CARNIVORE: THE MANUAL
This is not a diet book. It’s the manifesto to remembering what you are.Stripped of trends, softened science, and processed lies, this compact edition delivers the raw, essential truths of human physiology. It reclaims meat as sacred, fat as fuel, and hunger as a signal - not a symptom. With myth-breaking insights and ancestral logic, Blood & Bone is a rallying cry for those ready to step outside the feedlot and return to the fire.Eat like a human.
Think like a hunter.
Live like you remember.
Author: Duncan Smart
Duncan is no ordinary health voice. An international endurance athlete and the force behind CARNIVORE: The Manual and BLOOD & BONE: The Vampire’s Guide to Carnivore Living, he wields metabolic science like a flint knife, carving through nutritional lies with ancestral fire.Known to readers as The Carnivore Guide, Duncan fuses Slavic folklore, Mongol steppe wisdom, and Arctic survival rituals into a manifesto for the metabolically betrayed. His work is a rebellion - against sickness, sedation, and the modern feedlot of dogma.He once walked the tamed path: teacher; vegetarian; cog in the machine - until his body screamed for blood truth. His return to flesh, fire, and fasting sparked a visceral transformation: gut sealed, mind cleared, mission forged.Armed with a BA (Hons) and a PGCE in Mathematics, Duncan dissects dogma with academic precision. From his base in North Yorkshire’s wild moors, he trains, writes, and helps others to re-wild their biology through:• Meat as sacred fuel
• Movement as ancestral ritual
• Metabolic fire as birthright
Reviews
The “Zero Carb” Life Podcast
Coach Stephen BSc (Hons) Podcast
Carnivore Teacher Alpha Podcast
Carnivore Evolution Podcast
The School of Heritage Podcast
FAQ
What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote this book because I lived the transformation. I was unwell, overweight, and exhausted. When I found healing through ancestral eating and the carnivore lifestyle, I wanted to help others. But when I shared my story, many people didn’t believe me. So I wrapped the truth in metaphor. I gave them a vampire’s voice, hoping it would reach the part of them that still remembers what it means to be human.
What is the book about?
Blood & Bone is a personal and cultural manifesto. It blends science, myth, and ancestral wisdom to explore how modern diets have betrayed our biology. Through a symbolic narrator, it invites the reader on a journey through fasting, meat, instinct, ritual, and rewilding. It challenges the standard narrative around health and offers an alternative rooted in deep human memory.
What is the bigger message you’re trying to get across?
The message is that we are not broken… we are buried. The modern world has covered us in noise, processed food, artificial light, and comforting lies. We have forgotten the primal rhythms that once kept us strong. This book is about remembering those rhythms, reclaiming our metabolic fire, and rebuilding strength, not just physically but mentally and spiritually.
Does the title have any special significance?
Yes. The title Blood & Bone refers to both the literal and symbolic foundations of human life. It evokes ancestral food: meat; fat; marrow and the inner truth we carry in our biology. The vampire metaphor came from experience. When I shared how meat, salt, and fasting had changed my life, people dismissed it. I realised they might be more willing to believe a mythical creature than someone speaking plainly. So I spoke through the myth.
What was the hardest part for you to write?
The hardest part was telling the truth about where I started. As a single father, a teacher, and an athlete, it wasn’t easy to admit how far I had drifted from health. Writing about my struggles with exhaustion, poor diet, and recovery after trauma required honesty and vulnerability. It was also a challenge to balance poetic storytelling with scientific accuracy, and to make sure the metaphor never got in the way of the message.
How has the book been received?
It’s been received with much more warmth and enthusiasm than I expected. I thought it might be too unconventional, but readers have told me it resonated deeply. Some connect with the science, others with the symbolism. What’s most meaningful is hearing from people who have started to make changes because of it, who feel like the book gave them permission to take back control of their own health.
Do you have any advice for people struggling with what your main character has gone through?
Yes. Start small, but start. Eat real food. Move your body. Trust the signals your body is sending you. You don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need to stop suppressing the questions. Healing doesn’t require perfection. It requires truth, consistency, and courage. And don’t be afraid to walk alone for a while. Many of us do, at the beginning.
Tell me about your current work in progress.
I’m working on a companion book called Carnivore: The Manual. It’s a stripped-down, compact guide for people who want clear, direct answers. It focuses on the practical aspects of ancestral eating, without the mythic voice. It’s designed to be taken anywhere, lightweight, clear, and actionable. A field guide for people ready to act, not just read.
What’s your favourite book?
Two that had a lasting impact on me are Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. They’re both simple, profound, and speak to the tension between human potential and conformity. They remind me to listen to the part of myself that doesn’t want to settle.
Which authors inspire you?
I’m drawn to authors who write with clarity, conviction, and soul. Richard Bach, Hemingway, Orwell, Jack London - they all have a way of expressing difficult truths without overcomplicating them. In the nutrition world, I’ve learned a lot from Weston A. Price, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, and Mary Enig. I also admire anyone who challenges convention with integrity and dares to say what others avoid.
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