Thanks @ReneeRC. I’m going to take my own in about an hour. I think your numbers are fine. They are just slightly above the PKD ideal range. That’s one thing I’m not certain of, do they have a specific time we are supposed to test? Because I clearly have a big “dawn phenomenon” so morning tests give me poorer results it seems while perhaps for you it’s your best time.
Also… I’m sooooo jealous. Lanny wants brains too!!! 
It’s not against the law to sell cow brains at all, just hard to find them in the regular grocery stores. Try ethnic food markets, I get mine in California from a Mexican Carniceria, (butcher shop). You can also find them in many Asian or some halal markets. The danger from spongiform encephalitis is minuscule in America, you’re much more likely to get food born bacteria infections from ground beef like E. coli, listeria or salmonella. These occur thousands of times per year and have a death toll attached. Mad cow disease is more of an issue in Canada and the UK.
There have only been six cases of spongiform encephalitis in humans in the US according to the CDC’s records. I don’t think the infections all originated in the US. And if I remember correctly only three infected cows in the US have ever been found. It can occur randomly although it’s pretty rare. I read one of those three cows was a random occurrence and the other two were somehow infected but I can’t remember how.
https://www.cdc.gov/prions/bse/case-us.html
I’ll have to start asking around and see if anyone can sell me brain…Persistence often pays off in the end. Evidently the butcher you go to does not know about the liability connected to mad cow disease, so that’s great! Btw, noticed your paragraph on ketones and glucose. They should both be taken in the morning before food, and after at least 12 hours of fasting. You might get a lower glucose read then. Strange your ketones would be so high if you aren’t eating any vegetable matter at all. Check out Dave Feldman’s work…he has a podcast talking about how glucose levels really fall after the 12 hour mark in overnight fasting.
Interesting, I’ll have to do more research. Thanks for the link! I’m not at all afraid to get mad cow disease, especially if I get the brains from a good source (pastured animals). Maybe its just a liability issue for them, i.e. they don’t want to get sued “just in case”?
@ReneeRC 78 glucose and 1.6 ketones today. Main difference from yesterday was a lot of walking and a hot bath prior to testing. Food was pretty similar.
I believe this was a personal choice and an excuse the butcher gave you, from what I found there hasn’t ever been a legal case about this ever. I can get Cow Brain Tacos in local taquerias in California.
But the disease consequences of an infection are very high as compared to food poisoning.
It’s the non-diagnosed ones that are equally as concerning. Maybe more so?
Elk, bison, and deer are potential vectors for spongiform encephalopathy.
The only time I get that pain is if I eat something that has a bad oil like vegetable oil or something like that so I am trying not to eat out.
@Ilana_Rose Like Darcy said, PM wants an early morning (fasting) measurement each day so that is why I usually don’t measure after breakfast. So far, my early morning tests are usually 74 glucose and 2.5 ketones. 
@darcygreenwald My butcher is familiar with all the mad cow scare. He has confidence in the meats he sells. Like @David_Stilley said, it IS legal to sell brains in the USA.
US Wellness Meats sent me the following reply when I asked why they didn’t sell brains:
Thank you for reaching out, we do not sell brain for a couple reasons; 1) they are difficult to pass inspection through our onsite USDA inspector, 2) we harvest via a captive bolt gun for an instant and painless kill. The captive bolt gun process compromises the brain of the animal.
While the certainty of damage is going to be higher from Mad Cow Disease the actual death toll in the US from food poisoning is many thousands of times more likely.
About 9,000 deaths per year from food poisoning in the US. So in the last twenty years six cases of spongiform encephalitis vs. approximately 180,000 deaths from straight up food poisoning. I’m fine with taking my chances eating brains as this ratio means obviously that it’s not a real danger, just the remnants of hype from the horrible outbreak in the UK born from feeding cows with risky methods using recycled ruminant animal parts left from meat processing in cattle feed.
There are so many more dangerous activities that are likely to kill you, like eating the SAD or crossing the street! 
@ReneeRC I’ll have to wait a few more days to get a decent fasted reading then. I’m currently weaning off coffee and I probably need to test a few hours after waking to not be seeing the impact of dawn phenomenon. I still need a cup of coffee in those early hours or a headache is likely.
Just reading some of these chains. You probably know that PM is very strict about cutting out all dairy immediately. Dairy really messes with GI function. Dr Clemens also told me right off the bat that most people on this diet only have a BM once every 4-10 days, and that this is entirely normal for people on the PKD. So far I am still going much more frequently than that, but I also add a small amount of low to no oxalate vegetable to my meals daily because otherwise I am losing weight so rapidly that its a bit scary. I’m already down to 103 pounds and I feel like I am all skin and bones (my ribs poking out). Anyone else getting too thin on this diet? I am hoping it levels out soon! (I’m into month 2) Its incredibly hard for me to stick to below 400grams of food per day because I get so hungry, but PM really emphasizes not eating too much or people get symptoms, and I do notice when I eat too much I can get nauseous. Don’t know what everyone else notices.
Yes, this makes a lot of sense. I feel like getting brain from very clean, pastured animals eating a natural diet should be just fine, and is a very acceptable risk to take! Although I would feel worried about buying brain from a Asian or Mexican market, just because I would have no idea where the animal came from, and what its diet is like. I feel there is higher risk (not just from mad cow disease) here.
I do know that. But since I’m giving up coffee anyhow very shortly and since I’m already really not suffering anymore I’m giving myself leeway to enjoy my last few coffees.
This is super helpful. At 12 days between BM’s I was very uncomfortable so I don’t think that was so good. But up to about the 8th day I don’t feel any discomfort at all so as long as I settle to having a BM regularly before that I’ll be very content knowing that it’s “normal range” for this diet. Thank you. This eases my mind tremendously.
I haven’t knowingly eaten brains. But I ate some very yummy stuff in France that I wasn’t sure what it was. I did eat some calf thymus. yep, I drink bone broth.
@darcygreenwald
Hehe, there’s a restaurant/bar near us that sells “BRAIN sandwiches.” They even have a video on their website talking about it. They used to use cow brains but I guess too many folks were scared of mad cow disease so it was appropriate for them to switch to pig. My butcher can get pig and cow brains but not lamb. Here’s a link to Schottzie’s place:
One can also order frozen pig brains from “Farmland” at their website or at Amazon if you type in Farmland pork brains. You get 12 packages with each package weighing one pound so 12 total pounds of brains. The cost $102 at Amazon. I didn’t check their own website.
Today’s glucose was 70 and ketones 2.8. I’m curious to see if it’s even better without the two creamy coffees that I’m still having.
IIana, those are some awesome numbers! Were those morning numbers? Either way those look really good!
