Why I Stopped Cooking My Meat And Adopted The Raw Carnivore Diet

Just going on the carnivore diet was a life saver for me; but I’m not perfect yet.

With carnivore I was able to stop leaky gut flare-ups, stop the overwhelming chemical allergies, and eliminate mood issues (depression, anxiety, panic attacks, OCD). I also saw quick body composition changes, finally putting on lean muscle and losing some stored fat. My abdominal bloating went away.

In general, I became a whole new person for the better.

So why did I gravitate towards trying raw carnivore if I’m doing so well?

Even though I’m better, there were some outstanding issues that carnivore alone hasn’t addressed.

I still have Leaky Gut((Leaky Gut affects the lining of the intestines; gaps in the intestinal walls allow bacteria and other toxins to pass into the bloodstream.)).. Just because my symptoms are managed with carnivore doesn’t mean it’s cured. Gut permeability still plagues me and one bite of a non-carnivore food can cause symptoms to return.

And there are associated issues with gut permeability like gut microbiome imbalance, histamine intolerance, and more.

I also continued to suffer from diarrhea while on traditional carnivore. While it’s considered a normal problem in the beginning while you adjust, it never went away for me and several years of diarrhea just isn’t healthy. Something still wasn’t right.

I’ve Eaten Raw Meat Before

At the start of the pandemic, before Ambulance Life, I was roaming and didn’t have access to a kitchen when everything shut down.

So I started eating raw ground beef straight out of the package for meals.

And despite all my friends’ warnings, I didn’t die of food poisoning.

To the contrary. I slept better and felt stronger at the gym. My digestion was the best it had ever been. I couldn’t find anything negative, other than it being a very boring meal.

Naturally, because cooked meat is far more palatable, once I had a kitchen again I just went back to cooking my meals.

2022 – New Year, New Carnivore

Being the willing guinea pig that I am, I decided at the start of the year to go raw carnivore.

I’d been considering it for a few months because I really wanted to reduce my histamine intake hoping it would help with Leaky Gut too. And I kept remembering how great I felt when I was just eating raw ground beef during the pandemic.

Looking Back At 6 Months Of Raw Carnivore

It’s May 25th today and I’ve been raw carnivore for almost 6 months; with just a few moments of eating anything cooked at social outings (immediate regrets).

I’ve noticed an immediate change to how quickly I can add lean muscle mass in just that short period of time.

My digestion has improved but isn’t quite 100% just from raw carnivore alone. I’ve recently been playing with excluding all extra salt from my diet and limiting the amount of other electrolytes I take in (potassium and magnesium).

My sleep quality has also improved on raw carnivore!

I feel that 6 months is still a very limited time frame to be making big judgements about a diet change. I’m an outlier in this regard when most people judge a diet by 30 days’ commitment. But I’m looking at the long-term and have a lifetime of health issues to work on.

Screw being a turtle racing against rabbits, I’ll happily be the snail.

Let’s see where we’re at after a full year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What foods do you eat?

Probably the most common question I get about eating raw carnivore.

I eat ruminants (beef, lamb, bison, etc), fish, eggs, and dairy.

Mostly I eat a lot of raw beef, egg yolks, and dairy.

For dairy, I try to avoid cow’s milk products because of the A1 proteins. Instead, I focus on raw goat’s milk products like kefir and cheese. I want all the natural enzymes and bacteria to help digest what I’m eating.

I’ve eaten raw pork (raw bacon is surprisingly delicious) but I do get slightly puffy eyes from it and notice that I feel more tired and a bit depressed mood than normal for a day or two after. So I avoid it as a general rule.

I’ve also eaten raw chicken but currently avoid all monogastric animals (poultry and pork) because the high Omega 6s trigger mood issues for me.

Where do you source your meat?

My local grocery stores.

Seriously, nothing fancy. I really like Sprouts because it’s close and they have what I enjoy eating often. Frazier Farms is another spot I like because they sometimes have White Fish Caviar which is yummy on top of raw ground beef.

But I also buy from Wal-Mart, Von’s, Stater Bros, Costco, etc.

On a recent drive through Texas I even bought and ate a raw ribeye from a Bucky’s travel station.

I don’t grind my own ground beef, and I’ve never gotten sick or felt unwell from any raw meat I’ve eaten.

To the contrary, I’ve gotten sick eating cooked meat and any type of produce (cooked or raw). The official CDC data on food poisoning also supports this; you’re more likely to get sick eating cooked meat and any kind of produce than eating raw meat (I ran the numbers so you don’t have to).

How do you prepare your meat? Do you freeze it first?

People are very concerned about the idea of eating parasites.

I want all the parasites. And bacteria. ?

Be mindful of what we see in nature where healthy animals maintain a symbiotic relationship with bacteria and parasites. Only when their health is compromised does an imbalance occur and these microbes become problematic.

I want to repopulate my system that has been decimated by antibiotics throughout my life.

It’s my opinion that parasites and bacteria are only problematic if your stomach acid is diluted or too alkaline. What microbes can survive 1.5 pH environment? I haven’t found any((I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying.)).

I actually avoid previously-frozen meats and prefer fresh-only.

I don’t do anything else special to prepare my meat before I eat it. I rarely even bother to plate it and just eat it straight from the package with my bare hands.

I look forward to posting my 1-year update! ❤️