I have a confession to make…
I used to be retarded.
I don't mean literally, but what I mean is this…
I lost my ability to think, concentrate, and create.
I used to be a great blog artist. And then? I wasn't.
For a number of years I was basically a functioning retard.
I couldn't do anything that required brainpower.
I couldn't do any mental work that exceeded two hours per day.
I couldn't remember anything.
My brain was crippled and I couldn't figure out why.
I would look at my beautiful work from the past in total despair, knowing that I did not have the ability to create more great work for the future.
My once proficient ability to create great work had left me, little by little.
Was it simply a case of writer's block?
No. The difference between writer's block and my total retardation is this…
Writer's block is simply a case of being too afraid to do the work.
On the other hand, I had completely lost the mental ability to do any work.
I. Could. Not. Do. Any. Mental. Work.
Writer's block is a joke compared to what was going on in my brain.
There was a very real physical problem stopping me from doing the mental work I knew I was capable of doing.
There was a mental fog that would not go away.
What agonized me was this question, “How can I make the brain fog vanish?”
I knew that when the fog vanished, I would be “back.”
And that's exactly what happened.
The fog vanished and I came back from the dead.
I've found the secret of ultimate mental clarity.
My work no longer suffers.
I can create and create and create for hours each day.
I can read multiple books each day.
I can use my previously atrophied power of concentration at will.
I no longer suffer from what I earlier called my retardation.
I have all capabilities of my brainpower and then some.
I now have better concentration, more clarity, and better memory ability than I ever did before.
How did I do it?
It was easy and it happened by accident.
If you want the simple answer without reading too much (I know reading can be hard), here is how I conquered debilitating brain fog….
I stopped eating eating carbohydrates and I started eating only animal foods.
That's it.
When I started following the carnivore diet my mental clarity came back with a fiery passion.
Yes, I'm serious.
When you're stuck in the mysterious brain fog, you imagine all of these reasons why.
What you never think about is the most obvious: diet.
I can assure you, the way to achieve perfect mental clarity is much easier than you think it is.
The answer only seems elusive when you're too dumb to think (like I used to be).
I will not present the answer to you in a clear manner that anybody can follow.
And if you do follow these steps, you will have increased brainpower by a significant margin.
I promise.
I also promise there is nothing you have to buy, no snake-oil cure you need to purchase, no “special report” you need to subscribe to.
All you have to do is this…
Stop eating sugar – forever!
Sugar is the #1 killer of clarity.
Sugar kills the brain like it kills teeth.
Sugar = dumb brain
Sugar kills memory and the ability to learn.
Sugar slows down the brain and reduces its ability to learn, remember information, and concentrate.
Sugar destroys neural connections in the brain.
What does that mean for you?
Stop. Eating. Sugar.
Forever.
Sugar is the killer of all clarity and creativity.
“So Victor, just stop eating candy bars, colas, and fruit pies?”
Not quite.
Industrially produced “factory” sugar, like the kind you find in your cola drink and your sugary snack, is more harmful than naturally produced sugars.
But…
All carbohydrates are sugar.
That means even carrots, oatmeal, apples, and rice will help to kill your ability to think.
Did you ever notice that all 3rd world countries are carb eaters and all 1st world countries are meat-eaters?
There is a reason for that.
Carbohydrates kill the brain power, and fatty acids from animal foods develop the brainpower.
The brain is 60% fat and it is saturated fat and cholesterol that are the brain's building blocks.
Fatty acids found in fatty animal foods are the crucial molecules that determine your brain's integrity and ability to perform.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are required for maintenance of optimal health but they can not synthesized by the body and must be obtained from dietary sources. Clinical observation studies has related imbalance dietary intake of fatty acids to impaired brain performance and diseases.” (source)
What does that mean for you?
Eat more bacon, eggs, beef, and fatty fish.
(Note: My fish of choice is mackerel. When I eat it, I seem to stay awake for hours with new ideas for the future.)
Completely cut out all carbohydrates from your diet.
When you do this you will experience the most wonderful feeling of clarity that you have ever known.
It's so wonderful it feels like bliss.
It will feel like a dream after living so long with confusion, irrational thinking, inability to concentrate, and total inability to do mental work.
Total clarity doesn't require drugs, therapy, or any other modern method.
It requires only that you eat the natural human diet.
See, it is not natural to be subsisting on carbohydrates.
