Primal Cycles: The Re-Evolution of Nutrition

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Diet Wars

3. We’re All Starting from Different Places

4. Why You’re Confused About What to Eat

5. The Seasonal Solution

6. The Framework Ahead

Maybe your diet should change like the weather…

INTRODUCTION: The Meat-Only Enigma

I've done a lot of stupid stuff in my life, most notably joining the military to play G.I. Joe in someone else's sandbox. I came home from Afghanistan and Iraq with three TBIs, a destroyed knee, and a back that shouldn't have been able to support my weight. Doctors had one solution: surgery. I had another idea.

I'm not one to accept defeat. Instead of continuing to ask 'why me?' I asked 'what is this trying to teach me?' Turns out, the universe is a great teacher and had a hell of a lesson plan in store for me.

Here's how I fixed my body with zero medical intervention:

Veganism (2015): I was honorably discharged, busted and broken. I cleaned up my diet—whole foods, organic, fresh. Everything online said go vegan, so I figured "what the hell." For a month, I doubled down: smoothies, beans, greens, the works. My joints swelled. My brain fog was so thick I'd forget what I was saying mid-sentence. One morning I woke up in agonizing pain—something in my back had shifted and I literally couldn't walk. I had to crawl downstairs to get to my computer.

The Raw Meat Paradox: somehow I stumbled onto these crazy people eating ONLY MEAT. That search led me to a TLC episode—"My Strange Addiction"—where a guy claimed he'd been crippled by the vegan diet and healed himself with raw meat.

Any sane person would've finished the video, done some research, maybe called a doctor. Not me. I paused it, hobbled to the fridge, grabbed my roommate's package of raw ground beef, and started eating it with my hands.

It wasn't a magical instant fix. But within an hour, the pain dulled. That night I cooked a steak. The next morning, my spine had shifted back into place.

I'm not here to convert you. I'm not even saying you should eat raw meat (though I did, and I'm fine). I'm here to tell you that when the medical system has no answers, your body might. Mine led me somewhere no doctor would've suggested.

The Problem with Nutrition Tribalism

Everyone online is always fighting about THE DIET to follow and they'll throw around studies to support their views, cast judgment on anyone who isn't doing what they're doing, and proselytize the benefits of [insert diet cult here].

Meanwhile: chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, hormonal chaos, gut issues—all skyrocketing.

What if the problem isn't just WHAT we eat but WHEN and HOW LONG we do so?

Hear me out. What if the vegetarians AND the carnivores are both right?

Think about it. Nothing in this world is static; everything lives and dies by the seasons and cycles. Modernity moved us out of nature because "DAMN YOU SCARY NATURE!"—saving us from disease, predators, and competing tribes—but we lost something very important: connection to the very nature that MADE US.

What if the answer—or at least AN answer—is to simply eat according to the seasons?

Balance Between Worlds

I've lived in the savage, primal side of this world—and I've fasted my way into some level of spiritual clarity. I'm grateful for modern safety and convenience, and I'm equally grateful for the tribal wisdom that kept my ancestors alive long enough for me to wield their mortal coils.

So here's what I've learned: you can have both. Primal nutrition. Modern safety. Seasonal wisdom. Metabolic flexibility. Your body (and the world) isn't static. Why should your diet be?

PART 1: We’re All Starting from Different Places

We're all starting from different places. Your genetics aren't mine. Your gut biome isn't your neighbor's. Your antibiotic history, your mother's diet while pregnant with you, your geographic ancestry—all of it shapes how your body responds to food.

This is why cookie-cutter diets fail most people.

If you study diet proponents and their followers long enough, you start to notice patterns. Many strategies work incredibly well—at first. Then they taper off after months or years. Energy crashes. Inflammation creeps back. Hormones go haywire.

The common thread? Nearly everyone needs a reset at some point.

Some people use fasting. That works—for a while. But I've found something more sustainable: whole-food elimination cycles. Strip down to baseline. Rebuild intentionally. Repeat seasonally.

