Best resources for animal-based nutrition

Best resources for animal-based nutrition

The backstory

I’ve spent more than 20 years reading books on nutrition and being healthy. I spent a lot of years fretting over my health rather than being easy-going about it. As you might know from the Forcemeat Academy about page, my food eating history goes from meat-and-potatoes to vegetarian to paleo to dirty keto to carnivore and then back to dirty keto with a strong emphasis on animal foods.

While I appreciate my decade of vegetarianism for turning me into a decent cook (this was back when being vegetarian sure wasn’t popular so I had to learn or starve), it left me with malaise after five or six years. I just didn’t feel good even though I was a whole-foods, health-nut vegetarian (plus chocolate and ice cream, obviously). This was hard because I did believe vegetarianism was healthy at the time.

Nothing was wrong with me but something wasn’t right. Everything felt heavy and slow, like there was an invisible hand was pushing on my sternum, impeding my progress. Physically and mentally, tasks seemed a lot harder than they should’ve been.

As the encouragement of a functional medicine physician—Dr. Paul Jaconello, may he rest in peace—I dipped my toes into the world of meat. That first time in the butcher shop, I felt like a spy about to get found out.

I felt better eating meat. The invisible hand resisting my efforts left.

The part where I get a little fat

Later, in my mid-thirties, the metabolic free ride of youth ran out and I got a little fat and had unexplained aches and pains. I took up weight training and these aches and pains went away though I was still a little fat. I dabbled in keto, lost weight, stopped being able to sleep all night, said hell no to that and left keto. Got a little fat again but at least I had better posture from the weight training.

More recently, in my early forties, I heard about this carnivore diet and what struck me was people slimming down and feeling amazing, losing symptoms of long-standing health concerns and feeling like they got their lives back.

I read a lot about this, especially because of my keto experience that didn’t work for me. I wanted to try this way of eating but first wanted to make sure it wasn’t crazy.

I decided it wasn’t crazy (of course, some people including one of my best friends think it is crazy) and I went for it in January of 2018.

For me, eating from the animal kingdom (plus spices, let’s not be hasty) produced worthwhile benefits even though I felt okay before.

The benefits I saw

I had a seborrheic keratosis fade and then completely disappear even though it had been part of my body for 15+ years. I lost all cravings for chocolate and sweets (this is probably the #1 reason I stick to this way of eating, it’s absolute freedom). My mind feels clear and my emotions are level. I feel good, though I’m still a little fat and actually a little fatter than I was before. But I no longer fret about my health as I know the only food I’m putting in my former pie-hole is nutrient dense animal foods. 

Of course, there are a couple of downsides including being seen as weird and your finger nails growing so fast it feels like you have to cut them all the time which is annoying.

All that to say, it took me many years to find what seems to work for me. Eating entirely from the animal kingdom probably won’t fit for most people. And, in fact, it didn’t really work for me, as I got a little bored and started adding some veg for crunch and variety. This does work for me.

Eating more nutrient-dense animal foods in the context of a whole foods diet without industrial seed oils and sugar can work for almost anyone.

I’ve put this list together to save you time on your own exploration of and journey to robust health. These are folks who specialize on the low-carb end of the spectrum and promote animal products as part of a nutrient-dense way of eating.

The actual resources for animal-based nutrition

Before you carry on down into the resources section, I wanted to warn you of one thing: Food seems to be one of the new religions so when you go down this rabbit-hole, you’ll find a lot of nasty comments about why all this low carb/carnivore stuff is lies, unhealthy, terrible for the environment etc. I’m sure you’ll be able to ignore the haters, but I wanted to warn you.

The investigative journalists

Long live the investigative journalists bringing information to the people!

Nina Teicholz

Nina is the New York Times best selling author of The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet (click here to see it on Amazon). This is an amazing work of investigative journalism in the nutrition landscape and a good read too, like a nutrition crime thriller. You might get mad reading it when you see how low-fat, carby diets made their way into food guides and medical associations, despite a lack of scientific evidence. 

