Boundary-Setting Beyond “No”

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More Than A “No”

A lot of people struggle with boundary-setting, and it’s not always the way you might think.

The person who “can’t say no” to people probably comes to mind, but the problem is more far-reaching than that, and it’s rooted in not being clear over what a boundary actually is.

For example: “Don’t bring him here again!”

Pretty clear, right?

And while it is indeed clear, it’s not a boundary; it’s a command. Which may or may not be obeyed, and at the end of the day, what right have we to command people in general?

Same goes for less dramatic things like “Don’t talk to me about xyz”, which can still be important or trivial, depending on whether the topic of xyz is deeply traumatizing for you, or mildly annoying, or something else entirely.

Why this becomes a problem

It becomes a problem not because of any lack of clarity about your wishes, but rather, because it opens the floor for a debate. The listener may be given to wonder whether your right to not experience xyz is greater or lesser than their right to do/say/etc xyz.

“My right to swing my fist ends where someone else’s nose begins”

…does not help here, firstly because both sides will believe themself (or nobody) to be the injured party; for the fist-swinger, the other person’s nose made a vicious assault on their freedom. Or secondly, maybe there was some higher principle at stake; a reason why violence was justified. And then ten levels of philosophical debate. We see this a lot when it comes to freedom of expression, and vigorous debate over whether this entails freedom from social consequences of one’s words/actions.

How a good boundary-setting works (if this, then that)

Consider two signs:

  • No trespassing!
  • Trespassers will be shot!

Superficially, the second just seems like a more violent rendition of the first. But in fact, the second is more informationally useful: it explains what will happen if the boundary is not respected, and allows the reader to make their own informed decision with regard to what to do with that information.

We can employ this method (and can even do so gently, if we so wish and hopefully we mostly do wish to be gentle) when it comes to social and interpersonal boundary-setting:

  • If you bring him here again, I will refuse you entrance
  • If you bring up that topic again, I will ask you to leave
  • If you do that, I will never speak to you again
  • If you don’t stop drinking, I will divorce you

This “if-this-then-that” model does the very first thing that any good boundary does: make itself clear.

It doesn’t rely on moral arguments; it doesn’t invite debate. For example in that last case, it doesn’t argue that the partner doesn’t have the right to drink—it simply expresses what the speaker will exercise their own right to do, in that eventuality.

(as an aside, the situation that occurs when one is enmeshed with someone who is dependent on a substance is a complex topic, and if you’re interested in that, check out: Codependency Isn’t What Most People Think)

Back on track: boundary-setting is not about what’s right or good—it’s about nothing more nor less than a clear delineation between what we will and won’t accept, and how we’ll enforce that.

We can also, in particularly personal boundary-setting (such as with sexual boundaries’ oft-claimed “gray areas”), fix an improperly-set boundary that forgot to do the above, e.g:

“How about [proposition]?”
“No thank you” ← casually worded answer; contextually reasonable, and yet not a clear boundary per what we discussed above
“Come on, I think you’d like it”
“I said no. No means no. Ask me again and I will [consequences that are appropriate and actionable]”

What’s “appropriate and actionable” may vary a lot from one situation to another, but it’s important that it’s something you can do and are prepared to do and will do if the condition for doing it is met.

Anything less than that is not a boundary—it’s just a request.

Note: this does not require that we have power, by the way. If we have zero power in a situation, well, that definitely sucks, but even then we can still express what is actionable, e.g. “I will never trust you again”.

“Price of entry”

You may have wondered, upon reading “boundary-setting is not about what’s right or good—it’s about nothing more nor less than a clear delineation between what we will and won’t accept, and how we’ll enforce that”, can’t that be used to control and manipulate people, essentially coercing them to do or not do things with the threat of consequences (specifically: bad ones)?

And the answer is: yes, yes it can.

But that’s where the flipside comes into play—the other person gets to set their boundaries, too.

For all of us, if we have any boundaries at all, there is a “price of entry” and all who want to be in our lives, or be close to us, have to decide for themselves whether that price of entry is worth it.