This is where carnivore comes in—not as a forever diet, but as a diagnostic reset.

The Case For Elimination (Carnivore as Primary Reset)

Carnivore is an elimination diet on steroids. You strip out plants, processed foods, seed oils—everything except meat, salt, and water. If your symptoms disappear, you know something you were eating was the problem. When you reintroduce foods one by one, your body tells you exactly what it can't handle.

Most people are reacting to something—lectins, oxalates, seed oils, gluten, industrial processing—without knowing it. Carnivore removes all variables. It's not about meat being magic. It's about subtraction revealing truth.

Over 12 years, I've done more than a dozen 30-day carnivore experiments, five 90-day runs, and one 10-month stint. I've also done multiple raw-meat-only experiments.

Here's what happened: chronic gut inflammation—gone. Joint pain—gone. My destroyed low back finally healed. My knee, which doctors said would need surgery, is now stronger than before the injury.

The raw meat experiments were the most surprising.

Digestion was effortless—no bloating, no heaviness, just clean energy. I needed less water because the meat retained its moisture. I felt like I could think clearly within minutes of eating, like my body was absorbing nutrients in real time.

This makes sense from a tribal lens: our ancestors would chase game for hours or days, then cut into the kill immediately—eating the organs and muscle raw to replenish before hauling the rest back to camp. Fresh meat = maximum bioavailability.

A word of caution: raw meat carries risks—bacteria, parasites, pathogens. Freezing at -4°F for a few weeks kills most parasites. As for bacteria, I believe gradual exposure strengthens your gut biome, but I'm not a doctor and I'm not recommending this. I'm just reporting what worked for me.

Key takeaway: carnivore isn't about being right. It's about finding your baseline.

Tribal Wisdom Meets Modern Safety

Indigenous peoples are masters of nutritional balance. They eat nose-to-tail. They consume raw nutrients undamaged by heat. They eat intuitively with the seasons.

In the 1930s, a dentist named Weston Price traveled the world studying isolated tribes. He wasn't chasing diet trends—he was trying to solve the modern health crisis he saw in his practice. What he found: tribes eating their traditional diets had strong teeth, robust health, and virtually no chronic disease. The moment they adopted Western foods—white flour, sugar, vegetable oils—their health collapsed within a generation.

The lesson? It's not that we need to live in the wilderness. It's that we need to eat like our biology expects.

We've gained a lot in modernity: food safety regulations, medical intervention, longer lifespans. But we've lost something critical—rhythmic eating aligned with nature.

Here's the opportunity: we don't have to choose between tribal wisdom and modern safety. We can merge the best of both.

Ancient humans ate seasonally because they had no choice. We have a choice—which means we can intentionally cycle our nutrition to match what our biology expects.

PART 2: Why You’re Confused About What to Eat

You've tried everything.

Keto made you lose 20 pounds, but then you stalled—and now you can't stop thinking about bread. Carnivore fixed your gut issues, but six months in, you feel flat, cold, and your libido tanked. Paleo worked great... until it didn't. Vegan gave you energy for a few months, then your hair started falling out.

Every diet guru says THEIR way is the answer. Every study seems to contradict the last one. And you're left standing in the grocery store, paralyzed, wondering what the hell you're supposed to eat.

Here's the truth: You're not confused because you're stupid. You're confused because everyone is giving you half the answer.

Carnivore works. Keto works. Paleo works. Even vegan works—for some people, for some time. But none of them work FOREVER. And none of them were designed to.

Why? Because your body isn't meant to eat the same way year-round.

For 99.9% of human history, we didn't have a choice. Winter meant fat and meat. Summer meant fruit and honey. Spring meant fish and greens. Fall meant roots and nuts. Our bodies adapted to these cycles. They EXPECTED variation.

Then we invented agriculture. Then refrigeration. Then global supply chains. And suddenly, strawberries in December and ribeyes in July became normal.