Nina is the Executive Director of The Nutrition Coalition, which is “a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan educational organization, founded in 2015, with the primary goal of ensuring that U.S. nutrition policy is based on rigorous scientific evidence.”

Gary Taubes

Gary is an investigative science and health journalist and a New York Times bestselling author. His books include The Case Against Sugar and Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It and Good Calories, Bad Calories. Why We Get Fat is an excellent book (click here to see it on Amazon) and I’m sure the other two are as well but I haven’t read them. Good Calories, Bad Calories is a science-dense tomb; Why We Get Fat is an easier read from the research I’ve done. 

The doctors

Some doctors are getting into truly helping patients with nutrition. Here are some of the ones I’ve learned from…

Dr. Jay Wortman

Jay is a Métis doctor who advocates a low-carb, traditional (pre-bannock) way of eating. He’s about diabetes and obesity prevention and he has a lot of experience in Aboriginal health. Dr. Jay did a low-carb nutrition trial in Namgis First Nation in British Columbia.

Dr. Jason Fung

Jason is a Canadian nephrologist (kidney specialist) who uses a low-carb approach (along with intermittent fasting) to help patients battle diabetes and obesity. I’ve read five of Dr. Fung’s books and enjoyed them all.

But if you want to learn about why so many people are developing diabetes without knowing it, read The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally (click here to see it on Amazon).

If you want more nuts-and-bolts info on how to fast/intermittent fast for weight loss and health, read the books below. Note: thanks to the info in these books, I only have one chin now. [Sidebar: If you’re a lady 40+ interested in fasting, I’d also recommend Fast Like a Girl: A Woman’s Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones by Dr. Mindy Pelz (click here to see it on Amazon).]

Complete Guide To Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting (click here to see it on Amazon).

Life in the Fasting Lane: How to Make Intermittent Fasting a Lifestyle―and Reap the Benefits of Weight Loss and Better Health (click here to see it on Amazon).

Dr. Georgia Ede

Georgia is a psychiatrist who explores insulin resistance, inflammation & mental health. She believes “that everyone who applies the truth about nutrition science to their diet can experience major improvements in their own health and well-being.” Georgia says, “My goal is to provide you with the information you need to do your own dietary experiments so that you can design the diet that is best for you.”  I’ve included three of my favourite articles from her Psychology Today collection.

Dr. Ken Berry

Ken is the author of Lies My Doctor Told Me and is an advocate for the carnivore diet. He’s a practicing physician in small town Tennessee and he writes and makes videos because he’s “waging all out war against obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.” I love that! Especially because of his history. Ken says, “I used to be a fat, miserable, ignorant doctor, until I slowly discovered the power of removing the slow-poisons of the standard diet, and replacing them with the nourishment of a proper human diet…”

He makes a lot of informative videos on YouTube and, if you’re a sucker for southern accents like I am, you’ll love his videos even more.

Double trouble! Dr Georgia Ede and Dr Berry Discuss MEAT & Mental Health

Dr. Georgia and Dr. Ken talk about the benefits of meat on mental health. Nice to see these two together!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YgL1vlasrxU

Dr. Shawn Baker

Shawn is a feisty orthopedic surgeon who popularized the carnivore diet in 2018. He also wrote a book called The Carnivore Diet (click here to see it on Amazon). I own this informative book, as you’ll see from one of the pictures on this page. If you like the gentle approach, maybe read his book instead of his Twitter. He’s feisty and sometimes a bit obnoxious but he cares about people’s health so much. He performed more than 600 surgeries as a military trauma surgeon in Afganistan so he’s earned his right to not suffer fools gladly. Plus, he’s a beefcake who deadlifted 711 pounds as a Masters powerlifter in 2007 (Masters means 40+).

Dr. Ken Sikaris

Ken is a pathologist and the Director of Chemical Pathology at Melbourne Pathology who helps doctors understand cholesterol.

Dr. Chris Palmer

Chris is a psychiatrist who specializes in helping treatment-resistant patients overcome the symptoms of mental illness, including mood disorders, psychotic disorders, and personality disorders. He uses the ketogenic diet as part of a holistic approach to mental wellness.

