Keto or Carnivore? We Finally Settle It Live
In a Nutshell
Carnivore provides superior healing for serious health issues compared to keto because it eliminates carb addiction entirely rather than attempting moderation through portion control and carb counting. Strict carnivore should be the initial approach for metabolic healing before considering food reintroduction, while carnivore recipes serve as tools to help people who need them to maintain adherence rather than falling off the diet. The goal is meeting people where they are while guiding them toward better health, recognizing that both strict approaches and flexible options like recipes have roles in reaching maximum people effectively.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Carrie from Healing Humanity welcomes Chris Cooking Nashville for a friendly debate on keto versus carnivore diets. The topic is noted as divisive within the community, with significant discussion in comments on previous videos.
Carnivore is described as a stricter version of keto, consisting of beef, butter, bacon, eggs, and animal products only. Keto is positioned more like Atkins, allowing approximately 20-40 carbs daily including greens, vegetables, and other foods. The distinction is presented as meaningful for healing purposes versus general dietary flexibility.
Carrie and Chris met at Meatstock where Chris and Ash provided significant assistance to Rancher Maggie, including airport pickup, overnight accommodation, and guidance during the event. Maggie is characterized as having the energy of a teenager despite being in her 80s, and is described as an adopted grandmother figure within the community.
Maggie flew from Canada to Nashville airport and stayed at Chris and Ash's house overnight before being driven to Gatlinburg. Chris cooked steak on the smoker for her. Maggie comes from a ranch in the Canadian bush where she has lived for decades. She had never seen an electronic hotel key card before, and for a long time had no television or radio, needing to start her truck to access radio stations. Her exceptional health is attributed to the absence of modern influences including electronics and processed foods.
Chris weighed over 400 pounds and experienced depression, anxiety, and other health issues. In 2020, the entertainment industry collapsed due to the pandemic, causing Chris and Ash to lose their professional music careers. With limited control over circumstances, they focused on health improvement after Chris's father sent Dr. Berry videos.
Chris initially implemented a clean keto diet with Ash, resulting in weight loss and improved wellbeing. Approaching their wedding, Chris tried carnivore as a weight loss strategy, viewing it as super strict keto. Within two weeks, Chris began waking up smiling, which Ash had never witnessed before. This marked a significant brain chemistry change.
Chris transitioned to strict carnivore consisting of meat, salt, and water only. During this period, Chris was very dogmatic about the approach. The psychological aspects of carb addiction and loss of kitchen enjoyment were not fully understood at the time.
After the wedding, Chris reintroduced various foods and gained back over half the weight previously lost. While preparing to move from a third-floor apartment, Chris realized inability to climb stairs without breathlessness and recommitted to carnivore. This occurred simultaneously with plans to start a YouTube channel.
Chris decided to create health vlogs documenting weekly progress, food intake, and accountability. The channel was intended to potentially inspire even one person. At the time, carnivore recipes were scarce on YouTube. Chris reached out to Anita, Ketogenic Woman, who shared a recipe that provided subscriber growth.
Chris creates recipes but does not eat them frequently. The goal is teaching others to make low carb food appealing and interesting. The marketing approach mirrors big food, big pharma, and vegan marketing strategies to reach people needing nutritional information.
Chris received diagnoses of autism, ADHD, OCD, and bipolar disorder but remains unmedicated, managing through dietary regulation. Carnivore diet provided the brain regulation that medications are intended to achieve.
Carrie found carnivore provided healing after keto resulted in weight loss followed by significant regain. The concern is expressed that spectrum messaging may lead people seeking healing to attempt keto and experience yo-yoing rather than finding resolution through strict carnivore initially.
The oversimplification of proper human diet spectrum messaging is discussed as problematic. Social media incentives favor oversimplification for clicks rather than nuanced guidance for people with serious health issues. The concern is that people with undiagnosed conditions like fatty liver, visceral fat, and insulin resistance may not recognize their need for stricter approaches.
