Why I Went Meat-Based

From paleo to carnivore, why I switched my “healthy” eating plan to something that sounds radical and dangerous.

If you’ve followed my blog for years, you probably know that I used to make a lot of paleo-based recipes.

My focus has always been on trying to lead a simple, healthy lifestyle. I explored fun ways to add fruits and vegetables to hopefully provide essential vitamins and minerals.

Growing up

As a child, I was sick quite often.

• I had chronic ear infections that eventually led to a broken eardrum.
• I had strep throat over and over again for decades.
• At age 8 or 9, I had a severe kidney infection and then dealt with frequent urinary tract infections.
• In high school, I missed about six weeks of school with a very harsh case of mononucleosis. I had to take a composition class at a junior college that summer to graduate.
• In college, I had several incomplete classes one semester due to missing over a month of school with viral meningitis.

My college years

During college, I felt my heaviest and least healthy while following a vegetarian diet. I later thought that my weight gain was due to trying to follow a vegetarian diet at the residence hall. I had limited healthy options and often ate grilled cheese sandwiches and fettuccine Alfredo.

I had issues with acne and started having emotional issues, especially before my period. My doctor placed me on “the pill” to help supposedly regulate my hormones. This was supposed to help both problems but didn’t help either. They prescribed me tetracycline to help with acne and later tried to get me on antidepressants.

While I’m pretty sure I filled the prescription, I’m happy to say that I didn’t take them. By that point, we had more information on the Internet. I decided to try exercise instead of taking antidepressants but agreed to take the pills continuously for a while to avoid PMS problems. (So, I never got “my period” because I never had rest days.)

I finally decided that using hormones in that way wasn’t a good idea and stopped taking the pill entirely. I was more motivated to work on my health through diet and exercise.

Moving to a paleo diet

Through an old friend over the internet, I came across GAPS and the paleo diet. I cut out all processed foods and moved toward a plant-based paleo diet. (Yes, paleo can focus more on meat, but I assumed prioritizing vegetables would make me healthier.)

Eliminating processed foods did show some benefits. I no longer got recurrent throat infections, but started having urinary tract infections more often. I continued to struggle with acne and started developing chronic eczema on my legs and ankles.

Despite the high vegetable, low sugar diet, I couldn’t get my weight down to where I wanted it. I tried running, but it didn’t seem to help.

Incorporating fasting

Desperate to get healthier and lose weight, I started fasting and intermittent fasting. Most days, I would only eat one meal a day and it was generally a low nutrient meal highly packed with vegetables. (Things like zucchini noodles with egg or chicken breast.)

I lost a lot of weight, but fasting and exercise didn’t give me the toned body I wanted. I also experienced hair loss and didn’t feel my best.

My worst point: the COVID years

During the COVID years, many “natural” doctors recommended high doses of vitamins D and C, among others, to boost the immune system and prevent illness.

Throughout those years, I got more and more tired and started developing a brain fog that kept me from being able to work. I attributed my feelings to the stress of being confined at home and the relentless stream of fear-driven messages on television.

I had no idea that high doses of vitamin C could be contributing to a possible oxalate issue. I also had no idea that synthetic vitamin D may not be as good as I thought it was.

Discovery of carnivore diet

I was still unfamiliar with oxalates or the underlying causes of my health problems when I stumbled upon numerous YouTube videos discussing the carnivore diet. It sounded crazy to me, but it piqued my interest.

Meanwhile, here in Europe, they had been warning of possible food shortages. I had been drying meat, making pemmican, and storing it in case of an emergency. I dried vegetables and fruits from my garden, but it took a lot of time and yielded only a small amount of food.

I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could only live off meat?” I had made a lot of pemmican and thought it could be the perfect survival food. When I came across people who claimed they only ate meat and felt great, I thought, this is perfect!

My meat-based diet

On September 28, 2022, I started a meat-based diet. It seemed like I started on a whim, but it was really out of desperation. The healthier my diet seemed to be, the worse I felt.

