Jiu Jitsu competition, Carnivore Diet, and autoimmune issues.

A unique intersection where they all crossed in my life.

May 31, 2022

This past weekend I competed in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Now that in itself might not seem like such a big deal to you, but it was to me.

That’s me. Hanging upside down.

About two years ago I started having autoimmune issues. I was off-balance, having vision and sensory problems, brain fog, hot and cold spells, and tingling shocks all over my body. At one point I was afraid to drive a vehicle and had all but stopped training in BJJ - a martial art that had been a centrepin in my life for the past 20+ years. Having several people in my life that had MS, the symptoms seemed to fit, and at the very least seemed to fall into that neurological autoimmune category. I saw my doctor and he agreed. Then went to a neurologist who also agreed. I got some tests done, and eventually they wanted to do a spinal tap on me to see if we could get conclusive evidence. It was about a two month wait for that test.

In the meantime I knew of someone (his name is George and I now consider him a friend) who had MS so badly that he was basically bed ridden. Suddenly, within a few months of changing his diet he had virtually eliminated all of his symptoms, stopped having to take his meds, and started really thriving. I looked into his diet more, and started finding more and more people with other autoimmune issues who had similar amazing results like he did. I was terrified of the disease and symptoms I was facing but at the same time I was utterly fascinated with all of these results I was reading about.

Could diet alone really change this?

The diet is known as Carnivore Diet, or “ZC” short for Zero Carbs. It is an extreme elimination diet where basically all you eat are animal products - thus eliminating toxic foods such as processed seed oils, wheats, sugars, and soy. So rather than just sit around and wait around for more tests, I decided to give this diet a try to see if it would help me.

Switching to this way of eating was not easy, but when the alternative was suffering I was able to stick with it and eventually became very accustomed to it. Within a few weeks all of my own symptoms had subsided. By the time it came around for the spinal tap I felt like I no longer needed it. Within a few months (as I wrote about here) I began to thrive. I lost over 40 pounds, and started feeling as healthy as maybe I ever had before.

Fast forward a year and a half and an opportunity to compete in BJJ presented itself. Being so grateful for how I now felt, I decided to enter the blackbelt featherweight division (four weight classes below where I was when I started the diet).

It was a local tournament but with some seasoned and well experienced grapplers and pioneers of MMA in our area. My first match was against Jeff “Caveman” Denz, who in my mind is one of the ambassadors of MMA in our greater area. Jeff and I had actually competed before many years ago, and over time have become friends.

I was pretty happy with how most of the match went, I was able to use my guard and grips well and even set up some slick attacks I had been working on in the classroom (see The Matrix). I forgot how good Jeff was at takedowns and it almost got me in trouble early, but then I recovered well and started playing my game. In the end I made a mistake and left my leg in a bad position and Jeff capitalized and caught me in a leglock. You live and learn.

(You can see the whole match here).

But the best takeaway from the competition was my grips. Two years ago after every single training session I used to have to rest my hands for a full 24 hours, and sometimes had to ice them for relief. Most of this match I used a very grip-heavy attack known as “spider guard” and a good portion of the match I was suspended in the air by my grips (see pics, I am in the black uniform). My grips never tired, failed, and didn’t require ice or rest the next day.

I attribute this 100% to my new way of eating. The elimination diet had reduced inflammation, and allowed for extensive training that wasn’t there prior. My final two weeks of training I trained 11 and 12 times per week respectively. I had not been able to do that since my 20s. And man am I grateful for it!

Had I never saw George’s story, I may never have given this way of eating a try, and who knows where I would be today. So that is why I chose to share this story. If it helps just one person, it will be worth it. And keep in mind I have seen this way of eating help nearly all autoimmune disorders - from MS to Rheumatoid Arthritis, to Psoriasis, diabetes, and more.

One last thing I wanted to add to this story. The tournament we competed in helped raise money for St Luke’s mission - a local charity that helps feed people in need. Normally they do about 600 meals per day, but with the current state of inflation and gas prices they are doing almost 1600 meals per day. If this concerns you as much as it did me, and you are in a position to help, please consider helping out your local food bank or mission.

As always the entire purpose of this is to connect with other solutions-minded people like yourself! For 4 billion years on this planet there were only single-celled organisms. Then one day they somehow learned to work together and make complex multi-celled creatures like you and me. Right now we are like those single-celled organisms. Our next evolution is finding how to work together, better.

In order to build the world we want to see we will need technology to help us. Please join the upcoming discussions in this group on the blockchain based social media platform called MINDS. There is no algorithm or censorship on this platform. Just the free exchange of ideas. The group was recently started but if we can get a few like-minded people working together, maybe we can be the catalyst that leads to a post scarcity world. HERE IS THE GROUP ON MINDS.

If you enjoyed this topic we explore it in several other articles we wrote here, here, and here.

Thanks for problem solving with us, you beautiful, rational creature.

About the author:
Josh R. Ketry - Director of Strategy and Systems - is an advocate for freedom, human growth, and human potential. A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt and Academy owner. Growth Mindset student (for life). Entrepreneur. Writer. Philosophy fan. Long-time carnivore diet practitioner for autoimmune issues. Birder. Muskie fisherman. Photographer. No topic off limits. Thank you for reading!