# SIBO - all meat diet an option?



## Jlobel (Jan 12, 2014)

Hi, I was wondering if anybody has thought about using an all meat diet to treat SIBO through starving the bacteria. I am not sure how the fat and or protein would effect the bacteria, but with no sugar or carbs it should make a difference. I was thinking with maybe an herbal antibiotic it could knock it out in a month. Any thoughts?


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## zeroblue (Aug 7, 2013)

I've tried some herbal antibiotics and they've done nothing but you should try them as well.

As for an all meat diet i suppose you can try that as well but keep in mind it's not a very balanced diet. Be very careful. If fatty foods are a trigger for you it might be difficult to sustain, also make sure you are getting all your nutrients, take some vitamins etc. Look into nutritional yeast too.


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## Jlobel (Jan 12, 2014)

zeroblue said:


> I've tried some herbal antibiotics and they've done nothing but you should try them as well.
> 
> As for an all meat diet i suppose you can try that as well but keep in mind it's not a very balanced diet. Be very careful. If fatty foods are a trigger for you it might be difficult to sustain, also make sure you are getting all your nutrients, take some vitamins etc. Look into nutritional yeast too.


yea, I have had no luck with regular antibiotics so I'll get them a chance. What dose and herbal antibiotics did you use / how long?


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

I've been taking oregano oil, peppermint oil, monolaurin, cat's claw, berberine, lactoferrin, and interfase plus (a biofilm chelator) for 1 1/2 weeks with no results yet.

Peppermint oil and oregano oil are some of the strongest natural antibiotics. But remember you need to take them with a biofilm chelator for the most effectiveness (supposedly).


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

About six years ago I had the exact same thought. So, I Googled a bit and, sure enough, there was a whole community of people eating meat and only meat. So, I did that for seven months. I still had diarrhea, felt cold, fatigued, and slept poorly. Some of that was probably because the no-carb diet lowered my free T3 thyroid.

If I were to do it again, (and I have no plans to do so) I would make it a meat and fat only diet. So, I would allow butter, olive oil, avocado oil, and animal fats (duck fat, lard, etc.) I think that I was eating too much protein, even though I was trying to eat high-fat meats like ribeye. Supposedly in Pinochet's Chile they would feed only lean meat to political prisoners to kill them.

It was an interesting experience. I don't regret doing it. I became very lean and looked like pure muscle, even though that was not my intention. My body fat was very, very low at the completion of the experiment.

What I learned was that meat alone was not a good diet for me. I needed some more fat. Furthermore, a bit of carbohydrate in the form of low-carb vegetables actually gave me better bowel movements than no carbs.

Something else, if I were to do it again, knowing what I now know but did not know then, I would buy both a ketone meter and a blood glucose meter. I would check my blood glucose a few times a day and my ketones every few days for a week before starting the diet. Then I would check blood values during the diet to see if there were any changes.

I am guessing that my ketones went real high and that is why I lost all my body fat. My blood glucose might have risen a bit because a ketogenic diet tends to create a bit of insulin resistance in the muscles so that glucose can go to places like the brain, where it is most needed.

Eating only meat will not kill you (unless all fat is removed). You can find excellent books for free online by Vilhjalmur Stefansson on the subject.


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## gleecme (Sep 13, 2015)

Moises said:


> About six years ago I had the exact same thought. So, I Googled a bit and, sure enough, there was a whole community of people eating meat and only meat. So, I did that for seven months. I still had diarrhea, felt cold, fatigued, and slept poorly. Some of that was probably because the no-carb diet lowered my free T3 thyroid.
> 
> If I were to do it again, (and I have no plans to do so) I would make it a meat and fat only diet. So, I would allow butter, olive oil, avocado oil, and animal fats (duck fat, lard, etc.) I think that I was eating too much protein, even though I was trying to eat high-fat meats like ribeye. Supposedly in Pinochet's Chile they would feed only lean meat to political prisoners to kill them.
> 
> ...


Did you find that after the 9 months of meat alone the SIBO was gone? When you say that you would have added fat and some veggies, how much of each do you feel you would have benefitted from?


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## gleecme (Sep 13, 2015)

gleecme said:


> Did you find that after the 9 months of meat alone the SIBO was gone? When you say that you would have added fat and some veggies, how much of each do you feel you would have benefitted from?


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## gleecme (Sep 13, 2015)

Just adding a note to follow the topic.


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## Moises (May 20, 2000)

I did it for 7 months, not 9.

It did not get rid of my symptoms.

Later, I did a 14-day fast and that too did not get rid of my symptoms.

Only later did I get lactulose breath test which showed I was high in both hydrogen and methane.

If you want to give it a try, I would suggest starting by eating only meat and fat to taste.

If you get the meters, make sure your blood glucose isn't going too high. If it is, lower the meat and add more protein. You really wouldn't want to go above 100 mg/dl (5.55 mmol/L).

As you know, everyone is different. You really do have to test for yourself and see if anything helps. Good luck!


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Moises, I tried fish and meat only for three weeks and it didn't help. I hope we find something that works for us.


