To Carnivore or Not to Carnivore w/ Amber O'Hearn | Peak Human Podcast 

67 year old woman, strict Carnivore for just under a year now and never felt better and never going back! Enjoyed hearing to interview however! 🥩🥓🧈🥚😋

In 3.5 months of inhaling videos and content about carnivore this is the first time someone has addressed the inability to fast or lose weight, and that healing insulin levels takes way longer than blood sugar levels. Thank you Amber!

Fantastic interview. I feel so good and am the healthiest I've ever been eating carnivore for the last two years, prior to that I was eating the mainstream version of a healthy diet (lots of veggies, fruit, whole grains, low fat, eating the rainbow etc) for decades and watching my health slowly decline. Thank you Amber and many others for giving me the confidence to try this way of eating.

I love the way Amber pushes back on points she doesn’t agree with. She can’t be pushed around by the interviewer.

never get tired of learning from amber :) look forward to listening to this tomorrow

Always love to hear everything Amber has to say!

Wonderful wonderful discussion 🙏. I could listen to this woman all day. Such honesty and knowledge shared. So reassuring to hear her story, enabling me to be confident in my food choices. Thank you x

Your channel popped up & I watched because I love listening to Amber. Thank you for having her on! I'm carnivore for over a year now & I feel better than I've ever felt since my 20s & I'm 60. Prior to that i was keto for a year...but before that - i was the green smoothie queen &ate tons of veggies & minimal meats. I developed hashimotos & osteopaenia & my mood was horrendous at times. I agree wholeheartedly with Amber. When I'd initially tried to add back in a few things - even though it was keto only - I'd realize that I either had physical issues like arthritic feeling from inflammation or bloating...but worse, was the mental issues that arose with most. It was so obvious that my mental state would just plummet. I no longer feel like adding in anything that is not carnivore, is worth the misery I'll go through.

Fantastic thank you both for a perfect episode!

Never felt better than %100 carnivore

This is an outstanding interview. I could listen to Amber for hours.

I have such a deep appreciation for Amber that I still tear up when I think how far I have come both physically and more important mentally . I lost my sister to “bipolar” in 1999, a highly intelligent beautiful soul who took her own life rather then live in the blanketed fog of psych meds. I often wonder if I could turn back the clock and knew carnivore was an option wether she would still be here today . I was full carnivore for about a year which seemed to reset my gut , now 2-3 years on I do have some veggies , but they are not always a necessity on the plate with every meal . definitely feels like it’s a build up of toxins when I overindulge in plants .

Excellent interview. Thank you.

Absolutely adore Amber, never can get enough of her!

I love listening to Amber break down the science! Great Interview.✌

very informing interview thank you both

This woman knows her stuff! Thank you!

As always, this was a great interview. Amber O'Hearn has been very informative regarding the benefits of eating a keto carnivore diet; which has helped me in bettering my health over the past few years. Keep up the good work! Thanks!

Amber is so smart and lovely. I’m also carnivore almost 4 years. I don’t see the point in paying for ingredients that might hurt me and offer no benefits ie fruits and vegetables. Feel great on Brisket and it’s cheap - no organs ever, that’s also bullshit, like fiber.

I was initially hesitant about listening to this talk, due to what I thought would be a heavy carnivore focus, but it turned out to be much more expansive and interesting than I'd thought. I am particularly focused on knowing more about why certain "mostly women" who have had weight loss success in the first couple years of practicing keto/low carb lifestyles, but then are experiencing a rebounding of weight, and a discovery that their thyroid conditions have become a problem. I am going to listen again to parts of this talk, as I think there is something being said (around minute 1:08 and thereabouts) which is addressing variances in reactions to dietary changes according to individual metabolic conditions. Good stuff and thank you as usual for putting out these interviews, Brian.

Yes, Amber! 👍👍🙏

Amber is always a great interviewee.

I really like listening to Amber O’Hearn. She is very insightful

Another great interview. I didn’t know Amber was diagnosed as Bipolar. It doesn’t surprise me, but I find it interesting that she mentioned Dr Ede and you mentioned Dr Palmer who I consider my unpaid psychiatrist.

