Episode Details

Prepare yourself for the most epic, deep dive into the carnivore diet that you've ever heard.

I recently listened to a physician named Paul Saladino debate research scientist Layne Norton about the carnivore diet on my friend Mark Bell's podcast. I was so intrigued by the episode that I decided to get Paul on my show to explore the science behind the carnivore diet, carnivore diet do's and don'ts, and whether the carnivore diet is a true, sustainable, natural, ancestral nutrition approach or just a dietary fad.

During this show, we cover: -Why Paul is a raving fan of salmon roe...17:15

• Humans cannot make Omega 3 fatty acids
  • Omega 3's in salmon roe are in the phospholipid form
  • Salmon roe crosses the blood brain barrier more efficiently than in the triglyceride or ethyl ester form (which you'll find in most fish oil capsules)
• Two tbsps of salmon roe gives you the DHA without being exposed to the metals
• Benefit of getting a nutrient from a food vs. from a supplement
• Concern with oxidation in fish oil:
  • Look for certificate of analysis
  • Look at levels of lipid peroxides
  • Not nearly as much oxidation in eggs than the fish

-Why Paul doesn't consume black pepper...21:15

• A central principle of the carnivorous diet: plants are not put on the earth to serve humans
• Develop potentially toxic compounds to defend themselves from other animals
• A peppercorn is the seed of a plant
  • The seeds are where a higher concentration of pesticides and toxins reside
  • Pepper contains a compound called piperine, which inhibits UDP glucuronosyltransferase
• In essence: black pepper inhibits our body's natural detoxification process.
• Piperine is added to curcumin supplements to increase the level of curcumin you can absorb
• We don't actually use these molecules in human biochemistry
  • Used to activate certain pathways to produce our own antioxidants (which is glutathione)
• Plants induce Nrf2, while simultaneously doing toxic things to our bodies
• Sulforaphane is considered to be a highly beneficial molecule as a precursor to glutathione pathways
  • But is known to be a goitrogen (meaning it can induce hypothyroidism)
• Key take away: You can simulate the benefits of eating plants by eating meat and living a healthy lifestyle

-Why Paul refused a cup of Kion Coffee when offered by Ben...30:45

• Coffee is felt to be beneficial because of a couple of polyphenolic compounds: chloragenic acid and caffeic acid
  • These have been found to be clastogenic (DNA damage)
• A coffee bean is the seed of a plant, which contains toxins as a natural defense mechanism
• Very few animals eat those seeds

-Aren't plants like exercise, where you need them, but too much can be harmful?...26:05