  • If a person says “do not talk about topic xyz to me or I will leave”, that is a price of entry for being close to them.
  • If you are passionate about talking about topic xyz to the point that you are unwilling to shelve it when in their presence, then that is the price of entry for being close to you.
  • If one or more of you is not willing to pay the price of entry, then guess what, you’re just not going to be close.

In cases of forced proximity (e.g. workplaces or families) this is likely to get resolved by the workplace’s own rules (i.e. the price of entry that you agreed to when signing a contract to work there), and if something like that doesn’t exist (such as in families), well, that forced proximity is going to reach a breaking point, and somebody may discover it wasn’t enforceable after all.

See also: Family Estrangement: More Common Than Most People Think

…which also details how to fix it, where possible.

Take care!

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  • Anise vs Diabetes & Menopause

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    What A Daily Gram Of Anise Can Do

    Anise, specifically the seed of the plant, also called aniseed, is enjoyed for its licorice taste—as well as its medicinal properties.

    Let’s see how well the science lives up to the folk medicine…

    What medicinal properties does it claim?

    The main contenders are:

    • Reduces menopause symptoms
    • Reduces blood sugar levels
    • Reduces inflammation

    Does it reduce menopause symptoms?

    At least some of them! Including hot flashes and bone density loss. This seems to be due to the estrogenic-like activity of anethole, the active compound in anise that gives it these effects:

    Estrogenic activity of isolated compounds and essential oils of Pimpinella species

    1g of anise/day yielded a huge reduction in frequency and severity of hot flashes, compared to placebo*:

    *you may be wondering what the placebo is for 1g of a substance that has a very distinctive taste. The researchers used capsules, with 3x330g as the dose, either anise seed or potato starch.

    ❝In the experimental group, the frequency and severity of hot flashes before the treatment were 4.21% and 56.21% and, after that, were 1.06% and 14.44% at the end of the fourth week respectively. No change was found in the frequency and severity of hot flashes in the control group. The frequency and severity of hot flashes was decreased during 4 weeks of follow up period. P. anisum is effective on the frequency and severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women. ❞

    See for yourself: The Study on the Effects of Pimpinella anisum on Relief and Recurrence of Menopausal Hot Flashes

    As for bone mineral density, we couldn’t find a good study for anise, but we did find this one for fennel, which is a plant of the same family and also with the primary active compound anethole:

    The Prophylactic Effect of Fennel Essential Oil on Experimental Osteoporosis

    That was a rat study, though, so we’d like to see studies done with humans.

    Summary on this one: it clearly helps against hot flashes (per the very convincing human study we listed above); it probably helps against bone mineral density loss.

    Does it reduce blood sugar levels?

    This one got a flurry of attention all so recently, on account of this research review:

    Review on Anti-diabetic Research on Two Important Spices: Trachyspermum ammi and Pimpinella anisum

    If you read this (and we do recommend reading it! It has a lot more information than we can squeeze in here!) one of the most interesting things about the in vivo anti-diabetic activity of anise was that while it did lower the fasting blood glucose levels, that wasn’t the only effect:

    ❝Over a course of 60 days, study participants were administered seed powders (5 g/d), which resulted in significant antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and hypolipidemic effects.

    Notably, significant reductions in fasting blood glucose levels were observed. This intervention also elicited alterations in the lipid profile, LPO, lipoprotein levels, and the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level.

    Moreover, the serum levels of essential antioxidants, such as beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin E, which are typically decreased in diabetic patients, underwent a reversal.❞

    That’s just one of the studies cited in that review (the comments lightly edited here for brevity), but it stands out, and you can read that study in its entirety (it’s well worth reading).

    Rajeshwari et al, bless them, added a “tl;dr” at the top of their already concise abstract; their “tl;dr” reads:

    ❝Both the seeds significantly influenced almost all the parameters without any detrimental effects by virtue of a number of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals present in the seeds having therapeutic effects.❞

    Full text: Comparison of aniseeds and coriander seeds for antidiabetic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities

    Shortest answer: yes, yes it does

    Does it fight inflammation?

