The carnivore diet, an extreme form of ketogenic eating that primarily consists of animal products, has gained traction for its simplicity and potential benefits, including weight loss and symptom relief for some individuals. However, a common complaint among those new to the diet or even experienced carnivores is fatigue. This article delves into the possible causes of carnivore diet fatigue and offers potential solutions to help you optimize your energy levels while adhering to this restrictive eating plan.
Understanding the Carnivore Diet
Before addressing fatigue specifically, it's crucial to understand the fundamentals of the carnivore diet. It's an elimination diet taken to its extreme.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet consists of 60-90% fat and 10-40% protein with 0% carbohydrates. The diet primarily includes meat, organ meats, animal fats, eggs, and sometimes dairy.
How Does it Differ from the Ketogenic Diet?
A ketogenic diet typically involves 70-80% fat, 10-20% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates (usually 20-50 grams of net carbs per day). While both diets can induce nutritional ketosis, the carnivore diet excludes all plant-based foods, which are essential in a therapeutic keto approach.
The Initial Stages: Adaptation and Potential Challenges
Transitioning to a carnivore diet can be a shock to the system. Your body needs time to adjust to using fat as its primary fuel source. For newbie carnivores who've been at it less than 30 days, sometimes the only answer to overcoming tiredness is time. Everyone’s body is different and will take different lengths of time to adapt to a meat-based, fat-burning diet.
Read also: The Carnivore Diet: An Autoimmune Solution?
The Adaptation Phase
During the initial adaptation phase, which can last from a few days to several weeks, you might experience what's often referred to as the "keto flu" or in this case "carnivore flu". This can manifest as fatigue, headaches, and other flu-like symptoms. This occurs as your body depletes its glycogen stores (stored glucose) and transitions to burning fat for fuel.
Electrolyte Imbalance
Carnivore diets also tend to promote fluid and sodium loss, especially in the first few weeks, due to glycogen depletion (which releases stored water). Electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, are crucial for maintaining fluid balance, nerve function, and energy production. When you eliminate plant-based foods, you also reduce your intake of these essential minerals, potentially leading to imbalances and fatigue.
Common Causes of Fatigue on the Carnivore Diet
Even after the initial adaptation phase, some individuals continue to experience fatigue on the carnivore diet. Several factors can contribute to this persistent tiredness.
Insufficient Fat Intake
Fat is the primary fuel source on a carnivore diet. If you're not consuming enough fat, your body won't have the energy it needs to function optimally. If you’re at least two weeks into the Carnivore Diet, but are still feeling sluggish, you may need to eat more fat. Some of the best fats you can eat on the Carnivore Diet include fatty meats such as ribeye steaks, high-fat-content ground beef, eggs, fatty fish such as salmon and animal fats such as butter, tallow and suet.
Micronutrient Deficiencies
While meat is nutrient-dense, it may not provide all the micronutrients your body needs in optimal amounts. A 2020 review noted that a long-term carnivore diet may require supplementation to meet micronutrient needs-something many followers don’t realize (O’Hearn, 2020). For example, Vitamin K is important for coagulation balance and is synthesized by gut microbes.
Read also: The Carnivore Diet's Impact on Sleep
Gut Health Implications
One of the most concerning effects of the carnivore diet is the complete elimination of fermentable fiber. Fiber is essential for feeding beneficial gut bacteria, which produce important metabolites like butyrate.
The Role of Butyrate
Butyrate isn’t just a byproduct of fiber fermentation-it’s a critical postbiotic that helps maintain gut barrier integrity, reduce neuroinflammation, and regulate immune tolerance. Butyrate helps modulate the immune system by reducing excessive inflammation and promoting tolerance, supports the integrity of the gut lining by nourishing intestinal cells, and acts as a fuel source for colonocytes. A 2023 paper found that individuals with ME/CFS had a significantly diminished capacity for microbial butyrate synthesis, as well as altered bacterial network structure and correlations between low butyrate-producing capacity and fatigue severity (Guo et al, 2023). Butyrate deficiency also impairs deep sleep and contributes to unrefreshing rest. Butyrate is not just a gut metabolite; it crosses into circulation and interacts with sleep-regulating centers in the brain. Fermentation isn’t just a digestive nuisance, it’s essential to host-microbe symbiosis.
Loss of Microbial Diversity
Low levels of healthy gut bacteria is a consistent finding in both ME/CFS and long COVID (Giloteaux et al, 2016; Su et al, 2022). A carnivore diet, by excluding all plant foods, removes the very tools needed to restore gut health. Polyphenols, for example, act as selective prebiotics. They feed beneficial microbes while actively suppressing pathogenic strains. These compounds, combined with resistant starch and low-FODMAP vegetables, help restore microbial diversity.
The "Why" Behind Choosing Carnivore
It is out of desperation. Symptoms may include Leaky gut, Bloating and farting, Rhinitis, Sinusitis, Fatigue and brain fog, Pee dripping out your willy, Lack of motivation, Skin issues, Inflammation.
Strategies to Combat Carnivore Diet Fatigue
Fortunately, there are several strategies you can implement to combat fatigue and optimize your energy levels on the carnivore diet.
Read also: Troubleshooting Carnivore Diet Diarrhea
Optimize Fat Intake
Ensure you're consuming enough fat to meet your energy needs. Track macros for the first week to ensure enough protein and fat since a no-carb diet is new. Focus on fatty cuts of meat, such as ribeye steaks and high-fat ground beef. Incorporate animal fats like tallow, ghee, and butter into your cooking.
