4: Social Carnivore #1, The Teeth

How do I you tell my family? My friends? First a little discussion on what I have noticed with my teeth then we will move on to The Meat. How do we take on this diet without separating ourselves from the whole world because they look at us funny because they probably will. Let's breakdown a route to being an open-book Carnivore or maybe you decided you want to stay to yourself. Enjoy.

The Teeth

Yes this is about dental. I know you may not be interested in dental health because, for the most part, neither am I. As a kid I did not want to brush my teeth and my parents only stayed on top of it for a few years so by the time I was 12 it was my responsibility to brush my teeth. My mom reminded me to do it every night after dinner but that usually meant I was just walking into the bathroom and running the sink for a few minutes. As a result of this, 8 years later my teeth are a bit discolored. They slowly grew a little yellow over the years then when I started drinking coffee I started to see some pretty obvious stains, dark brown ones, on multiple teeth.

These problems are purely aesthetic but they still bothered me. My mom was also a stickler about how dirty my teeth were. She went out and bought quite a few whitening toothpastes over the years. I would pick them up slightly excited and use them for 2 or 3 weeks before getting bored and going back to brushing every 3 or 4 days. It's nasty, I know. To put your mind to ease, yes I am better about it now. I brush at least once a day. Anyway, the whitening toothpastes did help quite a bit but I never used them for long and the stains and yellow color would come right back. On top of this I did have a couple small cavities that were able to be ground out. But hey, 2 cavities over the course of 20 years is pretty good... I think.

Fast forward to the last 2 months. My teeth had been at their worst. Right after boot camp I was on the C&S(Carbs and Sugar) Train. This meant the brown stains and yellow hue were more obvious than ever and people were telling me. I had really given up on it at this point and I didn't care much. I continued on after boot camp but then something happened. My teeth started to be automatically cleaner as I introduced the Carnivore Diet.

At the 1 month mark of restarting this way of eating and I could tell that the yellow color and the stains were literally becoming less and less strong each day. This motivated me to brush more frequently which is great. I was so happy to see the nasty colors disappearing without using a special toothpaste or anything. Then something even better happened. I visited the dentist after not having a teeth cleaning for at least 2 years.

The dentist kept asking me all these questions. I had not been flossing, I had not been brushing twice a day, I did not drink any soda regularly, I just didn't do anything that would cause all that build up... EXCEPT not getting my teeth cleaned for 2 years (and eating carbs of course).

To be even more astonishing, the yellow color was mostly what the dentist got rid of, the brown stains were still faintly present. So in the last few weeks since the dentist appointment I have stopped using regular toothpaste and switched to Baking Soda. This is a secret I actually heard about in the fifth grade. It stuck out to me back then because I wondered why somebody would put something for baking in their mouth. Now it sticks out to me because Baking Soda does not have any artificial sweeteners or sweet flavors that might make it harder to kick a sugar addiction.

• Stop using normal toothpaste and switch to Baking Soda

Now, the brown stains are gone and my teeth have little yellow color to them. THEY ARE NOT PEARLY WHITE. I do not think being super ultra white is natural for out teeth and if you want to try to achieve that then go ahead. There are really effective ways of doing that just be weary of any sweeteners or sugar in the methods you use. I assume most methods are safe. Anyway, my teeth just look like bone white I guess. I am unsure if my breath smells any worse or better but I left that behind a long time ago.

On any Keto diet, you will experience Keto Breath. Your breath just gets stinky. I mean imagine what a lion's breath smells like. But also, feel how your breath carries more weight to it. It's weird but my exhalations just feel more powerful. Sort of like when a lion breaths out and you get a little scared because it sounds and looks like there is so much power behind it. You are a powerful Carnivore. Isn't that exciting?

To summarize in one sentence: The Carnivore Diet allowed my teeth to become cleaner each time I brushed them and switching to Baking Soda over regular toothpaste may be the perfect Carnivore method to dental hygiene.

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The Meat

Mom I have something to tell you... I'm a Carnivore

This was/is one of the things I battle with while being a meat eater. I still most definitely have trouble with this but I think there is definitely an end goal in my mind. I will share with you how I feel about coming out and telling friends, coworkers, family, you name it. The "It works for me" philosophy should be the end goal for anyone, but some people warm up to it faster than others.

You thought this whole thing was odd the first time you heard about it. I remember seeing people on social media posting about their all meat diet for the first time when I was on the Wild Diet and transitioning to the Keto. Carbohydrates were still a pivot point for my meals every day. The thought of omitting them was outlandish to me. I thought I would die. Then I started seeing more and more posts about the Carnivore...

After probably 3 months of seeing all of these success stories I started researching on my own. I listened to multiple podcasts, read a few blogs, and liked many pictures. There was an abundance of evidence showing that this thing was possible. So, I decided I was going to take the leap and try it out. Next obstacle, telling people.

To Tell, or Not To Tell

Telling my Dad was easy, telling my mom was easy, my brother was easy. We all love steak and after a short explanation that Steak is a well known "super food," they usually accept it and tell me to have good luck. When I had to start telling coworkers, friends, or customers at work then it becomes more difficult. Off the top of my head there are a few ways you might react:

1. Anger: Someone will try to explain to you that fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet and that you will end up having heart diseases and what not. If you're like me you will want to pull out a list of reasons why they're wrong and why they will be the one with heart disease. I suggest against that but that if you're a stoic. I am happy if you have these feelings because they are a sign that you are passionate about the things you've learned. So if you're angry and you want to yell about it then I say you capitalize on that and speak your mind or be wise and quiet knowing better.

