Vilhjalmur Stefansson was a famous arctic explorer whose expeditions are beyond legendary. He lived with the Inuit and learned to eat & thrive off of their native, Arctic foods. In 1928, Stefansson determined that he was ready for his next challenge. No, this challenge would not be another overseas voyage, but rather a challenge that he could complete right in New York City. He decided he would eat nothing but meat and water for an entire year. The results were certainly astonishing, to say the least…
He Ate Nothing But Meat And Water For An Entire Year, The Results Were Unexpected
The Inuit Diet
Stefansson sought to demonstrate the efficiency of the Inuit diet, which he had observed for years among the indigenous people. He observed them eating primarily meat and fish, with very little vegetable consumption, such as seals, whales, caribou, and waterfowl. The Inuit had no business being healthy by Western standards. So, how did they get to be that way?
The Inuit Diet
Defying Science
The Inuit spent months in the darkness of Winter, unable to hunt or do real work. Yet, Stefansson observed that they were the healthiest people he had ever seen. He saw virtually no obesity or disease among them. How could this be? Well, Stefansson certainly had his theory.
Defying Science
High Fat Content
Stefansson believed that the high saturated fat content of the Inuit diet (70-80% of total Inuit calories came from Fat) was the mechanism allowing these people to thrive. Stefansson observed that Fat was the most precious dietary input to every Inuit he observed. Upon hunting a Caribou, the Inuit people would savor the Fat deposits behind the eye and jaw, in addition to the organs and shoulder. The leaner parts were fed to the dogs. This caused quite some controversy though.
High Fat Content
Controversial Theory
This contrasted the nutritional narrative promoted by people like John Harvey Kellogg at the time. Raw vegetables and grains were considered “virtuous” by religious fanatics like Kellogg, whereas meat and saturated fats were considered wicked. The Inuit diet was also thought to be vitamin-deficient and harmful by Western doctors. Stefansson saw things differently, as the Inuit community he saw was thriving. He also learned that oils, livers, and fish provided important nutrients. Stefansson even tried it himself…
Controversial Theory
Stefansson’s Experience On The Inuit Diet
Stefansson himself ate a native Innuit diet for years starting in 1906, when his food supplies failed to show up during his voyage that year. He couldn’t believe how good he felt on their Arctic diet that consisted of fish, meat, and saturated fat. To properly monitor his carnivore experiment, Stefansson checked himself into New York’s Bellevue Hospital with a fellow explorer.
Stefansson’s Experience On The Inuit Diet
The Diet
They were given blood tests and had several biomarkers examined for several weeks. Following the end of the control period, their staple diets were quite simple. They were to consume the following foods:
Steak
Roast Beef
Brains
Tongue
Calf Liver – Once per week to prevent Scurvy
They were seriously committed to do this for an entire calendar year…
The Diet
Public Outcry
Stefansson’s experiment was deemed unsafe by newspapers, journals, and a number of doctors. They claimed the men would get scurvy or even die. Stefansson confounded skeptics by claiming that his all-meat diet gave him “ambition” and “energy.” Upon examining the two men after their year long experiment, the doctors finally had the answers everyone had been waiting for.
Public Outcry
The Results
During their year-long experiment, doctors examined the two men and found that neither had high blood pressure or kidney problems that would be predicted from a carnivorous diet. Stefansson only fell unwell once over the year, when researchers forced him to remove the fat from his meat and consume leaner portions. A dinner of sirloin steak and brains fried in bacon fat swiftly cured the disease. His symptoms improved very immediately and thereafter.
The Results
Conclusion
Stefansson came to the conclusion that the all-meat diet’s protein was not as significant as the fat. Stefansson began eating a “stone-age” diet in 1955, which consisted mostly of meat and was heavy in fat and low in carbohydrates. He was known for chowing down on globs of butter with a spoon. We can certainly claim that Stefansson was a man ahead of his time, and that he was able to harness the wonderful benefits of Saturated Fat. Saturated Fat is prioritized over carbs in Ketogenic, Carnivore, and Animal-based diet plans.
