 15, I was a closet binge eater. Nobody knew.

I was raised mostly vegetarian. After school, while my brother and sister would have a quick snack and go play, I would continue eating until my stomach hurt so bad that all I could do was lay on my bed. I would then join the family for the evening meal and eat, in the words of my mother, as much as my stepfather.

Understanding nutrition, I now know that while binge eating for many is an emotional issue, for me it was physical. My body was screaming out for protein.

How do I know this?

Well, the binge eating continued right up until late 2014, when I went paleo and began to add red meat to every meal. This halted the bingeing, until…

In May 2018, aged 50 and after experiencing sudden weight gain, I went on a keto diet, which happened to severely restrict protein. While I lost weight, my binge eating returned with a vengeance. To stay in ketosis, I would binge only on fats, but the urge to binge was out of control. In addition, my keto plan was high in foods that were causing me to bloat after every meal, whether I had binge eaten or not. Diarrhoea was frequent, as was constipation. Further, my anxiety and panic attacks, something I had struggled with on and off all my life, had become debilitating.

It wasn’t until October 2019 when I went carnivore that all these issues resolved – and by that I mean overnight! No urges to binge, no bloating, diarrhoea or constipation. Anxiety only creeps back in if I haven’t eaten enough fat or enough overall.

While many view the carnivore diet as restrictive, I have found it to be extremely freeing. I am no longer tied to food.

Can it be awkward? Yes. I am currently in managed isolation after returning home to New Zealand. After a worrisome and particularly hungry first day, I have managed to get my requirements understood, and a perfect meal of steak and eggs has just arrived.