Ben Greenfield Says Everyone Is Focused on the Wrong Thing | Ben Greenfield EP 236
In a Nutshell
Ben Greenfield outlines a large upcoming carnivore diet study for rheumatoid arthritis and IBD patients comparing a ruminant-only "lion diet," a ketogenic diet, and a standard American diet control group, funded through crowdfunding and focused on symptom improvement plus gut and autoimmune markers. He details his peptide protocols for gut repair and inflammation (KPV, BPC-157, retatrutide, tesamorelin/ipamorelin) and advanced therapies like therapeutic plasma exchange and blood filtration for mold, toxins, and rejuvenation. The discussion also covers practical carnivore implementation, histamine/sulfur sensitivities, meat sourcing, family feeding strategies, and travel-optimized morning routines with zeitgebers for circadian alignment.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
The study is officially starting in 2 weeks with participants who have a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis or IBD. The team is still accepting applicants. The goal is to create a larger study than previous carnivore diet research, which has typically involved only around 10 participants. A prior solid study on IBD showed everyone went into remission with just 10 people. This new research aims to expand that scope into arthritis territory.
Dr. Rob Abbott is running the study after being approached due to his experience conducting multiple studies. A significant portion was crowdfunded through GoFundMe, with additional larger donations from individuals interested in carnivore research.
Research team compensation is reasonable compared to university-led studies, which were estimated in the two to three million dollar range. The majority of costs come from lab work. A stool test costs around $700 and will be done twice. Blood work is conducted throughout the study. Participants receive keto monitors to track ketones and glucose, plus body composition scales. Total costs per participant exceed $1,000. Labs will track general markers plus those associated with inflammation and autoimmunity.
Primary outcomes focus on how much participants' lives and symptoms improve according to their own reports, as this indicates whether they feel they are healing or in remission. Lab work and stool sample data will also be analyzed for patterns related to gut barrier function and autoimmune markers.
The study is not a metabolic ward setup. For the first month, participants transition with no processed foods and very low carb intake to ease into the therapeutic diets. The group is split into thirds:
- One third transitions to the lion diet (ruminant meat, salt, and water only; no organs initially, no fish)
- One third transitions to a ketogenic diet (no processed foods, includes dairy, eggs, meat, and low-carb greens; targeting therapeutic ketosis range below 40g carbs)
- One third remains on the standard American diet as a control group for the first three months, then transitions to a therapeutic diet
Ruminant meats include venison, lamb, and beef. The ketogenic arm helps determine whether effects stem from ketosis or from eliminating plant foods.
Participants can connect with others in the study for support during the dietary transition. They are monitored by doctors and test ketones regularly. While cameras are not used, adherence can be tracked to some degree. Dropouts due to poor adherence are anticipated given the difficulty of maintaining such strict protocols.
A large Chinese study with over 5,000 participants followed people progressively rather than using retrospective methods. It found that inclusion of animal proteins was linked to increased lifespan and quality of life, particularly in people aged 80 and older. The study was not focused on arthritis or immune factors specifically.
The hypothesis is that ruminant meat works for autoimmunity primarily through elimination of foods that people with damaged guts and leaky gut can no longer tolerate. Stool testing and labs will examine gut barrier function. The long-term goal after achieving remission is to heal the gut barrier and slowly reintroduce other foods rather than remaining on ruminant meat indefinitely.
One participant was on a strict ruminant meat diet for 8 years without being able to add other foods without flare-ups. After parasite treatment using pharmaceuticals (albendazole, mebendazole, and quad therapy for H. pylori while avoiding fluoroquinolones and metronidazole), combined with monitoring air quality, leaving mold exposure, and using a binder, digestion improved significantly. The same approach resolved long-standing digestive issues for their mother. H. pylori treatment made a major difference despite prior advice to ignore higher levels when asymptomatic. North American tests had not detected the parasites that were visible under plain microscope examination in Africa.
KPV peptide is used for leaky gut and can be injected. It produces a noticeable calming physiological effect. Larazotide is taken as an oral capsule 10 minutes before meals and works similarly to KPV. These form a combination approach when natural options like glutamine, colostrum, glycine, and bone broth are insufficient. Bone broth is considered acceptable on carnivore diets due to its glycine content.
Oral BPC-157 is mentioned for general gut inflammation. During travel, KPV injections are used daily to prevent gut issues from dietary deviations.
Lack of long-term human clinical research on peptides is acknowledged. Side effects are often linked to lower-quality sources from non-cGMP facilities. The industry is shifting as websites selling peptides face shutdowns and cease-and-desist actions. Future access is expected through compounding pharmacists operating under 503A good manufacturing practices or pharmaceutical channels for certain peptides.
