This ONE Diet Mistake was Destroying Her Heart
In a Nutshell
Reena Alawalia shares how her invisible struggles with anxiety, depression, night eating syndrome, and an eating disorder—fueled by high-carb, low-fat diets, excessive cardio, and undereating—persisted despite looking thin and fit, until carnivore (high-protein, high-fat meat-based eating) eliminated food noise, cravings, and symptoms without exercise. She critiques medical oversights ignoring diet's role in mental health, dementia (like her dad's FTD), heart plaque, and insulin resistance, urging whole unprocessed foods over processed keto products, calorie counting, or pharma reliance. Key advice: Women especially must eat 1,800+ calories of fatty meats like ribeye to avoid thyroid issues, binging, and metabolic shutdown for optimal health and longevity.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
One of the most dangerous myths in medicine is that if you look thin and fit, you're automatically healthy. The host discovered they had plaque despite appearing thin and fit. In this episode, they sit down with Reena Alawalia, host of the Primal Podcast, to discuss how a picture-perfect life can hide internal issues. For those whose labs look fine but relationship with food, body, or brain tells a different story, the conversation offers clear, practical ideas for taking back control without self-criticism.
Reena has never been overweight or obese, which she says is a more difficult problem because it's invisible unlike obesity. Growing up, she experienced anxiety, depression, OCD. Doctors prescribed SSRIs and recommended behavioral work but never mentioned diet, exercise, or light therapy. Nothing improved.
Reena developed an eating disorder from overexercising, obsessed with body image. At 18, she ran on the treadmill for over an hour to burn calories. Her diet: large bowl of Wheat Bix cereal (Australian cereal) with skim milk every morning; baked beans on toast after running; three Wheat Bix with brown sugar in the afternoon; chicken breast with flatbread in the evening. This was high-carb, low-fat.
She had night eating syndrome: waking up fully conscious at night, unable to control behavior, eating a full day's worth of food. Next day, shame leads to overexercising and repeating the cycle. Advice at the time (20 years ago): do cardio, exercise a lot, eat low-fat (not yet counting calories). Low fat didn't fuel her brain, worsening issues.
At 25-28, Reena tried keto incorrectly with packaged 'keto' foods labeled low-carb with 'healthy fats'. Five years ago, she found carnivore, which completely changed her life, leading to her podcast, along with her dad's story.
Even after eating enough calories during the day, Reena felt unsatisfied, likely from excessive cardio. She'd fall asleep hungry, wake up knowing she shouldn't but go to the fridge. Example: living with dad in Sydney, drank sweetened condensed milk straight from the container; ate leftovers like curry. Next day, shame and guilt—dad notices missing food. Uncontrolled behavior leads to questioning control, trying more exercise or different eating, seeking doctor help.
Psychiatrists diagnosed depression, anxiety, mood issue, prescribed Zoloft (SSRI) for years—didn't fix it. What fixed it: switching diet, stopping excessive cardio (does none now), eating meat. Passion for carnivore stems from this.
Reena's physical issue created anxiety; doctors gave drugs instead of diet/physiology change. No one asked about eating, exercise, lifestyle factors—first question in low-carb/keto/carnivore space.
Many suffer similar shaming, misunderstanding, mood disorders. Lack of motivation/drive often tied to diet, especially fat.
Both host and Reena experienced food noise. Host: ran marathons, ultramarathons, long slow distance, burning carbs, avoiding fat—thin but food emotionally dominant. Reena: constant thoughts about next meal, lack of fullness/satisfaction from rubbish food like Vitabrits. Problem: calorie counting, told women to eat 1200 calories (below BMR). Still see undereating in low-carb/keto/carnivore attempts.
Grew up in non-vegan Indian family. Tried vegetarian for a year and vegan to fix night eating and maintain weight, influenced by models/celebrities/friends saving animals. Energy terrible, not eating enough. Ate soup from mom's chicken curry for flavor, avoiding chicken. Felt crap: no energy, binging, shame, couldn't get out of bed. Meat helped. Advocates whole unprocessed foods first, adding meat saves lives.
Discussion with Sean Baker on vegan/vegetarian vs. carnivore. Community spans low-carb to vegan low-carb; carnivores vocal. 80% overlap even with vegan friends. No diet wars—Dr. Ken Berry, Dr. Shawn Baker don't condemn vegan. Debate is optimal health. People getting fatter, unhealthier, more pills (e.g., father-in-law on 10+ meds, unaware). Needs whole food diet (meat, plants). Diet wars confuse; better: congruence, try whole unprocessed foods. Avoid social media extremes like 'eat a stick of butter'—context matters.
Starting day with large cereal bowl leads to glucose-insulin roller coaster. Brett Scher (cardiologist, ex-Diet Doctor, now Metabolic Mind, funded by Roblox family): son had manic-depressive issues, psychiatrists failed with pharma; keto fixed, back to work.
