Unveiling the Carnivore Diet: Shocking Benefits, Hidden Risks & Bodybuilding Secrets Revealed!

In the ever-evolving landscape of nutrition, extreme and often divisive opinions frequently dominate social media and headlines. The carnivore diet, an all-animal eating plan, is no exception. This article aims to provide an informative and structured overview of the carnivore diet, examining its potential benefits, risks, and relevance to bodybuilding and overall health, while avoiding clichés and common misconceptions.

What is the Carnivore Diet?

The carnivore diet, also known as the "zero carb" diet, is a highly restrictive dietary approach that centers on the consumption of animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, and, in some variations, limited amounts of low-lactose dairy.

The diet excludes all plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Advocates of the carnivore diet propose that its principles align with ancestral eating patterns, suggesting that early humans thrived primarily on animal-based diets.

Historical Context

The idea of an exclusive meat diet dates back to the 19th century. Bernard Moncriff, a German writer, authored "The Philosophy of the Stomach: Or, An Exclusively Animal Diet" in 1856, documenting his year-long experiment of consuming only beef and milk. In the 1870s, Italian physician Arnaldo Cantani prescribed animal-based diets to his diabetic patients.

The Science Behind the Carnivore Diet

Proponents of the carnivore diet claim its tenets are supported by substantial evidence. However, research on the carnivore diet specifically, and its relevance to strength athletes or recreational lifters, is limited.

Modern studies on low-to-no-carbohydrate dietary interventions do display notable weight loss and improvements in some markers of cardiovascular health, though these metrics aren’t significantly different from a more traditional diet. However, much of this research is carried out on subjects who suffer from chronic diseases or are obese, and thus may not be relevant for healthy, active athletes.

Self-reported data from an online survey of meat-only eaters showed improvements in health and well-being, reductions in Body Mass Index (BMI) values, a reduced reliance on diabetic medication, and elevated cholesterol. However, due to the research being conducted via survey rather than in direct clinical observation, there’s no way to empirically determine whether or not the diet itself created these effects.

Potential Health Effects

Potential Benefits

Weight Loss: By eliminating carbohydrates, the body enters a state of ketosis, burning fat for fuel.
Reduced Inflammation: Some individuals with autoimmune diseases report symptom relief after eliminating plant-based foods that may cause gut irritation.
Improved Mental Clarity: Stable blood sugar levels from a high-protein, high-fat diet may help some individuals avoid energy crashes.
Simplified Eating Habits: Some find the diet easier to follow due to the absence of calorie counting or food variety concerns.
Micronutrient Adequacy: The carnivore diet met several NRV thresholds for nutrients such as riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, zinc, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, selenium, and Vitamin A, and exceeded the sodium threshold.

Potential Risks and Drawbacks

Heart Health Concerns: Diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol from red meat have been linked to increased heart disease risk.
Nutrient Deficiencies: A meat-only diet lacks essential vitamins and minerals found in plant-based foods, such as fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants, which are crucial for gut and immune health.
Digestive Issues: The lack of fiber can lead to constipation and disruptions in gut microbiome diversity, essential for digestion and overall well-being.
Long-Term Sustainability: Cutting out entire food groups can make it difficult to maintain balanced eating habits over time, potentially leading to disordered eating patterns.
Elevated Cholesterol: It also raises levels of LDL cholesterol, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies: If you are trying the carnivore diet, you may also experience vitamin and mineral deficiencies due to the restrictive nature of what you are eating.
Kidney Stress: Consuming a large amount of animal protein can lead to unwanted stress on the kidneys, especially if you already experience kidney issues.
Micronutrient Shortfalls: It fell short in thiamin, magnesium, calcium, and Vitamin C, and in iron, folate, iodine and potassium in some cases. Fibre intake was significantly below recommended levels.
Potential for Thiamin Inadequacy: Without adequate planning/consideration, folate is another B-vitamin that could be inadequately consumed following a strict carnivore diet

The Carnivore Diet and Bodybuilding

Performance Effects

Energy for Workouts: Carbohydrates are great for fueling your expression of strength in the gym, but they aren’t an essential source of fuel for resistance training.
Muscle Growth: That aside, if you can manage to adequately tax your muscles in the gym without the fuel provided by carbohydrates, you can still grow.
Impact on Longer Workouts: Diets that eschew carbohydrates may negatively impact longer workouts (think 45 minutes or more), or training sessions that contain high amounts of volume (in excess of 10 working sets).
Recovery: If you train more than once per day, for instance, you might find it difficult to recover enough muscle glycogen between workouts without relying on an external carb source.
Advanced Strength Training: The further you are into your strength career, the more volume (and higher intensity) you need to make progress. That benchmark might preclude you from adopting the carnivore diet long-term.

Hypertrophy Versus Longevity

Animal protein is great for building muscle, short term energy, maintaining high levels of nutrients, but a carnivore diet holds too many adverse long term side effects to be considered a staple for a longevity-based diet.

Meat consumption has been a common food selection for humans for millennia. Meat is rich in amino acids, delivers vast amounts of nutrients and assists in short term health and hypertrophy. However, meat consumption can induce the activation of mTOR and IGF-1, accelerated aging, vascular constriction, atherosclerosis, heart disease, increased risk of diabetes, systemic inflammatory effects, cancers (including colorectal and prostate cancers), advanced glycation end products, impaired immune function / increased susceptibility to infection via downstream advanced glycation end product accumulation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ingestion, increased homocysteine levels among many other pathophysiologies.

Practical Considerations

Foods Allowed

Beef (Steaks, Ground beef, Chuck roast)
Chicken and Pork (Chicken breast, Pork chops, Bacon)
Lamb (Lamb chops, Ground lamb)
Seafood (Salmon, Oysters, Shrimp)
Organ Meats (Liver, Kidneys, Heart)
Limited Amounts: Cheese, Eggs, Heavy Cream

Foods to Avoid

Fruits
Vegetables
Grains
Legumes
Nuts
Seeds

Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (5, size 7 eggs), cooked in 2 tbsp butter.
Lunch: Burger patties
Dinner: Salmon

Is the Carnivore Diet Sustainable?

One of the biggest concerns about the carnivore diet is whether it supports long-term health. The absence of plant-based foods raises concerns about deficits in fiber and phytonutrients that support heart health, digestion and disease prevention.

Cutting out entire food groups could leave you short on the nutrients you need to stay healthy.

The carnivore diet is too restrictive - and too boring - to follow long-term. Eventually food cravings are going to kick in. “You’re going to want a sandwich. You’re going to want a piece of whole-grain bread. And you’re going to want to have some cereal, some fruit, or a salad,” she says.

Who Should Avoid the Carnivore Diet?

Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women: This diet isn’t safe during pregnancy or while breastfeeding because it will leave you short on the nutrients that both you and your growing baby need.
Individuals with Kidney Disease: If you have kidney disease, the high protein content may be too much for your kidneys to process.
Individuals with Diabetes, Heart Disease, or High Blood Pressure: Also avoid this diet if you have diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure because of the high saturated fat and sodium content.
Individuals with a History of Eating Disorders: Fad diets are never a good idea for people who have had eating disorders. Such a restrictive diet could trigger unhealthy eating patterns.

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