Why Dr. Shawn Baker (King of Carnivore) Added FRUIT to his Diet
16 Mar 2024 (6 months ago)
Intro
- Dr. Shawn Baker, known as the "king of carnivore," has recently added fruit to his diet, which may surprise some given his previous strict carnivore approach.
Grass-Finished Meat Delivered to Your Doorstep
- Butcher Box delivers grass-fed and grass-finished cuts of meat, including ground bison, ground beef, chicken, pork, scallops, and other seafood options, as well as real bacon.
- The meat is of high quality, with a deep red color, unlike the bright red meat often found in grocery stores.
Why Shawn Added in Fruit to His Diet
- Shawn Baker experimented with adding fruit to his carnivore diet to test the lean mass hyper responder and lipid energy model.
- He ate 100 grams of fruit, mostly apples, for a week and monitored his cholesterol levels.
- His cholesterol levels did not change significantly, indicating that he may not be lean enough to be a lean mass hyper responder.
- He experienced gut irritation after a few days of eating fruit.
- Shawn Baker fasted for 24 hours and his cholesterol dropped to 156, which is relatively normal.
- After a hard workout that depleted his glycogen stores, his cholesterol increased to 346.
- This supports the lipid energy model, which suggests that cholesterol levels vary based on energy availability.
- Shawn Baker emphasizes that he is not dogmatic about the carnivore diet and encourages experimentation to find what works best for individuals.
- He views diet as a means to achieve health, rather than a strict set of rules or a religion.
- While he primarily follows a carnivore diet, he occasionally incorporates other foods and does not worry excessively about it.
Lean Mass Hyper-Responder (LMHR)
- A lean mass hyper-responder (LMHR) is someone who has:
- LDL cholesterol above 200
- Triglycerides below 70
- HDL above 80
- LMHR is usually acquired through a low-carb diet, ketogenic diet, or carnivore diet.
- LMHR individuals are otherwise metabolically healthy, with:
- Low HDL
- High HDL
- Low triglycerides
- Good glycemic control
- Normal blood pressure
- Normal BMI
- High LDL cholesterol in LMHR individuals may be potentially protective against heart disease, but more research is needed.
- The study by Matt Budoff will be the first to critically examine the relationship between LDL cholesterol and heart disease in LMHR individuals.
- A study by Morton out of Denmark in 2022 found that LDL cholesterol had no bearing on major adverse cardiac events in individuals with a zero coronary artery calcium score.
- Some researchers believe that particle number over time is the only factor that determines heart disease risk, but this view is considered unscientific.
- Chris Gardner, a respected nutritionist from Stanford, believes it is unethical to study people on a carnivore diet, but Dr. Baker disagrees, arguing that studying these individuals is essential to understanding the health effects of the carnivore diet.
Glucose Spikes From Exercise
- Athletes driving their glucose up high all the time doesn't necessarily mean it's bad.
- Optimal glucose levels for peak performance in athletes can be as high as 200.
- Glucose levels can fluctuate significantly based on factors like exercise and energy fluxes.
- Basing health decisions on a single measurement, like total cholesterol, lacks nuance and doesn't account for the dynamic nature of physiology.
- No specific information about fruit is provided in this section.
Adding Fruit to Carnivore Diet | Benefits of Fruit
- Carbohydrates can enhance performance for adapted athletes but may have negative effects for individuals with certain health conditions.
- Training is crucial for muscle growth, with diet playing a secondary role.
- Athletes may need up to six months to adapt to a carnivore diet for optimal performance.
- Finding the minimum effective dose of carbohydrates can minimize negative effects while still benefiting from their performance-enhancing properties.
- Dr. Shawn Baker, a prominent advocate of the carnivore diet, has incorporated fruit into his diet, recognizing the importance of glucose for brain, adrenal, testicle, and red blood cell function.
- Consuming carbohydrates can cause a spike in blood glucose levels, especially for those not adapted to it.
- Dr. Baker focuses on helping individuals with autoimmune diseases, food addiction, diabetes, and obesity, rather than optimizing athletic performance.
- Older athletes may have different dietary and nutritional perspectives compared to younger athletes.
Shawn's Diet Before Carnivore
- Shawn used to party, drink, and eat poorly without any noticeable health issues.
- In his late 20s, he transitioned from rugby to powerlifting and gained weight rapidly by consuming 10,000 calories a day.
- He ate excessively, including multiple entrees, appetizers, and desserts.
Thomas' Carb Intake
- Thomas adds between 70 to 120 grams of carbohydrates to his diet on high-training days.
- He hasn't noticed a significant difference in his training performance but feels he might have slightly better peak performance and sleep.
- Adding carbs has helped his sleep but has also increased inflammation and joint pain.
- Despite consuming close to 100 grams of carbs per day, he still registers 0.5 millimoles of ketones.
- Thomas speculates that his higher training demand while consuming carbs might be putting more mileage on his joints, causing inflammation.
Combining Fats & Carbs
- Shawn Baker decreases his fat intake when he eats carbs.
- He finds that he ends up eating fewer calories and feeling tired when he combines carbs and fats.
- Baker believes that the combination of fat and carbs, like donuts and ice cream, is a significant driver of fat storage and obesity.
- He suggests that it's better to be primarily adapted to either fat or carbs, rather than combining the two.
- Baker emphasizes the importance of consuming fat when following a low-carb or zero-carb diet and carbohydrates when following a very low-fat diet.
- Unlike essential fats and essential protein amino acids, carbohydrates are not essential but can provide energy and be useful.
Physique of Our Ancestors - What Are We Designed To Do
- Humans today are not designed to have six-packs and low body fat percentages like bodybuilders.
- Indigenous populations throughout history have typically had higher body fat percentages, around 10-18%.
- The type of training we do today, with high repetitions and heavy weights, is likely not comparable to what humans were designed to do.
- Carrying things over long distances, pushing and pulling heavy objects occasionally, and not sitting for long periods are more in line with our natural design.
Humans Are Omnivores
- Humans are omnivores and have the ability to thrive on a mostly meat diet.
- If Twinkies had been available 50,000 years ago, humans would have likely eaten them due to their taste and energy content.
- Humans intuitively ate what tasted good to them, with animal fat and fruit being likely dietary components.
- The availability of fruit would have depended on the geographical location and climate, with tropical regions having year-round access and colder regions having limited access during ice ages.
Best & Worst Cuts of Meat
- Meat has phytonutrients and polyphenols, which are conditionally beneficial compounds.
- Pasture-finished meat has a greater concentration of these compounds compared to grain-fed meat.
- The bioavailability of these compounds in meat is high.
- There is no significant difference in clinical outcomes between people who eat grain-fed beef and grass-fed beef.
- Regeneratively raised meat may have environmental benefits, but it is not essential for improving health.
Doing Carnivore Without Red Meat
- Most people who successfully follow a carnivore diet long-term focus on some form of red meat like beef, lamb, or wild game.
- There are no known successful cases of people doing carnivore with only white meat.
- Historically, Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson lived with the Inuit for 12 years and ate only fish for six months, claiming to be healthier than ever.
- Fish has a heart-healthy reputation and may offer some benefits.
- Dr. Baker recommends avoiding prepackaged meats with long ingredient lists and opting for whole cuts of meat.
Where to Find More of Dr. Baker's Content
- Dr. Baker can be found on various social media platforms:
- YouTube: Sean Baker MD
- Instagram: Sean Baker 1967
- Twitter: S Baker MD
- TikTok: Sean Baker
- Website: carnivorediet.com