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The Case for Animal-Based Eating:
How Ketogenic and Carnivore Diets Meet Nutritional Needs In today’s world, diet trends often swing between extremes, and it can be hard to sort fact from fad. But when it comes to nutrient-dense eating, animal-based diets like the ketogenic (KD) and carnivore diets are gaining attention for their ability to meet the body's nutritional needs, especially for vulnerable groups like children and adolescents. Let’s explore how these diets provide a strong foundation for health. Why Animal-Based Diets Stand Out Animal-based diets emphasise foods like meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy, which are naturally packed with essential nutrients. These diets are particularly effective at providing high-quality protein and vital micronutrients that are often harder to obtain in sufficient quantities from plant-based diets. Here’s what makes them unique: 1. High-Quality Proteins Animal proteins are complete proteins, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids your body needs for growth and repair. This is crucial for children and adolescents, whose bodies are rapidly growing and developing. Unlike plant proteins, which often lack one or more essential amino acids, animal proteins require no special planning or pairing to ensure adequate nutrition. 2. Rich in Vital Micronutrients Animal foods are unparalleled sources of: Iron: In its heme form, which is more easily absorbed by the body than the non-heme iron found in plants. Zinc and Selenium: Crucial for immune function and cellular repair. Vitamins A, B12, and D: Key players in energy production, bone health, and overall well-being. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found in fish and seafood, these support brain development and reduce inflammation. While plant-based diets can provide some of these nutrients, the bioavailability (how well the body absorbs them) is often lower, making animal foods a more efficient choice. The Ketogenic Diet: More Than a Weight Loss Tool The ketogenic diet has long been known for its therapeutic use in treating paediatric epilepsy, but its benefits extend far beyond that. By significantly reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing healthy fats, the KD induces a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel instead of glucose. Here’s why it works: Improved Glycemic Control: Reducing carbohydrates helps stabilise blood sugar levels, making it effective for managing conditions like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. Reduction of Immune Triggers: The restrictive nature of the diet often eliminates problematic foods that can trigger inflammation or immune responses. Ketone Power: Ketones, produced by the liver during ketosis, act as regulatory molecules. They reduce inflammation, regulate metabolism, and even influence gene expression to support overall health. Studies have shown promising results for the ketogenic diet in areas like mental health, Alzheimer’s disease, and polycystic kidney disease, making it a powerful tool for a range of conditions. The Carnivore Diet: Ancestral Eating for Modern Health The carnivore diet takes the principles of ketogenic eating to the next level by focusing almost exclusively on animal products: meat, fish, eggs, animal fats, and limited dairy. While this diet is less studied, emerging research and anecdotal evidence suggest it offers significant health benefits: Harvard Study Findings: A cohort study of over 2,000 people following a carnivore diet for six months reported improved health outcomes, minimal adverse effects, and high satisfaction. Elimination of Problematic Foods: By cutting out plant-based foods, the carnivore diet naturally avoids common allergens and inflammatory substances, allowing the body to heal and reset. Induction of Ketosis: Like the KD, the carnivore diet often induces ketosis, amplifying its anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits. Addressing Common Concerns While animal-based diets are nutrient-dense, they often raise questions about their impact on cholesterol levels and long-term sustainability. Here are some considerations: Lipids and Heart Health: Research shows that ketosis improves the overall lipid profile for many individuals by increasing HDL (good cholesterol) and reducing triglycerides. However, individual responses vary, so regular monitoring is key. Sustainability and Variety: For long-term success, it’s important to include a variety of animal foods and adjust the diet based on personal needs and goals. Including organ meats, seafood, and eggs can enhance nutrient diversity. Individualisation: These diets aren’t one-size-fits-all. Working with a healthcare professional or nutritionist can help tailor the approach to your unique needs. Conclusion: A Nutrient-Dense Path Forward The ketogenic and carnivore diets offer compelling solutions for meeting nutritional needs, particularly for those seeking to optimise their health or manage chronic conditions. By emphasising nutrient-rich, bioavailable foods, these diets provide a foundation for wellness that’s both rooted in ancestral eating and supported by modern science. If you’re considering a shift to animal-based eating, start by incorporating high-quality meats, eggs, and seafood into your meals, and explore how your body responds. With careful planning and professional guidance, these diets can be transformative for your health journey.
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Embracing Discomfort: The Path to Growth and Resilience
Over time, the extreme temperatures, physical challenges, nutritional discipline and intermittent fasting forged robust, adaptable humans whose bodies and minds were finely tuned to the rhythms of nature.
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Hot and Cold Therapy
Maintaining my health, now that I'm on the right track. Now that you are enjoying good robust health keep doing what you are doing. Thinking always about our ancestral principles to tune in and maintain this amazing healthy body that you have.
