The carnivore diet, an extreme version of the ketogenic diet, centers around the consumption of animal products, excluding almost all plant-based foods. This article delves into the role of avocado oil within this dietary framework, exploring its potential benefits, drawbacks, and whether it aligns with the core principles of the carnivore diet.
Understanding the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet is a type of Primal and ancestral diet that focuses on eating meat-often from nose to tail-and very few plants, if any. On this all-animal diet, participants forgo side dishes and sustain themselves on meat, seafood, eggs, and perhaps dairy. Unlike other similar diets, there is no one unifying source material or set of “laws.” Rules for the carnivore diet are usually set by the practitioner based on their goals and preferences. Many people use carnivore as a “reset” or temporary elimination diet as a way to try to address certain health issues. Others seek to phase out plant materials that don’t suit their system or simply want to explore how they’ll feel eating a meat-centric diet.
Core Principles
- Animal-Based Foods: The diet primarily consists of meats, animal fats, and organs. Grass-fed, pasture-raised meats and wild-caught seafood are ideal for the carnivore diet.
- Limited Plant Intake: All plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and plant-based oils (i.e., olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, etc.) are off-limits.
- Flexibility: Although strict carnivore eating is meat only, many carnivore enthusiasts also include eggs and full-fat dairy products in their menus. Participants should limit processed meats (including deli lunch meats). Even on the most pure versions of carnivore, seasonings like salt and pepper (in moderation) are permissible.
Foods Allowed
- Meat: From ribeyes to sirloins, steak is the carnivore diet poster child. But don’t stop there-ground beef, ribs, and roasts are just as worthy of a spot on your plate.
- Pork: Pork-based products like bacon, pork chops, and sausage are all carnivore staples (just avoid products with added fillers like cereal binder, maltodextrin, and sugar).
- Poultry: Wings, thighs, drumsticks, and breasts make excellent protein options, especially when you’re looking for an option that’s less fat-dense than beef.
- Game Meats: Further embrace your primal side with options like venison, bison, elk, or fowl. These meats, often wild-caught or responsibly raised, offer diversity in terms of flavor and nutrients.
- Fish: From the omega-3-packed salmon to lean tilapia, fish provides a lighter option compared to land-based meats.
- Eggs: Scrambled, fried, boiled, or poached-eggs are a versatile and nutrient-packed staple on this diet.
- Organ Meats: Don’t knock ’em ‘til you try ’em!
- Bone Marrow: Bone marrow is rich in fat, which gives it a creamy, buttery texture.
- Bone Broth: While not a solid food, bone broth is rich in collagen and nutrients and can make a comforting addition to your diet.
- Animal Fats: On the carnivore diet, however, only animal-based fats should be used. Tallow, in particular, is highly nutritious. Beef tallow is the second-highest dietary source of stearic acid after cacao butter (the main ingredient in many Keto Brick flavors).
- Low-Lactose Dairy: While dairy is an animal product, not all dairy items are suitable for the carnivore diet due to their high lactose content. Low-lactose options like butter, sour cream, hard cheeses, and plain yogurt are acceptable because they contain minimal sugar.
Avocado Oil: Nutritional Profile and Benefits
Avocado oil is the natural oil pressed from the pulp of an avocado. About 60% of avocado oil consists of heart-healthy oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. This fatty acid is also the main component of olive oil and is believed to be partly responsible for its health benefits. Additionally, around 12% of avocado oil is saturated fat, and about 13% is polyunsaturated fat.
Key Nutritional Components
- Oleic Acid: About 60% of avocado oil consists of heart-healthy oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. This fatty acid is also the main component of olive oil and is believed to be partly responsible for its health benefits.
- Saturated Fat: Around 12% of avocado oil is saturated fat.
- Polyunsaturated Fat: About 13% is polyunsaturated fat.
- Lutein: Avocado and its oil are relatively good sources of lutein, a carotenoid and antioxidant that’s naturally found in your eyes.
- Vitamin E: Avocado oil naturally contains Vitamin E (antioxidant, skin support).
- Phytosterols: Avocado oil naturally contains phytosterols (cholesterol balance).
Health Benefits
- Heart Health: Avocado oil is rich in oleic acid, which lowers LDL cholesterol and supports cardiovascular function. One rat study compared avocado oil to losartan, a blood pressure medication, for 45 days. It found that avocado oil reduced diastolic and systolic blood pressure by 21.2% and 15.5%, respectively, and had similar effects to losartan in reducing blood pressure. Another rat study found that avocado oil was effective in reducing levels of triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol and did not affect HDL (good) cholesterol. This was comparable to olive oil, another heart-healthy oil.
- Improved Nutrient Absorption: Adding avocado oil or another type of fat to your meal may help you better absorb these nutrients. One small study found that adding avocado oil to a salad with carrots, romaine lettuce, and spinach increased the absorption of carotenoids. The increase was substantial - 4.3- to 17.4-fold - when compared with a salad without fat.
- Eye Health: Research has shown that a diet rich in lutein and another carotenoid called zeaxanthin is essential for eye health and may reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, which are common age-related eye diseases. Since your body doesn’t produce lutein on its own, you must obtain it from your diet. Fortunately, adding avocado and avocado oil to your diet is a great and easy way to support your eye health.
- Anti-Inflammatory Properties: Avocado oil contains antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress.
- Skin and Hair Health: Vitamin E in avocado oil improves skin elasticity, reduces dryness, and protects against sun damage.
- Arthritis Relief: Numerous studies have found that extracts from avocado and soybean oil, called avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), may reduce the pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis.
Avocado Oil and the Carnivore Diet: A Clash of Principles?
