If you’re into the first days of a carnivore experiment and you’re experiencing acid reflux (heartburn), or low appetite for protein―like the idea of steak sounds totally gross and makes you want to gag―this can be indicative of low stomach acid.
Stomach acid is really important. It breaks down the protein in the food that we eat. It’s extremely acidic―a drop of it on your living room floor would burn right through the carpet―and it’s supposed to be that way!
Without enough of it, instead of moving further down the digestive track, food just kind of sits in the stomach, rotting (gross, I know), then expands and begins to push back up into the esophagus. That’s what causes acid reflux.
Here are 5 things you can do to help support your body’s ability to digest protein and get you over the low-appetite hump.
Chew thoroughly.
Chewing 30 times each bite, until the food is liquid in your mouth, will help relieve the burden on your stomach acid to do the breakdown of food.
Limit how much you drink at mealtime.
Liquid dilutes stomach acid, so keep any liquids with meals to less than 8 ounces.
Supplement to boost stomach acid.
You can take an HCl supplement with the first few bites of your meal, especially in the first few days. I took 10-15 of the Biotics Research HydroZyme with each meal, and it definitely helped a lot.
PS. I used my knowledge as a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner to put together a little “Carnivore Starter Kit” of supplements, including the HydroZyme, that helped make my transition way easier with better digestion and lessened sugar cravings & carb flu― email me if you want to get in on this. ?
Eat easier-to-digest meats.
Meats that have been slow-cooked or pre-broken down are easier for the body to digest. When you cut into a meat that flakes apart easily, you can see how the heat and water has gone in and partially broken down the meat.
You can try: ① A roast cooked at 220 for 5-6 hours, ② Drinking bone broth, rich in amino acids, and ③ (sounds weird, but) cooking ground beef and pulsing it a few times in the food processor so it’s minced very finely.
Consider adding in spices.
If the idea of steak is making you gag, consider instead making meatballs out of ground beef, turkey, or pork, and seasoning it with plenty of salt and spices. While it’s not pure carnivore, as entrepreneur Tim Ferriss says:
The imperfect plan you stick to is better than the perfect plan you don’t.
Eventually, as your appetite increases, you’ll be able to phase out the spices if you decide to do that.
And, remember that this is temporary! Your body will adjust with time and your appetite for meat will get better, I promise. ?
Photo by José Ignacio Pompé on Unsplash
I am on day 4 and definitely experiencing acid tummy and nausea. I have no appetite for meat. Thanks for this article. I will give your suggestions a try. I do want to succeed on this diet and heal my mood and thyroid issues. I have tried every diet out there from vegan to paleo. I have no where else to go.
Good luck with the acid tummy and nausea. I know there can be a little of an adjustment period. Eat as little as your body is asking for when you just start out. Limit fluid intake at meals. You got this!
Anne, I too have tried both of those. I tried paleo first then raw vegan for 14 months because the ‘vegan junk science’ said it would cure all my aliments and auto immune issues. All it did was make everything worse. I stumbled on Dr. Berry on youtube and have been doing carnivore for 32 days. Ive lost 21 pounds, my sinuses are completely clear, my skin is clearing up, dry scalp is gone, energy through the roof, no more brain fog, depression and anxiety gone, ankle swelling gone and my fasting glucose has gone from 120 to 111. I honestly cant wait to see what the next 30 days brings. Reversing my pre-diabetes would be wonderful!