Rabbit Starvation

I learned something while watching the reality (survivalist) TV series Alone.  You can, essentially, starve to death while eating plenty.  The phenomenon is often referred to as “rabbit starvation.”

An article I found as bbc.com noted: “Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson wrote about a phenomenon among the peoples of northern Canada called rabbit starvation, in which those who eat only very lean meat, such as rabbit, “develop diarrhea in about a week, with headache, lassitude, a vague discomfort.” To avoid death from malnutrition, rabbit starvation sufferers must consume some fat, he writes.”

Essentially, people eating only lean meat will suffer “protein poisoning.”  Our bodies have been manufactured to operate on the intake of three macronutrient fuels: protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

Eating too little fat in your diet will impact both physical health and mental acuity.  For survivalists in the Arctic as winter sets in, securing food with enough fat is particularly difficult.  This is especially true as the waters freeze, making catching trout and salmon more difficult.        

—Mitchell Hegman

Sources: https://www.bbc.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_poisoning, https://www.healthline.com/health/protein-poisoning