My first Week on an Animal-Based Diet

For the last 2 years, I have been battling nummular eczema and I’m finally trying to heal by trying an animal-based diet.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor in any way and should not be considered an expert on these topics. I cannot be held liable for anything you may experience as a result of trying an animal-based diet. I am simply sharing my own experiences. Consult your physician if you are considering an animal-based diet.

That’s right. I’ve been hearing over, and over and over again how diet is everything, health begins in the gut. And after dealing with my eczema for over two years, I’ve only been able to use one steroid that works to clear my skin…and it isn’t triamcinolone. As it stands, the only thing that has ever helped my skin is a steroid called Clobetizol. But here’s the thing, everything I’ve been reading says it’s not safe for kids and while I’m not pregnant at the time of writing this, I hope to be in the somewhat near future and there is no way I can make it through pregnancy without using this steroid. But at an even deeper level, I have no interest in depending on a medication for the rest of my life. I’m determined to find the root cause of my eczema and I currently have two theories.

1. Our water quality isn’t the best and I cannot change that yet. We will be moving into our new house soon and I pray that can solve this issue.
2. I believe there is inflammation in my gut that is preventing my body from healing itself from this.

Now the first theory I have no control over at this time. So I’m getting gritty and going on an animal-based diet to try to tackle any inflammation in my gut that could be causing this to linger (and also get me feeling better…more on that further down). But first, let’s start at the beginning.

What is an animal-based diet

Ok, so let me start with the basics. An animal-based diet is a lot like a keto or carnivore diet. At face value, an animal-based diet includes the majority of your calories coming from animal sources. Things like organs, meat, and dairy are all a primary source of calories. By going animal-based and not full on carnivore however, I’m including fruits and honey (and the occasional maple syrup) to keep carbs in my diet and I honestly need a little sweet to not go crazy. In an animal-based diet, the biggest things I am avoiding are processed sugars, grains, soy, seed oils and any and all junk food. Anything that is known to be inflammatory is absolutely out. Sounds simple enough right?

Why am I going an animal-based diet?

There are really 4 reasons I’m going to be eating an animal-based diet over the next 4 weeks.

1. I’m desperate to eliminate my eczema. My skin is constantly broken out in rashes that burn and itch and I refuse to believe that this is something I just have to live with for the rest of my life. I mean, I spent 30 years of my life with no skin issues whatsoever so something has changed I’m going to figure it out.
2. An animal-based diet, even simply just removing junk food, has been proven to heal gut inflammation. While I am not a doctor in any way, I believe that the origin of most ailments can be traced back to a metabolic issue which is going to begin in the gut. When your body processes are working properly, many diseases go away. I’ve heard countless stories of people healing from hundreds of diseases by cleaning up their diet. I’m here for it, let’s do it.
3. Another clue that my gut is out of whack is my chronic fatigue. I was getting to the point where I needed (not wanted, but needed) multiple cups of coffee to get me through the day. I had traded water for coffee and knew my body was not thriving, but I didn’t know how else to push through. I was having to take a nap Every. Single. Day. to stay functioning. When I started pep talking myself with “It’s ok, you’ll be able to take a nap later,” just to get out of bed in the morning…I knew I was not in the right place. Something is going on and its not just “in my head.”
4. Honestly I’m a little curious about a diet like this. I’ve always known a diet without processed foods is the best thing for me, but I’m really curious to see what kind of a difference it actually makes. *Spoiler alert…I’m a week in while writing this and I don’t know if I’ll ever have the desire to eat junk again!

With these things in mind, here is what I hope to achieve. This is what’s going to keep me on track.

1. I want to identify if there is a certain food that is triggering my eczema. If the cause is indeed dietary, then let’s call it out and move on!
2. I want to get my body functioning like it was years ago. I’ve always been active and healthy but over time fatigue has set in, my hormones are out of whack, and I’d like to firm up my midsection a bit. Honestly I do hope that increasing my meat and fat intake will yield some results at the gym too.

It’s been a long time coming but I am finally ready to see if these goals can be achieved with an animal-based diet.

Concerns with an animal-based diet

I do have a few concerns with trying this diet so I’m keeping a journal to watch how I feel and if I notice any negative patterns occurring. This diet does go against the grain of what any western medicine preaches. I will not be eating any vegetables or grains over the next 4 weeks. But despite what our western medicine preaches there are countless compelling studies that show vegetables as having the capabilities to be inflammatory, but especially grains, processed foods and sugars. Now I have no intention of cutting out vegetables forever but I can do without for a few weeks to see if there are any sensitivities there.

I’m also curious to see how my bowel movements change. I won’t dwell long here but there will be a decrease in fiber in my diet. There are arguments here as well that fiber may not be the necessity we’ve made it out to be. Time will tell and I’ll share how it goes.

