Oddbean

I'm not going to agree on grains. I'm convinced it's the glyphosphate on the grains that's the issue. People have been eating grains for millenia without issue. Pesticides are destroying our gut biome, leading to the issues that nearly all of us have with digestion. Sugar? Yes. 100%.

Humans are carnivores and grains are not a species appropriate food. Grains trigger an acute insulin response and this is objectively bad for the human organism. Diseases like cancer and obesity became prevalent in line with the agricultural revolution. Millenia is not in line with the age of our species nor the ability to adequately adapt.

I agree completely. I think of the three (seed oils, sugar, grains) grains are by far the least harmful. Especially untainted whole grains. But they are a suboptimal food for humans even still. Glad you’re doing well. 🫡👑

From your point of view, I can definitely set why you say that grains are suboptimal. In context, they are better than starving, and certainly weren't preferred. Thank you! I'm definitely better off that I have been, and being lighter is definitely a benefit for pretty much everything.

Insulin plays an important role in building muscle among other things. Being physiologically insulin resistant (carnivores) is not an advantage. I had argue it makes you less resilient. A carnivore diet is a useful tool for people with autoimmune issue and obesity. It’s best viewed as an effective medical intervention.

Carnivores are insulin sensitive not resistant. Your body when optimally fed (fatty ruminant meat) produces the correct hormones in the correct amount - of which insulin is one. Humans do not need to add a harmful, species inappropriate food to spike insulin, it’s just produced in the correct amount if you’re eating right. Humans are not adapted to tolerate exogenous daily insulin spikes. It’s not necessary or beneficial to do this.

In the absence of carbohydrates they are insulin sensitive, but I said physiologically insulin resistant, meaning they likely won’t pass a glucose tolerance test. I’d argue that it’s better to be insulin sensitive at all times and not just when eating certain foods. On the “correct amount of hormones” many men doing a carnivore diet experience a decline in testosterone levels and some even have worse sleep (too much cortisol?). Many try to explain it away, but that has the same vibes as vegans telling ex-vegans that they didn’t do it right. Humans are unquestionably omnivores, and many of us are quite resilient and can thrive on many different diets. Some are less resilient and have to stick to only eating meat, but to say humans didn’t eat fruits and other carbohydrate containing foods, specially those living close to the equator, is just false. Insulin spikes are not inherently dangerous. As long as one is insulin sensitive they can be beneficial for nutrient delivery, and insulin itself is anabolic (muscle growth) which is beneficial for obvious reasons.

I’ve listened to him and the rest of the carnivore gang. Was deep in the health rabbit hole between 2013-2020 Yep, the carnivore diet is a great tool/medical intervention to fix an array of ailments What I’m saying is that not everyone is broken

I think you’re blinded by the cult. No shame, I was too at one point. Optimal for what? Weight loss? Sure Athletic Performance? Probably not Fertility? Questionable Muscle growth? No Addressing autoimmunity? Yes It’s all good, at end of the day what matters is ones N=1. People know what works best for them

I also have some issues with assumptions that carnivore is best for what ails women as a direct corollary that it's best/more gooder for men (long term or life long). I don't think that it can be easily disputed that some modern humans are so screwed up that eating only ruminant meat is the only way that they can survive in a way that doesn't cause their bodies to try to moidalate (yes, that's a VERY technical term 😁) their own body every time they try to introduce plants into their diet.

No, I just accept the most credible evidence. But for me (n=1) since I cut out all modern foods and simply subsist off fatty ruminant meat I’ve: gained muscle, lost fat, hit PRs in every lift in the gym while not working out as often, I objectively heal faster, my “itis” have vanished, low-grade nerve pain also resolved, my silent reflux is gone, my dandruff has been reduced by 90%, my skin is flawless, I can go all day without eating and put in extreme effort while doing so, and my sleep has improved to a point where it is perfect - fall asleep every night in a few minutes and wake up 7.5 hours later no alarm like clockwork. Being a sugar / carb / vegetable clown (who still ate meat) in my previous life had lead to all those health problems. Eating optimally relieved all of them over the course of a couple years. Remarkable.

I am viewing eating mostly carnivore as an intervention. I don't plan to stay that way for longer than it takes to hit my goal weight and to also use to learn about how my body reacts to different things I eat, as that was impossible before, and now I'm starting to get real feedback that certain things lead to certain effects and with all the junk I had been eating, the noise drowned out the signal.