2. Embarrassed: Someone will hear that you're only eating meat and tell you that you're weird and they can't believe you could do that. You may not even muster the courage to tell them. This is okay too, society has learned that eating only meat is unhealthy and abnormal. It just makes people uncomfortable and they react negatively. An uncomfortable person is not your fault, for the most part it is their fault for being intolerant of your lifestyle. On the same coin, you don't have to be tolerant of their lifestyle either but I'm always going to encourage you to be the bigger person. Just keep in mind that it's okay to be embarrassed, the longer you are Carnivore the better you will be able to handle it.

3. Preachy: If you're also like me, you will feel the need to spread the word of Carnivorous eating (Ha Ha). I am an obnoxious person when it comes to things I am passionate about. When the right people start a debate with me about healthy eating and eating only meat, I will go on lecturing them for an hour sometimes. This is great if you're okay with being judged (sometimes I am). By preaching you are establishing yourself as a sort of ambassador for the diet. People will think you're crazy, annoying, etc. If this is you're happy place then I know you will thrive either way. Just, for me, preach to teach. Do not go out trying to change people because you want to control them. Inform them and walk away. Don't hurt feelings, that's one of the big reasons I made this site.

I have experienced each of these feelings when revealing my diet to new people. There is a different reaction for different types of people. I won't be as embarrassed to tell a friend as I would to tell my manager at work. I also don't want to preach to customers that just want to buy what they came for and leave. With this in mind here are a few go-to methods I use (Yes I bend the truth sometimes).

• "I'm on Keto": If you go this route then you are attempting to be more secretive about the diet. Keto dieting has become pretty popular so when you tell people that you're eating a Keto diet they may be receptive already. Then when they ask what you're favorite meal is just talk about how much you love steak and don't move from it. Just make people think you're too crazy about steak so they try to change the topic away from food. Safe and sound. You told them you were Keto which is true some of the time depending on how fatty you like your meat. You also told them you love steak and you eat a lot of it. No lying just not telling all of the truth.

• "I am allergic to Carbs.": I have been telling my coworkers that I have an allergy to most Carbs and Gluten. They're usually like 'WHAT?!' and I just tell them that I get very bloated and I feel sick when I eat any type of carb or sugar... Which is true but of course I am exaggerating. I could probably eat one meal laden with carbs and feel no negative effects but anything more than that and I am on my way to paranoia, lethargy, headaches, bloating, depression, etc. This usually protects me from people trying to give me free food. If the food has gluten in it you're double safe because most people have heard of gluten intolerance. An allergy to grains, fruits, and vegetables raises a few more eyebrows. This has been very useful to me because most people can accommodate a food allergy without expressing too much disagreement. They will probably ask you what you do eat and you can respond however you like, "I eat meat and eggs," "I eat things that don't give me trouble," "I eat things that don't make me want to die." Whatever you like.

• "I'm on a Carnivore/Zero Carb Diet": This is the be straight forward about it method. When using this technique I have to be in a courageous mood because saying it blatantly will invite arguments and shunning. Tell them what it is and why you do it. Simple as that. Expect resistance.

These are my favorites, but I have been working toward supreme Carnivore level:

• "It works for me.": In my opinion this is the most mature of the methods. If you can truly say this to someone and genuinely believe it then you have fully accepted Carnivore. This means you are comfortable with your decision and you are comfortable with people disagreeing with you. I am a believer that we all are Carnivorous creatures but as you know I still like to have cheat days. If/when you reach Max Level Carnivore you will probably eat meat everyday and not think about ever eating a carb again. You will also be entirely comfortable know that other people eat plant foods all around you. If you are here congratulations.

I've ordered these in a way that you can progress from one to the next. Saying you're Keto is quite safe and believable. Saying your allergic to all plants will take some more persuasion and passion. Saying you're a Carnivore outright means you have accepted the diet and you are not scared of the push back you receive. And finally if you can tell people that is just "works for you," then you have transcended this article. For all of you that are still on the way to this point I hope this helps.

Bonus Method:

• Don't tell anyone: For those of you who enjoy solitude that is another method all in it's own.

You may be someone who is more introverted anyway. If you can go your whole life without telling anyone that you're a Carnivore then I am jealous. I probably lack the mental fortitude to go without telling anyone. I am just like a vegan... (Ha Ha). So for those of you that can keep to themselves I somehow hope to be like you as well when I reach Max Level Carnivore. I'm also sure that those who can implement the "It works for me," method are at a point where they don't have to tell anyone either.

In the end the choice is yours. I hope you foresee your future as a Carnivore. If this is something that scares you before you've even committed to the diet, you can always talk to me so maybe I can put some more of your worries to sleep. The more people we share this with the less foreign it will seem across the country. If we can spread the word to thousands more people maybe we can help them find their health and happiness too. But first find yours! Get Meaty My Friends!

Adam

The Carnivore Human

P.S. If you thought I missed something tell me so I can include it in the next issue of Social Carnivore. I am slowly getting this website more organized so ya'll have a better experience. Contact me with anything you have to say. Next week will be about starting exercise as a Carnivore. It is a bit treacherous at first but I think you can handle it.