KPV for gut issues.
Retatrutide (triple agonist) for quieting food noise, particularly useful on travel days. A baby dose of 0.25 mg is suggested rather than the 2.5 mg+ doses used in muscle mass studies, to avoid excessive weight or muscle loss. It acts on three hunger pathways.
For growth hormone, visceral fat reduction, muscle maintenance, and recovery, a morning and evening stack is used:
- Tesamorelin in the morning for growth hormone release and visceral fat reduction
- Ipamorelin in the evening for growth hormone release and sleep support (requires early dinner and injection around 7:30-8:30 p.m.; less effective with high blood glucose or insulin)
Protocol typically involves 12 weeks of 5 days on, 2 days off.
Alternative delivery methods include micro needle patches that deliver peptides within 8 to 10 minutes.
Ben Greenfield describes using an NAD patch on travel days, applying a 12-hour patch that delivers 1,300 mg of NAD transdermally. This approach helps with travel fatigue, sleep deprivation, and general malaise during flights. The patch provides a slower release compared to IV administration, which some find less harsh on the stomach. He notes that people who are poor methylators often react poorly to NAD IVs, but taking a methyl donor like trimethylglycine or SAMe right before the IV can improve tolerance.
The NAD patch also contains GHK copper peptide, an anti-inflammatory compound measuring around 50 Daltons that absorbs well transdermally. This small molecular size makes it effective as a beauty product. Anecdotally, men use it for graying beards to help restore hair color in facial hair. Some combine it with derma rolling or microneedling for follicular health and to potentially slow hair loss, though it does not grow new hair.
Intranasal administration allows peptides to cross the blood-brain barrier more easily. Peptides like C-Link or C-Max can influence GABA pathways for calming effects and increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor to support brain growth. SS-31 is another intranasal option beneficial for brain health that may move toward pharmaceutical development. NAD can also be delivered intranasally.
BPC-157 and TB-500 serve as anti-inflammatory peptides considered part of a first-aid approach for injuries like sprained ankles or workout strains. While BPC-157 works well orally for gut inflammation, both can be used nasally for brain inflammation. VIP (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide) is used intranasally for microtoxin exposure and biofilm issues. It forms part of CIRS treatment protocols, notably used by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker in his practice for mold and mycotoxin-related conditions.
The guest mentions avoiding peptides during pregnancy despite not being overly concerned about safety, noting that pregnancy has delayed testing and experimentation plans. Greenfield agrees this is a reasonable precaution.
The guest describes family issues with sulfur, including major sulfite allergies causing hives and reactions to sulfate as well. B vitamins have been problematic historically, and methylated vitamins cannot be tolerated, suggesting possible methylation pathway issues. Symptoms appeared more prominently after discontinuing psychiatric medications and adopting a ketogenic diet, though some issues existed prior.
Greenfield recommends Dr. Ben Lynch and his Seeking Health website for sulfur sensitivity concerns. Lynch offers a genetic screening tool and discusses sulfur pathways in his book Dirty Genes, which identifies key genetic variants worth addressing rather than reviewing dozens of less relevant ones. The guest recalls previously taking the test but not focusing on the sulfur sensitivity results at the time.
After eight years of a meat-only diet, the guest's folate levels declined despite other B vitamins improving. Methylfolate and folic acid cannot be tolerated, but folinic acid from Seeking Health has been effective. This issue predated the diet change.
Histamine sensitivities commonly cause brain fog, bloating, gas, and disrupted sleep while affecting glucose metabolism. Diamine oxidase (DAO) serves as a primary intervention. The guest used it for years following mold exposure that elevated histamine issues. High-histamine foods like kombucha, sardines, canned fish, wine, sauerkraut, kimchi, cheese, and certain fruits can trigger symptoms, which worsen after mold or mycotoxin exposure.
Ben Lynch offers anti-histamine probiotics. Combining DAO supplementation with dietary elimination of high-histamine foods produces good results for many people. The guest notes that carnivore diets reduce histamine exposure compared to fermented foods or histamine-liberating fruits. Symptoms improved after leaving mold exposure and addressing parasites.
For individuals with autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or psychiatric disorders, Greenfield recommends eating only meat and salt with no spices during the initial phase. This approach minimizes variables when trying to calm disease processes. He advises checking all purchased items for ingredients, specifically avoiding anti-caking agents in salt. Recommended brands include Jacobsen salt due to testing for contaminants like lead.
