There is something missing in the carnivore diet

I was standing in a fancy kitchen-type food shop, you know the kind, where a mixing spoon costs $50 and looks like the very funky accessory your kitchen needs but doesn’t change the way in which you mix your food. 

As I was waiting to pay for my new apron, with a crossover back no less, I eavesdropped on the conversation at the next teller.

A woman was telling the shop person that she had lost 20kg and reversed an unnamed digestive illnesses and she couldn’t believe how easy it had been. 

“I’m following the carnivore diet,” she stated. “I eat only meat for every meal, every day.” 

Part of me thought, well, all power to her, it’s great she’s feeling better and I empathise with how hard it is to lose weight.

The other part of me thought about what it smells like when my dog farts. Not the thought you should have in an up-market kitchen shop.

You see, there is something missing in the carnivore diet. 

It’s called plants.

I could wax lyrical about the wonderful plant compounds that support your immunity and reduce inflammation. 

I could also talk about the different types of fibre - soluble, insoluble, bulking - and how important these are for gut health.  Of course, because I am a scientist, I had to made a table for you showcasing the different types of fibre found in plants and their role in digestion.

Examples of prebiotic fibre types and categories in which they fall. Note some plants will have prebiotic fibres fall into multiple categories.

Fibre types	Examples	Digestive impact	Plant species (good source)
Bulking fibres	Cellulose, hemicellulose, psyllium	Absorb and hold water promoting stool regularity	Cereals, plantago
Viscous fibres	Beta-glucan, psyllium	Thicken faecal mass	Oats, plantago
Fermentable fibres	Resistant starch, pectin, inulin, oligofructose	Feed microbiota of large intestine, metabolised to yield short chain fatty acids	Beans, lentils, green bananas, citrus fruits, root vegetables
Soluble fibre	Beta-glucans, psyllium, inulin, wheat dextrin, oligosaccharides	Fermented in colon into bioactive products such as short chain fatty acids, delays gastric emptying (extends feeling of fullness)	Oats, barley, legumes, bananas,

 

Reluctant to enter the diet debate

I am a bit reluctant to enter the diet debate as the goal posts move on a regular basis and the debate lacks quality, long-term research studies. Too often, large epidemiological studies are jumped on by media and simplified beyond logic.   

I am sorry to say, but red wine is not good for you.  Resveratrol is good for you yes, and that can be found in all purple plants - grapes, red cabbage, berries. Reach for the purple coleslaw tonight, not the red wine.

Food interests are often hijacked by special interest groups, whether they be food companies, food industries or even entire countries dependent on the economics of certain industries. 

Did you know that in the USA, agribusiness spends more money on government lobbying than the defence or oil industries?

Global distribution of food has led to fewer companies having control of our food supply. For example, in the UK, eight companies control 90% of the food supply (read more here).  These corporations have profitability drivers, not human health and wellness drivers.

Within the last 40 years, the average meal size has increased, along with the sugar content and degree of processing/refinement. 

The modern western diet is high in rapidly digestible carbohydrates and low in biodiversity.  This has led to a reduction in fibre consumption and the ramifications of this on the gut microbiome and human health are significant. 

Low-fibre intake reduces the biodiversity of your gut microbiome.  This leads to increases in chronic non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer.

When it comes to losing weight and getting healthier, eat plenty of plants and seeds and a portion of quality protein.  Reduce simple carbohydrates like breads and sugars.  The biology is simple – if only the psychology was!

All the best, Anna and Darcy.

If you would like to discuss any of this further, please contact Darcy or Anna (who you can contact at +64 27 599 2255 or +64 27 4861418 respectively) or via info@zesttwellness.com.