Evidence-Based, Simplified Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies

Top

My 5 Year Carnivore Bloodwork

My 5 Year Carnivore Bloodwork

Sent by JUDY CHO | April 30, 2022

 

When you read this newsletter, I’ll be at the 2022 CIRSx conference. Many of my meat-only carnivore clients are getting diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and I want to meet some of the healers and the healed.

 

I’m looking forward to hearing from the medical panels and all the latest research on this very difficult, but hopeful diagnosis.

 

I did my bloodwork several weeks ago, including markers for CIRS (those have not come back yet). I don’t share a whole lot of my private life but I think this is an important share for the community and so I’ll happily share my (age and) bloodwork.

 

For the record: I was meat-only carnivore (very strict with zero plant-seasonings for 3 years). Almost 2 years ago, I started adding a little bit of vegetable variety. Most days I’m still meat-only but some days, I’ll have some steamed veggies (not for health but for resiliency and variety).

 

I have never taken any hormone supplements or thyroid medication. I have taken animal glandular (organs) but I don’t believe glandular therapy is the same level of support.

 

My diet: I eat two (mostly) meat-only meals a day and eat about 70–75% fat in terms of total calories. I started at 80% fat but I needed it from being 12 years low-fat and plant-based. I never eat lean protein meals. I do not believe it’s ideal for longevity.

 

I have been carnivore for almost 5 years and it has absolutely changed my life, and for the better.

 

STUDY OF THE WEEK — Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) — A Marker for Health Status?

In my Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Differential, my Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) was low. So being me, I dug into the science.

 

The CBC panel of bloodwork is run with almost all annual physical checks and looks for many illnesses in the blood. Some of these imbalances include anemia, infections, and leukemia.

 

The red cell distribution width (RDW) test measures the difference in the volume and size of your red blood cells.

 

Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to every cell in your body. Normally, your red blood cells are all around the same size. A high RDW means that there’s a difference between the size of your smallest and largest red blood cells. We want the size to be the same.

 

Other names for the RDW Test?

  • RDW-SD
  • Erythrocyte Distribution Width

 

So the higher the RDW number, the more variation in red blood cell sizes. The more variation, the more association with illnesses:

  • A potential prognosis for some cancers
  • RDW has a strong association with hs-C Reactive Protein and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR). Both these markers test for general inflammation in the blood. (PMID: 19391664)
  • RDW also correlates with other inflammatory markers such as fibrinogen (context matters with fibrinogen), leukocyte and neutrophil counts. (PMID: 25159489)
  • RDW is a strong predictor of overall disease and disease-specific mortality in middle-age and older adults. (PMID: 19273783)
  • RDW correlates with IL-6, hepcidin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and other cytokines that may affect tumor cell behavior. (PMID: 21737024 and 22309694)
  • High levels of RDW can also mean deficiencies in folate and B12. (PMID: 27591862)

 

Yes, you can have B-vitamin and even iron deficiencies on a meat-only carnivore diet. If you aren’t eating enough and/or your gut health isn’t absorbing your nutrients, it can happen.

 

Some of my clients hate that I recommend supplements when they’re first beginning their healing journey, but it’s a bridge while they better support their body to homeostasis. Then with proper nutrition and better gut function, we have the meats to give us most of our nutrients.

 

The right food as medicine isn’t just about nutrient-dense foods. It’s also about ensuring you are breaking down and assimilating the nutrients. And we all need gut support. Below is a sneak peek of a new graphic for Carnivore Cure Edition 2: it explains how our modern lifestyle causes gut permeability.

 

 

 

Back to my bloodwork, RDW is a strong predictor of longevity. (PMID: 27147570) And for someone that has had almost no carbohydrates or fiber in the last 5 years, I think I’m doing okay (including my thyroid and hormones).

 

DISCLAIMER: Before I get into my bloodwork, this is NOT medical advice. You should never take my content as medical advice. It’s educational material and learnings from my clients, research, and my own musings as a nutritional therapist. Never self-treat or diagnose.

 

 

I promised you my bloodwork. If you wonder why I won’t supplement vitamin D, here’s one study that states that the lowest all-cause mortality lies between 20–24 ng/ml. No benefit in being above 21 ng/ml. “A Reverse J-Shaped Association of All-Cause Mortality with Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in General Practice: The CopD Study

 

I know it’s very controversial so I do not harp on this topic as I can’t promise low or high vitamin D is the way to go. I know Dr. Mercola believes we need to have extremely high vitamin D supplements and levels but I’ve seen enough conflicting research that I don’t plan on supplementing.

 

I give my clients the ultimate choice with vitamin D. (Note: I have to link to a non-Mercola website as he can only have his articles up for 48 hours since he’s been censored with the Disinformation Dozen. Makes my Instagram jail look like a walk in the park.

 

 

CATG PODCAST: Ep 57. Weight Loss for Good

In this week’s Cutting Against the Grain episode, Laura and I chat about how to lose weight on a carnivore diet, and in a way that is sustainable.

