What’s the difference? — The Keto Minimalist

Which style of eating (carnivore, ketovore, keto, or low-carb) is best for you?

There is no one perfect style of eating.

You can find experts saying the Mediterranean diet is the best, some people love Weight Watchers, I know tons of people who love eating keto and who find it’s a good fit, and carnivore is a new, emerging community of meat-eating enthusiasts.

You’ll also find doctors (like my former functional medicine practitioner) who believe eating a vegan diet is best.

I love eating low-carb and find it prevents my cravings, I can lose or maintain my weight easily, it is satisfying, and generally easy to follow. In the four low-carb diets I’ve compared, you can go from almost no carbs per day all the way up to 100 grams of carbohydrates.

I have experimented with all four of these lifestyles and currently follow a carnivore diet. I’ve committed to this way of eating for 90 days. When that little self-experiment is over, I will likely return to either ketovore or a keto diet because I like more variety in my food.

Experimenting has been very valuable to me. I’ve already found (40-some days into carnivore) that my IBS is essentially GONE, which is a miracle to me. I’ve suffered from IBS and the anxiety it causes for my entire adult life. I would never have known lots of veggies and fiber disagreed with me without trying carnivore.

Of course, you should always consult your doctor (I have to say that – I’m married to a lawyer), but if a lower-carb lifestyle appeals to you I recommend starting with the least restrictive low-carb diet (around 100 grams of carbs).

If you feel great and are losing weight (if that is your goal), then you’ve found your sweet spot in the carb world. If you aren’t losing weight or you feel inflamed or have IBS issues or autoimmune, then you might try a keto diet for a while. Dr. Ken Berry recommends trying at least a month, and ideally 90 days.

The reason I went from keto to carnivore is to try to reverse my autoimmune disease.

Whichever eating style you follow, choose good quality cuts of meat and whole, nutritious foods like fruits and veggies (if you tolerate them). Stop with the keto or diet bars and shakes and eat real food.

I hope you find an eating plan that works well for you. And I wish you good health!

–The Keto Minimalist