The #1 Lesson From My Carnivore vs. Plant Based Diet Challenge
Ingredients > Calories and Macros
Flashback to December 2020.
The new year approached and I had another itch to try something BIG.
After running 50k and 100k ultramarathons in the fall, I felt capable of anything.
Believing in myself and doing hard things were my new drugs.
And suddenly I was my own dealer.
I felt called to take on the one thing that I struggled with most since childhood:
My self-control around food
New Experiences & New Ideas
Throughout my first year of endurance training, it became more and more obvious how shitty I felt eating processed food.
As the year progressed, I started eating cleaner the night before long rides and runs.
But I still routinely ate “cheat meals” after big sessions.
My go-to dessert in December 2020 was an entire half-gallon tub of Turkey Hill Cookie Dough ice cream.
“I earned it, right!?”
Throughout 2020, I heard guests on Rogan talk about seeing positive results from the Carnivore diet.
weight loss
more stable energy
control over cravings
decreased inflammation
auto-immune diseases going into remission
and more
I was learning and I was curious.
Rogan had previously done “Carnivore January” where he ate nothing but meat and animal products for the month. He said he felt amazing.
Then I had this idea…
What if I ate Carnivore in January and Plant Based in February? And compared my bloodwork from each of them?
What I Learned Running 63 Miles Through The Woods
After finishing my 100k in October, I had a big realization:
When I set an outrageous goal, I naturally rise above the tiny obstacles I seem to struggle with otherwise.
I was tired of being dominated by glutenous eating habits and food cravings.
Instead of trying to increase my willpower, I decided to completely change my approach/rules around eating.
Rules Of The Challenge
From January 1 to 31, I committed to a 100% Carnivore diet.
I could eat:
meat
eggs
water
salt
butter
other animal products (bone broth, bone marrow, ghee, etc.)
This forced me to look at the ingredients of everything I bought.
If it was packaged, the ingredients had to be 100% animal products, water or salt.
I didn’t even have coffee since it comes from a bean! (this was the hardest part of the challenge)
From February 1 to 28, I committed to a 100% real food, Plant Based diet.
I could eat any plant food, as long as it came in it’s natural form.
fruits
vegetables
nuts
seeds
legumes
Again, I committed to checking the ingredients of every single packaged food I bought.
And I was only going to eat 100% real food.
No added sugar, no preservatives, no chemicals.
The First Thing I Learned
These 3 ingredients are in almost every processed food:
Added Sugar
Vegetable Oils
Chemical Preservatives
I used to think Oreo’s were “junk food”, Cheeze-Its and Goldfish were “fine” and Wheat Thins were “healthy snacks.”
Then I looked at their ingredients and realized they’re all made of the same crap.
My prior food label inspection was focused calories and macros (protein, carbs and fat).
Making Swaps For Less Ingredients
I learned that the “Natural Jif” peanut butter I’d been buying was loaded with sugar, palm oil and molasses.
What the hell??
I looked at other peanut butters and saw that there were options that had less (and cleaner) ingredients.
I found an easy swap to Natural Smucker’s who’s only ingredients were peanuts and salt (two foods found in nature).
Making swaps like this was the first step in cleaning up my ingredient intake.
Rules Held Me Accountable
I didn’t give myself the option to not make these swaps.
But here’s the best part: I didn’t feel like making them was difficult at all!
Every upgrade in ingredient quality felt like new progress.
What’s the big deal if I just but that one vs. this one??
All packaged food I was used to buying had a cleaner, more natural options for me to choose from.
I realized that “organic” typically meant less processing and less ingredients.
It may have cost a few bucks more, but it helped me stick to the rules of the challenge (and I kept feeling better and better).
Of course I upgraded from processed food to real food where I could.
Another Big Lesson
Front-of-package labels are a complete distraction from ingredient count and food quality.
I saw that packaged food labeled as Vegan, Keto, Gluten Free, Low-Sodium, etc. often contained dozens of ingredients including the most common 3: added sugar, vegetable oils, and chemicals
Single-ingredient foods either did not come in packages, or had very little front label marketing.
My Path Forward Was Clear
I stuck to simple ingredients and avoided added sugar, vegetable oils and chemical crap out of my diet.
What happened?
my emotions felt more stable
my thinking became more optimistic
my self-control improved dramatically
And my physical form followed my mental progress.
Summary
The biggest lesson from my Carnivore vs. Plant Based diet challenge:
The ingredients in packaged food matter more than the calories and macros.
Avoiding processed food with added sugar, vegetable oils and chemical ingredients had a noticeably positive impact on my food cravings and satiety.
2 years later and the ingredient focus has stayed serving me well.
Studies & Trusted Support
Every day, more and more people are exposed to the importance of ingredient quality and the benefits of choosing real food.
If you want to learn more, these 3 resources are a good place to start:
The Beginner’s Guide to the Carnivore Diet by Dr. Paul Saladino
Study: America’s Most Widely Consumed Oil Causes Genetic Changes In The Brain
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There is no better feeling than when you are eating whole, minimally processed foods 🤙🤙🦾