  • Weight loss trends
  • Gaining weight on carnivore
  • Weight loss for different body types
  • Undereating on keto
  • Consistency is critical
  • Randle cycle
  • Calories in calories out
  • The heftiness of snacking
  • Meal timing
  • Multiple meals for gut health
  • Reverse dieting
  • Alcohol
  • Less variety
  • Macros and Levers

 

Listen Now!

 

PODCAST SPONSOR: Carnivore Cure

 

Carnivore Cure is the first elimination protocol to explain how to adopt a meat-based diet to bring about healing. Get back to optimal health by finding the perfect foods to fuel your individual body.

 

The Carnivore Cure book comes free with 15 bonus ebook guides to continue your journey to wellness. Based on demand, we have decided to sell the ebook guides as a bundle. This bundles does not include the Carnivore Cure book.

 

From bloodwork recommendations to gut supports to nutrient-dense eating ebooks, you don’t want to miss this bundle.

 

The Carnivore Cure ebook bonus bundle comes with:

  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — NwJ Gut Healing Bone Broth Guide
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — BTS Removed Graphics
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Full Citations Bibliography
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Fructose
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Bloodwork and Testing
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Fats and Smoking Points
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Nutrient Dense Eating for Kids
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Pregnancy and Babies First Foods
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Behavioral Tendencies
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — NwJ Gut Disease & Detox Supports
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — NwJ Mindful and Intuitive Eating Guide
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Food & Mood Journal
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — NwJ Brand, Products and Resources
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — NwJ Supplement Guide
  • Carnivore Cure Bonus — Carnivore75Hard Community Recipe Guide

 

In addition to these bundles, we are also including information on:

  • NwJ Glossary for Oils and Fats
  • NwJ Electrolyte Support
  • NwJ Gout and Carnivore
  • NwJ Gut Healing Support (Graphics only)
  • NwJ H. Pylori Support
  • NwJ Iodine Protocol
  • NwJ Referral Network
  • NwJ Stress and its Impact on the Body (Graphics only)

 

Eliminate the wrong foods and eat the right foods for you, and you alone. Take your life back with Carnivore Cure.

 

Get the Bundle!

 

NwJ PODCAST: Build Muscle and Mass Without Carbs on a Ketogenic Diet — Robert Sikes

 

I’m excited to sit down with Robert Sikes. We talk about macros, protein sparing modified fast, and much more.

We discuss the following:

  • Ketogenic Bodybuilding book
  • Thoughts on macros and protein threshold
  • Calorie threshold for males and females
  • Cutting and refeeding
  • Thoughts on protein sparing modified fast
  • Consumption of carbs
  • Training volume and training intensity
  • Training recommendations
  • Body composition and mindset
  • Where to find Robert Sikes and his book
  • Body composition in people with eating disorder

 

Watch Now!

 

NwJ INSIDER TIPS

I wish I had 48 hours a day. This week I had a few hours to play in the food toxin database sandbox. It’s still a work in progress but it’s getting closer to release. I learned in my research that fructose levels in foods will also be determined by foods having high fructans.

 

Adding fructose and purines to the database is adding more delay to the release. But I’d rather release something I’m happier with than something that is rushed. I learned that the hard way.

 

I rushed the release of Carnivore Cure edition one because I wanted to commit to the scheduled release date. I saw some of the errors in the book when we had the draft copy in our hands but if I didn’t approve the print, we would have to go through the entire review cycle again. It could have been a 3-month delay, partly because of the holidays. We had way too many pre-sale orders and I felt the pressure.

 

I had a copyeditor, an editor and a final copyeditor. Yet we released the book with errors. I cried and let it go. (I never really let it go).

 

With the database and Carnivore Cure edition two, I plan to be extra meticulous. We’ll hire more qualified professionals. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I need to hire more like-minded perfectionists.

 

Hopefully, Carnivore Cure edition two will be even better.

 

 

Carnivore Cure has always been about being the ultimate elimination diet. Eventually, as we heal, most of us want to reintroduce foods.

 

There are always “safe food lists” on social media, but most are not rooted in evidence-based research. Or they share a small subset of research. Context always matters.

 

The food database has over 400+ foods that consider a wide range of diets and toxins. Ultimately, it will allow you to find your perfect reintroduction foods.

 

I hope that practitioners will eventually use this database to find their clients and patients the perfect elimination/reintroduction diet for each individual person.

 

How amazing would that be?

 

No more toying with food groups and individual foods. Let’s remove food as an obstacle to healing. And once we do, we will know if food alone was healing enough or something further root cause needs to be addressed for healing (like trauma).

 

Until Carnivore gets into medical literature as a legitimate protocol for medical interventions of illness, I will continue to press on.

 

Who knows, CIRS and meat-only Carnivore may be the next clinical trial.

 

Thank you for being part of this community. ♥️

 

Make sure to share this newsletter with your friends and loved ones as all freebies, goodies, and evidence-based research is shared here first.

 

 

with ♥️ and hope for healing,

 

 

DISCLAIMER:
While I am a nutritional therapy practitioner and provide nutritional support, I am not providing medical advice. Any information provided in regards to nutritional therapy should not be considered medical advice or treatment. Always consult your primary care physician or medical team.