I have been transitioning this week to a fatty-fish based ketogenic carnivore diet. Two of my three daily meals are now seafood! I have been eating 100% grassfed lamb at lunchtime.
Today I plan on going to the Asian grocery store to pick up more seafood. I will get more good fatty fish such as mackerel, Greenland halibut, and sanma. And I still have plenty of Icelandic cod liver. I will also pick up some leaner fish which I will eat with marrow fat, such as prawns, mussels, squid, and dried anchovies. The dried anchovies are a snack for both me and my zero carb cat!
I also plan on trying some dried pollock to bring for lunch along with marrow fat.
I was thinking, in the very cold climates where cultures eat seafoods, they treasure the fat and skin from whale (muktuk). Here is a photo of muktuk, which is eaten raw:
https://photobucket.com/gallery/user/yukonjeff/media/cGF0aDovMDA2LTcuanBn/?ref=
Looks great! And is super high in vitamin C and D. But since I cannot get muktuk, I will use marrow fat instead. I found a new vendor for it, and their marrow fat is especially golden colored and delicious! It tastes like sweet cream butter! It is wonderful, eating just a bite cold with lean seafood Very satisfying!
I feel so great eating seafood. It is satisfying yet light on my digestion. I love the variety of tastes and textures! I feel very nourished!
I still love lamb and mutton too, especially the organs. I love making a simple unsalted jerky out of lamb heart. I also really enjoy lamb kidneys, liver, tongue, and testes. And wonderful slices of fatty lamb roast are great too, either golden and crispy right out of the slow cooker, or room temperature as leftovers!
I have learned so very much over these last three years of being strict carnivore. I learned that I do best on good fatty 100% grassfed lamb/mutton, and wild-caught seafood.
Three years, when first starting a ketogenic carnivore diet, I used a pork and egg based diet. I purchased good field-foraging heritage pork from a local farmer. But even pasture-raised pork is also grain-fed, and it just did not do well for me health-wise. My triglycerides and blood pressure were high.
I also tried dairy from 100% grassfed locally raised A2 casein cows as well as goat. I tried butter and cream, even making my own clotted cream. It was delicious, but still caused gut issues, keratosis pilaris (bumpy skin), and depression. I also tried purchasing 100% grassfed ghee as well, but with the same results.
Poultry is not satiating, and being so high in omega 6 fatty acids, is not very healthful either and did not agree with my digestion.
I tried a 100% grassfed beef-based diet, but generally most cuts of beef are too lean.
I developed an intolerance to eggs. Since they are generally high in omega 6 fatty acids anyway, I decided to stop eating eggs.
I found that 100% grassfed lamb and mutton were locally available and actually quite affordable ($7/lb for lamb, $3/lb for mutton!) and most cuts besides organ meats fall naturally within a ketogenic ratio of fat to protein. So I have been been buying whole lamb and sheep shares for over a year now, with added organ meats as well. I purchased a small chest freezer which fits in my little condo kitchen so I could buy multiple lamb shares at a time, since they are only available a few times a year.
About four months ago, I realized that salt was giving me diarrhea. So I gave up salt and have had perfect digestion since!
I am now eating just 100% grassfed local lamb/mutton including the organs; wild-caught seafood; some 100% grassfed beef marrow fat for eating on the side of lean cuts; and drinking just water. I do not use salt, seasonings, tea, coffee, nothing else, no supplements, no dairy at all, no pork, poultry, or eggs. I drink hot water in the wintertime and sometimes plain seltzer water in the summertime. I occasionally will have a shot of plain vodka when socializing.
The first few years I used to test blood ketones and glucose daily and get all kinds of other blood and DNA tests, as well as cardiovascular and heart tests. Since the results were all excellent since removing the pork, dairy, poultry, and eggs, this last six months or so I decided I no longer need to do any of that.
I do occasionally test my blood pressure, and it is always very low. I do weigh myself regularly, and check bodyfat percentage using either calipers or the U.S. Navy bodyfat calculator. My bodyfat has held steady for 3 years at 14%, which is very good for a 47-yr-old female. I do not do any regular exercise besides a little walking.
My menses is regular, averaging every 35 days, pain-free, and four days in length. That is such an improvement over my days as a sugar-burner, when my menses were terribly painful, lasted long, and I had mittelschmertz (mid-cycle) pain and bleeding as well. Carnivore life is so much better! Another plus is that I no longer get colds or ever need to go to the doctor.