Health issues before the carnivore diet:

• Chronic eczema on legs and ankles with itching that kept me up at night
• Problems with waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep
• Acne
• Dark, thick skin growing on knuckles up to cuticles on my left hand
• Recurrent infestations with pinworms
• Chronic recurrent urinary tract infections (At some points, once a month!)
• Recurrent Bartholin cysts
• Recurrent problems with sublingual salivary gland blockages
• Painful bumps in armpits
• Lots of brain fog
• Lots of fatigue
• Low body temperature and feeling cold quite often
• Weak fingernails ever since childhood
• Hair didn’t feel as thick and healthy as it used to

When I started the carnivore diet, it felt like a miracle! I was sure I had discovered exactly what was wrong with me. I experienced a significant boost in energy, my mental fog began to clear, and I found myself back in the groove of recording videos and writing for my blog once more.

Despite eating more often and a lot more calories, I lost 7 to 8 pounds almost immediately.

Sadly, my euphoria was short-lived. About a month into the carnivore diet, I broke out in a severe case of hives. It was so bad that I had to take antihistamines and use creams to help alleviate the itching. Luckily, it only lasted several days, but it was enough to make me investigate more.

My focus on oxalates

Through my investigations, I found information about oxalates and attributed my hives to a severe oxalate dump. Not only did I have hives, but I had a swollen painful face that felt like glass shards poking through my skin.

Once I learned about the problem of oxalates, I investigated more.

At times, I would add small amounts of foods with oxalates back into my diet to see if that could help. After reading Sally Norton’s book, Toxic Superfoods, I began using some of her strategies, such as taking specific electrolytes. (Read my review of Toxic Superfoods.)

Oxalate dumping

While this has all been very helpful, I continue to have cycles of oxalate dumping and days when I am not feeling my best. When I have oxalate dumping, I notice the following symptoms:

• I will get very cloudy urine and sometimes it’s even “pixelated”.
• My eyes will get quite dry and a lot of times very crusty.
• I will get extreme tartar buildup over a very short period of time. Being a dentist who has cleaned my own teeth for many years, I know that this is unusual for me.
• Occasionally, I will get small blockages in the left sublingual salivary gland. (I’m able to massage them away.)
• My uric acid levels go up quite a bit when I’m oxalate dumping and then they fall again right afterward.
• I have eczema breakouts on my feet and ankles.
• I sometimes have issues sleeping.
• I get acne again.

Dealing with oxalates is a long process. Your body needs to get rid of them little by little and it can take years or even over a decade to clear the excess amounts out of your system. If you believe that oxalates are causing you issues, I suggest you read my post on why oxalates can be problematic and also read Sally Norton’s book, Toxic Superfoods.

Benefits since eating mostly meat-based

Despite my issues with oxalate dumping, I have seen lots of improvements since starting a mostly meat-based diet two years ago.

• In general, I have more energy and more focus and can work more on the blog again. Having more energy means I’m able to work at a treadmill desk again!
• I am able to eat more. while I weigh more now than when I started, I feel like my body composition is better.
• The skin on my left hand is no longer dark and rough from my knuckles to my cuticles; it is much softer. (I’m still not sure what caused that.)
• While my nails still peel occasionally and aren’t as strong as I would like them to be, they’re stronger than when I started two years ago. I believe the issues with my nails could be oxalate-related. (Oxalates bind with the calcium in your fingernails, keeping them weak.)
• I no longer have urinary tract infections as often. The only two times I’ve had them since starting the carnivore diet two years ago were the two times I went off diet.
  • The first time was a year into the diet, after a 10-day cruise. I mostly stayed on diet, but had some cocktails and tried a few desserts.
  • My second UTI came about 6 months later, after celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. We had family visits, and I ate some of the cake I made.
• Since starting, I haven’t had any more Bartholin cysts, nor have I had any problems with pinworms.
• My skin is generally clearer, and my eczema mostly cleared up, but it does come back for several days during cyclic oxalate dumping.
• The fungus on my right big toe has completely gone away without any sort of medical intervention. (Yes, I did cut off as much of the affected part as possible, but I had been doing that for over 20 years!)

Overall, I feel better, I feel I look better, and I’m just happier in general. Plus, it’s a simple way of eating and living that helps me feel less stressed about meal preparation and eating in general.

Will I stick with it? Only time will tell. For now, I have no plans on changing.