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## gleecme (Sep 13, 2015)

Moises said:


> I did it for 7 months, not 9.
> 
> It did not get rid of my symptoms.
> 
> ...


Have you found anything since that has been helpful?


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## JojoSave (Dec 10, 2014)

If your ibs diarrhea which many people's is, is caused by excessive heat in the body. Eating meat will even make it worse due to meat being very hot in nature.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

JojoSave, I tried vegan and it was even worse.


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## mellosphere (Sep 22, 2015)

Thinking of trying this diet...if anyone sees this thread pop to the top and has any positive or negative things to contribute, I'd love to hear them.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

It was a bad idea in my case. Have you tried low-carb?


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## mellosphere (Sep 22, 2015)

Yes I have tried low carb but the problem is that I can't really eat vegetables so that seems to exacerbate my condition. I am wondering if the all meat diet could provide some relief.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

There are many veggies that don't exacerbate my condition. Peeled, seeded zucchini for example.

We know that not all ibs are the same and at the end we have to try by ourselves and find what works for us. I am currently using foods like quinoa and potatoes to add carbs to my diet.


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## mellosphere (Sep 22, 2015)

That is very true. I am glad you can eat vegetables. I have tried zucchini, squash, potatoes, quinoa, even rice makes my diarrhea worse. I am on day 3 of the zero carb diet eating only meat and eggs. I feel pretty exhausted today...I know my body is transitioning to living with no carbs, and from my previous diet where I was eating a lot of bread, it is probably a pretty big shift. Hoping I can try a couple weeks and re-assess but if it's like today I won't make it very long.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Remember we cannot survive on protein. We need either fat or carbs.


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## mellosphere (Sep 22, 2015)

Yeah that's a good point. I'm trying to follow the zero-carbers as close as possible and they make a huge point of the fact that all meat diets are actually like 75% calories from fat and 25% calories from protein, even though it feels like you're eating way more protein than fat.

Not convinced yet but i just slept this last night better than I have in a week so I'd say it deserves a fair shot for a few weeks.

May make a new thread with my experience. We'll see


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

I can't do eggs.

Be careful with possible vitamin defciencies. Vit C and rickets come to my mind.


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## mellosphere (Sep 22, 2015)

Wanted to update thread for anyone who reads this later.

Current symptoms: severe insomnia issues, food intolerances, low energy, diarrhea, cramps.

Completed 10 days of all meat plus eggs diet.

Meals were basically:
Breakfast: eggs and bacon
Lunch: pork roast (fatty)
Dinner: chicken thighs

It was simple, I will admit.

Sleep overall worsened throughout the ten days.

My stools were much darker and smaller but very pasty with the occasional explosive stool. I didn't like the dark pasty stools because I felt like there was incomplete evacuation and cleaning myself was difficult. Spent much more time in actual minutes on the toilet. Also the stools frequently burned. By the end of ten days my stools frequency had increased to about 15 small stools per day.

Still had cramps, low energy, pain.

Determined that I could not continue with the number of stools per day and the very uncomfortable pasty stools and the repulsion of eating only meat. Almost forgot to mention that nausea was a HUGE issue on this diet.

According to the experts I did not come close to completing a 30 day all meat diet.

This was not a fun or productive experiment for me.

Next up...considering elemental diet in January...


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Thanks for the update.


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## Raw015 (May 9, 2017)

PD85 said:


> I've been taking oregano oil, peppermint oil, monolaurin, cat's claw, berberine, lactoferrin, and interfase plus (a biofilm chelator) for 1 1/2 weeks with no results yet.
> 
> Peppermint oil and oregano oil are some of the strongest natural antibiotics. But remember you need to take them with a biofilm chelator for the most effectiveness (supposedly).


Rofl do you honestly expect results within 1,5 week? LMAO.


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

Raw015 said:


> Rofl do you honestly expect results within 1,5 week? LMAO.


I find your post to be rude and not helpful. Would anyone coming across this post find it helpful? Do you feel better about yourself when you laugh at someone suffering from IBS? Does it help your IBS to shame someone publically? If not, what is the point of your post? But since you are on an IBS forum you must be suffering just like all of us. You are probably upset, angry, and just want a solution to your problems. We are here to help. In my heart I have already forgiven you for I know the pain you must be in. Would you consider apologizing or at least amending your posts in the future to be more compassionate for those on this forum? It should be a welcoming place for all, not a place where we laugh and ridicule people for trying to help themselves.

In response to your rude implications, although I spent upwards of several years doing different natural antibiotic protocols for often months at a time, I no longer think they are beneficial in my situation. They always made me feel worse. And when I would stop taking them I began to feel better almost immediately. Such a relief!


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## jeffinnh (Jun 15, 2018)

mellosphere said:


> Wanted to update thread for anyone who reads this later.
> 
> Current symptoms: severe insomnia issues, food intolerances, low energy, diarrhea, cramps.
> 
> ...


If you are going this route, consider talking with an ND in your area. Depending on where you are in the US I can recommend one.

They will help with supplements and diet.

I was told 4-6 weeks typical for anti-bacterial *and* anti-fungal, but sometimes as long as 12 weeks. Having help and guidance is key.


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