The last few days here we have had extremely frigid temperatures. But I was fine outside, even with only 14% bodyfat, as long as I wore multiple layers of wool. Wool is an amazing textile. I love it. I grew up around it. My mother was a weaver and spinner, and would go out to local farms and buy freshly sheared wool. I would help her clean and card and dye the wool, and sometimes help with the spinning and weaving. Wool is excellent at wicking perspiration, and is water-resistant, warm yet breathable, and naturally odor-controlling. Wool clothes do not need to be washed very often. They stay clean naturally. I love wool! Which along with doing so well eating lamb and mutton, has led me to think of trying to start a sheep-raising homestead. I've researched it quite a bit, and studied slaughter and butchery too. It is something I still consider from time to time, but I need a little more money saved to be able to do it without taking on any debt.
My cat is also now fully zero-carb / carnivore. The last three months or so, I switched my cat to a strictly carnivore diet. He now eats Tiki "After Dark" series wet food, which contains just shredded chicken, including hearts, gizzards, and liver, with a quail egg, tuna oil, and supplements. I originally tried giving him just a simple rabbit-based raw diet, but he did not like that. But this food he really loves, and his health has improved immensely. I love looking at his beautiful, slim, active build and shiny coat now! Such a difference in three months!
Also, in these three years of carnivore, I have listened to a lot of podcasts and read many, many articles, research studies, and books. I have learned that 100% grassfed ruminant animals are actually the most sustainable food source, despite the mainstream belief otherwise. They are also incredibly health-giving for us, again, despite the mainstream belief otherwise. The advent of agriculture brought us a proliferation of problems: diabetes, obesity, tooth and gum decay, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, mental disorders, auto-immune diseases, cardiovascular and heart problems. In addition, agriculture has caused desertification, erosion, and pollution from pesticides and fertiilzers. Raising and eating ruminant animals that are not fed grains but instead eat a strictly pasture-based diet is a much more sustainable solution for environmental health as well as our own.
Speaking of environmental health, in the last year, I have also tried to minimize my use of plastics and generation of garbage. It has been difficult, since meats and fish come in plastic. But otherwise I have greatly been able to reduce my generation of garbage. Occasionally I have to order items online and they will come in bubble wrap or other non-recyclable products. I do produce some fish bones and marrow bones waste, which if I had land, I would throw out in the woods. (We used to do that growing up!)
Besides the plastic in which my meats and fish are packed, I do still use shampoo, conditioner, and henna which come in plastic containers. I do recycle the containers though. I am using contact lenses and lens solution, which are made of plastic. I do recycle the solution bottle. And the cat litter, which is flushable corn, comes in a plastic bag which I recycle. However, I read that plastic is never really recycled, only down-cycled, with new plastic added to it as well. So I'd still prefer to find better solutions for those items!
I did have some nice results using ground hibiscus and fenugreek on my hair instead of shampoo and conditioner. But I could not get them ground fine enough. Maybe sometime I will shop around for a better grinder. I cannot find as good a henna as the type that I get which comes in plastic tubs, unfortunately. There is some in bulk at a local shop, but it is henna only, so it only dyes red. I use a combination of henna and indigo to get brown color. I have read that over time, and when mixed in certain ways (maybe in an iron skillet?), just plain henna can become pretty dark though. That would be worth pursuing!
I switched to all natural fiber clothing and linens, and I feel so much better. I got a handmade linen bra with no elastic, clothes made of 100% silk, cotton, or wool, towels, sheets, and blankets made of 100% linen, cotton, or wool. It is so much better! My skin can breathe now and I sleep better too.
About a year ago, I switched to 100% "green" energy from my utility company. I am not sure if that is actually any better environmentally than energy from coal or gas. It seems like a toss-up, due to all the devastating mining that must be done for the metals in solar cells and turbines. However, when dreaming of my ideal self-sufficient homestead, I think I would personally want to use something like a wind turbine or solar panels rather than having to chop wood! Some cultures use dried sheep dung, but I don't think I really want to deal with that either, given the option of solar, wind, hydroelectric, or geothermal power!
Here's looking at future years of a wonderful, healthful, carnivore-based lifestyle!
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