The human can only survive on carbohydrates because of modern farming and modern factory production.
In our natural state, we eat and survive on animal foods.
When we return to our natural state, we regain control of our brains. We regain the ability to think, dream, ponder, concentrate, and visualize.
When we eat sugar, these abilities vanish into thin air. In the air they turn into brain fog.
*poof* there goes my brainpower with this seemingly harmless bowl of oatmeal.
As you know, the oatmeal is not as harmless as most people think it is.
Oatmeal is totally unnatural, as are nearly all carbohydrate foods, and would be totally impossible for us to eat in our natural state.
To achieve total mental clarity, all we have to do is be who we are and eat the foods that are designed for us to eat.
If you remember nothing else about clarity, remember this…
Follow the all-meat diet and completely cut out carbohydrates from your diet and you will thrive, both mentally and physically.
Sugar is the killer of our minds and bodies and we all know this.
What we have to remember is that all carbohydrates are sugar.
The only foods that don't contain sugar are the animal foods.
It is those same animal foods that contain the essential fatty acids that the brain needs to concentrate, contemplate, and consider.
After you go through carbohydrate withdrawal, you will experience total mental clarity.
After you cut out the sugars, you will want to follow these additional steps…
Get better sleep
Lack of sleep kills memory.
During sleep, the body removes toxic compounds from the brain.
If you don't get enough sleep it has a terrible effect on the brain cells.
Some simple tips to get better sleep include:
- Sleep in a dark room
- Wear a sleep mask to make it extra dark
- Turn of ALL electronics before you go to sleep
- Try to go to sleep earlier rather than later (10 pm is good)
- Make your sleeping room cold or chilly
- Get good exercise during the day to help make you tired at night
- Stay away from computer/phone screens at night
- Download F.Lux and install it on your computer, always use it when you use your computer at night
- Turn your phone to greyscale or “night mode” every night
- Have a set time where you completely cut off all phone and computer usage (8:30 pm is good)
- Put a pillow between your knees if you sleep on your side
More sleep tips can be found here: 16 Ways to Sleep Better (and Increase Your Productivity, Health, and Happiness)
Eliminate stress
Stress destroys the brain.
Chronic stress leads to a decrease in memory, self-control, and the ability to learn.
It also leads to irritation, anxiety, tension, and distraction.
Try to eliminate stress anywhere and everywhere you can.
I eliminate stress by simply being detached from the outcome.
My attitude is this…
- It is what it is
- It takes as long as it takes
- It will be whatever it will be
There is a great book regarding the destruction of stress.
It is called How To Stop Worrying and Start Living.
I recommend you read it.
Read more books and blogs
Reading trains the brain.
Reading activates areas of the brain that aren't used at other times.
While reading, blood enters the areas of the brain responsible for concentration and cognition.
This effect does not occur while watching videos or playing video games.
Books give your brain a workout, tv and games give your brain a rest.
Just like you won't build strong legs without squats and hacks, you won't build a strong brain without reading.
3 BONUS TIPS
Cut out caffeine – It is a hindrance, not a help. Caffeine also kills your ability to get good sleep.
Never drink alcohol or smoke marijuana – These substances kill your memory, concentration, and vital brainpower. They also kill your REM sleep.
If your child has ADD/ADHD here is what you can do to cure it: Stop feeding them sugary foods like breakfast cereals, oatmeals, and sugar candy. Instead, start feeding them fatty foods like bacon, eggs, beef, and fish. Watch the ADD vanish. Poof.
Clarity Conclusion
It really is this simple: Give up the sugar.
This is how you achieve ultimate and unlimited mental clarity.
Eat the foods your brain needs and you will become a Superman of the mind.
I told you it was simple.
Have a nice day.
-Victor Pride
What helps a lot for mental clarity as well is a dopamine diet.
The easiest way to get your dopamine receptors great (sensitive) again is to go camping without any type of screen.
You need:
-A Tent
-A sleeping bag
-A self-inflatable mattress (I cannot sleep on the hard ground).
-Food & Water
-Enough clothing to stay warm and to make a pillow out of your bag.
-A good isolated place in the middle of a forest or park far away from cars.
Things to give up permanently to make your dopamine receptors great again:
-Sugar
-Porn
-Video Games
-Weed
-City life
-Social media
-Retarded people
Cheers!
Great idea. Camping is the best for a reset!