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Cholesterol and the Animal Based Diet
I often get asked if our supplements affect cholesterol. While it is tempting to simply say 'no', it's more complex than that. An animal-based diet will influence cholesterol levels, so the real question is whether cholesterol negatively impacts us? This is an age old argument that has been debunked by many scholars. Dr. Paul Mason, a researcher and advocate for low-carb animal-based diets, recently shared insights in his lecture titled 'Decoding Atherosclerosis: The Clotting Theory and Seed Oil Toxicity'. Watch it here. Oxidative stress in the blood can trigger clotting, a significant risk factor for heart attacks. This condition often involves blood clots forming in the presence of oxidised LDL, influenced by: Plant sterols (phytosterols) from seed oils, which oxidize quickly and become toxic in the blood Pollution particles Smoking Lead Animal fats help maintain healthy blood membranes and support red blood cells, contributing to overall bodily health. Additionally, nitric oxide production, boosted by exercise, promotes healthy arteries. A diet and lifestyle that minimise plant sterols and enhance nitric oxide levels in the blood lead to healthier blood and arteries. So, Do our supplements contribute to cholesterol? No. Does an animal-based diet contribute to cholesterol? Yes. Is this a bad thing? No. Poor diets and lack of exercise can cause blood clots. Like many experts, I advocate for reducing plant intake and maintaining an active lifestyle that will keep you healthy and full of life.
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Healthy Pregnancy, Birth, First Foods
Meat and Organs are fantastic first foods. For pregnant and lactating mummas they should be eaten every day to ensure that you and your baby are getting the best nutrition. Help contribute to the health of our future!
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Everything Wrong with the Modern Diet: You are what you eat. Back to Basics
Everything Wrong with the Modern Diet. We have come such a long way from the lazy days on the farm. It seems now that the hamster wheel that is our daily life is impossible to get off but we are all searching for a respite, and a rest. Finding the answer could be the key to enabling the ‘slowdown’ and ‘breathe’. The realisation that I can step off the fast pace life, and take a breath without my life falling apart is a massive mind shift. I believe it starts with food. Deeply embedded in our psyche is the animal, who needs natural foods, warmth, and company. For many years we've been pushing this animal away and numbing it down by this fast paced life, grabbing fast food, staying up late working and not resting, all the while thinking that we've “got to keep” going. Daily releasing the fight hormones that keep us running away from the tiger!! Getting back to an ancestral diet, one that is uncluttered with additives, one that is full of whole foods, not packed and processed for longevity on the shelf, is the first key to stepping off the wheel. Fast foods have been part of our culture since the 70’s. KFC opened in Auckland in 1971!! And since then the large chains have been providing nutrient deficient foods to NZers!!! That's 50 years to create more disease and more self loathing than we have ever experienced. To undermine the health of an entire species. Easy to buy, mostly affordable and playing into our narrative of ‘not enough time to cook’. We as a nation have been afflicted with more diabetes, heart disease, gut issues, and obesity than any other time in history. We now need CHANGE. There's a new wave of healthy people, some who are thriving due to experimenting with their own food, some whose health has been so bad that they have found their own way through elimination. The ancestral diet, or getting back to basics, shows that we don't need all the additives and the processing. That we can sustain and nurture ourselves naturally, with locally sourced food its not impossible to regain our health, our birthright to radical aliveness. We are all familiar with these abbreviations; paleo, keto, fodmap, and we all know that the atkins diet was all about protein!! These diets encourage us to look beyond the food pyramid and beyond the fast food drive through. They have been birthed from a sick and unhealthy population who need answers and a change. But are they just fads?? The food pyramid wants you to think that fads don't last and that you need 5 servings of veg a day, 50% carbs, lean meat, and no saturated fats!!! FYI the food pyramid is sponsored by kellogs, big food and big pharma!! But they are not fads, they are birthed from people pushing against the standard food narrative. Getting back to basics and eating simply and local is a new movement, driven by thinkers who want more than to just exist. I believe it is the way to radical health. I Don't want to eat food that has traveled some distance and I don't want to eat food that is out of season!! Our inner animal wants warm slow cooked in the winter, when fruits are scarce and light meals when fruit is in season. When we can make yogurt from fresh milk and eat freshly slaughtered lamb chops!! Its simple and its simply nourishing. Starting is easy, clean out all the packaged food from your pantry, and fridge. Be ruthless!!! Take all the seed oils and dump them!!! That's all the processed oils from plants. These are not doing you any good!!! Remove the sugar. Start reading labels. Don't buy anything that has more than 2 ingredients!! Engaging with these guidelines the food choices get interesting!! Meat, eggs, cheese, (dairy if you can) Fish, seasonal fruit. We use salt on our food. We cook in butter or tallow. Nutrient rich foods like these can sustain you, hunger pains go and life feels bigger and more alive. Nutrients from animal foods are 100% bioavailable, this means that the body, when digesting, can use all of the food, it wastes nothing!! Liver is nature's superfood, it is dense in essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids that keep you sated and thriving. Drinking bone broth everyday provides you with enough collagen to help you recover from exercise, keeps you hair growing lustriously and keeps your skin glowing. So if you're feeling slow, sluggish, not thriving. If your gut health could be better, if your skin and hair are dull, I suggest you try switching to the Animal based, Ancestral way of eating. Try it for a month and see if you can transform your life. https://www.loom.com/share/4aa30417aab84ab9ad69d44c8a96dbce
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