Carnivore Diet, The Toxicity Of Plants, "Game Changers" Debate, & More (2024)

February 27, 2020

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Dr. Paul Saladino is back.The “Carnivore MD,” after originally appearing on my show on the episodes…

Everything You Need to Know About the Carnivore Diet

Carnivore Diet, Cleaning Out Your Colon, Eating Brains, Hunting Zebras & Much More

In this episode, you'll discover:

-How Paul defines the carnivore diet…5:42

It's a diet that emphasizes and focuses on animal foods
The majority of our nutrients comes from animal foods
Aware of plant toxicity; minimal (or no) plant matter
The best place for vitamins and minerals is animals, with the exception of Vitamin C
“Nose to tail” idea
Most toxic plant foods:
- Grains, legumes, nuts, seeds
- Seeds are highly defended by the plants; high levels of toxicity
- Most leafy greens are toxic for humans
- High oxalate foods – almonds, root veggies
Moderately toxic:
- High fructose foods: honey, berries
- Sweet potatoes, other sweet tubers and roots
Least toxic:
- Avocados, olives, squash
Ben's cronometer of his daily diet
A carnivore diet is not simply muscle meat
- Nose to tail
- Includes bones, marrow, cartilage
Carnivore diet is a “soft” keto diet
1:1 ratio (1 gram of protein per pound of body weight)

-How the carnivore diet affects athletic performance…17:25

Studies referenced:

Ensure you check your salt levels if on a low-carb diet (10+ grams per day)

-How to get adequate iodine while on the carnivore diet…29:30

Redmond Sea Salt (from the ground in Utah)
- No microplastics
- 10 g of Redmond has 150 mcg of iodine (equivalent to the RDA)
Red meat
Egg yolks (100 mcg with 4 egg yolks)
Don't take too much iodine

-Whether the entire global population could be on a carnivore diet…32:45

Is the current agricultural system working?
- Currently U.S. system is mono-crop agriculture (nutrient depletion, no animals to replenish nutrients)
- Just plants on land is “feedlot feeding” of plants
Regenerative agriculture (ecosystem feeding)
Grass feeding and finishing is the optimal situation
Regenerative agriculture is carbon negative
White Oak Pastures is a good example of regenerative agriculture
Multiple species on the same lot reduces parasite presence
The current agriculture system is unsustainable

-Why the stressor of eating plants is different from a “good” stressor like exercise…42:09

Plant molecules are plant pharmaceuticals
Plant and human biochemistry are mutually dependent
There is no “package insert” of side effects that comes when eating plants
Paul's first podcast with Ben talked about “collateral damage” in plants
Plants ameliorate symptoms, not treating the root cause
Glutathione levels in cold water study
We don't need sulforaphane to get adequate glutathione
If we live a “radical lifestyle” of environmental hormetics, we don't need the plant molecules
Studies referenced:
- 4. Uric Acid and Short-Term Glutathione Levels During Whole Body Cold Exposure

-How the carnivore diet activates pathways in our bodies…54:50

Environmental hormetics: heat, cold, exercise, etc.
Nrf2 pathway is affected positively by plant intake
Sirtuin pathways activated by resveratrol
Doses in a nose to tail diet are adequate
Studies referenced:
- 5. Ketogenic Diet Modulates NAD+-Dependent Enzymes and Reduces DNA Damage in Hippocampus
- 6. Nutritional Ketosis Increases NAD+/NADH Ratio in Healthy Human Brain: An in Vivo Study by 31P-MRS
- 7. Ketones improves Apolipoprotein E4-related memory deficiency via sirtuin 3
- 8. Keto-adaptation enhances exercise performance and body composition responses to training in endurance athletes
- 9. Effect of increasing fruit and vegetable intake by dietary intervention on nutritional biomarkers and attitudes to dietary change: a randomised trial
- 10. Resveratrol Reduces the Levels of Circulating Androgen Precursors But Has No Effect on, Testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone, PSA Levels or Prostate Volume. A 4-Month Randomized Trial in Middle-Aged Men
- 11. Placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial: high- dose resveratrol treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- 12. The Essential Medicinal Chemistry of Curcumin
- 13. The dark side of curcumin

-Whether pH reaches acidic levels on the carnivore diet…1:13:36

Yes, if it is not constructed properly
Acid load is balanced on: protein and minerals
If we get enough minerals, it will balance the protein acidity
Many on the carnivore diet don't get enough calcium
Many minerals that are only present in bones
Bone broth is the easiest way to do this (just add vinegar)
Studies referenced:
- 14. Estimation of the renal net acid excretion by adults consuming diets containing variable amounts of protein
- 15. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH
- 16. Estimation of Renal Function in Patients with Eating Disorders
- 17. Effect of Low-Carbohydrate High-Protein Diets on Acid-Base Balance, Stone-Forming Propensity, and Calcium Metabolism
- 18. Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths
- 19. Effect of a supplement rich in alkaline minerals on acid-base balance in humans
- 20. Effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on inflammatory biomarkers and immune cell populations: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

-IGF and mTOR when it comes to the carnivore diet…1:26:32

Paul's podcast with James Clement: Will eating an animal-based diet over-activate mTOR?
The Switch by James Clement
No ketones in the blood is not a good thing
Depleted liver glycogen produces ketones
High carb diet will activate mTOR
Balance with intermittent or complete fasting
Gain muscle on a carnivore diet by eating more frequently: 4 oz. of meat 3-4 times a day
Paul's podcast with Gabrielle Lyon: Does protein cause cancer?

