No Need To Supplement


(Krishna) #1

Sorry to start a new topic on this, but someone on here thought it would be a good idea. If that’s out of line, I apologize.

I have seen references on a number of different Carnivore resources about “no need to supplement”, and supplements being “Not Carnivore”. But I am not willing to quit supplements and medications without advice from my doctor. So it seems like a huge conflict here. Is Carnivore a way of eating, or medical advice?

In looking for support in the way of eating, I’ve read other people getting slammed for drinking coffee and taking supplements. My situation doesn’t allow for stopping them abruptly, and even working with my doctor to ditch the meds could take months.

Does anyone know of somewhere I could get support In getting healthy and still respect the fact that I choose not to go against my doctor’s advice? It is my goal to not be on medications and supplements, but I don’t have much health left to risk by dropping them cold turkey.

Looking for support on lifestyle. I will continue to take medication and supplements as prescribed, and am struggling because it appears many in this community are opposed to supplementation.

Hopefully this question makes sense. I don’t always think very clearly.


(Jane) #2

I don’t know anything about carnivore but hopefully nobody is advising you to stop medications.


(David Cooke) #3

My point of view is that keto is a therapy to be used to correct undesirable biometrics or to reverse diabetes.
Going carnivore will solve many problems for most people if Keto doesn’t work for you, and it is a useful place to be in, you can start to add different foods to your diet to see which ones are causing problems for you (whole grains, dairy etc).
I myself have managed to go low carb(30gm daily) , my biometrics are fine and maybe I will try 40 gm.
I must admit that at one point I scrapped my statins and BP meds without consulting my doctor, but this was because I have no hope of finding a Keto friendly doctor here in Thailand, I wouldn’t normally advise that.
Good luck.


(Chris) #4

Health > being part of a club.

What supplements and medications are you using?


(Krishna) #5

Are you acknowledging that yes - this is a “club”, with exclusive membership granted to those with normal health profiles? If so, can you (orsomeone) recommend a forum that might be more open, and not specifically advise against taking medicine and supplements?

The medicines and supplements I’m taking are intended to relieve symptoms of and treat this illness: https://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/. Further slides tubing my personal medical profile: My A1C is fine (5.2), cholesterol is irrelevant, and most bloodwork is normal. I am under the close care of a medical professional.

Is it fair to want to understand your intent or screening criteria for what I’m taking? It would help me understand the context behind your question.


(Chris) #6

Not at all, and that wasn’t the point of Amber’s post either.

Is it fair when someone is asking for help with their specific health issues to get some details so one could provide a more detailed answer?


(hottie turned hag) #7

@Krishna I haven’t been here long, just since April but I have read no posts stating one ought to abandon meds against doc’s advice. They may exist but may just be outliers or uninformed folk spouting nonsense. I can say with confidence they are not the norm, on here nor anywhere folks have good sense.

Certainly you should not d/c any prescribed meds based upon forum posts. Supplements not physician prescribed, eh, they may be a different story as one may be treating oneself with a layperson’s level of knowledge and doing harm thereby ex: overdoing K supplementation.

I’d suggest you read more on here, esp posts by those with years of experience and ignore the folk stating extremist views.

As to carnivore, I’m doing it myself past few months. I do use seasoning and condiments also butter so some terminology zealots may say that’s not carnovore. Who cares? Don’t get hung up on the definition. If you wish to try it, an easy way is just eliminate all cheese and veg. There are lots on here doing it that way and I have never seen them given crap about it.


(mole person) #8

I think most people here take supplements of one form or another.

I’m confused by this post. I’ve looked through your recent postings and can find no example of anyone suggesting that you go off of medications or even supplements against medical advice.

People here have a very wide variety of opinions on supplements. Many take several daily, but others eschew them believing that the data on both their efficacy and safety are lacking. But we are all just individuals with our own opinions. There is no clublike consensus on this topic at all. In fact, I can only think of one thing that nearly everyone here agrees on and that’s the insulin theory of fat accumulation and metabolic disfunction and the advice that keeping carbohydrates ultra low is the most successful approach to losing fat mass.


(Krishna) #9

Hi there. I seem to be ruffling a few feathers. This would be great, if that was my intent. Unfortunately, I’m just a sick person looking for support with a dietary program to complement working with my doctor on a very distressing illness. :face_with_head_bandage:

I’m thinking that you all are saying that there really isn’t a concern about taking supplements with carnivore. Is that right? I might have misinterpreted what I’ve read in the past.

The comments I’m referring to regarding supplements were from other people’s posts. I did extensive reading before posting here. Here are a few references to show why I get the impression there I pressure to leave the supplements alone:

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/supplements-on-zc/39930/2

https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/should-carnivore-be-the-starting-point/79217/27

And here’s a thread acknowledging that at least for the medical condition mentioned, that heeding medical advice (for some) may be acceptable: Hashimoto's on ZC

I’m sorry if anyone got the impression I would be open to discontinuing prescribed medication and supplements against medical advice. I was hoping to disentangle the dietary advice here from the “supplementation or no supplementation” advice.


