Eat Meat to Thrive. Eat Plants to Survive.

“Junk food and drugs are made from plants.”

“We can eat all animals. But we cannot eat all plants.”

For the past ten years I have pondered the question: what should I eat? This pondering started after a long look at my expanding mid section. After poking and pinching my fat gut, I made a deal with myself. I won’t eat bread for a month. Why bread? I felt bread was something I didn’t need. One month later, my gut went away and I lost twenty pounds. At that moment, a few ideas occurred to me: 

1. What I eat matters
2. What I don’t eat matters 

Since that experiment I have tried many different diets. Most notably: vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto, and carnivore. And after all the google-ing, grocery shopping, and cooking, my conclusion is this:

Don’t eat junk food

Yes, don’t eat junk food. A universal truth. Everyone knows this and agrees with it. Vegans and meat eaters alike. It’s the neutral ground.

Everyone knows not to eat junk food, yet we have seen rates of nutritional health issues skyrocket in recent years. What is going on here? It seems simple enough, don’t eat junk food. But it’s not that simple. To know what to eat is not enough. The key is to know how not to eat it. How to pass on the chocolate cake and the jalapeño poppers. How to say no to foods that look and taste amazing, and compel us to reach out and take a bite. More on this later.

Nutrition is a delicate subject. I’ve put off writing about it because I have a rule: don’t talk about nutrition unless asked. And even then, tread lightly. However, I’ve learned to look at nutrition from different angles. Angles that are less sharp. And I would like to share what I have learned over the years. The point of this article is to plant a seed of an idea: even though we can live off plants, plants are an inferior source of nutrition. And we are better off subsiding on an animal based diet. Are you ready for next level nutrition? Let’s go.

Mammals

To understand what to eat, we look to nature. Nature gave each mammal a set of evolutionary tools. And all mammals have one tool in common, teeth. Look at the image. It shows that most mammals share similar dental characteristics. But based on what the mammal eats, evolution gave out different dental plans. Look at the herbivore. They have canines (shown in orange) just like the carnivore, only smaller and rather useless. But my goodness, check out the giant molars (shown in brown) of the plant eater compared to the meat eater. It seems that carnivores have no use for molars. Lastly, we have us, the omnivore (and other mammals). Our teeth share characteristics of both herbivore and carnivore. Nature is telling us we have the ability to process both plants and animals. 

Besides teeth, there are other evolutionary traits to help us choose what to eat. Hands and feet tell us something. Almost all land dwelling carnivores have claws; used to grab, climb and hold prey. Some omnivores have claws (like bears), or hands (like primates). Also useful for grabbing, climbing, and throwing (not poop). Meanwhile, plant eaters have hooves to help them run away. 

Eye position tells us a story about our diets. Notice the eye sockets in the image. The carnivore and omnivore eye sockets are located towards the front of the skull. These peepers help spot and judge the distance of prey. Now check out the herbivore’s eye holes. Eyes located more on the side of the skull gives prey a wider view to see predators sooner. Helping them to live and graze another day. 

Do you see the relationships between physical traits and our natural diets? Do you see the similarities between carnivore and omnivore? Evolution has guided our characteristics to find and process the food that makes the biggest impact to our health and survival.

Do over

The first time I tried the carnivore diet was two years ago. It lasted a lengthy three weeks. The most vivid memory is the amount of weight I lost. I lost five pounds a week. It was more weight than I was comfortable losing. And my mood, weIl I was an ornery cus. I was short tempered and not pleasant to be around.

My diet caused these effects. I ate nothing but steaks. Mostly ribeyes. One to two times a day, seven days a week. No organ meats, no eggs, and no plants. I went full carnivore and my body didn’t like it. Or maybe I didn’t give the diet enough time. Usually there is an adjustment period when starting a new diet. Regardless, I didn’t like it. And I vowed to never do it again. Until now.

Late one evening, my friend sent me a link to a recent episode of the Joe Rogan podcast. Joe Rogan’s guest was Dr. Saladino. Dr. Saladino was promoting his new book “The Carnivore Code.” A book about the benefits of a nose to tail diet, and the harmful affects of eating plants. I liked what I heard, and I committed myself to giving the carnivore diet another try. 

But I remember my first dance with the carnivore diet. I didn’t want to lose too much weight and I wanted my wife to like me. What to do? Well, in his book, Dr. Saladino describes the “carnivore-ish” diet. It’s the carnivore diet with a few plants added in.

What I eat now

My current diet includes nose to tail animal products, and plants. I eat plants to help elevate my mood and keep weight on. Don’t get me wrong, I still eat ribeyes, but as suggested by the carnivore code, I have also added organs and eggs to my diet. And yes, plants. Well, just a few. Here is a list of the plants I eat: 

• Sauerkraut (organic and home made)
• Wild Canadian Blueberries
• Honey (though it is animal based in my book)
• Mustard
• Olive oil
• Kombucha (home made)

Here is what a typical meal might look like: 

Dinner

• 10 oz steak (grass fed)
• 3 grams liver
• 1 cup sauerkraut 

Dessert

• 1 cup blueberries
• 2 tablespoons honey

I see the above meal as a nutritious. Full of protein, vitamins, minerals, low in sugar and no junk. 

Okay, what’s wrong with plants again?

If you are the type who likes explanations backed by science, then I highly recommend you check out Dr. Saladino’s book. He dives deep in the science and has the resources to back up his claims. But, even though his arguments are sound, there will be those who think it’s total bullshit and will go to great lengths to debunk his poisonous plant claims. So instead of looking at this from the science angle, let’s go back to the number one health tip of all time: don’t eat junk food. 

For completeness, here is a short list of foods I consider junk: 

• Bananas
• Cake
• Orange Juice
• Spaghetti
• Bread
• Chocolate Mints
• Fudge
• Pie
• Cheeseburgers
• Chips
• Etc.

Basically, anything that is high in sugar. Why are plants bad? Because, junk food is made from plants. Plants and junk food are conjoined twins. And it’s hard to separate them. 

Eating plants keep us craving more plants. And more sugar. And what is junk food but high concentrations of sugar.

Plants are a gate way drug. It starts innocently enough with a generous pile of steamed broccoli. Then comes the sweet potatoes with veggie lasagna. And eventually we see ourselves finishing meals with cake and ice cream. Why? Once the body gets a taste of sugar, it wants more. It is survival built into our DNA.

Contrast this with animal products. Meat has no sugar. The body will crave the thing that meat contains, protein and fat. A plate of meat is a complete meal. It doesn’t lead to anything other than a full, satisfied belly. 

Before I started my current diet, I was eating plants. And I was eating junk food. When I was in-between meals, I would snack. Normally on sugary plants. Usually in the form of a few bananas a piece of chocolate and a fig cookie. Now, those cravings are gone. Why, I believe my body got the message: “hey gut, don’t expect anymore plants. All your fuel is coming from meat now. Get used to it.” 

Conclusion

This all seems crazy doesn’t it? I have been told my whole life to eat my vegetables. And to hear this information is wrong, is a hard pill to swallow. Regardless, remember that junk food is the devil. And is to be avoided at all costs.

I hope I was able to deliver on my promise. The promise to offer you a different way to look at food and what we should be eating. If I could create a bottom line it would be this: fill your plate with animal products to make less room for the junk.

Thank you,

David