The recommendation is to pursue strict carnivore until healing is achieved, then potentially add foods back through keto or other approaches. The concern is that people seeing more flexible approaches like Paul Saladino's may attempt those immediately without first achieving metabolic healing.
Chris added foods back one category at a time, testing spices individually with 2-3 day waiting periods to identify reactions. The same methodical approach was applied to vegetables. Certain foods were identified as problematic while others provided improved wellbeing.
There's a distinction between what is optimal for healing and what the person in front of you is actually willing to stick with or try. When these align, that's ideal, but if someone isn't willing to follow the strictest approach, it's better to offer options that get them closer to optimal rather than pushing them away entirely.
Voices like Dr. Berry, Dr. Anthony Chaffee, Dr. Shawn Baker, Dr. Boaz, and Dr. Bright provide information for those struggling with specific issues. For those who can do strict carnivore with just meat and salt water, that's the recommendation. However, recipes exist for people who aren't willing to go that strict initially, even if it would be optimal for them.
Treating people like science experiments without considering their free will can push them away from potential healing. When people get pushed away, the message stops and they may get worse instead of better. Some people need strict carnivore to heal, while others need alternatives that still move them toward better health.
The goal is leading people down a path one step at a time. Someone might start with less strict options, feel better after 3-6 months or a year, and then become willing to try an elimination diet or go stricter to see if additional improvements are possible.
Trying strict carnivore first, then being scientific about adding things back in provides clarity. On carnivore, there's no noise from multiple ingredients, making it easier to identify what causes issues when reintroducing foods. The key is adding items back one at a time rather than multiple foods simultaneously.
Many people who try strict carnivore discover they feel significantly better and either continue or add practices like fasting or the lion diet. Some people might go their whole lives without experiencing this level of health if they never attempt the strict approach.
A significant issue with keto versus carnivore is that many people don't realize how addictive their food is. The problem with keto is negotiating with addiction through moderation. This involves measuring portions, planning carb allowances, and constantly making deals that ultimately lead to failure.
For people with food addiction, the yo-yo effect is common - losing 60 pounds then gaining 100 back. This creates devastating, depressing cycles. Carnivore eliminates the possibility of moderating an addiction, which may be necessary for some individuals to maintain long-term success.
Many people reach out wanting someone else to make the decision for them, but the choice must be made individually. Having both keto and carnivore as tools in the toolbox provides options. Someone might try keto first, experience partial success with ups and downs, then have carnivore available as an alternative they can return to when needed.
For years, many people had no awareness that diet could address depression, weight issues, or other health problems. Having these approaches as known options provides hope that wasn't previously available.
The low-carb space tends to focus on science - macros, inflammation, nutritional data - while overlooking the art of human experience. This includes cultural influences, social expectations, families, jobs, hopes, dreams, and psychological factors that separate humans from animals.
Even when data clearly shows the optimal approach, applying it requires considering addiction and the reality that willpower alone cannot overcome addiction. There are deeper human elements beyond just forcing oneself through challenges.
Addiction has two components: physiological addiction based on what goes into the body, and psychological addiction involving routines, habits, and attempts to medicate against memories, feelings, or trauma. These layers of nuance explain why keto versus carnivore debates become complicated.
The question isn't simply which approach is better, but whether the goal is treating physiological issues optimally or balancing that with social and cultural factors that make adherence difficult. Both perspectives recognize the people behind the data being reached.
Early thinking focused on what's optimal - if keto is good and carnivore is stricter, it must be better. However, helping as many people heal as possible requires acknowledging that jumping straight into carnivore increases failure odds for many. Some people won't even consider carnivore without first understanding keto.
The nuance involves what people can mentally handle and their likelihood of following through. Initial conversations focused purely on optimal human diet, but broader considerations include accessibility and adherence rates.
Initial concerns about carnivore recipes creating look-alike foods centered on addiction - similar to whether non-alcoholic beer helps or triggers relapse. The answer depends on the individual: some people's psychological addiction gets triggered by similar rituals or tastes, while others only struggle with the physiological effects.
