Diet Secrets That Prevent Disease
If you want to avoid heart disease, reverse insulin resistance, and prevent chronic diseases, diet can be your strongest weapon. But here’s the catch: it’s not as simple as choosing vegan or carnivore or any other named diet—it’s about managing the energy and nutrient quality of your diet to work with your body, not against it.
Today, we’re lucky to have an abundance of food choices, from fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes to meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Vitually anything that as been called food any where on the planet over the last 5000+ years is available to us 24/7 almost at arms reach if not a quick run to the supermarket. But with this abundance comes the need for knowledge. Chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease can often be traced back to an abundance of dietary choices. By understanding key concepts like energy toxicity and focusing on unprocessed foods, you can choose a path—whether vegan, carnivore, or something in between—that can keep chronic disease at bay.
Energy Toxicity: The Root of Chronic Disease
Energy toxicity refers to an excess of energy (or food) that our bodies don’t need, especially when it’s from processed sources. Our bodies evolved to survive periods of feast and famine, but modern life rarely has a “famine” phase. Instead, we have constant access to energy-dense foods that are easy to overconsume. This energy overload causes our fat cells to store more than they’re used to, in places that would normally not store fat, resulting in an inflammatory response that can lead to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and other metabolic issues.
Imagine it this way: if your kitchen garbage is overflowing, you can either take out the trash or tuck it away in cupboards and drawers so the garbage is still in the kitchen rotting, but not visible at first glance, but it will keep accumulating and will eventually begin to stink up the whole house making the house ‘unhealthy’. Similarly, when we keep adding excess energy to our bodies, it stores the overflow as fat, often in unhealthy locations like around organs, setting the stage for insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.
How Carnivore and Vegan Diets Both Address Energy Toxicity
While it may seem odd to say both plant-based and animal-based diets can prevent disease, they each tackle energy toxicity in different ways.
Carnivore Diet: This approach emphasizes animal proteins and fats with minimal to no carbohydrates. Since protein and fat are more satiating, you’re less likely to overeat (for the most part. There are exceptions). Additionally, low-carb intake leads to lower insulin release, reducing fat storage. Some nutrients are more abundant in animal foods, like vitamin B12, iron, choline and certain essential fats, which support metabolic health.
Vegan Diet: Plant foods, when eaten in their whole form, are carbohydrates that are paired with fiber, which slows carbohydrate absorption, prevents blood sugar spikes, and keeps insulin levels steady while at the same time providing prebiotic fiber to the contribute to the healthy microbiome in your gut. By focusing on high-fiber vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, you can avoid overeating and protect yourself against insulin resistance. However, it’s important for vegans to ensure they’re getting enough protein and supplement nutrients that may be lacking, like vitamin B12, iron, choline and omega-3s (to name a few).
The Real Culprit: Processed Foods
Processed foods complicate everything, whether you’re carnivore or vegan. These foods often combine fats and refined carbs, stripped of fiber and nutrients, which sends blood sugar and the hormones that regulate blood sugar and energy use or storage on a rollercoaster ride and promotes fat storage. For instance, a donut or sugary cereal has carbs with no meaningful amount of fiber, triggering a strong insulin response and pushing your body into fat storage mode. This combination of high-carb and high-fat without fiber is something our bodies aren’t adapted to and is a major contributor to chronic disease.
Sticking to whole foods, whether animal- or plant-based, is key. For vegans, this means opting for fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes. For carnivores, this means choosing minimally processed meats and avoiding added sugars and starches.
Managing Insulin and Avoiding Energy Toxicity
Insulin, the hormone that helps store energy from food, is central to understanding chronic disease. High insulin levels drive energy into cells for storage, but chronic high levels can trap fat inside cells and prevent its use for energy. Insulin resistance—the state where cells no longer respond well to insulin—is directly linked to diabetes, weight gain, and inflammation.
When you lower your carbohydrate intake on a carnivore diet, you reduce insulin spikes, allowing the body to use stored fat more efficiently. Similarly, on a vegan diet, the fiber in plant foods prevents rapid blood sugar increases and helps regulate insulin release.
How to Choose the Right Path for You
- Focus on Whole Foods: Processed foods contribute to energy toxicity, so prioritize whole foods that don’t require a label. For vegans, this means fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains. For carnivores, focus on minimally processed meats and healthy fats.
- Manage Insulin by Choosing Quality Nutrients: A diet rich in fiber or protein with natural fats helps manage insulin better than processed sugars and refined carbs.
- Stay Mindful of Your Body’s Needs: Adjust your food choices based on how you feel and function, and aim for a diet that’s satisfying and sustainable.
- Limit Combined Fat and Sugar: Avoid highly processed foods that mix fats and refined carbs, like pastries or fried snacks, which bypass natural satiety cues and promote weight gain.
Preventing Chronic Disease Is Possible
Both vegan and carnivore diets, when managed thoughtfully, can help prevent chronic diseases by controlling energy toxicity, managing insulin, and focusing on whole, nutrient-rich foods. Choose the one that aligns with your lifestyle, enjoy the process, and remember: whole foods are the foundation of long-term health.
References
- Ludwig, D. S., & Ebbeling, C. B. (2018). The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity: Beyond “calories in, calories out.” JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(8), 1098-1103.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.2933 - Hu, F. B., & Willett, W. C. (2002). Optimal diets for prevention of coronary heart disease. JAMA, 288(20), 2569-2578.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.288.20.2569 - Hall, K. D., & Guo, J. (2017). Obesity energetics: Body weight regulation and the effects of diet composition. Gastroenterology, 152(7), 1718-1727.
https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.052
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