With all the talk about being a vegan versus being a carnivore these days, I thought it would be fun to put together a cookbook that caters to both lifestyles.
For those who are new to these two diets, vegan is an entirely plant-based food plan and carnivore is entirely meat-based.
Maybe on Monday you’re craving a steak. Or Tuesday you’re craving spinach. Why can’t you have it all? Anecdotal, short-term studies point to healthy living for both vegans and carnivores. What better than to combine two lifestyles into one?
Let’s check out my signature recipes. First off, for the vegans…
Handful of spinach.
All you need is a handful of spinach, either bagged or fresh on the produce shelf. Put the spinach in your mouth and call it a day.
Spoon of coconut oil.
Grab a spoon and scoop some coconut oil on it. Store your coconut oil at room temperature to make it just the right edible texture.
Salty avocado bowl.
Peel your avocado (ideally when it’s soft enough to eat) and break apart the chewy light green stuff into a bowl. Add some spinach, raisins, walnuts and olive oil to dress it up. Finish your creation off by sprinkling some salt on there.
Really green smoothie.
Frozen fruit, spinach, avocado, broccoli, celery, pea protein powder, coconut oil, water, coconut milk. Blend until smooth.
Crunchy kale chips.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie tray. break off the leaves of a few kale branches and spread them out on the sheet. Add olive oil and salt on top. Bake for 15 minutes or until kale chips are crunchy. I usually go with 380 degrees Fahrenheit for the oven temperature.
Sauerkraut à la mode.
A forkful of sauerkraut. This is a wonderful probiotic for gut health.
For the carnivores…
Ribeye.
Grab a thawed or fresh ribeye steak and slap it on the frying pan at medium heat. Salt one side. 7 minutes later, flip and salt the other side. Cook for 7 more minutes, then you’re ready to munch away.
Top sirloin.
Same steps as ribeye.
Meat fat snack.
Head to your local butcher and ask for the leftover fat from their meats. Fry away at medium heat until nice and crispy.
Salty chicken.
Same steps as ribeye.
Tuna à la mode.
Scoop out some canned tuna (albacore or light varieties will do) into a bowl and add salt.
Salty salmon.
Same steps as ribeye, but maybe just 6 minutes on each side.
Final thoughts.
I have no background in nutrition or health science. I do triathlons for fun. My endurance has improved by focusing on more whole foods in my diet. I have tested both carnivore and vegan diets. I have done intermittent fasting. I feel great by doing all of the above.
I just know one thing from my experiments: refined sugars and refined carbs are unhealthy for long-term living.
Our bodies simply can’t handle the digestion of sugary cakes, donuts, cookies, pies and ice cream (unless you’re an extreme endurance athlete and these foods just go right through you).
The challenge is in eliminating those bad foods. Governments should be implementing sugar restrictions at grocery stores, but maybe that’s asking for too much. The fact is, we need sugar to employ millions of people who work at sugar corporations and hospitals that treat sugar patients. Mmmm sugar patients. Banning sugar would be a bigger catastrophe to the job economy than automation and AI.
Most would agree that a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts and water would be acceptable as a whole food lifestyle. I would also add Himalayan pink salt and Celtic salt to that list (our bodies naturally contain salt). I left out grains because there are questions around the processing of this food today. White rice is linked to diabetes. It’s also a processed grain, stripped of some nutrients that are present in the brown variety. We are still figuring out whether refined rice should be in our diets today.
Hopefully these recipes give you a simple idea of what ideal whole food diets can be. Over time, you will notice less of an appetite from eating these foods. Your stomach will shrink and heal. Your mind will be sharper. Your productivity and endurance will improve.
These are the benefits that real food brings us.