Welcome everyone, this is my first post here and I have a big question. I’m kind of desperate.
Long story short, i have a number of autoimmune problems- allergies, joint pain, acne etc. After years of eliminating gluten, milk, sugar, decided to cut carbs out entirely to find ultimate fix. That’s why I decided to go keto first(3 months ago), now trying carnivore.
I had poor digestion for years, since I remember when going to the bathroom, the consistency of what came out was rather liquid. When I tried keto- things got a bit worse, (high fat) i eventually thought that I might just not digest plant food at all so I tried carnivore. Yes, after few days of just eating meat- steak and eggs for the first time in YEARS I went to the bathroom and the food was perfectly digested. I decided then to add more sources of fat knowing such a high protein intake isn’t good in the long run. Whenever I add ghee (only dairy that doesnt break me out) or more liquid tallow to beef broth, i run to the bathroom.
Here is my question- is it possible I just cant digest liquid/rendered fat? Is it another physical issue created by years of eating wrong foods? Is it possible to fix? Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
Can't digest "liquid" fat - neither animal nor vegetable
I wonder if when you are ingesting liquid fat if it is more oil based and larger amounts? Do you have any gallbladder or bile duct issues? I ask because I seem to be fine with most solid fats and things like coconut oil, but if I have vegetable oil or olive oil or sesame oil, I get pronounced bile duct pain (right side under rib cage) and other unfriendly side effects - I did have my gallbladder removed over a decade ago…but have learned it is still possible to get stones in the bile duct. You may also be experiencing a “dump” where your body is just releasing everything at once.
I seem to be fine with the “solid” fats. Whenever I only eat ribeye steak, eggs and bacon in a day, even any other meat, I digest it all fine. But when I even have beef stew make of marrow bones, and marrow becomes liquid, which I drink later, I just run to the bathroom. I cant even digest higher amount of macadamias (4-5 oz in a sitting). I never had my gallbladder removed, dont even know if I ever had any issues with it. I do get stomach pain hours after liquid fat food/ right before bathroom visit.
Body doesn’t know what to do with liquid fat, thus expels it. Try eating less cooked animal fats. I have this issue also.
How quickly do you evacuate? Some food combinations give me essentially “dumping syndrome” where the food is quickly (<30 minutes) expelled from my stomach, water rushed to my GI tract, and if there is ANY food in the system it is quickly expelled. I have a fast transit time no matter what, so when I only eat one meal a day I have nothing in the system so a “dumping syndrome” meal isn’t as dangerous as that food needs at least an hour of two in order to exit. It isn’t a rapid as when there is food already in process…
I would look into the gall bladder / bile issue.
Consider taking bile salt supplements and see if it helps.
stomach acid is what trigger the bile.
you may have healthy bile and healthy bile ducts, but due to the lack of stomach acids, bile will not be secreted.
I would just keep sticking to the foods that you digested properly. Your body seems to like real food, especially when it’s meat. Maybe eating this way for a while will improve your gut microbiome and you can try introducing new things later.
Thank you for all the replies, I’ll try to combine my answers here.
I dont really know If I have low acid levels in my stomach, never asked doctor about it, they never helped me so I just stopped believing in them. I also dont really want to take any more suplements- they dont help me either, I started this diet to find alternative way than popping pills.
If I eat something that I can not digest- liquid fat/ even macadamias, I have to go to the bathroom in around an hour, and yes, I do experience “dump” effect.
As someone mentioned above, I think I will stick to fatty steaks, eggs and bacon for a while to see if my body would heal this way.
The only issue is that I feel lightheaded by eating this way, maybe because of the reason that protein is the main energy source, which it really shouldn’t?
Make sure you are getting enough sodium. When we restrict carbs it drives insulin production lower and both of those factors lead to an increase of sodium we are losing. Most keto side effects are a result of not compensating for that lost sodium. I know when I don’t get enough, I tend to become light headed too.
Two+ teaspoons of sodium over the course of your day is a good starting point.
You may be right with the salt, I’m lightheaded after breakfast and lunch where I use no salt, but I dont experience that at the dinner when I’m having my heavily salted steak. Will give it a try!
You should try digestive enzymes, or specifically lipase.
I have problems digesting fats. A little over a week ago, I bought a good enzyme mix high in lipase, and I can finally just eat, no running to the bathroom to expel stinky liquids. I also experience getting more energy from food, and I can suddenly want to eat more fats which I couldn’t handle before.
If you have immune disorders, bone broth could actually be somewhat bad, as it can get rather high in histamine. I only recently found out that any broth that becomes jelly when it cools down, is not very good for me (never really liked aspic, so haven’t ever eaten or drunk much before). So I’ll have to be careful with what kind of bones I use.
Protein itself is not an efficient energy source. You need either fat or carbohydrates for energy. Protein is just a bunch of amino acids mostly and are building blocks for replacing and maintaining body tissues but there’s very little energy to burn in lean protein. This is why fatty meat cuts are recommended for a ketogenic diet.
You should be consuming salt with all your meals. @CarlKeller is definitely correct on the salt. Salt is also a building block for stomach acid and necessary for good digestive health. Your body doesn’t hold onto sodium or water the same as when you’re eating carbs. Sodium is flushed more rapidly so salt consumption throughout the day will help with stability of sodium levels. Try keto aid if you’re still having problems after salting all your meals. 
You shouldn’t need digestive enzymes. Give your body time to get used to its job. It knows what to do.
Your advice is spot on, @CarlKeller.
Eat the foods that you’re body is digesting, and salt your food.
I would just add, that steak and eggs is still a high fat diet:
12oz Ribeye: 69g fat, 63g protein
3 eggs: 12g fat, 18g protein
Total: 81g fat, 81g protein
81g fat = 729 calories
81g protein = 324 calories
Total: 1053 calories
729 / 1053 = 69% fat
324 / 1053 = 31% protein
Perfect.
Not for everyone. I feel awful at this ratio. 28% is a hard upper limit for me and I feel my best between 18-20% protein.
I waited 3 months before I gave up. It was causing dehydration, red eyes, likely also some malnutrition. When I have the enzymes, I don’t feel nauseous eating animal fat, and I don’t get cod liver oil burps for hours after taking it. My eyes also start watering after I eat, if I take the enzymes. I could try again in another month on enzymes, just to see if my body is willing to learn. It’s not like I want to keep taking enzymes, but eating got too difficult.