Sometimes, I just laugh. Are we really the most advanced we've ever been? How is it that even with all our technology, we can't come to a consensus on what the best diet is?
Instead, we have factions. Carnivore. Veganism. Keto. The paleo enthusiasts. And if we're being honest, they're almost like cults these days. Incredibly religious, and we see it across the spectrum — from die-hard vegans who refuse to eat meat, to carnivores who hate every vegetable that exists.
I feel like most of us started carnivore — or at least some mediocre variation of it... We got wind that carbs were somehow bad for us, started eating a more animal-based, meat-centric diet and we felt fantastic.
Of course we did. I'd argue the biggest benefits of restrictive fad diets lie not in the food themselves, but in the elimination of the junk. In cutting out the majority of the supermarket aisles. The colorful packaged snacks. Donuts. Doritos. Refusing to have high fructose corn syrup candy.
While many of these diets have tangible effects in the short term (and some are also incredible tools to correct certain conditions), they just don't work when you extend the timeline. It either breaks down because you can't stop the cravings anymore or the chronic nutritional deficiencies reveal themselves.
We can't cheat biology. At the end of the day, we're omnivores. And we've lived all these years as omnivores. We CAN eat quality meat from ruminant cattle. We can also eat properly prepared grain. Fresh fruits. Vegetables cooked the right way. We can actually have it all!
There's no need to do extremely restrictive diets. There's also no need for gluttonous cheat days. The answer is very boring. Start with sourcing the best quality ingredients you can get your hands on. They reap so much reward in return. Build every meal around a quality protein source. Get enough vitamin C. Eat your organ meats and a myriad of protein sources to balance your micronutrients (copper:zinc ratio). Get enough calcium. Seafood for omega 3s. Drink quality, remineralized water and get enough electrolytes (magnesium, potassium, sodium). Eat vegetables to fill in the micronutrient gaps and satiety. Use herbs for their healing prowess, and as a natural prophylaxis to keep your immune system robust. These are things the everyday carnivore doesn't discuss. It isn't as simple as "I eat meat" = "I feel good". Sure, you're in your mid 20s and you work out daily. But what about grandma? Do you really expect her to eat a tomahawk a day? An optimal 'diet' is one that benefits every member of the family.
The answer is boring. But it works. Avoid the poisons. Source quality ingredients. Eat with family. Alfresco whenever possible. Blessed by the Sun herself. This is the WARKITCHEN philosophy.
By the way, it's perfectly fine to rely on an app like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer to track your food. It almost gamifies the entire process of eating healthy, and sometimes, people have absolutely no idea that they are chronically deficient in. Eventually, you will learn to eat intuitively and understand what you need to consume over a week to hit the required nutrients. |
