🔴 UFC Fighter Goes Carnivore — Here’s What Happened | Kajan Johnson

In this episode of the Plant-Free MD podcast, Dr. Anthony Chaffee interviews Kajan Johnson, a UFC veteran and trainer, who discusses his transition to a carnivore diet. Johnson shares personal insights about his health journey, improvements in training performance, and recovery speed since adopting the diet. He emphasizes the impact of the diet on mental clarity, gut health, and injury recovery, explaining how this nutritional approach can benefit athletes, particularly in high-intensity sports like MMA.

Key Points

Intro to Kajan Johnson

Kajan Johnson introduces himself as a UFC fighter from Canada, now running a gym that trains youth and future fighters. He reflects on his long career in professional fighting, including travel and competing against top-level athletes.

Switch to Carnivore Diet

Johnson explains how he was inspired to adopt a carnivore diet by witnessing his mother's health transformation after overcoming issues from a long-term vegetarian lifestyle. He discusses the potential benefits he seeks from this dietary change, including enhanced performance in competition.

Physical and Mental Benefits

Since starting the carnivore diet, Johnson reports improvements in gut health, faster recovery from injuries, and mental clarity. He mentions that his energy levels during training have remained high without relying on carbohydrates.

Experience with Recovery and Training

Johnson shares that he has experienced quicker recovery times, even after injuries, attributing his fast healing process to the carnivore diet. He mentions less soreness and better performance in training without the adverse effects he previously encountered when consuming carbohydrates.

Discussion on Energy and Performance

The discussion turns to energy levels during high-intensity fights and training. Johnson states he has not experienced a drop in performance or energy on the carnivore diet, feeling mentally sharper and able to focus better than before.

Concussion Recovery

Johnson and Chaffee discuss the role of a carnivore diet in concussion recovery, highlighting how ketones help reduce inflammation in the brain and could assist with recovery from traumatic brain injuries.

Weight Cutting in MMA

Johnson raises concerns about the traditional weight-cutting methods in MMA. He aims to determine how weight cutting works with a carnivore diet, focusing on hydration and muscle mass retention without excessive carbohydrate intake.

Final Thoughts and Goals

Johnson expresses excitement about returning to competitive fighting and the potential advantages of utilizing a carnivore diet while training. He aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of this dietary approach in the cage.

Arthritis, Reflux, Steroids, and a Moment of Desperation

In this video, Karl shares his personal journey on the carnivore diet, detailing his struggles with health issues such as arthritis, reflux, and obesity while following traditional diets. He discusses how adopting the carnivore diet transformed his health, alleviating pain and allowing him to cease using multiple medications. Throughout the interview, Karl emphasizes the importance of dietary choices in managing inflammation and overall well-being, while also highlighting the challenges he faced and the mindset required for successful lifestyle changes.

Key Points

Health Struggles

Karl recounts his initial health issues, including high blood pressure, acid reflux, and arthritis, which began in 2015 due to stress from his job. He describes the physical pain and reliance on numerous medications in his struggle to manage these symptoms.

Discovery of Low Carb Diet

In search of solutions, Karl was introduced to low-carb, high-fat diets, which eventually led him to adopt the ketogenic diet in August 2016. He experienced significant weight loss and improved energy levels during this transition.

Transition to Carnivore Diet

Karl followed the ketogenic diet until around 2020 when he discovered the carnivore diet through Dr. Sean Baker's podcast. This dietary shift further reduced his pain and inflammation associated with arthritis, enhancing his overall health.

Medication Reduction

Karl highlights the drastic decrease in medication usage due to the carnivore diet, ultimately leading to the cessation of all his prescribed medications, noting the correlation between his dietary changes and improvement in health.

Managing Sabotage Days

Despite the benefits, Karl acknowledges that he occasionally experiences 'sabotage days' where he reintroduces non-carnivore foods, which typically leads to a quick return of his previous symptoms, reaffirming the diet's impact on his health.

Advice for Newcomers

He offers three key pieces of advice for those looking to start a carnivore or low-carb diet: eliminate seed oils, remove grains, and cut out refined sugars, suggesting a gradual approach to avoid adverse reactions.

Mental and Emotional Health Impacts

Karl discusses the mental clarity and emotional resilience he gained from following the carnivore lifestyle, contrasting it with his previous struggles with depression and anxiety, suggesting that diet plays a significant role in mental health.

Community and Support

Throughout his journey, Karl emphasizes the importance of community support and awareness around dietary choices, mentioning how sharing his story can help others facing similar health challenges.