    This one’s quick and simple enough: yes it does; it’s full of antioxidants which thus also have an anti-inflammatory effect:

    Review of Pharmacological Properties and Chemical Constituents of Pimpinella anisum

    …which can also be used an essential oil, applied topically, to fight both pain and the inflammation that causes it—at least in rats and mice:

    ❝Indomethacin and etodolac were treated reference drugs for the anti-inflammatory activity. Aspirin and morphine hydrochloride were treated reference drugs for the analgesic activity. The results showed that fixed oil of P. anisum has an anti-inflammatory action more than etodolac and this effect was as strong as indomethacin. P. anisum induces analgesic effect comparable to that of 100 mg/kg Aspirin and 10 mg/kg morphine at 30 th min. of the study❞

    Summary of this section:

    • Aniseeds are a potent source of antioxidants, which fight inflammation.
    • Anise essential oil is probably also useful as a topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent, but we’d like to see human tests to know for sure.

    Is it safe?

    For most people, enjoyed in moderation (e.g., within the dosage parameters described in the above studies), anise is safe. However:

    Where to get it?

    As ever, we don’t sell it (or anything else), but for your convenience, you can buy the seeds in bulk on Amazon, or in case you prefer it, here’s an example of it available as an essential oil.

    Enjoy!

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  • Hair Growth: Caffeine and Minoxidil Strategies

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    Questions and Answers at 10almonds

    Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

    This newsletter has been growing a lot lately, and so have the questions/requests, and we love that! In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    Hair growth strategies for men combing caffeine and minoxidil?

    Well, the strategy for that is to use caffeine and minoxidil! Some more specific tips, though:

    • Both of those things need to be massaged (gently!) into your scalp especially around your hairline.
      • In the case of caffeine, that boosts hair growth. No extra thought or care needed for that one.
      • In the case of minoxidil, it reboots the hair growth cycle, so if you’ve only recently started, don’t be surprised (or worried) if you see more shedding in the first three months. It’s jettisoning your old hairs because new ones were just prompted (by the minoxidil) to start growing behind them. So: it will get briefly worse before it gets better, but then it’ll stay better… provided you keep using it.
    • If you’d like other options besides minoxidil, finasteride is a commonly prescribed oral drug that blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT, which latter is what tells your hairline to recede.
    • If you’d like other options besides prescription drugs, saw palmetto performs comparably to finasteride (and works the same way).
      • You may also want to consider biotin supplementation if you don’t already enjoy that
    • Consider also using a dermaroller on your scalp. If you’re unfamiliar, this is a device that looks like a tiny lawn aerator, with many tiny needles, and you roll it gently across your skin.
      • It can be used for promoting hair growth, as well as for reducing wrinkles and (more slowly) healing scars.
      • It works by breaking up the sebum that may be blocking new hair growth, and also makes the skin healthier by stimulating production of collagen and elastin (in response to the thousands of microscopic wounds that the needles make).
      • Sounds drastic, but it doesn’t hurt and doesn’t leave any visible marks—the needles are that tiny. Still, practise good sterilization and ensure your skin is clean when using it.

    See: How To Use A Dermaroller ← also explains more of the science of it

    PS: this question was asked in the context of men, but the information goes the same for women suffering from androgenic alepoceia—which is a lot more common than most people think!

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  • Eat To Beat Hyperthyroidism!

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    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Would love to see more on eating vegan. I am allergic to soy in any form which seems to be in everything❞

    There is a lot of it about, isn’t there? Happily, these days, a lot of meat and dairy alternatives are also made from other sources, for example pea protein is getting used a lot more nowadays in meat substitutes, and there are many kinds of alternatives to dairy (e.g. nut milks, oat milk, hemp milk, and—which is a branding nightmare but very healthy—pea milk).

    You might like these previous main features of ours:

    Also, if doing a whole foods plant-based diet, lentils (especially brown lentils) can be used as a great substitute for minced beef/lamb in recipes that call for such.

