CARNIVORE VS VEGAN DIET: WHICH IS BEST?
Following up on last month’s blog on nutrition, I thought it would be timely to discuss the carnivore vs vegan dietary patterns. These are two extremely polar opposite diets on the surface. The carnivore diet is a meal plan based on eating only animal products, primarily meats with a little bit of dairy while excluding vegetables and carbohydrates. The vegan diet is a meal plan based on eating only plants, fruits and vegetables specifically excluding any food derived from animals. I receive many questions on these different diets and which one is better for any given individual. The answer is not so simple.
My philosophy in science is to start with important clinical observations and then work backwards to determine a mechanism of action, based on biochemistry and physiology, that explains the clinical benefit. Once we understand a clear mechanism of action for an observed clinical benefit or clinical deficit, then we can work to improve the health of everyone. First, let me say there is no one diet that works the same in everyone. We all have different rates of metabolism, we all have a different microbiome and different species of bacteria that perform specific functions for us including metabolism of important nutrients from our food. With that in mind, there are only two reasons why people get sick and develop disease:
- The body is missing an essential nutrient. This can be a vitamin, mineral or a molecule naturally produced that is lacking. The deficiency can be due to our diet or an inborn error in metabolism or genetic problem, sometimes a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in that patient.
- The body is exposed to a toxin that is interfering with normal metabolism. The toxins can come from the food we eat, the environment we live or work, from bacterial and/or vital infections or from chemical toxicants. Many times, the toxins are found in our diet with sugar being one of the most toxic substances.
If we do not address these two fundamental issues, then our body will not heal or perform no matter which dietary pattern we choose. If our diets are not providing ALL of the essential nutrients then it will not be beneficial. If our diets are exposing us to herbicides, pesticides or other toxins then it will not be beneficial for us. As you can begin to see, this is a very complicated issue.
What does the clinical science tell us?
If we look at long term outcome data on certain dietary patterns, there are clear benefits of certain dietary patterns. A plant-based diet clearly shows protection from cardiovascular disease and many cancers. A plant-based diet has clearly shown to reverse and regress coronary artery disease in patients with advanced disease. The work by Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn is hard to ignore or refute showing patients reversal of heart disease by adhering to a plant-based diet. We and others have argued that the mechanism of action of these observed clinical benefits may be partly or wholly due to the increased nitrate ingestion from this diet that can then be metabolized into nitric oxide thereby providing the protection and reversal of disease. Same effects are seen in a Japanese diet, the Mediterranean diet and other dietary patterns that have shown clear health benefits in clinical trials. However, today with the emergence of genetically modified food (GMO), many of our plants and vegetables that we consume are sprayed with herbicides and pesticides so we can consume these poisons along with the vegetables. One can avoid this by eating organic but we revealed years ago that organically grown vegetables contain about ten times less nitrate than conventionally grown vegetables. Furthermore, there has been as much as a 78% decline in basic nutrients in the vegetables grown in the United States since the 1940s. Eating only a plant-based diet today in the U.S. will either lead to a nutrient deficiency or exposure to toxins, the root cause of chronic disease. If you can find vegetables replete with nutrients that have not been exposed to chemicals, then this is ideal.
A carnivore diet eating primarily meat and animal products has shown some impressive clinical benefits as well. This dietary pattern precedes the agricultural revolution and dates back to the days of the caveman, sometimes referred to as the caveman diet. The carnivore diet has shown to improve insulin sensitivity, weight loss, increase muscle mass and lower inflammation. In this situation, the animal, which is vegan, consumes the plants and acts as a bioreactor converting the nutrients from their plant-based diet into their muscles. Animals such as cows are ruminants. Ruminants have multiple stomach and a rich diversity of bacteria that help ferment the foods they eat. As long as the animals are eating grass and plants that are not sprayed with chemicals or exposed to antibiotics, growth hormones or other chemicals, then the meats are usually nutrient dense and free of toxins. The most obvious characteristic of a carnivore diet is the exclusion of carbohydrates and sugar. The benefits of this diet may be primarily due to the exclusion of toxins such as sugar.
So, what is the best diet? I think each person has to find what works best for them to meet their specific needs at any given time. Personally, I try to eat a ketogenic diet consisting of mostly animal products but with good clean and chemical free vegetables. I am blessed to be able to raise our own beef, hunt wild animals on my land and grow my own vegetables in nutrient dense soil without the use of herbicides and pesticides. I think we need our nutrients from a diverse source of food products. However, the key is a balanced diet in MODERATION. Most Americans overeat and overeat toxic, nutrient depleted foods. I practice a 16-18 hour fast every day and I try not to overeat. I exercise at least 20-30 every day and I detox every day in a sauna. This works for me. I believe our health is 80% dependent on our diet and 20% dependent upon our daily activities and what we do each day. What is most important is that we get sufficient protein, from either plants or animals. The older we get the more protein we need to consume to prevent muscle and bone loss.
Whatever diet you find that works for you, I would recommend doing a routine micro-nutrient analysis to determine if your body is deficient in any nutrients. A company called Spectracell has a comprehensive micronutrient analysis. A daily detox to rid the body of any chemical you may have been exposed is a great idea. Take 750mg niacin along with activated charcoal, algae or other binders then sit in a sauna for half hour at 160 degrees. This will mobilize any fat-soluble toxins and excrete them from the body. Avoid sugars, highly processed foods and especially avoid any products in the form of chews or gummies that destroy the oral microbiome, shut down nitric oxide production, lower salivary pH and cause gum disease and tooth decay. Consider a daily nitric oxide product, especially if you decide on a carnivore or ketogenic diet. My nitric oxide releasing lozenge provides a source of nitric oxide even if your body is unable to produce it. Use coupon code NSB10 for 10% off. www.n1o1.com
HAPPY EASTER. HE IS RISEN!!
Dr. Nathan S. Bryan is a biochemist and physiologist that has more than 20 years of basic science and clinical research. His many seminal discoveries have resulted in dozens of issued U.S. and International patents. He is an international expert in nitric oxide and molecular medicine. Dr. Bryan is an innovator and successful entrepreneur who product technology is responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue worldwide. This content is not intended to replace medical advice from a physician.