For some, carnivore recipes satisfy cooking rituals without triggering cravings for the real versions. For others, any reminder might cause problems, requiring avoidance of recipe-style foods.
At Keto Palooza, a woman named Jen battling cancer shared that carnivore mashed potatoes helped her stay on carnivore during treatment. Her weakness was potatoes, and having the recipe prevented her from going off track. She credited the recipe with keeping her healthy enough to travel for the first time in years.
A mother with an autistic son who has ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) found that carnivore pizza crust was the first low-carb option her son would eat. After years of failed attempts, he ate an entire carnivore pizza without question, making her feel like a good mom again.
Maggie shared about friends whose grade-school-age son with severe ADHD is now on carnivore, which controlled his behavior problems and allowed him to attend school. At age 10-12, he wants to become a chef. Carnivore recipes give him the ability to remain on carnivore while pursuing culinary interests, potentially attending culinary school without medication.
Meat, salt, and water provide undeniable healing stories that motivated trying carnivore. However, recipes also provide hope and healing for people who need them. The key is identifying what's being treated - whether meat, salt, and water is the best approach or whether human factors require recipe solutions.
Some people must avoid recipes if they trigger addiction, while others legitimately need them to stay on the path toward better health. Everyone's situation is different.
The book is titled Eat Your Meat, Love Your Life, a phrase used as a catchphrase on the channel since its beginning. The initial working title proposed to the publisher was something along the lines of "carnivore gastronomy animal-based," which was recognized as pretentious and unappealing. The final title captures the core message that eating meat should enhance life quality.
The cookbook is a 450-page volume containing 130 progressive recipes. The first half focuses on foundational cooking skills, including pantry and kitchen setup, knife skills, cooking techniques, and understanding carnivore principles. The first recipe is full-throttle ribeye steaks, demonstrating how to achieve restaurant-quality results that make daily steak consumption enjoyable.
Recipes are organized into progressive chapters following a touring musician narrative. The Local Gigs Tour chapter contains simple recipes divided by protein type (beef, pork, chicken, fish) that teach basic cooking concepts. The Album Tour chapter features more complex recipes building on foundational skills.
The Stadium Tour chapter contains even more complex recipes. The Cover Songs Tour chapter includes carnivore carb substitutes such as bread, pasta, noodles, lasagnas, and crackers. The Greatest Hits Tour chapter combines techniques for special occasions, including chicken fried steak with carnivore mashed potatoes and carnivore white gravy, carnivore shepherd's pie, and chicken ballotine with sausage filling.
The Deep Cuts Tour chapter addresses nose-to-tail eating with recipes for liver pâté, beef tongue, fried sardines, and bone marrow.
Three 28-day meal plans are included for two people, each with weekly shopping lists, recipe layouts, and prep tips. The Easy Listening plan incorporates all seasoning and dairy options. The Road Dog plan focuses on meat, salt, water, spices, and dairy. The Hardcore plan is the strictest, featuring meat, salt, and water with dairy added once weekly for special meals.
Every recipe includes a "crank it to 11" option for those following keto or ketovore approaches, allowing additional herbs, onion, and other flavor boosters to be incorporated.
The final section titled "Love Your Life" addresses the broader purpose beyond dietary changes. The content emphasizes that achieving health through proper eating is meaningless if one hates their life, and encourages readers to improve their families, communities, and local areas while spreading the message to help others.
Pre-ordering provides access to the Cutting Room Sessions, a behind-the-scenes PDF featuring 10 additional bonus recipes that were recorded but excluded from the final book to maintain optimal flow. The pre-order bonus becomes available immediately upon submission of the pre-order number.
The book cover features the author holding a sword with steaks on it. Pre-ordering helps demonstrate market demand to bookstores, potentially securing shelf placement in locations like Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Target, and Walmart, thereby reaching people unfamiliar with carnivore principles.
Creating the cookbook required cooking 130 recipes over a 28-day period, with 7 to 13 recipes prepared daily. All food photographed was consumed by the author, spouse, or guests at tasting parties. Approximately 18,000 to 20,000 food photographs were taken to ensure quality selections for the publisher.