But your biology didn't get the memo.

Your ancestors cycled through metabolic states—ketosis in winter, glucose-burning in summer, fasting during scarcity, feasting during abundance. They were metabolically flexible because they HAD to be.

You? You eat the same foods, in the same amounts, at the same times, every single day. And then you wonder why your body stops responding.

This article is about fixing that.

What this Article is (and isn’t)

This is NOT:

• Another fad diet

• A dogmatic "one true way" approach

• A rejection of modern science

• An excuse to eat whatever you want

This IS:

• A framework for eating in alignment with natural seasonal rhythms

• A way to get the benefits of multiple diets without the downsides of any single one

• A return to ancestral eating patterns backed by modern science

• A tool for building metabolic flexibility, resilience, and long-term health

You will learn:

• Why your body is designed to cycle through different metabolic states

• How seasonal eating solves the contradictions in modern nutrition science

• The science behind winter carnivore, spring cleansing, summer carbs, and fall balance

• A practical, step-by-step guide to implementing this in your life

This is long. This is detailed. But if you're tired of diet-hopping and want a sustainable approach that actually makes sense, keep reading.

Why Seasonal Eating Solves the Diet Wars

Every diet has passionate advocates. Every diet has success stories. And every diet has people who swear it ruined their health.

Why?

Because every diet works—for a while. And every diet fails—eventually.

Let's break it down:

Why Every Diet Succeeds (and Fails) Eventually

Adaptation becomes maladaptation.

Your body is designed to ADAPT to whatever you throw at it. That's what makes humans resilient. But when you do the SAME THING for too long, your body stops responding.

Carnivore:

• Works great for 3-6 months (gut heals, inflammation drops, energy stabilizes)

• After 6-12 months: some people feel cold, flat, low libido, thyroid issues (especially women)

• Why? Your body needs SOME carbs for thyroid function, neurotransmitter production, and hormonal balance—especially if you're active or female

Keto:

• Works great for fat loss and metabolic reset

• After 6-12 months: energy plateaus, workouts suffer, social life becomes a nightmare

• Why? Long-term ketosis can down-regulate thyroid, lower testosterone, and make you metabolically LESS flexible (you lose the ability to process carbs efficiently)

Paleo:

• Works great if you're eating nose-to-tail, varying your foods, and staying active

• Fails when people just eat chicken breast, broccoli, and sweet potatoes every day (nutrient deficiencies, boredom, lack of metabolic variation)

• Why? "Paleo" became a branded diet instead of a principle—people stopped eating seasonally

Vegan:

• Works for a few months (plant antioxidants, gut cleanse, ethical high)

• After 6-12 months: B12 deficiency, low iron, hormonal issues, muscle loss, gut problems (for most people)

• Why? Humans are not herbivores. We need bioavailable nutrients (B12, heme iron, omega-3s, fat-soluble vitamins) that plants don't provide in adequate amounts

"Balanced" Diets:

• Work if you're eating REAL food in season

• Fail when "balanced" means processed grains, seed oils, and sugar year-round (which is what most people do)

• Why? The modern food environment is toxic—"balance" without principles = slow decline

The Real Problem: Chronic Anything = Problems

Your body thrives on variation and challenge.

• Chronic high-carb = insulin resistance, inflammation, obesity

• Chronic low-carb = thyroid suppression, hormonal issues, metabolic inflexibility

• Chronic calorie restriction = metabolic slowdown, muscle loss, hormonal crash

• Chronic overeating = weight gain, insulin resistance, chronic disease

• Chronic fasting = stress, nutrient deficiencies, social isolation

The human body is NOT designed for chronic ANYTHING.

Research on metabolic flexibility shows that the ability to switch between fuel sources is a hallmark of metabolic health—and losing that flexibility is one of the earliest signs of metabolic disease.

Your ancestors didn't eat the same way every day. They cycled through:

• Feast and famine

• High-carb and low-carb

• Animal-based and plant-based (depending on season)

• Eating and fasting

And their bodies stayed resilient, flexible, and healthy because of it.

