Plant-Based Supplements on the Carnivore Diet

[michael1222]

Hi, I am new to the Carnivore diet. Can any experts please advise if I can take plant-based supplements? Thanks.

[Geezy]

Yes you can. Most supplements that aren’t mineral in nature are going to be a plant derivative.
In the beginning of eating carnivore many people do take supplements and I did as well but as you become fat adapted and metabolically healthy you find that you don’t need them anymore. If you are eating a fat and meat rich diet you should be getting all of the nutrients you need. If you are not sticking to a strict carnivore diet then you may need too. Also, if you have some specific issue that needs help you may need to supplement something in particular to help it. For instance, I take a magnesium supplement with citrate in it to help a bowel issue but here lately I think it’s getting better so I’m going to hold off taking it for awhile and see if that part of my body is finally getting adjusted to this way of eating.
The thing with plant supplements is are they really all that bio available to our bodies? If the whole vegetables aren’t bio available to our bodies as many carnivore doctors claim then I wonder if the supplements, especially in their small amount, could actually do much of anything. Something to think about.
Give it a try if you feel you may need them and maybe gradually get off of them as you progress in your health.
If you choose to use them the I would look for the cleanest ones I could find. Many of the commercial ones sold in the big stores will have sugar and seed oils or soy in them. I would try to avoid that if possible. Try to find a heath food store or a compound pharmacy and you may find cleaner products. I get my toothpaste and deodorant at a health food store and I’ve gotten supplements for my mother in law there and I have found some that aren’t too bad.
Good luck on your journey and let us know how it goes.


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[Bob]

On 8/29/2024 at 8:54 PM, michael1222 said:

Hi, I am new to the Carnivore diet. Can any experts please advise if I can take plant-based supplements? Thanks.

You will more than likely be just fine.

Remember that you get most, if not all, of what you need from meat alone - particularly beef and eggs, and bonus points if you can do organ meats, as they are like multivitamins in and of themselves, being very bioavailable for humans.

Certain plant based supplements might only yield a small benefit, because the plant form is not a form humans can use, so the human body has to convert it to a useable form, and it's not very efficient at that, so a lot goes to waste.

Is there particular supplements you had in mind?

[michael1222]

Thank you so much, Geezy and Bob, for the kind advice. I plan to take Vitamin D (from lichen) + k2 (from natto), magnesium, and zinc.  Kindly advise where I can get potassium from animal sources. Thank you.

[Scott F.]

I take Vitamin D and magnesium.

I have always had low Vitamin D even with supplementation. Since Carnivore, with the supplementation, I am back in the "green".

I don't see a problem with it as during the switch they are more than likely needed. I wish I had read the directions or asked the questions. I stumbled thru and had some issues that were easily avoidable. The magnesium may have prevented a few of the "pinch and sprint" trips to the bathroom. I'm not smart like that tho, just seem to wing it.

Best of luck. This is a good place to ask and learn.

Scott

[Meathead]

13 hours ago, michael1222 said:

+ k2 (from natto)

Just be aware all natto is not the same.  You have to try different brands and make sure they're imported not made in USA.

I stopped natto taking advice from fellow members until my lab results come back. 

Good luck and welcome to the healthy lifestyle. 

[Geezy]

Kindly advise where I can get potassium from animal sources. Thank you.

Have you actually had a blood test to show that you have and vitamin and mineral deficiencies? If you haven’t then you don’t really know for sure what your needs are.
I do not take any potassium supplements and yet my blood tests show that my potassium levels are perfectly normal.
All I eat 98% of the time is animal fats, animal proteins, salt and water.
So I must be getting my potassium from my meats and I think you can too.


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[michael1222]

But meat has very little potassium. That's why I am worried I will get potassium deficiency on carnivore diet.

[Scott F.]

Supplement with a potassium included electrolyte. I forget her name but go to youtube-homemamde electrolytes- and her name is Teri G.

It is as about as simple a mixture as out there. I started off trying to make drinks with it but not much on the salty taste when drinking.

I use it to liberally salt my foods.

Hope it works out for you.

Scott

[Bob]

On 9/3/2024 at 3:28 AM, michael1222 said:

I plan to take Vitamin D (from lichen) + k2 (from natto), magnesium, and zinc.

All that should be fine, provided there's nothing in the lichen or natto that you would be sensitive to. I imagine it would be a rather clean extract (vitamin D collected, rest of the algae discarded) so it should be toxin free. I've never heard of it till now. I couldn't find much about it outside of natural health and vegan based websites, but that's okay. This doesn't mean it's bad. It just means they are particularly excited about it. 

If you get plenty of sun, you might want to get your Vitamin D levels checked. And then if the dose is large, check it regularly. Vitamin D toxicity can be a thing.

Quote

Kindly advise where I can get potassium from animal sources. Thank you.

There is potassium in all meat, with Pork reigning supreme and Chicken coming in at a close second. I have stage 4 CKD, and sometimes I get hyperkalemic (high potassium) and have to back off the bacon for 30 days or so to get it back down.

If you don't have a huge appetite, you might want to drink an electrolyte supplement like LMNT or SALTT to make up the difference. In the past, all these minerals used to be in our water. But today that's not the case.

[Geezy]

But meat has very little potassium. That's why I am worried I will get potassium deficiency on carnivore diet.

Well there must be enough because my blood test show that I’m getting enough just from the meats I eat.
The only way you will know for sure is to get a blood test and find out for sure if you really need to supplement.
If you aren’t deficient in potassium and you supplement then it’s possible to overload your system and put yourself in danger of stopping your heart. Potassium can kill you if you get too much.
Get your blood tested and know for sure.


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[Meathead]

58 minutes ago, Geezy said:

Potassium can kill you if you get too much.

As most minerals can.

I agree with @Geezy

get thorough blood work done and work from there. 

[Orweller]

12 hours ago, Meathead said:

As most minerals can.

I agree with @Geezy

get thorough blood work done and work from there. 

Most supplements can, really. Including vitamin K or C. Supplementation should always be approach with care. Start low doses. Good point.