The carnivore diet, a restrictive eating plan centered around animal products, has gained traction for its potential weight loss benefits and claims of improved health. This diet eliminates all carbohydrates, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, focusing solely on meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and limited dairy. While proponents tout benefits like reduced inflammation and improved blood sugar control, it's crucial to understand the potential side effects, especially during the initial adaptation phase. This article explores the first-week side effects of the carnivore diet, offering insights into managing them and ensuring a safer transition.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet involves cutting out carbohydrates and consuming only meat and other animal products like beef, chicken, pork, fish, and eggs. The premise is that eliminating carbs forces the body to burn fat for energy, leading to weight loss. Proponents also claim it can combat inflammation, lower blood sugar in individuals with diabetes, and enhance mental well-being.
The carnivore diet shares similarities with the ketogenic (keto) and Atkins diets, but with a key difference. While keto and Atkins diets limit carbs, the carnivore diet eliminates all carbohydrates and other food groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
The carnivore diet doesn’t align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains along with lean protein from animal sources. Cutting out entire food groups could leave you short on the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
Potential Benefits and Claims
The carnivore diet claims to promote weight loss and improve heart health, autoimmune issues, blood sugar control, and mood. Some studies surveyed individuals who followed a carnivore diet for several months. Participants reported improvements such as:
Read also: The Carnivore Diet: An Autoimmune Solution?
- Lower body mass index (BMI)
- More energy
- Better sleep
- More strength and endurance
- Improved memory and focus
Many individuals with diabetes in the study were able to reduce or eliminate their diabetes medication. Overall, participants expressed satisfaction with this eating approach. However, these findings were based on self-reported data and lacked objective health measurements. More research is needed to fully understand the carnivore diet's effects.
Common First Week Side Effects: The "Keto Flu" and Adaptation
The initial transition to a carnivore diet can be challenging as the body adapts to the absence of carbohydrates. This adaptation period often leads to a collection of symptoms known as the "keto flu" or "low-carb flu." These symptoms are primarily caused by the body switching from using glucose (from carbohydrates) to ketones (from fat) as its primary energy source.
Signs of the keto flu may start popping up within the first few days of cutting back on carbs. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary from person to person.
Common Symptoms
- Headaches: A frequent complaint during the initial phase.
- Fatigue: Feelings of tiredness and low energy.
- Nausea: Can occur as the body adjusts to ketosis.
- Confusion: Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly.
- Irritability: Mood swings and increased frustration.
- Dizziness: A sense of lightheadedness or imbalance.
- Constipation: Reduced fiber intake can lead to digestive issues.
- Diarrhea: A high-fat, high-protein diet may cause loose poop because it changes the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut.
- Muscle Cramps: Electrolyte imbalances can contribute to muscle cramping.
- Brain Fog: Difficulty concentrating.
- Stomach or Intestinal Pain: Digestive upset.
- Muscle Soreness: General aches and pains.
- Difficulty Sleeping: Insomnia or restless sleep.
- Food Cravings: Intense desires for carbohydrate-rich foods.
- Rapid Heart Rate: An increased heart rate or palpitations.
These symptoms typically last a few days or, rarely, up to several weeks.
Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalance
One of the primary causes of low-carb flu is dehydration and sodium deficiency. When carbohydrate intake is reduced, insulin levels decrease, causing the kidneys to release excess sodium and water. This can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, exacerbating symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and muscle cramps.
Read also: The Carnivore Diet's Impact on Sleep
The "Trough of Despair"
Transitioning to this diet, your body faces a rough patch, often dubbed the "trough of despair," as it adjusts to zero carbs. Your blood glucose is drained, and any glycogen reserves, even a small amount of it, are tapped into as well.
Managing First Week Side Effects
Fortunately, several strategies can help mitigate the side effects experienced during the first week of the carnivore diet.
Hydration
Drinking enough water is necessary for optimal health and can also help reduce symptoms. A keto diet can cause you to rapidly shed water stores, increasing the risk of dehydration. This is because glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrates, binds to water in the body. When dietary carbohydrates are reduced, glycogen levels plummet, and water is excreted from the body. Staying hydrated can help with symptoms like fatigue and muscle cramping. Replacing fluids is especially important when you are experiencing keto-flu-associated diarrhea, which can cause additional fluid loss.
- Drink Plenty of Water: Aim for at least 8-10 glasses of water per day.
Electrolyte Replenishment
Replacing dietary electrolytes may help reduce keto-flu symptoms. When following a ketogenic diet, levels of insulin, an important hormone that helps the body absorb glucose from the bloodstream, decrease. When insulin levels decrease, the kidneys release excess sodium from the body. Furthermore, the keto diet restricts many foods that are high in potassium, including fruits, beans, and starchy vegetables. Getting adequate amounts of these important nutrients is an excellent way to power through the adaptation period of the diet. Salting food to taste and including potassium-rich, keto-friendly foods like green leafy vegetables and avocados is an excellent way to ensure a healthy balance of electrolytes. These foods are also high in magnesium, which may help reduce muscle cramps, sleep issues, and headaches.