The Seasonal Solution: You Get it All (without the Pitfalls)

Here's what seasonal eating gives you:

✅ The benefits of carnivore (gut reset, inflammation control, metabolic adaptation) WITHOUT the long-term downsides (thyroid issues, hormonal imbalance)

✅ The benefits of keto (fat-burning, mental clarity, insulin sensitivity) WITHOUT becoming metabolically rigid

✅ The benefits of high-carb eating (energy, performance, hormone production) WITHOUT insulin resistance or fat gain

✅ The benefits of plant foods (antioxidants, gut diversity, micronutrients) WITHOUT the inflammatory or anti-nutrient issues of year-round plant consumption

✅ The benefits of fasting (autophagy, gut rest, mental clarity) WITHOUT chronic stress or nutrient deficiencies

You're not locked into one ideology. You're not fighting your biology. You're working WITH it.

Winter = carnivore-dominant (strength, resilience, gut healing)

Spring = pescatarian/light (cleansing, renewal, gut diversity)

Summer = high-carb (energy, performance, vitamin D synthesis)

Fall = balanced (preparation, nutrient storage, transition)

You get the best of every approach. You avoid the worst of any single one.

You Eat with Intention, Not Ideology

The diet wars exist because people treat food like religion.

• Carnivores say plants are poison

• Vegans say meat is murder

• Keto people say carbs are the devil

• Paleo people say grains are toxic

They're all right—and all wrong.

Plants CAN be inflammatory (if your gut is damaged, if you eat them year-round, if you eat the wrong ones). But they also provide antioxidants, polyphenols, and micronutrients.

Meat IS nutrient-dense and essential for human health. But eating ONLY meat for years can create imbalances for some people.

Carbs CAN spike insulin and cause fat gain. But they also fuel performance, support hormones, and provide energy when used correctly.

The problem isn't the food. The problem is the DOGMA.

Seasonal eating removes the ideology and replaces it with intention:

• You eat carnivore in winter BECAUSE your body needs deep nourishment and metabolic reset

• You eat light in spring BECAUSE your body needs to cleanse and renew

• You eat carbs in summer BECAUSE your body needs energy and vitamin D synthesis

• You eat balanced in fall BECAUSE your body needs to prepare for winter

You're not following a guru. You're following nature.

The Framework Ahead

Now that you understand WHY seasonal eating solves the diet wars, let's dive into HOW it works.

In the articles ahead, you'll learn:

Article 2: The Science They're Not Connecting

• The Randall Cycle (why mixing fat and carbs creates metabolic chaos)

• Glycation and AGEs (why chronic sugar is aging you)

• Why sugar isn't the villain (context is everything)

• Why plants aren't evil (but they're complicated)

Article 3: The Seasonal Framework

• Winter: The Carnivore Phase (what to eat, why it works, how to do it)

• Spring: The Pescatarian/Transition Phase (cleansing and renewal)

• Summer: The High Carb Phase (fruit, honey, and peak performance)

• Fall: The Balanced/Preparation Phase (bridging abundance and scarcity)

Article 4: Making It Work in the REAL World [Parts 1 & 2]

• Climate adjustments (tropical, desert, arctic, urban environments)

• Training and performance (aligning exercise with seasons)

• Social situations (how to not be "that guy")

• Troubleshooting (when things don't go as planned)

• Supplements, women & hormones, budget & sourcing

Article 5: Final Thoughts & Implementation

• This isn't a diet, it's a way of living

• A practical reality check

• Trust the process

• An invitation to align with nature

What’s Next?

In the next article, I'll break down the science they're not connecting—the Randall Cycle, glycation, why sugar isn't the villain (context matters), and why plants aren't evil (but they're not a panacea either).

This is where the "why" gets deep. If you're a science nerd who wants to understand the mechanisms behind seasonal eating, you'll love it.