For the first month, Greenfield suggests buying the tastiest affordable cuts and cooking however convenient, including air fryers or pressure cookers. He owns multiple air fryers and a pressure cooker for family use. Meat sourcing focuses on ruminant meat and fatty cuts rather than strict grass-fed requirements. The guest switched from strict grass-fed to grass-fed grain-finished without noticing symptom changes. Some people with arthritis have improved eating McDonald's burger patties alone.
Grass-fed grass-finished meat can lose flavor and marbling. Farmers like Owen's Farm near Spokane, Washington, rotate 12 different feeds including pressed grape skins, alfalfa, carrots, nuts, and grass to improve gut bacterial profiles and meat quality. Apple-finished and carrot-finished beef often tastes better. The guest prefers grass-fed grain-finished for marbling and flavor.
Fatty ruminant meat is emphasized for healing. When expensive fatty cuts like ribeye are unaffordable, chuck roast works as a cheaper alternative with similar taste. Trimmings from butchers or grocery stores can be fried with leaner cuts to add fat affordably. The guest avoids trimmings from low-end stores with corn-fed meat and prefers sourcing from butchers.
If digestive issues, flushing, or other symptoms persist on carnivore, histamine problems may be present. Switching to lamb or veal, which are typically lower in histamine, or selecting less-aged beef can help. Companies sell less-aged beef online as a secondary option.
The guest sources beef from a Piedmontese breed from Owen's Farm. These cattle originated in the Middle East and developed sweat glands for temperature regulation in extreme climates. They also exhibit natural myostatin inhibition leading to rapid muscle growth with muscle fibers approximately 1/16 the diameter of typical Angus cattle. This results in chuck roast having the same tenderness as ribeye or filet mignon, requiring cooking to only 100°F for medium rare instead of 140-145°F.
Due to minimal fat in Piedmontese cattle, the guest adds olive oil or beef tallow during cooking. The guest uses suet tallow from Suet brand, noting it has never been rancid unlike previous tallow purchases. Large vats are stored in the refrigerator.
American Tallow produces products from the same company behind expensive potato and corn chips including Masa Chips and Bandy Chips, which retail over $20 per bag. These products target consumers willing to pay premium prices for seed-oil-free snacks.
Greenfield views seed oil concerns as subjective. Damaged seed oils subjected to high pressure, temperatures, re-frying, or prolonged light and temperature exposure during storage can trigger inflammation, particularly in individuals with high visceral fat. Leaner people may tolerate occasional seed oil exposure better. Thermal stress practices like sauna and cold exposure regulate an enzyme that influences inflammatory response to seed oils. Higher omega-3 status, with research suggesting 8% or above rather than the 4% reference range, provides protective effects. Aerobic fitness, muscle mass, and regular exercise also reduce issues with seed oil consumption.
Greenfield avoids foods heavily fried in seed oils but does not carry an "allergic to seed oil" approach to restaurants. Primary cooking fats include macadamia nut oil, extra virgin olive oil, beef tallow, and butter. He considers seed oil elimination more critical for overweight or obese individuals. The guest found soy and soybean oil particularly problematic through elimination testing, along with gluten and dairy, while canola oil did not trigger major arthritic or psychiatric symptoms.
Plants develop defense mechanisms to either irritate the gut of a mammal causing it to excrete the seed elsewhere, or irritate the animal making it sick so it doesn't eat that plant out of existence. Compared to plants, seed oils are not quite as much of an issue. Once they've been heated repeatedly, they become a problem, but a high amount of what at low levels might be a hormetic stressor, and in some people even at levels of any amount would be a significant stressor, are bigger issues than oils. Switching to tallow is considered a good step in the right direction because it's more stable.
The extended family does not all eat the same way. The husband was eating similarly when they met except he was drinking coffee. After being told to stop drinking coffee, he switched to caffeine pills. Coffee can give more of an inflammatory response than caffeine pills because it's not necessarily the caffeine that's the problem for everyone. Mold-free coffees were tried but the beans themselves can still be problematic, especially with leaky gut. Beans in general are difficult to tolerate.
After moving out of mold, completing SIRS treatment, and doing a parasite cleanse, the husband now eats other non-processed foods about once a week, such as ordering from True Food Kitchen on Sundays. About 95% of his food is still beef. In Miami when dealing with mold illness, attempts to incorporate corn-free, soy-free, high-quality chicken resulted in horrible, brutal reactions, but that sensitivity has calmed down since the additional treatments.
