Carni and high numbers on my hs CR-P test

#21

@robintemplin - I’d say this was a good recommendation; I’ve been using this substance (not this specific brand) for several months now.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #22

You might be reacting to the sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.

(Robin) #23

Well, I’ll never know until I walk away from it.
Here goes the last of my indulgences.
And of course, I just ordered more. So, it will be like the booze in the house and the cigarettes that I kept long after I conquered them.

Like leaving dead bodies at the crime scene.

(Robin) #24

Looks like sodium benzoate would be the most suspicious culprit.

It interacts with vitamin c and can cause benzene in the kidneys and create all sorts of havoc. I’ll mention it to my doc tomorrow. Although all the markers for that in my recent cbc were ok.

Even if this sweetener is NOT the problem, this afternoon has left me some personal insight. The thought of giving up my sweetened drinks had me going through all the old rarionales and denial thoughts I remember from my addict days…
I can just cut back.
Tomorrow.
Surely this isn’t really a problem.
Etc etc etc….

I don’t like feeling that way about anything that I don’t need in order to survive. So…
Done

And thanks. You may or may not have helped with my CR-P etc, but you’ve helped immensely.
I’m gonna be so squeaky clean, I’m obnoxious.

(Alec) #25

Robin
I had 2 thoughts yesterday:

  1. Could your inflammation be oxalate dumping? Sally Norton seems to suggest this can go on for a long time…
  2. Could you try literally zero plants for a while ie get rid of the carnivore edges like coffee/tea/stevia/sweeteners/anything plant sourced? Try for a while and see if the CRP number improves?
    Cheers
    A
(Robin) #26

Well, I’m giving up the sweetener for sure.
I’ll have to think on the coffee and tea. Those are the only remaining plant based things in my diet. But I’ve always said if your diet got you into that mess, it can get you out of it.

Hmmmm….

Ok. Here goes nothing.
Literally.
Nothing.
But water.

(Alec) #27

Remember it may not need to be for life… you just need to learn what the issue is.

I am sooooo much happier with using diet as the first course of action to fix an issue rather than drugs being the first course of action…

(Robin) #28

Agree. Agree. Agree.

It’s funny I was just looking at all my containers for various teas and I will certainly be helping my quest for minimalism.
Coffee will stay for hubby, but now that it’s on my naughty list I won’t even be tempted.

I excel at respecting lines in the sand, once drawn.

(Alec) #29

Please keep us updated, it’s an interesting one, very interesting for us carnivores. When is your next test scheduled for?

(Robin) #30

I see Joe ( my doc) tomorrow…. I have quite a list of things to consider…. He’s my co-conspirator in all this. We’ll figure it out. I suspect I will be having a smorgasbord of tests.

(Robin) #31

CONFESSION: I must admit that as I consider all this, I am wondering if I might be smart to go back to a modified keto. I have learned what veggies I can tolerate, if they are well cooked and chewed well. I could handle some avacado too.

There has always been a small doubt about eating as extreme as I do and choosing to believe in the science I have found here. Just being honest. Even though I feel better than I ever have in all my adult life and feel stringer and more fit and energetic… I still secretly cross my fingers. Just being very honest here.

I have no plans to EVER go back to eating crap and feeling like crap. But I am willing to consider a more modest keto diet approach than carnivore. I know I could be a very satisfied keto person as well.

I’m curious if I am a total outlier in these thoughts/doubts.

I’m trying to think how I would respond to this post from another member. I’m pretty sure I would say, You got this, and you will find what works best for you.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #32

Alternatively:
You can have all you want.
Tomorrow.
Just not today.

(Robin) #33

Indeed.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #34

I’ve given up caffeine numerous times over the years. It always took about two weeks for the headaches to go away, and then I was fine.

(Megan) #35

Hi @robintemplin, my CRP on carni is normal for the 1st time in my life, and more towards the lower end of the numbers they give to determine low/normal/high than the higher end. I’m interested to see what it is after another 6 or so months into carni. This might have also happened eating very clean keto, but I only keto’d for about a month before going carni. Some of your other test results do indicate something may be going on, as Mr Bear said, so it’s great you have a good doctor you can talk with and hopefully get to the bottom of what’s going on.

It’s so hard to know what is dietary and what isn’t, when it comes to someone eating very clean keto or carni. There aren’t enough studies on our population and it sounds like you don’t have any specific symptoms bothering you, so how will you know if changing what you eat and drink is helping or not.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #36

It’s entirely up to you. But if you’re feeling better than you ever have, why mess with a good thing?

And as for the extreme eating idea, cutting out all animal foods from your diet is just as extreme as cutting out all plant foods, but nobody blinks an eye at the former.

This argument reminds me of when I stopped drinking, and there were all those people who told me I was being extreme and would damage my health. Funnily enough, none of those people were among the friends who knew what I was like when I drank, lol!

And thirty years on, I have a distinct lack of health problems resulting from an alcohol deficiency.

(Megan) #37

Yea, this is a toughie. B/c I’m a huge slippery slope type person the way I get around it is I know how I’m currently eating is 100% more healthy than how I’d be eating if I wasn’t carni. I can’t eat non-carni “in moderation”, I’ve proven that to myself time and time again. But it sounds like you’re different in this respect.

(Robin) #38

I don’t PLAN on giving up carni at this point. There are so many positives… low BP, low glucose and Trygs and high HDL. And I FEEL no inflammation, like I did when my hips and knees felt arthritic and my range of motion was limited. Of course, I also know that simply losing about 70 pounds is one of the biggest factors in my overall health. I also realize I got here via keto then carni. And Carni is so freaking easy and takes no thought or measuring, etc. it’s cruise control for me, for the first time in my life.

But…
at this moment, my inflammation is happening for SOME reason. I just need to figure it out.

My post was really just saying aloud (to people I trust) that I sometimes doubt myself.
But, I still got this!

(Robin) #39

Interesting Megan, I too often refer to myself as a slippery slope person. But only with certain things. I can do veggies in moderation. I actually only gave them up because they contributed to flair ups of diverticulitis. But I also learned I could cook them well, chew them well and restrict the amount, I was ok. But I decided to use that as my impetus to try carnivore.

It could end up being some sort of auto immune thing. Lupus is a biggie in my family… aunt, sister, daughter.

And now I’m learning that some long-covid folks have this exact same issue with SUPER high LDL and C-RP and inflammation. I had significant cognitive/memory issues after covid, I feel I have some susceptibility in that area as well. I’m not 100% back cognitively… still some glitches here and there.

So yeah, long covid is on the list of possible causes, but that doesn’t provide an answer.

Thankfully my doctor is brilliant and 100% supports my diet, due to the results. And after 35 years, he trusts me. And vice versa. We learn together sometimes.
I’m lucky!

(Michael) #40

Love this, and same here.