Congratulations to both of you. No huge swings back to low fat but a healthy openness to change (maybe) through new discovery in the future. I’m carnivore/almost carnivore/intermittent faster at home. Away from home less strict. Enjoy some wine etc. My social life is important too. Trying to find the balance. This interview was very helpful.

Go Amber!!!

🏆👍Damn...loved this video!. Watched it 6/19 and got so much valuable information and in-site, and understanding. But have to double down on what your guest Amber O'Hearn said, and very succinctly, to your question posed to her about 1:40, and her one word answer was "Yep". I loved that reply understood it well. As am there myself and expressed a similar reply (more wordy 2-3 sentences long) to someone just 2 days ago in a reply to a comment...and having a new lease on life. But wordy to set the back drop. Go back to the way I was only a hundred days ago (with huge health issues) knowing the old way makes me more sick by the day week, more miserable, cognitive functioning depleting, mobility issues on the edge of needing convalescent care and waiting one day to the next as I circle the drain till my time is up? ..."I DON'T THINK SO!" Carnivore is working very well for me. I heard Amber O'Hearn on a few channels now and first time heard her talk I locked onto and subscribed to her channel even though the podcast was a couple of years earlier I only heard it on last couple of months, because could sense she was a person with a narrative that had substance. This time she hit a lot of things I was ready to hear. As a host glad you posed questions as you did, she excelled in her answers. Great video thanks to you both.🏆👍, loved the Genghis Khan reference👍🏆

Popped up just in time for my evening walk. Thanks for your content and what you do. Your podcasts have been extremely helpful as I am now 47 days into eating an approximately 85% meat based diet. I have never felt better and I feel healthier than ever. Thanks again!

Sweeeeeet, Ray Peat! Would be awesome to have Amber and Ray discuss sugar metabolism. Amber says it's fattening but Ray says it's great for raising metabolism.

As a practicing T 1 Bipolar over for 77 years, I would love to trade notes with Amber.

Impressive! She really knows this topic.

Please interview Raymond Nazon, Dr. Chaffee, Dr. Ronsdale and Dr. Zsófia Clemens. Thanks!

Would love an interview with Maggie White! A longterm carnivore (65 years) rancher from Alberta.

Starts at 6:30

Remember, there are a lot of long term carnivores out there who seem to be healthy, capable of healthy pregnancies, vigorous exercise, etc.The main thing is eliminating grains,sugars, and then eating lots of ruminant meat with some shellfish, etc., added occasionally. If you don’t want to be carnivore, then be meat based. I always go back to the thought of what I would eat in the wild for protein. It would be deer, turtles, crayfish, squirrels, rabbits and so on. There are simply no good plant sources of protein in the wild.

Carnivore 2 yrs making AI AS livable but adding Organs and increasing fats 2x to proteins is great. No arthritis pain or immobility, great short term memory and happiness rises from the gut. Meditation and nature walks is also key; and carbs always cause heat flashes/ cortisol spikes, I suppose. Seriously, a concern now at 70 I really need to resolve the AI & AS before I need a Seniors care home! About to try All Beef Organs for Spleen AI aid.

Great

Great interview!! Please try to get dr anthony chaffee on for interview. He is a super strict carnivore.

I was wandering the reasons why you like carnivore. I'm carnivore and have hard time sticking with it at times. I'm 60 years old to a type 1 diabetic. So I need to stick with it. I also have chronic back issues, I'm hoping carnivore helps. Thanks.

Ray Peat? The guy whose diet recommends orange juice, Mexican Coke, and ice cream? The guy who says can cure type 1 diabetes with sugar?

It seems like the idea that some plants are neutral is unclear... I would still like a closer look to understand the Randal cycle... that cycle can be interpreted in different ways, so I'm not certain

Final points, yeah, ribeyes weren't what we evolved eating. There is evidence we were eating lots of caribou in the Younger Dryas even while there were mammoths nearby... Maybe the bulk of our evolution was based on eating elephant (which is sad). I wonder what the nutrient profile of an elephant steak is.

