The carnivore diet, an eating plan centered around animal products and excluding plant-based foods, has garnered attention for its potential health benefits and risks. This article explores the diet's principles, potential advantages, drawbacks, and long-term implications.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet is a restrictive eating plan that involves consuming primarily animal products. It is an extreme form of low-carb eating that eliminates all plant-based foods, focusing solely on meat, fish, eggs, and animal-derived products like butter and cheese. This diet excludes all other foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds.
The diet is essentially a more restrictive version of the ketogenic diet, which emphasizes fat and protein while minimizing carbohydrates. Proponents of the carnivore diet argue that human ancestral populations ate mostly meat and fish and that high-carb diets are to blame for today’s high rates of chronic disease.
Allowed Foods
Specifically, someone on the carnivore diet can eat:
- Meat: Beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, etc.
- Organ Meats: Liver, kidney, sweetbread, tripe, heart, brain
- Fish: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, crab, lobster, tilapia, herring, etc.
- Other Animal Products: Eggs, lard, bone marrow, bone broth, etc.
- Low-Lactose Dairy (in small amounts): Heavy cream, hard cheese, butter, etc.
- Water
Some proponents of the diet allow salt, pepper, and seasonings with no carbs. Some people choose to eat yogurt, milk, and soft cheese, but these foods are typically not included due to their carb contents.
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Restricted Foods
All foods that do not come from animals are excluded from the carnivore diet. Restricted foods include:
- Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, peppers, etc.
- Fruits: Apples, berries, bananas, kiwi, oranges, etc.
- High-Lactose Dairy: Milk, yogurt, soft cheese, etc.
- Legumes: Beans, lentils, etc.
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, etc.
- Grains: Rice, wheat, bread, quinoa, pasta, etc.
- Alcohol: Beer, wine, liquor, etc.
- Sugars: Table sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar, etc.
- Beverages other than water: Soda, coffee, tea, fruit juice, etc.
Potential Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
Advocates of the carnivore diet claim it can lead to weight loss, reduced inflammation, and improved mental clarity. The carnivore diet claims to provide several health benefits.
Weight Loss
The carnivore diet may lead to weight loss. By eliminating carbohydrates, the body enters a state of ketosis, which burns fat for fuel. Your body uses carbs for energy. If you’re not eating carbs, your body turns to burning body fat for fuel in a process known as ketosis. This can lead to increased metabolism and weight loss. Since the carnivore diet excludes carbs, it eliminates cookies, cakes, candy, sodas, pastries, and similar high-carb foods.
High-protein and low-carb diets can promote weight loss. Protein, as well as fat, can help you feel more full after meals, which may lead to reduced calorie intake and subsequent weight loss. Protein can also increase your metabolic rate, helping you burn more calories.
Reduced Inflammation
Some people with autoimmune diseases claim symptom relief after cutting out plant-based foods that may cause gut irritation. Most plant-based foods are anti-inflammatory and are known to support health. Another claim is that the carnivore diet is high in omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish and grass-fed meats, which may help to lower inflammation.
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Improved Mental Clarity
Stable blood sugar levels from a high-protein, high-fat diet may help some people avoid energy crashes. Some people talk of achieving greater mental clarity while on a carnivore diet.
Blood Sugar Management
The carnivore diet can stabilize blood sugar (glucose) levels by preventing the blood sugar spikes after you consume carbs or sugary foods.
Simplified Eating Habits
With no need to count calories or worry about food variety, some find the diet easier to follow.
Improvements in Overall Health
In a social media-based survey, a self-selected group of adults consuming a carnivore diet for ≥6 mo reported perceived good health status, perceived absence of symptoms of nutritional deficiencies, and high satisfaction with this eating pattern. Respondents reported substantial BMI reduction and improvements in physical and mental well-being, overall health, and numerous chronic medical conditions. Respondents with diabetes reported special benefit, including greater weight loss than the overall group, and marked reductions in diabetes medication usage and HbA1c.
Risks and Drawbacks of the Carnivore Diet
While the diet may offer short-term benefits, nutrition specialists and other medical professionals express concerns about potential health risks. Nutrition specialists recommend a balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. Instead of extreme dietary restrictions, prioritizing high-quality protein sources while incorporating nutrient-rich plant foods for overall wellness is a more sustainable approach for your long-term health.
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Heart Health Concerns
Diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol from red meat have been linked to increased heart disease risk. The carnivore diet is high in saturated fats that can raise your “bad cholesterol” (LDL) levels and put you at higher risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends limiting red meat to protect your ticker.