-Whether the carnivore diet is a concern for Alzheimer's…1:30:57

APO e4 is a variant of apolipoprotein E
- It is the most ancestral isoform
- “It was eating meat that made us human”
Paul's podcast with Tommy Wood: Should you worry about ApoE4 on a keto/carnivore diet and how to avoid Alzheimer’s disease
APO e4 is only an issue if we're insulin resistant
The vast majority of Americans are insulin resistant
It can be beneficial in populations that are not insulin resistant
Remain in the elite of the population (insulin sensitive)
Studies referenced:
- 21. Apolipoprotein E4 is associated with improved cognitive function in Amazonian forager-horticulturalists with a high parasite burden
- 22. Inflammatory Gene Variants in the Tsimane, an Indigenous Bolivian Population with a High Infectious Load
- 23. Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2016
- 24. APOE ε4, the door to insulin-resistant dyslipidemia and brain fog? A case study
- 25. APOE genotype influences insulin resistance, apolipoprotein CII and CIII according to plasma fatty acid profile in the Metabolic Syndrome
- 26. High Dietary Saturated Fat Intake Accentuates Obesity Risk Associated with the Fat Mass and Obesity–Associated Gene in Adults
- 27. Controversies Surrounding High-Protein Diet Intake: Satiating Effect and Kidney and Bone Health
- 28. Cholesterol, APOE genotype, and Alzheimer disease: An epidemiologic study of Nigerian Yoruba

-Carnivore diet for those with FTO mutations and that are over methylators…1:42:28

Saturated fats come from mislabeled trans fats or junk food
People who eat animal products eat more healthy saturated fats
Epidemiology can only produce hypotheses
Paul's typical daily diet:
- 16 oz. grass-fed organic steak
- 85 g of suet mixed with homemade bone broth
- 4-5 egg yolks with a generous serving of salt
- For dinner: all of the above, plus liver, brain, heart, suet with bone broth, and salt
There are no over or under methylators
Get riboflavin from organ meats and heart (need 2-3 mg per day)

-Paul's lab results…1:50:00

LDL-HDL levels
No correlation between HDL when LDL rises and cardiovascular disease
The higher the LDL, the longer we live (provided we're insulin sensitive)

-Rapid-fire questions…1:53:54

How long should you do the carnivore diet before you know of its efficacy?
- No “cheat days” – don't reward yourself with bad food
- Carnivore diet benefits are from an immunological perspective
- Minimum 60-day reset is advocated in the book
Are chicken and eggs okay on the carnivore diet?
- Info that says animal products are low in Vitamin K count only Vitamin K1; they are high in Vitamin K2
- Eggs are fine; Paul prefers the yolks only
What parts of the animal should younot eat?
- The adrenals
Does Paul take supplements?
- None at the moment
Would a woman need time to adapt to the carnivore diet?
Is the carnivore diet advisable for pregnancy, breastfeeding, or children?

-Phospholipid forms of DHA w/ the carnivore diet…2:01:48

We get phospholipids from our food
Paul is not a fan of omega 3 supplementation (they're highly oxidized)

-Whether cruciferous vegetables cause hypothyroidism…2:05:23

Studies referenced:
- 29. Genotoxic effects of crude juices from Brassica vegetables and juices and extracts from phytopharmaceutical preparations and spices of cruciferous plants origin in bacterial and mammalian cells
- 30. Concentrations of thiocyanate and goitrin in human plasma, their precursor concentrations in brassica vegetables, and associated potential risk for hypothyroidism
- 31. Iodine deficiency disorders and endemic goiter
- 32. Role of dietary iodine and cruciferous vegetables in thyroid cancer: a countrywide case–control study in New Caledonia
- 33. Estrogenic Effects of Extracts from Cabbage, Fermented Cabbage, and Acidified Brussels Sprouts on Growth and Gene Expression of Estrogen-Dependent Human Breast Cancer (MCF-7) Cells
- 34. Genotoxicity studies of organically grown broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and its interactions with urethane, methyl methanesulfonate and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide genotoxicity in the wing spot test of Drosophila melanogaster

-And much more!

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

–The Carnivore Code by Dr. Paul Saladino

-BGF podcasts with Paul Saladino:

–Fundamental Health podcasts mentioned:

–The Switch by James Clement

–White Oak Pastures

-Ben's new album, Rocky Roots

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