The author took all food photography except for portrait photography by Jev Wilson and a few shots where hands appear in frame. Professional cookbooks often feature staged or faked food photography, but all images in this book represent actual cooked and plated recipes.
An interview about brisket selection was picked up by Mashed and subsequently distributed through AOL and Yahoo. The author emphasizes that pre-ordering serves the community by helping get carnivore information into mainstream channels and reaching people who might never otherwise encounter the message.
The documentary Healing Humanity is screening in theaters nationwide rather than being released directly on YouTube to reach broader audiences. The Midwest tour includes Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toronto, followed by three Texas cities, Las Vegas, Phoenix with Laura Spath and Chris Spath, and Washington state screenings. Theater screenings create events that encourage people to watch with friends or neighbors who need the message, rather than deferring viewing indefinitely.
The film was intentionally crafted to reach people before they discover carnivore healing, targeting family members, neighbors, and others who haven't yet found the dietary approach rather than those already following carnivore principles.
Stories shared about individuals finding healing through the content, including a doctor who initially thought the approach was crazy but now wants to educate others similarly. The work with recipes helping people who really need the message is described as the most rewarding thing possible.
The documentary was recently shown in the UK with over 100 people attending. Many had never heard about the approach before, while others needed to be re-energized and re-invigorated. Numerous people reported they were taking action based on what they learned.
Amazon pre-order listings don't indicate extra recipes because the pre-order bonus is handled separately through the author's website at chriscookingnashville.com. The bonus PDF will be available within a week or two once finalized by the editor and design team.
Pre-order customers need to save their order number from wherever they purchased (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or elsewhere). Once the bonus system is live on the website, they can enter their order number and immediately receive the PDF with extra recipes.
Viewer comments included pre-order confirmations and appreciation for creative recipes, including imitation duck dishes. An attendee mentioned going to their first event in Toronto, which corresponds to the fourth city on the tour schedule.
A practical example of clean keto involves focusing on whole foods without labels - meats and low-carb vegetables, keeping total carbs under 20 grams per day while ensuring adequate fat and protein intake. The emphasis should lean toward meat, adding more if hungry.
A specific meal example included beef patties with cheese (optional), pickles on the side, mustard or no-sugar-added ketchup for dipping, and grilled broccoli. Eggs could be added if extra hungry. This approach led to losing approximately half of 130 total pounds lost.
Viewer shared that the hosts changed their life significantly. The importance of taking personal action rather than remaining scared was emphasized, noting that becoming the captain of one's own ship requires courage and bravery to make drastic changes.
A question was raised about a carnivore promoter who incorporates one weekly cheat day and has lost over 100 pounds. The response indicated that intentionally scheduling cheat days can be problematic because it takes several days to return to ketosis depending on the severity of the deviation.
There's a psychological concern about living with one foot in both worlds, which can become a slippery slope. This approach previously led to going off the rails for one speaker.
Instead of scheduled cheat meals, the recommendation is to use keto versions or creative recipes when wanting something special, avoiding the metabolic consequences that last multiple days afterward.
Planning cheat days tends to make them progressively worse, with people trying to maximize the single allowed day by consuming multiple problematic foods, potentially making themselves sick. This approach treats the diet like Weight Watchers, where good behavior earns a reward.
For those new to carnivore, the suggestion is to try strict carnivore until healing occurs before considering any deviations or additions. Prioritizing healing first is especially important when dealing with addiction.
The deepest healing occurs during deeper states of ketosis. Weekly deviations may prevent reaching these therapeutic states. People who struggle most with the approach tend to be those doing 95% carnivore or incorporating regular cheat days.
Those who maintain strict adherence overcome the addiction aspect and no longer experience cravings. Even small weekly cheats can trigger renewed cravings based on past experiences with keto.
The conversation concluded with appreciation for the cookbook pre-orders and the work being done. The host mentioned typically doing similar sessions on Saturdays but had missed some due to travel. The guest acknowledged the busy schedule of changing the world through this work.
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