Episode #10
The Ketogenic Diet vs. The Carnivore Diet and Rediscovering Nutrition on the Road to Sobriety and Health
In the early 1990s, low-fat diets were all the rage. Health institutions recommended trading in fatty foods for “heart-healthy” carbs, and most people did. Despite this low-fat dogma, Chris Bell, today’s guest, went down a different path. Chris is a renowned filmmaker who’s directed and produced the health documentaries Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, Prescription Thugs, and Trophy […]
Guest
Chris Bell
In the early 1990s, low-fat diets were all the rage. Health institutions recommended trading in fatty foods for “heart-healthy” carbs, and most people did.
Despite this low-fat dogma, Chris Bell, today’s guest, went down a different path.
Chris is a renowned filmmaker who’s directed and produced the health documentaries Bigger, Stronger, Faster*, Prescription Thugs, and Trophy Kids, and he started experimenting with the ketogenic and carnivore diet years before the low carb movement became mainstream.
In 1994, he began to eat nothing but meat and water. That’s right, he jumped into the carnivore diet before it was cool.
At the time, Chris was a powerlifter and going carnivore accelerated his weight loss dramatically. In just 3 months, he went from 245 to 198 pounds.
After seeing these results, he turned to a ketogenic diet, which he followed throughout his long career in the fitness and film industries.
However, his nutrition and overall health took a bad turn when he started to struggle with alcohol and drug addiction.
After filming a 2015 documentary about the effects of prescription drug abuse, he decided it was time to get clean.
Getting sober prompted Chris to reevaluate his relationship with food, dive into nutritional science, and challenge the mainstream nutrition advice.
To his surprise, he found a lot of what we’re told about food and nutrition is just plain wrong.
You probably don’t need that many carbs and plants.
You are most likely missing out on a big superfood (hint: it’s an organ).
You may not need 3-5 meals per day.
We always want to look to our ancestors for what they ate but I don't know how often we look to our ancestors for how much they actually ate. Share on XChris is now back into the carnivore diet, and in today’s episode he tells us all about his results, how it compares to a keto diet, and what he learned during and after getting sober.
In this episode, we go over
- The differences between the ketogenic and carnivore diet, and how you can take advantage of each
- Why grass-fed meat and organs are healthier for you than most superfoods
- What it’s really like to eat just meat and water for months
- The wrong way to do keto
- How Chris used nutrition to overcome alcohol and drug addiction
- The key nutrition changes Chris made after getting sober
- How Chris combined his fitness and filmmaking knowledge to make successful documentaries
- Why cheat meals are bad for your mindset (and what to do instead)
- How to use exogenous ketones the right way
- The calorie debate: how much do they matter in health and weight loss?
- The many side effects of carb consumption
- Why nutrition research is not advancing fast enough
- Chris’ stance on plant-based diets and the film “What The Health”
- Chris’ favorite meal for entering ketosis quickly
- Chris’ mindful advice for reducing stress
- What supplement to take to improve your sleep
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Mentioned in This Episode
- Chris’ documentaries: Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Prescription Thugs, Trophy Kids.
- Chris’ upcoming documentary: A Leaf of Faith
- Chris’ Instagram and Twitter
- Chris’ brother, Mark Bell
- War on Carbs by Mark Bell
- Hashtag Chris and Mark started: #10minutewalk
- Grass-Fed Beef Liverwurst from US Wellness Meats
- Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on The Ketogenic Diet by Maria and Craig Emmerich
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
- Influencers mentioned throughout the episode: Mike O’Hearn, Dr. Shawn Baker, Joe Rogan, Jimmy Moore, Robb Wolf, Dominic D’Agostino, Gary Taubes
- Magnesium Glycinate
- Perfect Keto Exogenous Ketones
More Resources
- 003: Fixing Your Nutrition And Losing Weight With Low Carb Keto – Jimmy Moore
- 005: The Carnivore Diet and What Happens When You Cut Out Plants – Ryan Munsey
- The 7 Benefits of Grass Fed Beef: The Nutritional Powerhouse
- 20 Satisfying Keto Lunch Ideas (+ Recipes) to Fuel Your Day
- The Ultimate Start Up Guide to The Ketogenic Diet
- The Ultimate Keto Diet Plan: What to Eat and Expect on a Ketogenic Diet
- Can You Eat Healthy, Complex Carbs While in Ketosis?
- The Primal Diet: A Lifestyle Based On Evolutionary Science
- Butter, Bacon, and Fat: The Truth About Keto Cholesterol May Surprise You
- How Much Protein Can You Eat on a Ketogenic Diet?