(and Why It Matters Even More When You’re Carnivore)

There’s a Friends episode where Phoebe insists there’s such a thing as a totally selfless act, and Joey insists the opposite: even when you help someone else, you still get something out of it.
And honestly? Joey was right.

When you give — whether it’s time, kindness, presence, or help — something happens in your brain. You get a hit of dopamine, the same “feel-good” chemical many of us used to chase through food.

This matters even more for a lot of people in the carnivore community, because many of us came to this way of eating for health benefits, and one of the biggest changes we experience is the reduction of food noise and cravings. For some, food was also a primary source of comfort or distraction.

Food used to be the quickest and easiest way to get that little spark of “ahh, I feel better now.”
But when you shift your eating and remove food as a comfort source, your brain still needs somewhere for that dopamine to go.

You’re still human.
You still get stressed, tired, overwhelmed, or overstimulated.
You still need bursts of comfort and joy.

And when it’s no longer coming from food, you have to redirect it. Otherwise the cravings creep back in, the food noise gets loud again, or old habits slip back without you realizing it.

 The good news:
Giving back is one of the healthiest, simplest, most nourishing sources of dopamine available.

It makes you feel good and makes someone else feel good.
It calms your nervous system.
It reduces stress.
It shifts your emotional state quickly.
And it connects you to other humans in a way food never could.

No restriction, no guilt, no crash afterward.
Just real, human feel-good chemistry.

 

Why Giving Works (Especially During the Holidays)

The holidays can get heavy emotionally, financially, and energetically.
We get caught up in:

• finding the “perfect” gift
• spending money we don’t have
• adding more to our to-do list
• trying to make everything magical

And none of that is what makes this season meaningful.

Instead of draining yourself to give more stuff nobody needs, you can give in ways that lift both you and someone else up.

You’ve already learned to simplify food.
Now you can simplify giving too.

And here’s the key: giving back doesn’t have to be an extra task.

You don’t need to take on another project.
You don’t need to sign up for anything.
You don’t need to donate money.
You don’t need another thing on your list.

You can simply approach what you’re already doing differently.

 How to “Give Back” Without Adding Anything to Your Plate

• Smile at someone who looks stressed.
A tiny moment can change their whole morning.

• Give a genuine compliment.
Make it your goal to light someone up today.

• Let the parent with screaming kids go ahead of you in line.
Costs nothing, matters a lot.

• Buy the coffee for the person behind you.
Small gesture, big impact.

• If you’re baking carnivore cookies or meal prepping, make a little extra.
Share with a neighbor, coworker, or friend.

• If you do school drop-offs, ask if another parent needs a hand.
You’re already going.

• Help someone at the gym re-rack weights or set up equipment.

• Leave a kind comment inside the Facebook group.
Connection doesn’t have to be in person to count.

It’s not about doing more.
It’s about doing what you already do in a way that adds goodness.

 The real point:
Giving back is good for the world, but it’s also good for you

You’re not wrong for needing dopamine.
You’re not failing your diet because life gets stressful.
You’re not weak for craving comfort.

You’re human.

And if comfort, connection, and joy aren’t coming from food anymore, they can come from service, kindness, and small acts that ripple outward.

Give a little.
Get a lot — in the best way.