Extreme diets high in saturated fat and low in fibre are known to raise cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Too much saturated fat can increase levels of bad cholesterol (known as non-HDL cholesterol) in the blood. Both high cholesterol and high blood pressure raise the risk of developing coronary heart disease and having a heart attack or stroke.
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. The carnivore diet eliminates highly nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, all of which contain beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Following a restrictive diet like the carnivore diet may lead to deficiencies in some nutrients and the overconsumption of others. It is low in vitamin c, folate, has no fiber, and is difficult to maintain. The carnivore diet does not contain beneficial plant compounds and has not been associated with any long-term health benefits.
Digestive Issues
The lack of fiber can lead to constipation and disruptions in gut microbiome diversity, essential for digestion and overall well-being. Fiber, a non-digestible carb that promotes gut health and healthy bowel movements, is only found in plant foods. The carnivore diet contains virtually no fibre, which is a type of carbohydrate only found in plant-based foods that cannot be completely digested.
Meat takes longer to digest, and slowing down that process can lead to constipation. Plus, the carnivore diet lacks fiber to help keep things moving along. Following the carnivore diet may harm your gut health.
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. Because the carnivore diet is so restrictive, it may be hard to stick to. The carnivore diet is difficult to follow long term and does not offer much variety.
Cancer Risk
Eating large amounts of red meat has been linked to increased risk for colorectal cancer, which can be divided into colon cancer and rectal cancer, as well as several other types of cancer. The higher the consumption of fiber, the lower the risk of colon cancer.
Kidney Function
Eating a diet high in animal protein can place added stress on your kidneys, which may affect their long-term filtering function. Eating more meat also may contribute to kidney stone formation. Consuming a large amount of animal protein can lead to unwanted stress on the kidneys, especially if you already experience kidney issues.
Muscle Cramps
The lack of key nutrients in a meat-based diet can lead to electrolyte imbalances that cause muscle cramps, as well as dizziness, fatigue, and general weakness.
High in Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium
Given that the carnivore diet consists solely of animal foods, it can be high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Saturated fat may raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol, which may increase your risk of heart disease.
Some processed meats, especially bacon and breakfast meats, also contain high amounts of sodium. Eating a lot of these foods on the carnivore diet can lead to excessive sodium intake, which has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, kidney disease, and other negative health outcomes.
The Carnivore Diet and Long-Term Wellness
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.
Who Should Avoid the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet may be especially problematic for certain populations.
- Those who need to limit their protein intake, including people with chronic kidney disease, should not follow the diet.
- Those who are more sensitive to the cholesterol in foods, or cholesterol hyper-responders, should be cautious about consuming so many high-cholesterol foods.
- Certain populations with special nutrient needs would likely not meet them on the carnivore diet. This includes children and people who are pregnant or lactating.
- Those who have anxiety about food or a history of disordered eating should not try this diet.
Research and Studies
Research on the carnivore diet is limited, with most evidence being anecdotal or derived from broader studies on ketogenic and low-carbohydrate diets.
One study promoted by Baker asked followers of the diet to fill out a survey on their eating habits and health. The respondents reported satisfaction and beneficial effects. However, nutrition experts raised concerns about the study’s health claims. For example, the study did not include any way to check the accuracy of the health information submitted by the respondents. The results should be interpreted with caution.
In 2021, a study was published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition. This study attempted to analyze the effects of a carnivore diet.
A Sample Carnivore Diet Menu
Here’s a five-day sample menu for the carnivore diet:
Day 1
- Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, sardines
- Lunch: Turkey burger patty, salmon jerky, beef tips
- Dinner: Filet mignon, crab, chicken liver
- Snacks: A small amount of Parmesan cheese, jerky
Day 2
- Breakfast: Shrimp, eggs, a small glass of heavy cream
- Lunch: Strip steak, tuna fish, beef jerky
- Dinner: Lamb chops, scallops, beef liver
- Snacks: A small amount of hard Cheddar cheese, bone broth
Day 3
- Breakfast: Eggs, salmon, turkey sausage
- Lunch: Sweetbreads, pork chops, mackerel
- Dinner: Turkey burger patty, a small amount of Parmesan cheese, bone marrow
- Snacks: Hard-boiled eggs, shrimp
Day 4
- Breakfast: Trout, shredded chicken, bacon
- Lunch: Beef meatballs, small amount Cheddar cheese, salmon jerky
- Dinner: Crab cooked in lard, filet mignon
- Snacks: Sardines, beef jerky
Day 5
- Breakfast: Eggs, chicken and turkey sausage links
- Lunch: Lamb roast, chicken liver, pork chop
- Dinner: Flank steak, scallops cooked in butter, a small glass of heavy cream
- Snacks: Bone broth, turkey jerky