Lastly, I’m wondering just how feasible this diet is actually going to be. At the time of writing this, I also have to feed my husband and two young children (who are not observing this diet with me). We also currently live with our in-laws which further limits the control I have of what comes into our house as food. How feasible will it really be to accommodate my diet and the rest of my family for every single meal? We also have a few restaurant outings coming up and I’m not sure how I’ll navigate those yet.

Planning for an animal-based diet

I’ll keep this short but I did do a little prep work before starting this diet, it’s not one you can just do on a whim. First, I began reading Carnivore Code by Dr. Paul Saladino. It’s a very scientific book and despite my lack of medical training, I have found it completely fascinating. Dr. Saladino discusses in depth many, many studies of gut health and why a carnivore diet can support optimal gut function. He also talks a lot about what to eat on a carnivore diet. *I think it’s important to note that Dr. Paul Saladino no longer follows a strict carnivore diet but also incorporates fruits and honey into his own diet which is what I will be doing. He is very vocal and transparent about why he made this change on his youtube channel.

I also worked out a quick meal plan using simple foods that would work for family meals, but also provide me a higher fat & protein source. For example, breakfast is 3 fried eggs, blueberries, and a glass of raw milk. Dinner one night was short ribs. Honestly my family is used to simple meals so this hasn’t been as big of a challenge as it would have been if we were all used to eating out every other night.

I needed to give myself an “out” if I had a craving for something sweet. I do indeed have a sweet tooth but I also LOVE heavy cream. Turns out taking a swig of whipping cream satisfies most of my little cravings, as does a handful of berries.

I set a timeline. I’m doing this diet for 4 weeks to allow time for my gut to heal. Healing is my main goal here, not perfection of a diet so if I don’t notice anything different after this month, then I’ll happily go back to enjoying my snacks.

The Animal-Based Journal

Alrighty! Here we are to main event. I kept a journal where I documented how I’m feeling each day, if I slipped up, or if there were any external factors that could be affecting what’s going in my body. If you don’t want to read these then you can skip on down to the Results section.

Day 1

I felt normal on day one. Obviously not much time had passed to feel a change yet. I had eased into it anyways by eating more fats the day before but then officially deciding to start this day. I was helping my sister move this day and happened to see some white chocolate macadamia cookies on the counter. I didn’t eat one but boy did my mouth water! I packed a lunch of fried deer steak while everyone else in the moving party picked up Cookout. The temptation was there but surprizingly, my resolve was strong.

Day 2

Day 2 I still felt pretty normal. I did get the craving to make macarons (My favorite baking activity for those who don’t know me). I had some fillings in the freezer that I needed to use. I was proud of myself. I made them, they turned out perfectly, but I did not eat any. I didn’t have a desire for a nap that day but I still curled up under my heated blanket for some quiet time after lunch.

Day 3

I woke up full of energy. I didn’t actually notice until lunch time that I wasn’t tired. My skin also showed a slight bit of improvement. It was just a bit dryer than the previous day, which is usually what happens when I use the steroid cream. It was a huge encouragement. This was also a snow day so even after hours of cooking and then sledding…I wasn’t groggy! I distinctly remember feeling “Awake”. That’s the best way to describe it. I wasn’t groggy, not sleepy, nor did I have dry/heavy eyes like I normally would. I did cheat though. I ate two macarons. These are irresistible for me so I cannot make any more during this trial. Good news though, they are gluten free. So it’s just the sugar and cocoa that could be causing problems, unless the almonds are an irritant… I did discover though that berries plus a swig of heavy cream equals *chef’s kiss.

One major failure today was not enough water. Big mistake…

Day 4

I woke up very dehydrated. I had plenty of energy at 6:30am but I also had a killer headache. I chugged water first thing, and by lunch the headache had gone. Bowel movements so far are fewer with the last 2 days being runny. Still at least one movement per day. Perhaps it’s my body cleaning house? I also have two bumps under my tongue. This is unnerving with my history of mild dysplasia there. But it is most likely just from salt plus a lack of water. I will give it two weeks to heal before allowing it to become a worry.

I took the macarons with us to some friends’ house for dinner. So far it seems cocoa and almonds are safe for a treat.

Day 5

Ate lots a macarons yesterday. Whoops. This morning my skin was angry. Was it the sugar? Or was it the hours outside sledding with friends in the blistering cold?

Day 6

My skin is still itchy. But so is my husbands. We both had a big flare up yesterday so it remains to be seen. Was it the air outside? We both ate macarons but aside from that I stuck to my diet. My tongue feels much better. I’m sure it was just from salt and dehydration.

Day 7

I can’t believe it’s already been a week! It doesn’t feel like it. Honestly it’s not that bad. I’m never hungry and I am feeling fantastic. It would seem my energy levels were definitely affected by diet. I am feeling more myself than I have in a long time. I am also sleeping great. Real sleep. Even if I wake up to use the bathroom, I go back into a deep sleep. Time will tell if this continues.