Ruminant meat is preferred because fish, even wild-caught salmon, doesn't feel good, and chicken feels worse even when corn-free and soy-free. Wild-caught animals may have consumed feed from fields sprayed with glyphosate, and fish accumulate microplastics and metals from the ocean and the fish chain. Farmed fish that is fed a tightly controlled diet and has been tested can be preferable to wild-caught. Sitopia is a fish club that sources from 30-plus farms worldwide, tests all fish, heavily controls the feed, and flash freezes it for mail delivery. The founder James lives in Kauai and is obsessed with clean fish. Ora King salmon is described as the Wagyu of the sea with extremely high omega and DHA content.
For dinner parties feeding 25-30 people, Ora King salmon filets from Sitopia are used. The method involves lining a baking pan with olive oil, placing salmon skin side down, spreading Primal Kitchen chipotle lime mayo on top, adding salt, placing a lemon slice on each filet, and baking for about 25 minutes. This preparation takes roughly 20 minutes of prep time.
Reactions to fish that previously caused facial puffing and strange reactions no longer occur. However, eating fish for dinner still leaves hunger, and pounds of fish could be consumed, possibly due to being accustomed to eating beef. Lean white fish like cod or halibut is distinguished from fatty salmon. Wild salmon being consumed is noted as fairly lean.
If a child has rheumatoid arthritis or autoimmune issues, the recommendation is to cut everything and have them eat only meat. Limited diet as a child could have avoided hip and ankle replacement surgery after being on immune suppressants from ages 8 to 17 without stopping joints from being affected. For one's own children, the first introduction after breastfeeding was fatty meat. Scarlett, the 8-year-old, did baby-led weaning, sucking on pieces of fatty steak with fat chopped off because she liked it, eventually eating little bits alongside breast milk. For the younger children, a Vitamix approach with fatty meat was used. George, age 2.5, primarily eats meat with some single foods like apple and sweet potato introduced one at a time, and has tried seaweed. Careful introduction of one food at a time is done due to personal childhood illness history. Children don't need huge variety by age 2.5. Sugar should be avoided as children go completely wild on it. Scarlett's first experience with cane sugar from a chocolate bar given by a kindergartener resulted in running around the couch in circles.
The Mass Spec Guy on Instagram uses mass spectrometers to analyze products and found that Hershey's chocolate products like M&M's contain 50-100 mg of caffeine per average serving packet, far more than natural cacao bean amounts, suggesting extra caffeine is being added. Even natural caffeine amounts mean giving kids Hershey's chocolate results in caffeine exposure, which is concerning from both a behavioral standpoint and potential for growth stunting and bone density issues.
Hu Chocolate is used and found to be stimulating even though it's clean and high quality. Carnivore Snacks spelled with an X offers fatty slices of almost dried ribeye, straight out of the bag like beef jerky but better. Carnivore Crisps are also mentioned. PC Jerky is a leaner option that doesn't require worrying about rancid fat. It has a plain version with just salt that tastes almost like eating chips, and can be eaten with suet tallow on top and salt, tasting similar to saltine crackers and butter. Other jerky products with a cracker texture are used like crackers with guacamole or salad.
Jerky is made using a massive stainless steel dehydrator with 12 trays. Rouladen or round roast from Canada, or New York cut sliced very thin for shabu shabu, is lined up on trays, covered in a lot of salt, dehydrated for about 9 hours, then ziplocked and put in the freezer.
To avoid Scarlett being made fun of at school for bringing leftovers like stew while other kids had Lunchables, packaged snacks are used. Bear fruit snacks make little tiny fruit gummies that Scarlett used to love before age 6. Solely fruit snacks and another brand making fruit tape are also options. Carnivore Bars, which are like pemmican that can keep forever, were used frequently when Scarlett was little. US Wellness Meats, out of Nebraska or another Midwest state, is a source for pemmican along with organ meats and large fatty French cut ribeyes.
EBOO, extracorporeal blood ozonation and oxygenation, was done during mold illness in Miami. Blood is pulled out, ozonated and cleaned, then returned to the body. Noticeable improvement was felt afterward. Ozone has been done frequently with noticeable feeling of improvement afterward. Stem cells, plasma exchanges, and deeper biohacking therapies were not pursued due to being pregnant for about 3 years.
Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is the lowest, easiest to access level. Plasma is pulled out and typically replaced with synthetic albumin plus a vitamin and mineral IV to build back the blood. This is effective for people wanting an oil change for the body. In Texas, young plasma replacements can be done where young human donor plasma is put back instead of albumin and IVs. This has been done a couple of times with remarkable improvement, feeling as one would imagine after putting 10 one-liter bags of 18-year-old plasma back into the body. Risks exist because it involves someone else's biologics.