    Boil the lentils (a liter of water to a cup of lentils is great; use a rice cooker if you have one!) along with the seasonings you will use (herbs appropriate to your dish, and then: black pepper is always good; you shouldn’t need to add salt; a teaspoon of low-sodium yeast extract is great though, or to really get the best nutritional benefits, nooch).

    When it is done, you shouldn’t have excess water now, so just use as is, or if you want a slightly fatty kick, fry briefly in a little extra virgin olive oil, before using it however you were planning to use it.

    Enjoy!

    ❝What foods should I eat for hyperthyroidism? My doctor tells me what foods to avoid, but not what to eat❞

    Great question! We’ll have to do a main feature on hyperthyroidism one of these days, as so far we’ve only done features on hypothyroidism:

    As for hyperthyroidism…

    Depending on your medications, your doctor might recommend a low iodine diet. If so, then you might want to check out:

    American Thyroid Association | Low Iodine Diet Plan

    …for recommendations.

    But in a way, that’s still a manner of “what to avoid” (iodine) and then the foods to eat to avoid that.

    You may be wondering: is there any food that actively helps against hyperthyroidism, as opposed to merely does not cause problems?

    And the answer is: yes!

    Cruciferous vegetables (e.g. cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) contain goitrin, which in immoderate quantities can cause problems for people with hypothyroidism because it can reduce thyroid hormone synthesis. If you have hyperthyroidism, however, this can work in your favor.

    Read more: The role of micronutrients in thyroid dysfunction

    The above paper focuses on children, but it was the paper we found that explains it most clearly while showing good science. However, the same holds true for adults:

    Read more: Concentrations of thiocyanate and goitrin in human plasma, their precursor concentrations in brassica vegetables, and associated potential risk for hypothyroidism

    Notwithstanding that the title comes from the angle of examining hypothyroidism, the mechanism of action makes clear its beneficence in the case of hyperthyroidism.

    Selenium is also a great nutrient in the case of autoimmune hyperthyroidism, because it is needed to metabolize thyroid hormone (if you don’t metabolize it, it’ll just build up):

    Selenium and Thyroid Disease: From Pathophysiology to Treatment

    The absolute top best dietary source of selenium is Brazil nuts, to the point that people without hyperthyroidism have to take care to not eat more than a few per day (because too much selenium could then cause problems):

    NIH | Selenium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals

    (this contains information on the recommended amount, the upper limit amount, how much is in Brazil nuts and other foods, and what happens if you get too much or too little)

    Note: after Brazil nuts (which are about 5 times more rich in selenium than the next highest source), the other “good” sources of selenium—mostly various kinds of fish—are also “good” source of iodine, so you might want to skip those.

    Want more ideas?

    You might like this from LivHealth:

    Hyperthyroidism Diet: 9 Foods To Ease Symptoms

    Enjoy!

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  • The Collagen Cure – by Dr. James DiNicolantonio

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Collagen is vital for, well, most of our bodies, really. Where me most tend to feel its deficiency is in our joints and skin, but it’s critical for bones and many other tissues too.

    You may be wondering: why a 572-page book to say what surely must amount to “take collagen, duh”?

    Dr. DiNicolantonio has a lot more of value to offer us than that. In this book, we learn about not just collagen synthesis and usage, different types of collagen, the metabolism of it in our diet (if we get it—vegans and vegetarians won’t). We also learn about the building blocks of collagen (vegans and vegetarians do get these, assuming a healthy balanced diet), with a special focus on glycine, the smallest amino acid which makes up about a third of the mass of collagen (a protein).

    Not stopping there, we also learn about the interplay of other nutrients with our metabolism of glycine and, if applicable, collagen. Vitamin C and copper are star features, but there’s a lot more going on with other nutrients too, down to the level of “So take this 75 minutes before this but after that and/but definitely not with the other”, etc.

    The style is incredibly clear and readable for something that’s also quite scientifically dense (over 1000 references and many diagrams).