My main concerns are just drinking enough water and nutrient deficiency. I have no reason to suspect a nutrient deficiency (I haven’t been doing it long enough for one), but I do want to be mindful and make sure I’m eating organ meats to get lots of nutrients. I made beef heart one day this week and it was really good. The kids even ate their “Steak” with no complaints. I need to find someone that sells beef liver. It’s just not something we have on the shelves in our stores. I wonder if our meat center would have it? I know I could get it from the local farm, but that’s still a bit of a drive.

On the plus, it feels like my skin may be drying again. So maybe 3 days is when I can expect a flare up to heal?

Results from 1 week on an animal-based diet

Let’s talk about the overall results of my first week on an animal-based diet.

Skin

It’s hard to say if my skin is healing or not. After that big breakout in the middle of the week it was very hard to tell if it was the macarons, weather, or dehydration that caused it. My guess is that it’s probably a combination of all three. I will keep focused on healing my skin completely before trying to test macarons again. The weather isn’t something I can control and we just had another big snow yesterday so I’m curious to see if it flares up again with these drop in temperatures, but the hydration is something I’ll be staying on top of. The fact that both my husband and I had a flare up the same time while I ate clean and he ate normal makes me think it was an environmental irritant.

Energy

I have had an enormous improvement in my energy. By the third day I was waking up ready for the day and completely full of energy. The best word I can use to describe it is that I’m just feeling so awake! I have no thoughts of coffee during the day and I haven’t needed to take a nap all week. I do still have an occasional morning cup of green tea, but this is because I just really enjoy a warm sip in the morning. I can just feel my body is happier and functioning so much better. I can keep up with my girls easier and just enjoy the day so much more now that I’m not clawing my way to the next rest time. Even if my skin doesn’t clear up, my energy levels are reason enough for me to avoid processed foods for the foreseeable future.

Nutrients

I’m paying close attention to bowel movements. I’m still having at least one a day still so as long as that continues we’ll be good. They were runny the first few days but have firmed up. One thing I’ve noticed is that they are typically smaller. I think this would be from my body using more of the nutrients I’m consuming and just producing less waste. Time will tell!

Feasibility

So far an animal-based diet seems to be a very feasible diet. My family is used to eating meals with simple ingredients anyways so it’s easy for me to cook meat + veggies + carb for everyone and me just eat the meat. I’ve bought a few blocks of cheese, berries, heavy cream, and raw milk which really help me stay satiated throughout the day. I have had no cravings for candy and junk but I do want my sweet somethings. I’m currently making a carnivore ice cream recipe with heavy cream, milk, and maple syrup so I look forward to having that for some sweet treats in the freezer. Overall this seems to be a very clean and practical diet that can easily blend into the family. On top of that, I love trying new recipes so if I can replace some of those junk foods, like ice cream, with things I’ve made with simple ingredients then that’s a huge win.

So far the hardest thing has been restaurants. We just don’t have any restaurants around that use all clean ingredients. For these 4 weeks I will keep it strict but once my gut has had time to heal, I do believe I’ll be more lax at restaurants. Quality of life and enjoying time with family and friends is equally as important and I’m not interested in being so strict that I can’t enjoy occasional outings. I’ll talk about my restaurant experience in the week 2 update.

Unexpected Results

Two things have changed that I wasn’t really expecting. First, I have very little gas. Seriously, I poot once a day. And the one poot definitely doesn’t stink. It’s such a funny little thing but that definitely tells me my gut is calming down and I have a hunch that bread and veggies may have been giving me uncomfortable gas. Second, my teeth have been so clean. I didn’t realize just how fuzzy my teeth would get during the day while eating all kinds of things but on this animal-based diet, my teeth feel just as smooth when I brush them at night as when I woke up that morning. Improved dental health was really not on my radar but I’m very satisfied with how clean my teeth are staying! I dont expect any cavities on a diet like this. I do prioritize flossing though, because meat likes to get stuck in my molars.

Conclusion

All in all, I am very satisfied with how this week has gone. I am feeling amazing, which is probably just from removing all the junk from my diet and replacing with high nutrient meats and fats. I have no desire to jump ship, especially if I can find some sweet recipes to keep on hand. I’m looking forward to week 2 (which I’m already in as I’m writing this) and I’ll be sure to share everything I experience!

Favorite New Recipe: Homemade Chicken Nuggets.

This was so simple to make I literally put them in the oven and thought…why have I been buying nuggets my whole life?!

1. Start with chicken breasts, however much your family needs for this meal, and cut it into bite size chunks (think nugget size)
2. Mix crushed pork rinds and salt in a medium bowl. Garlic and onion powder would be delicious if you are eating alliums.
3. Toss chicken chunks in the mixture until they are well coated and place on a prepared baking sheet. Parchment paper is perfect for this.
4. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes on 425 degrees.