As a carnivore health coach, I'm often questioned about the wisdom of removing plants, which provide beneficial vitamins, minerals and fibre. Many don't realise the abundance of inflammatory antinutrients lurking within plant foods.
In my years, I've witnessed profound healing by eliminating these compounds. Let's closely examine some key plant toxins:
Lectins - These sticky proteins found concentrated in beans, grains, nightshades and dairy can directly damage the intestinal villi leading to "leaky gut syndrome". This increased intestinal permeability enables undigested food particles, bacterial metabolites, and pathogens to enter the bloodstream and provoke widespread inflammation. Joint pain, rashes, and autoimmunity are common results.
Phytates - Abundant in grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, phytates aggressively bind to key minerals like iron, zinc and magnesium. This prevents their absorption, which over time can lead to anemia, osteoporosis, impaired immunity, and more consequences of malnutrition. Despite an adequate diet by calorie counts, the body is starved of critical nutrients.
Oxalates - Found concentrated in many purportedly "healthy" greens like spinach, kale and chard, as well as chocolate, nuts and seeds, oxalates form sharp crystals and stones. Kidney stones cause excruciating pain, while smaller oxalate crystals accumulate in tissues leading to vulnerability syndrome, fibromyalgia, and other confusing conditions.
Saponins, food proteins, and additional lectins - Bean compounds and those found in nightshades like tomatoes and potatoes are linked to leaky gut and direct small intestine damage. This creates openings for pathogens like bacteria, viruses and Candida to infiltrate deeper body systems, along with undigested metabolites and proteins that trigger wide-ranging autoimmune reactions.
Salicylates - This natural pain reliever chemical produced by plants is found abundantly in many fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, teas, and plant oils. For those with sensitivities, salicylates can provoke symptoms ranging from IBS and asthma to ADHD, migraines, and skin disorders like eczema.
This covers just some of the thousands of antinutrient compounds plants produce to deter predators, but which also wreak havoc on human health. By avoiding foods high in antinutrients, the carnivore diet helps restore optimal nutrient absorption, microbial balance, intestinal integrity, and smooth functioning of the immune and endocrine systems.
The truth is plants hold no monopoly on protective compounds and vitamins. Animal foods like liver, oysters, fatty fish, and pastured egg yolks provide nutrition in their most bioavailable forms without the downsides of plant toxins. A properly constructed carnivore diet is the cleanest, most nourishing option for overcoming chronic disease.
I've been at this for a while now (helping people lose body fat) and almost everyone sees great results when they ditch the plants. Some people hold onto eating them and that's fine, if it works for you, go for it!
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