I just cannot do 100 percent carnivore. I have tried extensively and it's just not possible. First time I did it for 9 months and this time it was 5 months before I HAD to stop. Mark my words, HAD to. I can't fat adapt for the life of me OR I have problems creating and storing the glycogen and glucose needed. I can't sleep, I'm constantly running on stresshormones (so bad that I have constantly racing heart and literally is shaking from the amount of stresshormones), I get intracranial pressure, intense chest pain (I thought I was having a heart attack on several occasions, and it was on a daily basis in the end..), racing heart, arythmias, tingling hands and feet and so on. Since I knew this from my previous attempt, this time I was even more aware of electrolytes, tweaking with foods, meals, meal timing and also using supplements to help me adapt. It just wasn't possible though. After 5 months of extremely fragmented and little sleep and the symptoms above I literally thought I was about to die. I was told to go to the ER, but I knew that adding back carbs would solve the issues in no time. I didn't want to add back carbs bcs I was unsure that my SIBO might still be there, but I had no choice as I said. Within 15 minutes of adding back honey my pulse finally went down. And after incorporating more fruits plus milk I now sleep so much more and better and I'm not having any of the symptoms described above. But...Still dealing with a bit of bloating and ofc my other health issues, like asthma and fibromyalgia. (Which was the reason I wanted to be 100 percent carnivore.) I have a serious oxalate issue so that's probably the reason why I can't be strictly without carbs bcs Sally K Norton says that the oxalates and oxalate dumping causes metabolic damage that interferes with glucose and fat metabolism in some way. (She can explain it better.😄) Anyways...It's not possible for everyone to be 100 percent carnivore even if they want to. I kind of wish that I never tried to soldier on to be 100 percent bcs those 9 months plus these 5 months have been INSANELY stressful for my body. The last thing I needed.... Oh well, live and learn! I still think that 100 percent carnivore is fantastic for many ofc, just not everyone. I have come across more people with the same experience that I have had so I know that I'm certainly not alone.🌺

Thank you for this interview. I have been carnivore for 18 months with about 25 grams of carbohydrates per day which helps me feel better than 0 carbs. One question I never see asked or answered is in regards to calcium. I can’t do milk products. Where do I get calcium without supplements? Do I need the RDA?Where did that come from in the past?

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Followed Amber for few years! Brilliant mind! I am carnivore, thanks to Amber! I will never trust another doctor ever again.

Hello ! I'm 2 months into carnivore and my only problem is waking up in the middle of the night. From what i research i think it's the cortisol spike that is waking me up. Can someone give me some advice or point me to a video addressing this problem. Thank You

Is there a second podcast with amber? You spent one hour and 20 minutes on plants and 15 minutes on "what if it's not healthy " ... is there a part where she can talk about carnivore benefits?

CO isn't the State it once was....it really was great prior to 1990

Here are two basic facts. All essential and conditionally essential nutrients can be had from animal foods. But that is not true of plant foods. Even many non-essential nutrients are found in animal foods, such as high levels of carotenoids in pasture-raised. Meanwhile, plant foods also have anti-nutrients. But that is not true of animal foods. That isn't to say plants are evil and must be avoided entirely. It's simply they are an unnecessary potential risk, if useful for when humans can't obtain animal foods. Nonetheless, some people can eat some plant foods with apparently no harm or no major harm. It's true that plant foods can be delicious. And plants can be used medicinally as well.

I believe that unprocessed plants eaten IN SEASON along with the normal animal based diet by a metabolically healthy human usually is not harmful. By in large, ignore the supermarket plants and focus only on locally grown plants.

I eat .... ~ 1/2 cup of cooked wild green leaves that I forage from the edge of a nearby woods daily ......along with my 95% animal diet. (I try to stay close to man's pre-agricultural diet and yes some of these greens are high in oxalates. Oxalates are decreased by cooking and keeping the serving small ) 64-year-old fit female with no diseases, no meds, no pain. I believe that the overall combination of my paleo diet and my biochemistry creates any oxalate imalance. I believe there is hormesis, but not if you're eating SAD.

I’m confused by your belief that veg is neutral yet agree that they’re new in the human diet, contain anti-nutrients and sugars which are problematic for most whether eaten in whole food or processed. What mechanism are you basing your judgement on?