Young plasma is like a soup containing exosomes, growth factors, stem cells, normal minerals, biologics, and small peptides. This is the difference between an oil change and parabiosis, taking something old out and putting something young back in. The next approach being tried involves getting plasma taken out but replaced with a stem cell exosome soup using MUSE cells, which are small stem cells with very low immune reactions or inflammation that travel to injury sites readily. Exosomes are what stem cells use to signal. This would theoretically provide effects of young plasma replacement without using actual human plasma, instead using stem cells and exosomes.
Blood filtration was done with Lumadati in Tijuana using a Seraph filter, a heparin-based filter designed to adhere to spike proteins like a fly trap. A catheter is placed in the jugular in the neck and stays in for the entire 3 days in Mexico. The process involves being wheeled in a wheelchair between a luxury hospital and hotel, spending 3-5 hours per day in a hospital bed with blood pulled out, passed through the filter, and returned. People with long COVID have seen good results. The procedure was done out of journalistic curiosity to experience blood filtration.
Another filter called the Marker is used for microplastics. Iontophoresis, found more in European biological medicine such as at Lonzerhof clinic in Germany, combines hyperthermia and plasma filtration by heating the body, allowing more plasma to be filtered at once without putting back stem cells, exosomes, or young human plasma. The concept of getting old plasma taken out and replacing it with albumin, stem cells, and exosomes is considered from a longevity standpoint or for those exposed to
Therapeutic plasma exchange can be used to pull mold, microtoxins, Lyme, EBV, and other pathogens from the blood. A series of EBOO treatments or iontophoresis can also be used for the same purpose. For a rejuvenation or anti-aging effect after removing toxins, people sometimes pursue young plasma infusions, stem cells, or exosomes. Young plasma procedures have been accessible for less than a decade, and Texas is currently the only state where young plasma procedures are legal.
A strong morning routine can be adapted for travel to maintain circadian rhythm, health, productivity, and energy. The focus is on fitting specific categories into the morning rather than performing identical actions every day.
The day begins with spiritual input. A spiritual music track such as Hillsong, Bethel Worship, an old hymn, or the daily audio Bible is played. The first 20 minutes include passages from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, along with prayer and gratitude. The phone remains in airplane mode during this time.
Next comes 15 to 20 minutes of deep tissue work that includes arm swinging, bouncing, body twists, tai chi-style movements, slapping, and foam rolling. A watch is started to ensure at least 15 minutes of movement to wake up the body. These activities can be combined with listening to music or the Bible while getting ready.
Coffee or tea is prepared, followed by emails combined with red light therapy. Two red light panels are used at the desk, with one positioned low enough to reach around for typing. A Joovv red light helmet is also worn. This provides photobiomodulation equivalent to morning sunlight for the first 20 minutes. During this time, only the calendar is reviewed and plans are made for the day; deep work is avoided.
At 7:00 a.m., a family huddle occurs in the living room or on the back patio. The group discusses sleep, daily plans, needs for the day, dinner responsibilities, and car usage. A Bible passage is read and taught, followed by family prayer. Every couple of weeks, the routine is replaced with a 10- to 15-minute dance party. The same family gathering happens at 7:00 p.m. before dinner and includes father-son book club, singing, and prayer.
After the morning family huddle, a workout follows. The sons typically do their own routines in the gym. No calls, podcasts, or consults are scheduled before 10:00 a.m. to protect the morning for personal projects or rest.
When traveling, red light, grounding, earthing, movement, and prayer are maintained. Sunlight is used when possible; portable red light devices are reserved mainly for injuries.
Basic sleep hygiene principles travel with the individual: keep the room cold and dark, avoid work in bed, and use sound to mask ambient noise.
Zeitgebers (German for "time keepers") help realign circadian rhythm when traveling. The key zeitgebers are:
- Light: bright light or blue-light-producing glasses (brands mentioned include Ayo, Re-Timer, and Raw Optics) are used in the morning; a red light headlamp is used at night in hotel rooms.
- Temperature: keep the room cold at night to jump-start sleep drive and warm the body in the morning via sauna, hot tub, or steamy shower. This temperature contrast is especially important after crossing multiple time zones.
- Food: eat a higher-protein breakfast aligned with the destination time zone to help reset circadian rhythm. Avoid eating outside the normal eating window of the current location unless the stay is very short, in which case home time-zone eating patterns are maintained.
- Movement: schedule a movement session within the first three hours of waking and avoid intense exercise in the three hours before bedtime.
These four elements—light, temperature, food, and movement—address approximately 90% of circadian rhythm issues during travel. Air quality is addressed separately by requesting a portable HEPA filter from Jasper when staying in major cities.
NAD patches were also noted as an additional travel consideration.
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