The video explores historical methods of preserving meat during the 18th century, specifically focusing on the technique of jerking meat, as practiced by Nicholas Creswell during his travels in 1775. It offers insights into the challenges faced in preserving and consuming large quantities of game such as bison and deer, along with a practical demonstration of how to create jerky using a smoking method over a fire.

Key Points

Historical Context

The video begins with the introduction of Nicholas Creswell's journey in 1775, emphasizing the dangers and hardships faced while traveling through Kentucky with limited provisions and inexperienced companions. It sets the stage for understanding survival during that period.

Meat Preservation Challenges

Creswell and his companions faced significant challenges in preserving meat during their travels. With large game such as bison, preserving the meat to last for weeks was critical, especially when encountering long stretches without food, leading to the need for preservation methods.

Jerking Meat Technique

The video elaborates on the jerking method of preserving meat—a process involving cutting the meat into thin slices and drying it over a slow fire, which was noted as a traditional method that Creswell learned about during his journey.

Importance of Drying

Drying meat is central to the jerking process. The narrator explains that the meat needs to be kept off the fire to avoid cooking and rather to remove moisture, ensuring it remains preserved without spoilage.

Use of Salt

The narrator discusses the occasional use of salt in the preservation process to enhance flavor and aid curing, demonstrating the adaptability of preservation techniques based on available resources.

Comparison with Modern Techniques

There is a comparison between 18th-century jerky and modern jerky, highlighting differences in appearance, preservation methods, and taste, as well as the evolution of meat preservation through contemporary techniques.

Flavor Profile of Dried Meat

The video describes the taste and texture of the dried meat, explaining how it's designed to be simple yet palatable, making it suitable for survival situations, and that it could be turned into stews or soups when combined with other provisions.

Practical Demonstration

Towards the end, the video includes a demonstration of making jerky, emphasizing the techniques involved and offering a taste test of the final product, showcasing its practicality and historical significance.

The video explores the connections between various societal influences, historical events, and dietary guidelines that have contributed to the obesity and diabetes epidemic. It particularly critiques the promotion of plant-based diets and processed foods, revealing how corporations, government policies, and certain dietary advocates have shaped public health perceptions. The speaker argues for the benefits of a carnivore diet and personal health success stories.

Key Points

Rise in Diabetes Rates

The video opens with alarming statistics about diabetes rates in the US and worldwide, predicting that by 2050, 1.3 billion people could be living with diabetes. This rise is framed as a direct result of orchestrated influences rather than random occurrences.

The Influence of Ellen G. White

Ellen G. White, a key figure in the 7th Day Adventist Church, is spotlighted for her promotion of vegetarianism and health responsibility. Her writings played a significant role in shaping dietary insights that have persisted into modern health narratives.

John Harvey Kellogg's Role

John Harvey Kellogg, influenced by White and a proponent of bland foods, founded the ultraprocessed food industry through products like granola and cornflakes. His beliefs linked food choices to moral and health outcomes, contributing to the dietary trends we see today.

Ansel Keys and Saturated Fat Myth

Ansel Keys’ controversial seven-country study correlated saturated fat intake with heart disease, which had a profound impact on dietary guidelines, promoting low-fat diets while downplaying sugar's role in health issues.

Harvard and Sugar Industry Corruption

In the 1960s, researchers at Harvard, funded by the sugar industry, skewed studies to shift focus away from sugar as a health issue, contributing to public misinformation about fat and sugar.

Nixon's Agricultural Policies

President Nixon's agricultural policies, particularly corn subsidies, led to an increase in high fructose corn syrup production. This shift coincided with a narrative that favored low-fat, high-sugar processed foods.

The Role of Dietary Associations

The American Dietetic Association, founded by advocates of plant-based diets, has been influential in promoting nutritional guidelines that uphold the ideals embraced by the 7th Day Adventist Church.

Calories and Nutritional Misconceptions

The concept of calories as a mere measure of energy is criticized. This oversimplification misleads consumers and supports the consumption of ultraprocessed foods while neglecting nutritional value.

Pharmaceutical Industry's Focus

The pharmaceutical industry treats symptoms rather than underlying health issues, contributing to chronic disease rather than promoting preventive health solutions through diet and lifestyle.

Personal Health Transformation

The speaker shares a personal testimony of overcoming diabetes through dietary changes, particularly a shift away from conventional medication, emphasizing empowerment over health management.