After awhile of reintroducing plant matter to no avail, a healthy carnivore wonders why one should keep banging the head against a brick wall. The ailments before carnivore were not one’s fault. Recreating them over and over IS. It’s like the body repeats,”Haven’t we had this discussion before??”.

Fruit don't have that much energy, see fruitarian wasting. Herbivores know that some prophylactic plants allow them to eat more tannin rich plants than usual. I think I heard this on the channel.

80% is regarded by many as hyper carnivore 😀

If you want to be lean then high protein wins and not high fat. Note Amber O Hearn's eyebags are from excess dietary fats. I know from experience. Cut down on the fats and now eyebags are gone.

From my understanding vine ripened fruit is going to have less toxins than the early harvested unripened fruit that's typically available at grocery stores. A lot of it is artificially ripened so it survives shipping. Those strawberries are picked green and so are the bananas. The kiwis and avocados are hard as a rock too. It's unlikely you'd choose to pick fruit and eat it in that state if you were there in person. My wife and daughter just went strawberry picking yesterday and I didn't see a single green berry out of 13 pounds.

I have liked how she does not fear saying I do not know. She is one of those meat type mixers. So many Carnivore Clergy speak of " every carnivore I know " and tell the verse and chapter. The Only Beef Dogma is an odd belief. Beef became the king of meat by the 70's thru marketing and price. Most Americans are lamb for Easter until Ham just became so much cheaper.

57:00 ... O'hearn, v., trans, to destroy a cherished assumption, or overturn a paradigm.

Go carnivore. Dont over think it. If it aint broke, dont fix it.

I really appreciate Amber's way of thinking, but I'm not sure I'm on board with all her arguments. A lot of them sound very well formulated in theory, but are they backed up by the data? I have no doubt that her n=1 experimentation has led her to choose carnivore as uniquely optimal for herself given her specific circumstances, but to then ex ante make arguments against plants for a wider population seems like overplaying her hand. I'd rather favor the more pragmatic and feedback-rich approach taken by Michael Lustgarten who measures a large set of physiological markers consistently in controlled time intervals with planned adjustments to diet correlating to improved quantitative outcomes. That approach has led him to have a plant-rich diet w/ a moderate amount of animal foods included, but also showed him a vegan diet, which he experimented with, was deleterious. He hasn't done a carnivore experiment, I doubt he'd alter his diet, which is working great for him, to that extent just for curiosity's sake (maybe if we fund him!). I say this as someone who is carnivore-curious with a similar background/symptoms as Amber, so I'm invested in it and wish to see progress! Thanks for the great episode.

I feel like people with these issues have some sort of sibo 🤷

As much as vegans do their diet completely differently, I firmly believe that carnivore is also a pretty big term and hard to normalize for the long-term nutrient deficiency. Carnivore with the proper amount of different organs and bones or good quality raw dairy or seafood, etc simply can't be standardized with ribeye only diet. Here, I'm not saying that the latter will absolutely go downhill but the nutrient contents of a meal have a massive difference and that is just an undeniable fact.

"Fiber" is NOT food for humans. AVOID !

if you are poor then eat like a poor.... it's all mental 🤣🤣🤣

While the Carnivore diet is great for weight loss and for certain auto immune conditions as a long term choice its terrible. The reason is simple, humans evolved to survive almost anywhere on this planet and hence why we are biologically scavenger omnivores giving us the ability to survive on almost anything. To then take this digestive tract and completely narrow down its foods because of perceived sensetivities and plant toxins for example makes that person weaker. You essentially make yourself handicapped. A perfect example is if Americans go to Mexico and drink the water we can often times become ill from a water bornne pathogen and yet Mexicans can drink the water and not get sick because their body has become stronger and is immune to the pathogen. Well thats exactly how we as a species become immune to plant toxins, viruses, etc, is from exposure. By avoiding exposure you making your body weaker and more prone to illness.

what about all the science, institutions and guidelines recommending a mediterranean or wfpb diet? u think it's all a big conspiracy?

As a practicing T 1 Bipolar over for 77 years, I would love to trade notes with Amber.