- Increase Sodium Intake: Adding salt to your meals or drinking broth can help replenish sodium levels. Consuming a glass of water with half a teaspoon of salt can provide relief within 15-30 minutes.
- Consume Potassium-Rich Foods: Although limited on the carnivore diet, some animal products like organ meats contain potassium.
- Consider Magnesium Supplements: Magnesium can help reduce muscle cramps and improve sleep.
Adequate Calorie Intake
Although you may feel full on a Carnivore Diet, as fat and protein in Carnivore foods make you feel satiated, you still need enough calories to go through the day. Find out your ideal daily caloric needs (you can consult a healthcare professional) and consume enough food to provide the needed energy, which helps reduce keto flu symptoms (headaches, brain fog, dizziness, and irritability).
Read also: Troubleshooting Carnivore Diet Diarrhea
Gradual Transition
Those who are having trouble adapting to the ketogenic diet may have to eliminate carbohydrates gradually rather than all at once. Slowly cutting back on carbs while increasing fat and protein in your diet may help make the transition smoother and decrease keto-flu symptoms.
Rest and Light Exercise
Avoid strenuous exercise While exercise is important for staying healthy, strenuous exercise should be avoided when experiencing keto-flu symptoms. Fatigue, muscle cramps, and stomach discomfort are common in the first week of following a ketogenic diet, so it may be a good idea to give your body a rest. Activities like intense biking, running, weightlifting, and strenuous workouts may have to be put on the back burner while your system adapts to new fuel sources. While these types of exercise should be avoided if you are experiencing the keto flu, light activities like walking, yoga, or leisurely biking may improve symptoms.
Prioritize Sleep
Fatigue and irritability are common complaints of people who are adapting to a ketogenic diet. Lack of sleep causes levels of the stress hormone cortisol to rise in the body, which can negatively impact mood and make keto-flu symptoms worse. If you are having a difficult time falling or staying asleep, try one of the following tips: Reduce caffeine intake: Caffeine is a stimulant that may negatively impact sleep. If you drink caffeinated beverages, only do so in the morning so your sleep is not affected. Cut out ambient light: Shut off cell phones, computers, and televisions in the bedroom to create a dark environment and promote restful sleep. Take a bath: Adding Epsom salt or lavender essential oil to your bath is a relaxing way to wind down and get ready for sleep. Get up early: Waking at the same time every day and avoiding oversleeping may help normalize your sleep patterns and improve sleep quality over time.
Addressing Specific Side Effects
- Constipation: Drink plenty of water and ensure adequate salt intake to prevent dehydration, a common cause of constipation.
- Diarrhea: Consider digestive aids like Lipase or Betaine HCL.
- Bad Breath: Maintain proper hydration and oral hygiene.
- Leg Cramps: Ensure adequate hydration, salt intake, and magnesium levels.
Other potential side effects
Altered Bowel Movements
Yes, the carnivore diet can cause constipation, but diarrhea is actually the more common digestive issue.
Cholesterol Levels
The Mayo Clinic says your cholesterol ratio is a better risk predictor than total cholesterol or LDL. To find it, you divide your total cholesterol number by your HDL score. That gives Munsey a ratio of 3.6 to 1.
Hormone Response and Rebalancing
One of the negative carnivore diet side effects is mood swings and irritability. However, this hormone is also closely related to stress and anxiety. Sudden fluctuations can make you moody, but this will pass within a few days.
Cravings
In the first few weeks of the carnivore diet, you’ll likely get regular cravings for carb-rich foods. One of the main reasons for this is that your body is still struggling to get all the energy from fat.
Important Considerations
Consult a Healthcare Professional
Before starting any new diet, especially one as restrictive as the carnivore diet, consult with a doctor or registered dietitian. This is particularly important for individuals with pre-existing health conditions like kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure.
Nutrient Deficiencies
The carnivore diet eliminates entire food groups, potentially leading to nutrient deficiencies. Consider taking vitamin, mineral, and fiber supplements to address these gaps.
Long-Term Sustainability
The carnivore diet is highly restrictive and may not be sustainable long-term. Eventually food cravings are going to kick in.
Individual Variability
People adapt to ketogenic diets differently. While some may experience weeks of keto-flu symptoms, others may adjust to the new diet with no adverse side effects. The symptoms people experience are tied to how their bodies adjust to a new fuel source. Usually, carbs provide the body with energy in the form of glucose. When carbs are substantially reduced, the body burns ketones from fat instead of glucose.
Who Should Avoid the Carnivore Diet?
- Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women: This diet may lack essential nutrients needed for fetal development and infant health.
- Individuals with Kidney Disease: The high protein content may strain kidney function.
- Individuals with Diabetes, Heart Disease, or High Blood Pressure: The high saturated fat and sodium content may exacerbate these conditions.
- Individuals with Eating Disorders: Restrictive diets can trigger unhealthy eating patterns.