Eat THIS to Reduce Pain & Inflammation

The protocol is presented not as a standalone recommendation to all, but as a mechanistic demonstration of why carnivore consumers report dramatic improvements in vitamin D status and related symptoms. Berg dissects each barrier: cofactor deficiency (magnesium, K2, zinc, retinol, cholesterol), gut inflammation, insulin resistance, VDR resistance from infections, SIBO/candida, and bile insufficiency. He explains how a carnivore diet simultaneously addresses all these. For example, eliminating plants removes antinutrients, making minerals fully available; high‑fat/low‑carb nature drops insulin; ketones trigger autophagy; low‑carb starves Candida. The diet improves bile salt production, which kills SIBO microbes and helps absorb vitamin D. He cites anecdotal reports: autoimmune diseases clearing, depression gone, joint pain gone, better sun tolerance (tan easier, less burning). The vitamin D content of the diet is modest (500‑1500 IU), so the benefit is largely indirect.

Berg uses a fish‑tank analogy: if the water is polluted, treating symptoms won't fix the fish. The 10 signals include insulin, cortisol, inflammation, sleep, gut function. He built the quiz as a free tool to help people stop guessing and focus on the one most broken signal. He believes that by fixing that, everything else can recover. The quiz is positioned as the first step before anyone jumps to carnivore or supplementation.

Berg begins with a paradox: carnivore eaters see autoimmune conditions clear, depression lift, joint pain vanish, and even report handling sun better with less burning—all typical signs of vitamin D deficiency. Yet beef, chicken, and pork contain only modest vitamin D (500–1500 IU daily), far from the high doses often recommended. He dismantles the simple 'more vitamin D' model by introducing the concept of cofactors (magnesium, K2, zinc, retinol, cholesterol) that enable vitamin D to actually function. Without them, ingested vitamin D just circulates inertly. The carnivore diet, he argues, provides these cofactors richly from animal foods in highly bioavailable forms, unlike plants obstructed by antinutrients. He adds that it also reverses key barriers: insulin resistance, gut inflammation, and vitamin D receptor resistance—conditions that can keep blood levels normal but cellular activity deficient.

Berg elaborates on the VDR: vitamin D must enter cells via this receptor, but resistance is 'super common'. Causes include gut inflammation (the primary culprit), seed‑oil consumption, and prior infections like Epstein‑Barr virus and Lyme disease, which are known to strategically downregulate the receptor to evade the immune response. This leaves the immune system vulnerable and feeds autoimmune conditions. He ties this directly to carnivore’s reported benefits: the diet dramatically reduces gut inflammation, eliminates seed oils, and promotes autophagy, which cleans up old proteins and pathogens—including those that may be blocking VDRs. Improved insulin sensitivity further unblocks the receptor, and bile (enhanced on carnivore) aids absorption of fat‑soluble vitamins across the gut barrier.

Berg contrasts the mineral delivery from animal vs plant sources. Meat delivers magnesium in a highly bioavailable form, far more than plant magnesium, because plants contain phytic acid, grains contain phytic acid, plus oxalates and lectins—all antinutrients that bind and block absorption of the very cofactors vitamin D needs. This insight reinforces why simply eating spinach or nuts for magnesium may not fix the deficiency, while a zero‑plant carnivore approach bypasses these inhibitors entirely. The same logic applies to zinc (abundant in animal protein) and retinol (only found in animal products like egg yolks and liver), both essential for VDR function and vitamin D activity.

Berg explains that sun hitting the skin converts cholesterol into vitamin D, so adequate cholesterol is necessary. Carnivore provides ample cholesterol from eggs, fatty meats, and butter. He frames it as the raw material, and if you're not consuming enough, you might lack the substrate to make sufficient vitamin D. This ties back to the cofactor list—cholesterol is the fifth key player alongside magnesium, K2, zinc, and retinol. The diet’s high‑fat nature naturally supports this anabolic route.