A whole-food eating pattern that drops grains, beans, dairy, sugar, and processed foods for meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. The most reliable gains are lost weight and waist size, lower blood pressure, and better short-term blood-sugar and heart markers — largest for those starting from a poor diet. Calcium, vitamin D, and iodine can fall short. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting glucose | 75–85 mg/dL | Tracks blood-sugar control |
| HbA1c | < 5.4% | Average blood sugar over ~3 months |
| Fasting insulin | 2–5 µIU/mL | Early marker of insulin resistance |
| Triglycerides | < 80 mg/dL | Fat sensitive to carbohydrate and metabolic health |
| HDL cholesterol | > 55 mg/dL (higher in women) | "Good" cholesterol, tends to rise on the diet |
| LDL cholesterol / ApoB | LDL context-dependent; ApoB < 90 mg/dL | Detects the divergent LDL response in susceptible people |
| hs-CRP | < 1.0 mg/L | Gauges systemic inflammation |
| Blood pressure | < 120/80 mm Hg | Tracks the diet's blood-pressure effect |
| 25-hydroxy vitamin D | 40–60 ng/mL | Bone health and immune function |
| Serum calcium + PTH | Calcium 9.0–10.0 mg/dL; PTH 15–40 pg/mL | Bone and calcium status given dairy exclusion |
| Urinary iodine | 100–199 µg/L | Thyroid function given loss of iodized salt/dairy |
| Ferritin | 30–150 ng/mL (sex-dependent) | Iron status on a higher-meat diet |
| eGFR | > 90 mL/min/1.73m² | Kidney function on a higher-protein diet |
Cadence: Recheck metabolic and lipid markers at ~8–12 weeks, then every 6–12 months; vitamin D, iodine status, and bone density every 12 months (sooner if baseline values are borderline)