(Karim Wassef) #10

We’re here to support you and share our experiences. There is no “carnivore” club… only whatever you choose to implement to promote your health.

We may joke around but all ways of eating are individual. Do carnivore your way and let us know how you feel :smiley:


(Katie) #11

Your diet is no one else’s business. You can read carnivore forums/groups and take their advice for what to eat, but just not listen to them regarding the supplements and medications you take. That is between you and your doctor.

Carnivore can be a great elimination protocol. Check out any podcasts with Dr. Paul Saladino. He talks about healthy, nutritious meat foods to include.


(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #12

Curious, why cheese? When I did carnivore in the past, it was simply eliminate all plant foods. Curious why you don’t eat cheese, or more curious why your interpretation of carnivore is “no cheese”. I haven’t been involved in the carnivore circles much as of late, but have been around Keto and carnivore for years.


(hottie turned hag) #13

@Brenda oh I have no interpretation thereof; I eliminated cheese along with veg just to break the stall as I was having 16oz/DAY of mozz.
I figured if I took out cheese and veg no way I could overeat and it proved to be true as the stall broke immediately :smiley:

I keep it veeerrry simple and don’t get into the what’s true carnivore etc; I just wing it. Often I’ll put “carnivore” in quotes for this reason.

Ack I thought you were currently carnivore, must’ve been reading older posts!


(Norma Laming) #14

I would think that a few weeks of meat and water only would be good, just to see what it’s like and to find out how your body reacts to introducing dairy. I’m finding it hard to take that step. Same with eggs. You don’t know until you try.


(Elizabeth ) #15

Well cheese is absolutely carnivore, when you first start out if you need to have a little bit as a side dish or a topping it’s fine, but sometimes people take that advice as cart blanche and eat a pound of meat and a pound of cheese and that’s not going to give you the nutrients you need. Cheese is just fine if you can tolerate it, I ate pounds a week when I was keto but when I went carnivore I realized it was upsetting my digestive track I just had never noticed it with all the fiber before. Cheese is also made from cow’s milk for the most part and may have hormones in it that help baby cows grow so it can be a cause of weight gain and even addiction for some people. But if you like it and you can eat it and it helps you stay carnivore then by all means eat cheese


(Charlotte) #16

How you do keto is a very personalized process developed by the individual. No one does their keto the same way. Don’t get hung up on labels of what kind of keto you do whether its carni or traditional etc… You do you and don’t bother with trying to fit in to anyone else idea of what keto is or should be because everyone is different. The right keto is the one that works for just you.


(Karim Wassef) #17

Dairy is generally anabolic (makes you grow). Two proteins: Whey and Casein both do this so if you want to shrink, you can choose to give it up. Also, it has other chemicals that “could” be inflammatory. It’s very individual but if you stall, giving up dairy could pick things up.

The exception is ghee (clarifies butter) that has almost no milk solids.

Or… you can go for goats milk cheese… I love that stuff and it’s much easier to digest.

I mash it down with EVOO … soo gooood… oops! The carnivore police are going to get me for allowing olive products!! Oh noooo! :scream:

Here’s another good question on “dogma” for the puritanical carnivore: is honey carnivore? :joy:

Just have some fun with it


(Jane Srygley) #18

I looked at the links to the discussions you posted. I saw some people saying they saw no need to supplement, but no one saying “ignore your doctor and stop taking your supplements,” so I think maybe this is a matter of interpretation. People may have their opinions on diet and supplementation, and if you say, “Should I supplement?” some will probably say yes and others no… but if you are looking for a forum that is open and supports your individual choices, I think you have found it!


(Norma Laming) #19

I’m not sure I agree that cheese is carnivore. It’s an animal product but it’s not flesh. There are good reasons for testing doing without it, whether eating carnivore for weight loss or for autoimmune problems.

I’m not one for historical re-enactments but dairy farming is a Neolithic creation and some people are unaware that it causes them problems until they give it up. That is a difficult step to take.


(Boston_guy) #20

There’s a micronutrient test - https://www.vibrant-america.com/micronutrient/ - that could answer this. Think it’s $200. Would be interesting to have a hardcore carnivore take it-

“The only test that provides a comprehensive extracellular and intracellular assessment of the levels of the most important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fatty acids and amino acids.”

Vitamins

Vitamin A

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B5

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D, 25-0H

Vitamin D3

Vitamin E

Vitamin K1

Vitamin K2

Folate

Minerals

Calcium

Magnesium

Manganese

Zinc

Copper

Chromium

Iron

Amino Acids

Asparagine

Glutamine

Serine

Antioxidants

Coenzyme Q10

Cysteine

Glutathione

Selenium

Metabolites

Choline

Inositol

Carnitine

MMA (Methyl Maloneic Acid)

Electrolytes

Sodium

Potassium

Intracellular (RBC)

RBC Folate

RBC Magnesium

RBC Iron

RBC Omega Fatty Acids