I read your blog and I like it a lot man! Good stuff!
Thank you Sebastian.
I publish every Sunday.
Looking forward to your next post!
Carnivore is the bees knee.
I’m way different from the kid that use to pound a bag of Hot Cheetos along with a can of Arizona everyday.
A lot different from the guy that use to owned a juice too. I fucking hate vegetable juice.
Sugar is literally poison and kills everything.
Hey Vic,
Great Article as usual.
I’m in my first week of carnivore and I think I’m coming out of my first bout of “keto flu”.
I was really lethargic and couldn’t think straight for days 2-4. My body felt weak, especially my legs. Whenever I sat down I would start to nod off. It was like what I imagine a drug addict might feel like. Awful!
But then yesterday something clicked. My thoughts became very clear and I started to feel optimistic. I also experienced periodic bursts of energy. The energy wasn’t sustainable, but it felt like I was being pushed to be active and do things.
Oh, and I’ve lost 4 pounds since the day after Thanksgiving.
From what I’ve read I should do a few good cardio sessions a week to hasten the transition from carb burning to fat burning. I’m starting this today, along with lifting 2-4 x per week.
Another nice side effect is that I’m only eating two meals a day, a large breakfast and a smaller dinner. No snacks. No cravings for carbs or sugar.
The fats really do satisfy and the protein makes me feel full all day long.
And, I’m not needing to constantly guzzle water all day long. I can just take a sip here and there and my thirst is satisfied.
One last thing that I noticed is that I do not have a desire to drink water for about and hour after eating, and I hardly drink any with my meals, maybe a small sip or two…Is this something you’ve experienced?
Long comment, but I had a lot to say.
BTW – The link for “carbohydrate withdrawal” 404s.
It’s great to see you producing content consistently.
Keep It Up!
I also barely drink any water on the carnivore diet. It just isn’t so necessary.
Do you salt your food?
Yes. Celtic sea salt.
Do you really not drink that much water? Before the carnivore diet (currently on 2nd week now) I used to drink too little water. Now, I drink plain water all the time. I don’t drink 2-3 lts of water everyday as a conviction, but rather because my body just asks for it all the time. Especially when I lift weights, I can easily drink +3lts
Really. Barely any.
Kidney stones are very painful. You are setting yourself up for multiple stones with lots of meat and little water. And if you eat a lot of the healthy fats like nuts and avocado plus a lot of salt, that’s even worse with low amounts of water.
Not trying to preach. I just don’t want you or anybody else to feel the pain I did. It feels like the devil is stabbing you in the back with his pitchfork.
Drink more water (a lot more) on this diet.
Have you heard about Schwarzenegger? His knee are deeply injured so he has to ride a bicycle to keep fit. What do you think about it? Did he overdo it?
Well.. for whatever it’s worth, I always have 2 pieces of fruit about 45 minutes before marital arts training.
For me, and in my experience, intense hour long workouts (or longer) absolutely suffer without carbs. Without carbs, during martial arts training, my effectiveness is greatly diminished, and i get brain fog – as in my ability to react or anticipate my partners next move.
And all it takes to be maximally effective is about 2 pieces of fruit, or about 50 grams of carbs.
Carbs are natural when it comes to fruit. We’ve probably gorged on fruit, in season, since the beginning.
What is absolutely NOT natural in nature are carbs AND fat together. No natural food exists with both carbs and fat.
Nature provides just fat and protein, or carbs and water.
What about avocado?
Per 100g you can find:
Carbohydrates: 9g
Fat: 15g
Protein: 2g
After 2 days on strict carnivore diet I felt fantastic. Mean lean killing machine.
This afternoon cleaning lady was doing the kitchen, so I went out and bought myself a sandwich. Big mistake!! Now I feel terrible and have brain-fog.
Sup Vic, I support your opinions on the carnivor diet in regards to mental clarity and overall health 100%. However, how would you recommend someone like me, an ectomorph (hard gainer) put on size without eating carbs?
Carbohydrates are what give you that extra energy in the gym to push harder and carbs are argued to be almost just as vital to muscle growth as protein. Protein synthesis depends on having carbohydrate availability.
Thoughts?..
Those guys who go crazy with more than 300g carbs per day also inject a lot of drugs to manage this stuff. You can’t build up lean mascle while stuffing all the carbs into yourself. Also most guys who are “big” are called meatheads for a reason. They’re totally brainfogged meatheads, not living with any mental clarity, because they don’t feed themselves right and put tons of drugs and sugars into themselves.
