The carnivore diet, a highly restrictive eating plan, has gained popularity as a weight-loss strategy. This diet revolves around consuming primarily animal products, excluding plant-based foods. This article explores the carnivore diet, its potential benefits and risks, and its effectiveness for weight loss.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet, also known as the "zero carb" diet, is a restrictive eating plan that advises the consumption of only animal products and a few other items. The carnivore diet meal plan only allows consumption of meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, fish, some dairy products, and water. You need to exclude all vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts. This diet is a type of "keto," or ketogenic, diet.
How Does the Carnivore Diet Work for Weight Loss?
The carnivore diet has two fundamental characteristics: it contains high amounts of protein and virtually eliminates all carbohydrates. Keto diets work like this: The contents of a keto diet do not provide enough calories from glucose and other forms of sugar. To compensate, the body burns fat that creates ketones as an energy source. A carnivore diet is the most ketogenic diet because it allows for almost no carbs. On a high level, the goal of this severe diet is to eliminate all carbohydrates and shift your body into “ketosis,” where it burns body fat for fuel instead of glucose. The carnivore diet can stabilize blood sugar (glucose) levels by preventing the blood sugar spikes after you chow down on carbs or sugary foods.
Why is the Carnivore Diet Popular?
The carnivore diet has gained significant attention because influencers are marketing it online as a solution for various health concerns. Apart from the drastic initial weight loss, other factors make the diet popular, including:
- Simpler food-related decision-making, from grocery shopping to meal planning to food preparation.
- No counting carbs, tracking calories, counting portions, or following complicated recipes.
- No rigid eating windows to follow, like with intermittent fasting.
Foods Allowed on the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet mainly consists of animal-based foods. Here is the list of approved foods:
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Animal proteins: All types of meat, including beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, and pork, form the foundation of this diet. Fish and seafood such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, crab, and lobster are also included.Organ meats: Foods like liver, kidney, heart, and bone marrow are encouraged.Animal byproducts: Eggs, bone broth, and animal fats like lard are permitted and can add variety to meals.Some dairy: While not strictly required, certain low-lactose dairy products may be included in small amounts. These typically include butter, hard cheeses, and heavy cream.Beverages: Water is the main beverage recommended for the carnivore diet. Some people also include bone broth for additional nutrients.
Foods to Avoid on the Carnivore Diet
Any foods that aren’t animal-based are off the table. That includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, or seeds.
Potential Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
Influencers promoting the carnivore diet share many potential benefits, usually supported by anecdotal accounts. Here are a few of the most cited positives:
- Weight loss: 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.
- Blood sugar management: The carnivore diet can stabilize blood sugar (glucose) levels by preventing the blood sugar spikes after you chow down on carbs or sugary foods.
- Better mental clarity and sustained energy: Some individuals report improved mental clarity and sustained energy levels throughout the day on the carnivore diet.
Risks and Disadvantages of the Carnivore Diet
While the carnivore diet may offer some benefits for certain people, it’s important to understand that this diet comes with certain challenges, such as:
- Nutrient deficiencies: As the diet eliminates all plants, including whole vegetables and fruit, you’re not getting enough fiber. The carnivore diet overlooks entire food groups that offer many health benefits, Patton says. Eating only meat and animal-based products can leave your body nutritionally deficient in some areas. 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.
- Digestive problems: 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. A high-fat, high-protein diet may cause loose poop because it changes the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. “Without enough fiber in your diet, you may experience constipation and bowel impaction, where it’s hard to expel a large mass of dry, hard poop,” says Chavez, RD.
- Heart disease: 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.
- Kidney function: Eating a diet high in animal protein can place added stress on your kidneys, which may affect their long-term filtering function. Consuming a large amount of animal protein can lead to unwanted stress on the kidneys, especially if you already experience kidney issues. Eating more meat also may contribute to kidney stone formation. A high intake of animal proteins may increase the risk of developing conditions like kidney stones and gout.
- Cancer: 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.
- Sustainability: The highly restrictive nature of the diet can make it challenging to maintain over time.
Why You Might Not Be Losing Weight on the Carnivore Diet
Not everyone sustains weight loss on the carnivore diet. There may be a few reasons why you’re not losing weight on the carnivore diet.
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The calorie equation still matters: Even in a zero-carb world, energy balance plays a crucial role in your weight loss efforts. Those delicious ribeye steaks and eggs fried in butter can pack quite a caloric punch. While the carnivore diet can naturally regulate appetite for many people, others might find themselves unconsciously consuming more calories than their body needs.
Expert tip: "Overeating healthy foods is still overeating. When people stop losing weight on this diet, it's usually because they're eating too many calories, often from fatty foods like ribeye steak, bacon, and butter,” says Chavez, RD.
Too much protein: Eating too much protein relative to fat can actually stall your weight loss in the long run. When you consume excess protein, your body can convert it to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. This means you might unknowingly be providing your body with a steady stream of sugar, even while eating zero carbs.
Expert tip: "The goal of the carnivore diet is to have a high fat-to-protein ratio to induce fat burning. If this ratio is off, you may lose weight more slowly," says Chavez, RD.
Timing your meals matters: Your body needs adequate breaks between meals to help you lose fat. If you're eating too frequently throughout the day, you're providing a constant supply of energy, which, in excess, will always be stored as body fat.
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Expert tip: "Portion control and meal timing matter, whether you’re on the carnivore diet or not,” says Chavez, RD.
Lifestyle matters: Weight loss plateaus can occur due to many factors beyond your diet, like not getting enough quality sleep, poor mental health, and being stressed out all the time.
Expert tip: "Stress and poor sleep are often overlooked, but they are critical factors for weight loss," Chavez, RD, emphasizes.
Hormonal imbalances: Hormonal imbalances can significantly affect your ability to lose weight on the carnivore diet.
Expert tip: Consult a healthcare professional to rule out any underlying hormonal imbalances.
Medications and supplements: Certain medications and supplements can interfere with your weight loss efforts on the carnivore diet.
Expert tip: Work with a registered dietitian to identify potential culprits, understand your health condition, and make adjustments to enhance healthy weight loss.
Is the Carnivore Diet Safe?
This diet probably won’t hurt you if you’re healthy and you go on it for a short period of time. But it’s not recommended. “It’s certainly not a plan that dietitians or health professionals advocate,” says Zelman. “It’s very restrictive. And it concerns me that there’s so little fiber.” The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and American Heart Association both recommend eating plant-based foods. “That’s because of the nutritional goodness, the phytochemicals, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients found in plants. You don’t get all of those in animal products,” says Zelman.
Who Should Avoid the Carnivore Diet?
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. If you have kidney disease, the high protein content may be too much for your kidneys to process, Zelman says. Also avoid this diet if you have diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure because of the high saturated fat and sodium content. Fad diets are never a good idea for people who have had eating disorders. Such a restrictive diet could trigger unhealthy eating patterns, Zelman says.
Getting Support for Weight Loss
While the carnivore diet has gained popularity in recent years, it may not be suitable for everyone. It can also be challenging to keep up in the long term. A registered dietitian could help you align your diet with your weight loss and health goals.