The original Carnivore diet is known for its strict focus on animal-based foods and excluding plant-based products. Since avocado oil comes from avocados, which are a plant source, it’s not allowed in the original Carnivore diet. The carnivore diet provides the daily macros and nutrients from animal-based sources, such as meat, fish, eggs, and animal fats like butter, ghee, or tallow.
Arguments Against Avocado Oil on Carnivore
- Plant-Based Nature: Avocado oil is plant-based, not animal fat. Consuming any plant oil can break the diet, because Carnivore is meant to rely only on animal products. So, although avocado oil is mostly fat and has a small number of carbohydrates, it is technically off-diet.
- Digestive and Metabolic Effects: Avocado oil is almost entirely fat (mostly monounsaturated), so it doesn’t usually cause digestive issues. However, consuming avocado oil can cause minor digestive upset for zero-carb carnivores because their gut is fully adapted to zero-carb, zero-plant fat eating.
- Inflammation Risk: Both avocado oil and tallow are low in pro-inflammatory omega-6, but tallow is more oxidation-resistant and naturally provides anti-inflammatory nutrients like CLA and butyrate. Also, avocado oil is more prone to oxidative damage if it is overcooked or stored in poor conditions. Tallow is more stable for cooking and less likely to produce inflammatory oxidized compounds than avocado oil. Animal-based fats are more Carnivore-friendly.
- Unnecessary: You don’t need avocado oil because animal-based fats like tallow, lard, or even butter provide the nutrients and macros you need.
Arguments for Avocado Oil on a Modified Carnivore Diet
- Flexibility: Some versions of the Carnivore diet allow for small deviations or personalized modifications. So, if you can’t avoid avocado oil, you can use it in small amounts, but remember that it may hinder the Carnivore diet results.
- Nutrient Density: Avocados include different vitamins and minerals.
- Satiety: The fats found in avocados can increase satiety and decrease overeating.
- Healthy Fats: Avocados have a 6 to 1 unsaturated to saturated fat ratio similar to olive oil.
- Cognitive Function: Avocados can have positive effects on cognitive function in older adults and even in young to middle age overweight or obese adults.
- Beginner-Friendly: If you’re a beginner on the Carnivore diet and cannot avoid your favorite foods completely and need to eat avocados, you’d better consider the following tips.
How to Incorporate Avocado Oil (If You Choose To)
If you’re a beginner on the Carnivore diet and cannot avoid your favorite foods completely and need to eat avocados, you’d better consider the following tips.
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- Limit Avocados: If you decide to eat avocados, try to eat them in small amounts to minimize their impact.
- Choose Ripe Avocados: When buying avocados, pick the ripe ones to receive the most flavor and nutritional value.
- Avoid Seasoning: Keep the preparation simple and avoid added salt or seasoning.
- Monitor Your Body's Reactions: Pay attention to how your body responds to the new situation and limiting avocados.
- Set Clear Goals: Before adding avocados or any other plant foods to your Carnivore diet, set clear goals and stick to the rules. It may take some time for you to adapt to the new situation, but if you seek Carnivore diet results, you need to accept its rules.
- Consult a Professional: Before starting a Carnivore diet, consult a healthcare specialist and explain your goals and needs to choose the best dietary approach.
Choosing the Right Avocado Oil
When purchasing avocado oil, quality matters. Poor-quality or adulterated oil won’t deliver the same benefits. To choose the best avocado oil:
- Look for 100% pure, extra virgin, or cold-pressed labels.
- Choose brands with third-party purity testing.
- Prefer oils packaged in dark glass bottles to protect against light damage.
- Avoid very cheap avocado oils, as they may be mixed with canola or soybean oil.
Avocado Oil vs. Seed Oils
The term seed oil refers to oils extracted from the seeds of plants, such as soybean, sunflower, canola (rapeseed), safflower, and corn oil. These oils are produced through refining processes involving high heat and chemical solvents, which can lead to oxidation and nutrient loss. Avocado oil is not a seed oil. It is pressed from the fruit pulp, not the seed. In fact, avocado seeds contain tannins and other compounds that make them bitter and unsuitable for oil extraction.
Avocado Oil vs. Canola Oil
The main differences between avocado oil and canola oil include:
- Source: Avocado oil comes from the fruit flesh, while canola oil is extracted from rapeseeds, a type of Brassica.
- Processing: Canola oil is almost always refined with solvents, whereas avocado oil can be consumed unrefined.
- Fat composition: Avocado oil is higher in monounsaturated fats (70%+) and lower in PUFAs, while canola contains more PUFAs.
- Cooking stability: Avocado oil is more stable at high temperatures due to its fat profile and antioxidants.
The Harvard Carnivore Diet Study
In the landmark Harvard Carnivore Diet Study, over 2,000 participants eating a carnivore diet were surveyed to uncover the benefits they experienced. The results? Over 95% reported improved overall health, and up to 91% experienced enhanced well-being. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that this study was observational and not controlled. Currently, there are no controlled studies confirming the carnivore diet’s ability to effectively address health issues. What’s more, most people don’t need to cut out healthy food groups like vegetables, which are rich in essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Cutting out all plant-based foods could also lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients like vitamin C.
Potential Risks of the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet isn’t the right fit for everyone-just like other dietary approaches. Cutting out all plant-based foods could also lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients like vitamin C. The risks may include cell damage linked to degradation, industrial processing quality, and the potential for small concentrations to cause allergies and sensitivity, leading to inflammatory systemic responses. Prolonged use of these oils can potentially lead to inflammation, highlighting the dangers of long-term consumption. Poor manufacturing practices can contaminate oils, creating harmful fats that pose long-term health risks.
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