As an “ectomorph” as you call yourself you should take pride in your proper genetics, which protect you from getting fat and ugly. If raising the weights is a problem for you, make eating your job. Meat, eggs and raw milk feed you all the nutritions needed to build a great physique of a Roman warrior.
You won’t get “big”. You deserve much better my friend. You can build a physique to show of, an aesthetic appearance, while at the same time you reap all the benefits regarding your own mental clarity. This, friendly friend, is the true benefit of leaving all the addicting stuff behind you and turning to a full naturally diet.
Word, brotha. I appreciate it.
Victor, what do you think of ASMR? Some people say it really helps them fall asleep. I’d like to know your thoughts on this phenomenon.
P.S. I made a previous comment on ASMR, but I’m not sure if it went through, so I’m posting it again.
Listening to people whispering? I think it’s pathetic.
The lion kills the fat cow. The cow eats green, the lion is lean
Vic,
How do you eat your eggs?
Do you raw dogg them or cook them?
Cooked.
Humans evolved their large brains because of meat. It only makes sense that to maintain our brains we need to keep eating meat.
I’ve tripled my meat intake and greatly reduced my carb intake and i’ve been feeling much better overall.
I had a comment, but it disappeared, so I’ll condense it a bit more: It is ironic that you call out “the vegan religion” whilst at once promoting the meat-only diet.
Cry more.
I’m not a vegan in the first place, and I’m certainly not going to be persuaded by vague platitudes about farmyard welfare. (The same argument, of course, can be applied to BAD’s carnivore diet and century-old anecdotes :P)
Glad to read that the diet has helped you overcome the brain fog and get back in action Vic!
Is dark (85%) chocolate bad too? It’s mostly fat.
Does the people who eat carbohydrate do stupid things and get arrested ?
They make death threats on a regular basis, but don’t have the stones to actually DO anything criminal. If you want to see examples of these, the youtubers Vegan Gains and Durian Rider are some of the most notorious toxic vegans out there and they are total assholes.
Hey Victor I need to gain weight (muscles) should I totally give up carbs? I think bulking up on meat only diet is impossible
Hey Vic,
Long time B&D reader here. I don’t usually comment on blogs but I would like to share my story with you and your readers to open more eyes about how right you are about the carnivore diet.
4 years ago I used to feel like shit. I had the same symptoms you describe at the beginning of the article. I was dumb as fuck. I had constant brain fog and regular headaches. I was always tired with little or no energy, I would wake up every morning exhausted. I also had weak erections and I was ill tempered. I was unhappy and I had no motivation in life.
I couldn’t take it anymore so I decided to go to the doctor. I got some blood work done and the results were a mess: all my hormones were too low or too high, my liver didn’t work correctly, etc. The only solution the doctors had for me was to shove some pills down my throat.
I declined the advice and decided no to feel sorry about myself and instead took things in my own hands. I did a lot of reading and researching and somehow found out about a good doctor. She told me that it was very likely that I had some kidg of food intolerance. Got a test done and the results were very clear: I couldn’t eat gluten, dairy, alcohol, coffee and many vegatables. I was basically force to the carnivore diet.
Fast foward 4 years following the carnivore diet and I feel great. I’m always cheerful, happy, positive, have lots of energy and mental clarity. Its like having the energy I had when I was 12 years old which I had somehow lost.
You are right that carbs are poison.
The only source of non-animal food I eat are walnuts, cashew nuts and brazil nuts which are very high in protein and fat and very low in carbs.
I would recommend you to try cod liver and bone marrow. Both are delicious, super high fat and give lots of energy.
Long comment but I think it is worth to share.
Greetings from Spain,
Manuel
Great story Manuel. Thank you for sharing.
WTF… This is crazy. This is groundbreaking. You may have discovered a secret source of vitality.
It’s all over the internet and numerous videos that the brain is fueled primarily by glucose and carbs.
This article goes against all conventional wisdom of how the brain is fueled.
Just do a search, with the words brain and glucose.
It’s stated on numerous sites that glucose and carbs are a necessity of else you will experience what you described prior to cutting out carbs. Bizarre.
But Vic, what about the 3 C’s – Coffee being one of them? You mentioned it is a stimulant.