    Bottom line: if you’re serious about maintaining your body as you get older, and you’d like a book about collagen that’s a lot more helpful than “take collagen, duh”, then this is the book for you.

    Click here to check out The Collagen Cure, and take care of yours!

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  • Meditation That You’ll Actually Enjoy

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    Meditation That You’ll Actually Enjoy

    We previously wrote about…

    No-Frills, Evidence-Based Mindfulness

    this is a great primer, by the way, for the science and simplicity of mindfulness, along with the simplest mindfulness meditation to get you going.

    Today, we’re going to have some fun with meditation.

    First: The Problem

    Once the usefulness and health benefits of meditation have been established, often people want to meditate, but complain they don’t have the time.

    But that’s not the real reason, though, is it?

    Let’s face it, a basic meditation can give benefits within two minutes. Or within two breaths, for that matter. So, it’s not really for a lack of time.

    The real reason is because it doesn’t feel productive, and it’s not fun. For us to feel motivated to do a thing, usually we need at least one or the other. And even if we know it really is productive, it not feeling that way will hobble us.

    So instead, let us make things a little more fun, with…

    Meditation games!

    As it turns out, there are good kinds of meditation with which one can have a little fun.

    Catch the next thought

    A common feature of many meditative practices is the experience of having fewer, or ideally no, thoughts.

    But it’s hard to enact a negative, and thoughts keep coming.

    So instead, make yourself comfortable, settle in, and lie in wait for thoughts. When one comes along, pounce on it in your mind. And then release it, and wait for the next.

    At first, your thoughts may be coming thick and fast, but soon, you’ll find the pauses between them lengthening, and you have moments of contented not-knowing of what the next thought will be before it comes along.

    This state of relaxed, ready alertness, calm and receptive, is exactly what we’re hoping to find here. But don’t worry about that while you’re busy lying in wait for the next wild thought to come along

    Counting breaths

    Many meditative practices involve focus on one’s breath. But it’s easy for attention to wander!

    This game is a simple one. Count your breaths, not trying to change your rate of breathing at all, just letting it be, and see how high you can get before you lose count.

    Breathing in and out, once, counts as one breath, by the way.

    You may find that your rate of breathing naturally slows while you’re doing this. That’s fine; let it. It’ll add to the challenge of the game, because before long there will be lengthy pauses between each number.

    If you lose count, just start again, and see if you can beat your high score.

    This meditation game is an excellent exercise to build for sustained focus, while also improving the quality of breathing (as a side-effect of merely paying attention to it).

    Hot spot, cold spot

    The above two meditation games were drawn from Japanese and Chinese meditative practices, zen and qigong respectively; this one’s from an Indian meditative practice, yoga nidra. But for now, just approach it with a sense of playful curiosity, for best results.

    Make yourself comfortable, lying on your back, arms by your sides.

    Take a moment first to pay attention to each part of your body from head to toe, and release any tension that you may be holding along the way.

    First part: mentally scan your body for where it feels warmest, or most active, or most wanting of attention (for example if there is pain, or an itch, or some other sensation); that’s your “hot spot” for the moment.

    Second part: mentally scan your body for where it feels coolest, or most inert, or almost like it’s not a part of your body at all; that’s your “cold spot” for the moment.

    Now, see if you can flip them. Whether you can or can’t, notice if your “hot spot” or “cold spot” moves, or if you can move them consciously.

    This meditation game is a great exercise to strengthen interoception and somatic awareness in general—essential for being able to “listen to your body”!

    Closing thoughts

    All three practices above have very serious reasons and great benefits, but make sure you don’t skip enjoyment of the fun aspects!

    Being “young at heart” is, in part, to do with the ability to enjoy—literally, to take joy in—the little things in life.

    With that in mind, all we have left to say here is…

    Enjoy!

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  • Should You Go Light Or Heavy On Carbs?

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    Carb-Strong or Carb-Wrong?

    A bar chart showing the number of people who are interested in social media and heavy carbs.

