Whole30, Paleo, & Carnivore Diets Explained: Is One Right for You?

Curious about Whole30, Paleo, or the Carnivore Diet? Or skeptical about these approaches? In Episode 7 of of our 8-part series, Find Your Food Fit, we provide an unbiased overview of Whole30, Paleo, Primal, Carnivore, and the Lion Diet. Discover the history, principles, potential health benefits, and who might benefit from or should avoid these diets.

Join us as we explore:
- Whole30: Insights from holistic nutritionist Alicia Dowell of Revival Wellness
- Paleo: A comprehensive look at its principles and benefits
- Carnivore and Lion Diet: An overview of these extreme dietary approaches
- Practical Tips: How to follow each diet and evaluate their impact on health

Please note: this podcast was originally released under a different brand name. As of September 16, 2025, the brand has been renamed. Special thanks to @annabcalligraphy for this week’s artwork! If you'd like to show your support with a one-time or monthly donation, please visit: ⁠https://ko-fi.com/metabolicphd. 

Additional resources:
Watch previous episodes of the Optimizing Metabolic Health Podcast mentioned:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJc0Lc-M4gGI53qcYKvUFoxkbP0XUuPxu 

Whole30 Resources:
Follow our episode guest, Alicia Dowell: https://www.instagram.com/revival_wellness/ 
Whole30 landing page: https://whole30.com/
Searchable yes/no list: https://whole30.com/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/ 
Sneaky sugar names: https://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-sugar.pdf
How to reintroduce foods: https://whole30.com/reintroduction/
Non-scale Victories Checklist: https://whole30.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/whole30-nsv.pdf 

Paleo:
Original (revised) book: https://amzn.to/3IpFHv1 (paid link): As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Certification standards: https://paleofoundation.com/research/certified-paleo-standards/ 

Primal Blueprint overview:
https://www.primalkitchen.com/blogs/recipes/what-is-the-primal-blueprint 

Timestamps:
(00:00:18) Episode introduction

(00:02:11) Diet overviews: Whole30, Paleo/Primal, Carnivore/Lion

(00:04:05) Whole30 and introduction of guest expert, Alicia Dowell

(00:05:59) Interview with Alicia Dowell on the Whole30 Program

(00:31:53) Whole30 Summary

(00:37:38) Paleo and Primal Diets

(00:44:32) Potential nutrition short-falls of Whole30, Paleo, Primal

(00:48:39) Contraindications

(00:50:51) Health benefits of Whole30, Paleo, Primal

(00:54:02) Carnivore and Lion Diet overview

(00:56:24) The public health problem with Carnivore and Lion

(00:59:30) Recap and closing

ABOUT US:

Welcome to Optimizing Metabolic Health! I'm Dr. Erin Glynn, PhD, and I've studied and researched metabolism, exercise physiology, weight management, and metabolic disease for over 20 years.

My YouTube channel and podcast are here to provide credible, no-hype health and nutrition information to help people craft their own sustainable, healthy lifestyles for long-term health. We appreciate everyone here with the desire to learn and improve their health!

If you find our content valuable, please subscribe and interact with us on your favorite social platform(s): Find us @metabolicPhD on: Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, and TikTok.

Please also visit us on our website - www.metabolicphd.com - where you can learn more and find resources! See our website for important disclaimers regarding use of the information from the Optimizing Metabolic Health Podcast and our YouTube channel: metabolicphd.com/disclaimers and metabolicphd/terms-and-conditions

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