According to Dr. Palmer’s website, “The ketogenic diet is an evidence-based treatment for epilepsy, and can work in treatment-resistant cases, even after numerous medications and even surgery fail to control seizures. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it does work for a significant percentage of people. It turns out that many anti-epileptic treatments are used routinely in psychiatry, so this dietary intervention should at least be considered in the treatment of mental disorders. Interestingly, the ketogenic diet is a metabolic intervention and has been shown to have profound effects on brain metabolism. These changes may correct some of the metabolic abnormalities found in people with mental disorders.”

Chris wrote Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health–and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More (click here to see it on Amazon).

I was first introduced to Chris through an interview he did with Dr. Ken Berry. I highly recommend it so check it out at the link below.

Carnivore communities run by folks who have been eating only animal products for more than 10 years

These are the few places online run by zero carb veterans (folks who eat from the animal kingdom only) and they’ve eaten this way for over a decade. The website has all the how-to stuff. The Facebook groups are about helping people succeed in this way of eating. They’re quite no-nonsense, especially since there are lots of people coming in and giving keto advice, rather than zero carb advice. The moderators dole out advice (eat meat, drink water) based on years of personal experience themselves and helping others achieve the same success. 

Also, lots of amazing health-transformation success stories in these two groups. 

A regenerative farmer and a researcher

Peter Ballerstedt

Peter is an advocate for forage-based agriculture (and beef eating for health). He has a true appreciation for the earth, the cycle of life and why grazing is important.

Amber O’Hearn

Amber is a data scientist by profession and has lived a plant-free life since 2009. She started this way of eating to address bipolar disorder. She’s super smart and knowledgeable about low-carb and especially carnivore eating.

My favourite Carnivore/carnivore-ish ladies of YouTube

These are my favourite carnivore-ish ladies of YouTube. They’re similar in that they all really care about seeing other people succeed. They’re different in how they approach eating a diet of primarily animal foods.

Kelly Hogan

Kelly’s been eating meat only for more than 10 years. She started so she could become healthy enough to get pregnant (result = three healthy babies). She’s a real ray of sunshine with an excellent southern twang. I love her videos because they’re positive and informative and she’s got a great sense of humour.

Judy Cho, Nutrition with Judy

Judy Cho is a board certified holistic nutritionist who specialized in helping regain their help through a carnivore elimination diet. Judy’s website says, “Animal-based foods gave Judy a second chance at life and she is passionate to give back, healing the world one steak at a time.”

Judy is the author of Carnivore Cure: Meat-Based Nutrition and the Ultimate Elimination Diet to Attain Optimal Health (click here to see it on Amazon). I read the first edition and highly recommend it, especially if you like info-dense content.

Judy is a woman of faith and principles. She takes a non-dogmatic approach to helping people heal and stands firm on things that need defending. As with everyone on this list, I have much respect for Judy and how she helps people find true health.  

Sarah Kleiner Wellness (formerly Carnivore Yogi)

Sarah shares her experience with eating a primarily meat-based diet on her YouTube channel and always encourages her audience to do what’s best for them (us) based on symptoms, not carnivore dogma. Sarah’s daughter, Alexis, has non-speaking autism and some of Sarah’s videos talk about transitioning Alexis to a keto diet and the difference that’s made (hint: a very positive one). Sarah’s super good natured and I enjoy her videos, which are about total wellness these days.

OMG, that’s an epic list. I hope you’ve found something or someone here that resonates with you. May your health be robust and may you always feel great about shovelling yummy, fatty forcemeat dishes into your pàté-hole!

Click here to see my recommendations for the best books for forcemeat and French country cooking and click here to see the best terrine to buy for a lifetime of happiness.

Important legal notice: This post contains affiliate links. I’m compensated for many of my product recommendations. Forcemeat Academy is a participant in the Amazon Associates affiliate program, as well as other affiliate programs. While I’m careful to only recommend the products I use and love, I want to be open and transparent about the relationship I have with companies I recommend. (The affiliate links here are for a few books, not the people I’ve mentioned who are awesome low-carb resources.)