Reena's dad passed from FTD (frontotemporal dementia) two months ago. Diet fixes chronic conditions: mental health, dementia, heart problems. Keto reverses dementia/Alzheimer's (proof exists). Dad ate sugar/carbs in aged care (pureed: sugars, carbs, minimal meat)—worsened condition. Escalation of cancer, dementia, heart problems, insulin resistance, obesity from diet. Processed foods, additives, sugar, carbs everywhere; hard to find protein/fat eating out. Changing diet is free, no pills/doctors needed.
Host worked in Dale Bredesen's community (The End of Alzheimer's book: 36 holes in the roof, aligns with low-carb). Surprised Bredesen's training had minimal discussion on insulin resistance/pre-diabetes (two 30-min sessions in 20 hours). Bredesen: 100% of Alzheimer's is pre-diabetes. Brain uses insulin for memory (3 functions: pull sugar into cells, stop fat burning, make memory). Wake Forest studies: snorted insulin for memory (failed, but proves point). Brain insulin resistance prevents memory-making. Bredesen focuses on curing existing cases vs. prevention.
Dementia bucket term; Alzheimer's one type. No one opposes saturated fats, monounsaturated (olive oil, avocados), fatty meats, salmon, omega-3s. Couldn't convince dad's caregiver; sugar caused frantic episodes (screaming, throwing). Doctor prescribed Aricept for FTD, fast-forwarded condition by one year, immobilized him, then dropped as patient.
Doctors great but don't know everything; wrong meds fatal. Self-educate, question doctors. Low-carbers ask about cholesterol—key for robust talks.
Lifestyle trumps stents, bypass, meds, supplements. Doctors trained to save via weight loss advice, fail, pivot to prescribing/surgery. Low-carb community knows more about heart attacks than 98% of doctors.
Not against doctors—challenge is 10-15 min visits, behavioral change hard. Before podcast, 15+ years in pharma/medical: worked for Bayer, sold Xarelto, other roles in devices (helped surgeons implant). Spoke to all doctor types. Pharma reps present clinical papers (often manipulated endpoints), buy lunch to sway. Doctors swayed despite good intentions; data from pharma marketing.
Doctors often start conversations with personal stories, similar to how patients engage doctors about their conditions like atrial fibrillation or statins. Sales reps present clinical papers, asking thoughts on drugs like Zoralta or Eliquis (likely Eliquis). These drugs are similar but differ in dosing: one once a day, one twice. Reps heavily influence prescribing habits through conventions, not from doctors' education.
Medical devices in surgeries like orthopedic or ENT are exciting. Pharmaceutical sales were interesting.
Doctors are accused of being controlled by big pharma to prescribe statins for profit, but popular statins like Lipitor now cost about $5 a month. Big pharma made money decades ago but not now, especially post-patent. Less talk occurs when drugs go off-patent due to no marketing funds.
Initially did keto with processed keto products like almond flour cakes with stevia, still processed. Ate little meat, mostly chicken breast, lots of salads and vegetables—wrong proportions: too much salad, lean food, not enough fat.
Started carnivore 5 years ago, followed advice to eat a stick of butter a day without enough protein, leading to hair loss, low energy. Common pitfalls: easy to overeat fat, hard to eat enough protein, especially for women—steaks, eggs, salmon are filling. Too much dairy or processed carnivore foods from social media.
Carnivore has evolved; avoid recipes. Key: eat enough protein and fat. Felt better eating enough meat. Can be uncomfortable at first; doesn't advocate prolonged fasting. Deals with undereaters, especially women, who binge from undereating.
Significant women in Go Carnivore community (open to carnivore, keto, low carb) undereat, aiming for 1,200-1,400 calories. Minimum for women: 1,800 calories a day (per doctors like Dr. Elizabeth Bright). Scared to eat enough, fixated on macros or fat.
Common problem: body shuts down from undereating, leading to thyroid issues in women (less in men due to testosterone). Glands need fat and protein first. Undereating causes weight retention as body conserves, eats body cells for fuel, slows metabolism.
Liv in Go Carnivore, lives in Lapland, Northern Europe. Chronically undereating, weight under 50 kg (~110 lbs), grandmother. Ate extra lean ground beef, dairy. Switched to fatty steak, ribeye, eggs, bacon—weight rose to 54-55 kg, felt better: less cravings, brain fog. Not about scale weight; protein and fat with exercise make body handle weight differently—look/feel better, sleep improves.
Husband moved to Turkey, Istanbul; she was in Australia with family, dad with dementia. Dad retired at 60, diagnosed at 65, died at 72—couldn't enjoy retirement travel, lost independence.
Dad (non-verbal) urged her to go to Istanbul via his wife. Moved, leveraged doctor-speaking experience and existing YouTube channel on carnivore/meat. Started interviewing doctors, shifted to full-time.
Having something bigger than yourself boosts longevity (e.g., Holocaust survivor study, US retirement study). Paid bills like dad; his message: live life now at 42. Recent Bondi attack in Australia (15-20 dead)—visited daily; sudden deaths remind you never know end (disease, accident). Diet helps live better.
Carnivore easy in Istanbul—meat-centric. No need to be perfect carnivore; do what works. Look after your health—no one can like you can; makes world better.
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