MEATSTOCK Wrap Up!
What an amazing trip to the hills of East Tennessee! This was the third year of MeatStock and my first year of attending. As you may be able to assess by the name—MeatStock is a carnivorous gathering of meat-eating enthusiasts ranging from Doctors, Naturopaths, Nutritionists, Fitness Coaches, and regular folks whose lives have been impacted in a positive way by eating a carnivore diet.
I’ve been on a meat-based journey dating all the way back to my early days of Paleo in 2009-10. However, my attention to the ‘animal-based’ side of Paleo has gotten a ton more attention in the last 5 years. For context, yours truly has been about 90-95% animal-based for the last 4 years. My diet is mostly beef, pork, eggs, dairy (raw and fermented), and plenty of salt (my go-to brand is Baja Gold).
Having said all that, my dietary pursuits since 2009 have been performance and lifestyle based…never out of what you might call a health or medical need. Why is that important? For starters, my perspective on carnivore, keto, paleo, and the myriad of these “low carb” dietary interventions has always come purely from me simply feeling/performing better eating this way.
MeatStock gave me the opportunity to interact closely with numerous people whose lives were transformed adopting the carnivore lifestyle. Here are just a few of the takeaways from the weekend:
Digestive Issues: Dozens of people there had eliminated gut and intestinal issues by adopting a carnivore approach. This ran the gamut—SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth), Crohn’s Disease, Colitis…just to name a few.
Skin Problems: Gotta tie this post into skincare, right? If I heard one story, I heard them all. Psoriasis, rosacea, eczema, skin tags and cheilitis…all reversed/eliminated by eating just meat. Given that many of these conditions are the result of an auto-immune response to something in the diet, it’s not surprising that so many see relief from getting garbage out of their diet.
Mental Health Conditions: This is where things got interesting. There is a burgeoning group of studies surfacing around the ketogenic diet helping to reverse/reduce the impact of cognitive ailments. As much as I buy into this theory, it really hits home when you meet someone who eliminated Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s, or Dementia by adopting the carnivore diet.
What I did NOT see at MeatStock: If you talk to a standard-care doctor or nutritionist, you’re going to get a big list of warnings related to eating only meat. Common ailments we are told occur when on a carnivore diet are:
Scurvy, constipation, heart disease, colon cancer, gout, and cognitive decline are all conditions you’ll be warned are coming with the adoption of a carnivore diet. I didn’t see or hear of a single case of any of these issues while in Gatlinburg.
Major Props to some of the Biggest Voices at MeatStock!
Dr. Shawn Baker—Orthopeodic Surgeon, world-record holder and carnivore now for over 8 years. Shawn is a priceless individual who has been a great voice of reason amidst the medical community. He also ran workouts for the attendees at MeatStock for several mornings.
Dr. Robert Kiltz—Doctor Kiltz is a fertility doctor and an absolute force to be reconned with when it comes to energy, fertility, and carnivore. He has seen remarkable results in his practice. Let’s be honest, there is not greater marker for sickness OR health than fertility.
Steak & Butter Gal—Bella is a former vegan that discovered the incredible benefits of carnivore and reclaimed her life through diet. She’s also a Julliard School trained classical pianist and graced the crowd on the final day of MeatStock.
Sally K Norton—Sally is the queen of oxalates. There are few on the planet who have a deeper understanding of the potential problems with compounds in many plants. Her book, Toxic Superfoods, unpacks many of the potential problems with the consumption of many plants in the Standard American Diet today.
Dr. Ken Berry—Dr. Berry has a huge presence on YouTube. He and his wife, Neisha, have been a bulwark for so many seeking solid medical advice. They are a tremendous resource for reclaiming your health through a proper human diet.
Dr. Annette Bosworth—Dr. Boz is an internal medicine physician doing tremendous work with addiction, depression, and autoimmune disorders. Her non-nonsense approach to speaking truth to many of the common ills plaguing society today.
Dr. Phil Ovadia—Phil is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon. His story is incredibly moving. Authoring a book that helps people “Stay Off his Operating Table” takes a bold stance at challenging the paradigms related to cholesterol and heart disease.
Ben Azadi—The founder of KetoKamp and recently crowned New Your Times bestselling author of Metabolic Freedom. There is no denying this man and his amazing story. Ben’s lived the amazing results a ketogenic diet can deliver—firsthand.
Dr. Lisa Wiedeman—Lisa is an eye doctor that goes by the handle ‘The Carnivore Doctor’. More importantly, she is a living example of the power of this dietary approach. 58 years young, striking and hyper active with her carnivore cruises.