    We asked you for your health-related view of carbs, and got the above-depicted, below-described, set of responses

    • About 48% said “Some carbs are beneficial; others are detrimental”
    • About 27% said “Carbs are a critical source of energy, and safer than fats”
    • About 18% said “A low-carb diet is best for overall health (and a carb is a carb)”
    • About 7% said “We do not need carbs to live; a carnivore diet is viable”

    But what does the science say?

    Carbs are a critical source of energy, and safer than fats: True or False?

    True and False, respectively! That is: they are a critical source of energy, and carbs and fats both have an important place in our diet.

    ❝Diets that focus too heavily on a single macronutrient, whether extreme protein, carbohydrate, or fat intake, may adversely impact health.

    ~ Dr. Russel de Souza et al.

    Source: Low carb or high carb? Everything in moderation … until further notice

    (the aforementioned lead author Dr. de Souza, by the way, served as an external advisor to the World Health Organization’s Nutrition Guidelines Advisory Committee)

    Some carbs are beneficial; others are detrimental: True or False?

    True! Glycemic index is important here. There’s a big difference between eating a raw carrot and drinking high-fructose corn syrup:

    Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?

    While some say grains and/or starchy vegetables are bad, best current science recommends:

    • Eat some whole grains regularly, but they should not be the main bulk of your meal (non-wheat grains are generally better)
    • Starchy vegetables are not a critical food group, but in moderation they are fine.

    To this end, the Mediterranean Diet is the current gold standard of healthful eating, per general scientific consensus:

    A low-carb diet is best for overall health (and a carb is a carb): True or False?

    True-ish and False, respectively. We covered the “a carb is a carb” falsehood earlier, so we’ll look at “a low-carb diet is best”.

    Simply put: it can be. One of the biggest problems facing the low-carb diet though is that adherence tends to be poor—that is to say, people crave their carby comfort foods and eat more carbs again. As for the efficacy of a low-carb diet in the context of goals such as weight loss and glycemic control, the evidence is mixed:

    ❝There is probably little to no difference in weight reduction and changes in cardiovascular risk factors up to two years’ follow-up, when overweight and obese participants without and with T2DM are randomised to either low-carbohydrate or balanced-carbohydrate weight-reducing diets❞

    ~ Dr. Celeste Naud et al.

    Source: Low-carbohydrate versus balanced-carbohydrate diets for reducing weight and cardiovascular risk

    ❝On the basis of moderate to low certainty evidence, patients adhering to an LCD for six months may experience remission of diabetes without adverse consequences.

    Limitations include continued debate around what constitutes remission of diabetes, as well as the efficacy, safety, and dietary satisfaction of longer term LCDs❞

    ~ Dr. Joshua Goldenberg et al.

    Source: Efficacy and safety of low and very low carbohydrate diets for type 2 diabetes remission

    ❝There should be no “one-size-fits-all” eating pattern for different patient´s profiles with diabetes.

    It is clinically complex to suggest an ideal percentage of calories from carbohydrates, protein and lipids recommended for all patients with diabetes.❞

    ~Dr. Adriana Sousa et al.

    Source: Current Evidence Regarding Low-carb Diets for The Metabolic Control of Type-2 Diabetes

    We do not need carbs to live; a carnivore diet is viable: True or False?

    False. For a simple explanation:

    The Carnivore Diet: Can You Have Too Much Meat?

    There isn’t a lot of science studying the effects of consuming no plant products, largely because such a study, if anything other than observational population studies, would be unethical. Observational population studies, meanwhile, are not practical because there are so few people who try this, and those who do, do not persist after their first few hospitalizations.

    Putting aside the “Carnivore Diet” as a dangerous unscientific fad, if you are inclined to meat-eating, there is some merit to the Paleo Diet, at least for short-term weight loss even if not necessarily long-term health:

    What’s The Real Deal With The Paleo Diet?

    For longer-term health, we refer you back up to the aforementioned Mediterranean Diet.

    Enjoy!

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