Prioritize Electrolyte Balance
Supplementing with electrolytes is crucial, especially during the initial adaptation phase and if you experience symptoms like headaches or heart palpitations. Electrolytes can make the biggest difference in fatigue and appetite. Choose electrolyte supplements that are free from artificial sweeteners and unnecessary additives.
Consider Organ Meats
Organ meats are incredibly nutrient-dense and can help fill potential micronutrient gaps in your diet. Incorporate liver, kidney, heart, and other organ meats into your weekly meal plan.
Listen to Your Body
Pay attention to your body's signals and adjust your diet accordingly. If you're constantly feeling fatigued, experiment with increasing your fat intake, adjusting your protein levels, or adding back in certain foods.
Prioritize Sleep
Sufficient sleep is essential for energy production and overall health. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Create a relaxing bedtime routine and optimize your sleep environment for darkness, coolness, and quiet.
Manage Stress
Chronic stress can deplete your energy reserves and exacerbate fatigue. Practice stress-reducing activities such as meditation, yoga, spending time in nature, or engaging in hobbies you enjoy.
Being outside is so good for people at any age or at any stage of health. Nature and fresh air helps us de-stress, relax and find natural energy, as well as assist with self reflection and gratitude, reduce anxiety, offer a break from technology and more.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can contribute to fatigue. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially since carnivore diets promote fluid loss.
Exercise and Movement
While it may seem counterintuitive when you're feeling fatigued, regular exercise can actually boost your energy levels. Engage in moderate-intensity activities like walking, swimming, or weightlifting.
Not far behind simply being outside, going on a walk or hike outdoors is one of my favorite activities to do when I’m tired. Walk your dog. Walk your neighborhood. Hike the woods near your house.
Consider Simple Carbs (with caution)
Though this topic is highly controversial in the Carnivore community, some Carnivore proponents (especially athletes), such as Dr. Paul Saladino, have found they can sustain the diet longer by reintroducing simple carbs such as honey.
The Carnivore "Coffee"
Many Carnivore dieters have been able to cut out caffeine once their body adapts to fat-burning. But for those of us who haven’t cut out caffeine, sometimes it’s ok to have a warm cup of joe when you’re tired-especially if you need to be productive.
Bulletproof coffee has been the rage in certain health communities for years, but I prefer adding grassfed unsalted butter, heavy cream and collagen peptides to my coffee, blending with a handheld immersion blender to create that perfect frothiness on top.
Rule Out Other Underlying Issues
If fatigue persists despite implementing these strategies, it's essential to rule out any underlying medical conditions. Consult with a healthcare professional to discuss your symptoms and undergo any necessary testing.
Potential Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
Despite its restrictive nature, some individuals report significant benefits from the carnivore diet, including:
Symptom Relief: Some people report symptom relief on a carnivore diet because they are avoiding lectins - a class of carbohydrate-binding proteins found in many plant foods, especially legumes, grains, and nightshades. Lectins (found in beans, legumes and other foods) can irritate the stomach lining in some people. No high-quality studies, though, have connected them with chronic illnesses. In those with increased intestinal permeability, a feature observed in both ME/CFS and long COVID (Su et al, 2022; Giloteaux et al, 2016), lectins may have a greater opportunity to interact with the immune system.
Elimination Diet: A short carnivore stint may serve as a functional elimination diet for some. Health Rising readers can get 10% off any of Dr. Craig’s nutrition video courses by using the code Rising10, Her latest course is on the gut.
Gut Rest: These effects offer a gut rest, not a fix. They temporarily reduce symptom burden by limiting exposure to compounds that irritate an already sensitive digestive system. A low-FODMAP ketogenic approach or carefully structured elimination diet could achieve similar benefits without sacrificing long-term gut and metabolic health.
Cautions and Considerations
It's important to approach the carnivore diet with caution and be aware of its potential risks.
Lack of Long-Term Studies
The long-term health impacts of such a restrictive, plant-free diet have not been thoroughly studied in ancestral populations or clinical settings.
Potential Nutrient Deficiencies
While some proponents argue that meat provides all essential nutrients, research suggests this isn’t the case for most real-world carnivore diets. A 2020 review noted that a long-term carnivore diet may require supplementation to meet micronutrient needs-something many followers don’t realize (O’Hearn, 2020).
Gut Health Concerns
Eliminating plant-based foods can negatively impact gut health by reducing microbial diversity and butyrate production.
Increased Cardiometabolic Risk
In this context, high saturated fat intake, without the buffering effects of fiber, can increase cardiometabolic risk. People with ApoE4 genotypes are particularly vulnerable. They experience greater LDL-C increases and more inflammation on high-saturated-fat, low-fiber diets (Corella & Ordovás, 2014). Up to 25% of the general population has this genotype.
The Importance of a Balanced Approach
While the carnivore diet may offer temporary benefits for some individuals, it's generally not considered a sustainable or optimal long-term eating plan. A more balanced approach that includes a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including both animal and plant sources, is typically recommended for overall health and well-being.
Short-Term Elimination Diet
A short-term carnivore diet may serve as a brief elimination phase for identifying intolerances, but it must be followed by a structured reintroduction of plant-based foods to support long-term gut and immune health.