I asked on X what the weirdest thing a carnivore diet helped you with was, and the responses were incredible.
From stubborn skin issues to autoimmune symptoms and other surprising improvements, here are some of the weirdest things carnivore has helped people with and why.
generated summary
Overview
- Thousands of people were asked about unexpected bodily changes after going carnivore, with answers ranging from humorous minor changes to improvements that raise questions about what people accept as normal.
- The recurring pattern is that many day-to-day problems can change substantially with diet, including secretions, pain, skin, dental health, and digestion.
Bodily secretions
- Many people have less earwax buildup, less eye gunk, and less body odor after going carnivore.
- The exact reason diet changes earwax or these other secretions is uncertain, while having less of them is generally a positive change.
Pain
- A lot of people have less overall pain, including less joint pain, nerve pain, neuropathy, musculoskeletal pain, and tendon pain.
- Achy joints at age 50 or 60 may not simply be normal aging; diet may play a major role, and scientific literature supports dietary effects here, particularly around hypoglycemia.
Skin
- Itching, dry skin, psoriasis, eczema, dandruff, acne, and general rashes often improve substantially on carnivore.
- What enters the gut can show up through the skin, and skin problems are clearly connected in many cases with gut function or gut dysfunction.
Dental health
- Teeth are built to last a lifetime, so widespread cavities, gum disease, tooth loss, bridges, implants, and partials point to a diet humans are not suited for.
- Carnivore commonly improves gum and dental health, including less gum swelling and tooth sensitivity, and some people have tooth remineralization; dental health became very solid on keto and then carnivore.
Digestion
- Digestive health is one of the biggest improvements: reflux, IBS, bloating, gas, and hiccups can diminish, and many people essentially stop farting.
- Hiccups can disappear; gut distension from high-fiber foods or sugary foods may contribute to hiccups, although the exact cause is hard to know.
- Digestion should be silent, painless, comfortable, and smooth. Persistent pain, discomfort, bloating, gas, and foul smells are signs that digestion is not working as it should.
Raising awareness of carbohydrate addiction and intolerance is probably the single most impactful thing i can do with my life. I'm also glad more people are getting control of their metabolic health!
what is your eating pattern now?
I always try to gently nudge people towards reducing their carb intake, it's not an easy thing to do and we all know that changing dietary habits is a touchy subject (preachy vegans come to mind), raising awareness and letting people make their own choices is the way to go. Baby steps!
My current eating pattern for one more day is eating like a piggy :D but I've been eating lazy low carb - no carb or calorie counting for about a year. I've done keto back in 2011 and carnivore in 2019. It was bloody hard to do it my own (without a glp1 boost) but it worked so well. Perhaps that's where I should move next.
What made carnivore hard for you to do? Social pressure?
If lazy low carb is working, that sounds great!
100%, baby steps
The monotony absolutely killed me 😭 it took me a few years to be able to eat beef again.
Oh you were doing strict beef only?
I mix it up: salmon, shrimp, lamb, tuna, bacon, chicken, pork, and of course beef.