Carnivore Diet. The Pros and Cons

Why the carnivore hype?

It seems like everyone is touting the carnivore diet lately.

Photo by José Ignacio Pompé on Unsplash

But pay attention to who is giving out the carnivore diet hype.

It is medically trained doctors who have switched from the allopathic belief system, its chiropractors, and a lot of other people with no health or medical background.

Did you notice who is missing from promoting the carnivore diet?

Nutritionists!

I am not talking about mainstream registered dieticians. But people like me who are holistic, Ph.D., clinical nutritionists, or certified nutrition specialists.

So, why are people who do not have a background in nutrition telling you to eat an all-meat and fat diet?

But nutritionists are not on the same bandwagon?

Here is One Nutritionist’s Take On The Carnivore Diet

As you may know, I do not believe there is one proper diet for everyone, nor do I think there is one proper diet for you to follow throughout your life.

The carnivore diet is a diet of meat-based proteins and fats.

It eliminates a host of foods or “food groups,” such as

• Lectins

• Nightshades

• High FODMAPs

• Mycotoxins (potentially on food such as peanuts)

• Legumes

• Oxalates

• Wheat

• Dairy

• Non-gluten containing grains

• Sugar

• Refined seed oils

• Fruit

• Vegetables (crunchy, leafy)

• Starchy vegetables

• Nuts and seeds

• Flavonoids

• Vitamin C

Wow, that diet removes a lot!

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Carnivore Diet Pros

The carnivore diet contains essential vitamins, minerals, fats, and amino acids except for limited vitamin C amounts (unless you consume large quantities of raw liver), so this vitamin may require supplementation.

The carnivore diet contains large quantities of nutrients that may be difficult to absorb from plants, such as iron, or that cannot be obtained from plants, such as B12.

The diet also contains quality fats sourced from grass-fed organic meats and butter.

Many people have said the diet has helped them feel much better. I believe this to be true because, from my perspective, the carnivore diet is an elimination diet that can help the body reset, rest, and reduce inflammation from the foods that may aggravate you. However, if you do not do a slow re-entry, you will never know if what made you feel worse was dairy, gluten, any grain, lectins, and so forth.

This simple diet doesn’t require much thought or prep work to make a meal when cooking for one person.

If you do not live near sources for organic meats, many companies ship them.

It is easier to meet your protein needs (new guidelines indicate many people need 1.2 to 1.8 protein grams per kg of body weight) daily.) The older guidelines suggested 0.8 protein grams daily per kg of body weight.

It removes refined foods, sugar, colorings, and other additives found in processed foods from the diet. It will reduce microplastic, herbicide, and pesticide consumption from foods.

Carnivore Diet Cons

The diet is very restrictive and can be used as an elimination diet to reset the body, but it should not be used as a long-term diet, and I will discuss this in more detail below. A carnivore diet could be useful for 30 to 90 days, and then slowly add certain food groups to determine which foods worsen your health symptoms.

Just because a food or food group may aggravate you does not mean it has to be kept out of the diet for a lifetime. Instead, the person should look at why that food or food group is an aggravator. Do high FODMAPs bother you because you have SIBO, or do gluten and non-gluten grains cause symptoms because you have celiac or wheat sensitivity, and the increased intestinal permeability and dysbiosis caused by these foods have never been addressed?

Organic meats should not be raised eating grasses that have been sprayed. Some farms state they do not have organic status because of the cost but are “organic,” so be sure to ask about their food and if it has been sprayed.

All animals for human consumption are encouraged to be vaccinated, and from the various ranches I have asked, everyone has used vaccines on their meat-raising animals. Organic farmers are encouraged to vaccinate, so be sure to ask.

What Nutrients You Are Missing When You “Go Carnivore”

Fiber

Fiber comes from plants and has many health benefits, such as supporting healthy bowel movements and reducing the risk of heart disease. Monitor how many BMs you are having daily on a carnivore diet.

Phytonutrients

Plants have phytonutrients that give plants their colors and have numerous benefits, such as improving brain health, immune support, and antimicrobial properties. However, you have never heard someone say you have a quercetin or catechin deficiency.

That is because these nutrients are not essential.

Yet, if we take the example of quercetin, many people used it when they got sick in 2020. But you do not need to because it is found in apples and onions—mainly in the apple skin and top onion layers.

Another example is the pith in oranges, lemon, and lime rinds that may help prevent cancer.

So, while they may not be essential, plants' phytonutrients can offer various health benefits that meat does not.

Vitamin C

Be sure to supplement because it is not found in meats. You may get some from raw liver, but you may not get enough to meet your needs. Just like a vegan will need to supplement with B12, a carnivore may need to supplement with vitamin C

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide the fiber needed to promote healthy bowel movements. Five fiber types, beta-glucan, pectin, inulin, lignans, and resistant starch, can support gut health and are not found in meats.

There is also some debate about whether an increased reliance on gluconeogenesis to maintain blood sugar levels is healthy long-term. The body will make glucose from amino acids if carbohydrates are not present in the diet. But is this good for you longterm?

Should you try a carnivore diet?

If you have chronic health issues, especially ones that no one can figure out, an elimination diet such as the carnivore diet may be helpful. But use it to guide you as to what you can and cannot re-enter into the diet. Use it to help identify why some foods bother you, whereas others do not.

What if you have type A blood?

I know some people do not believe in blood type diets, and there is not a lot of science behind them, but type O’s are typically meat-eaters. This is also the most common blood type, which may explain why a meat-based diet works for many people.

Based on the blood type diet, type A, the second most common blood type, is believed to do well with a primarily plant-based diet.

I am type A, and I do not feel right when I do not eat plants. However, I do not do well on a 100% plant-based diet and feel better when I eat plants and meat. My father was type AB, the rarest blood type, and he was mainly a meat eater and rarely ate vegetables. My husband is type O and is a meat-potatoes eater.

So, I do not know if there is any real science to blood-type diets, but rather, I listen to your body and how it feels.

Bottom Line

The diet can be helpful as an elimination diet for 30 to 90 days, during which time you slowly re-enter foods. During this process, you should keep a food log of your symptoms.

A carnivore diet can remove many toxins in our modern world, but I do not support very restrictive diets long-term for the majority of the population.

Eating just meat can get boring over time.

The diet may lack adequate vitamin C, fiber, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients.

This does not mean the diet may or may not work for you. The only way to find out is to test biomarkers and micronutrients before and then retest within 3 to 6 months of being on the diet.

What about you?

Are you a strict carnivore eater? If so, what do you eat, how long have you followed the diet, and what health changes have you seen?

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