The plant-free carnivore diet has been gaining popularity at a time when research has documented the health benefits of a plant-forward diet and campaigns like the Reducetarian Movement promote the reduction of animal products.
Long championed by male “meatfluencers” like celebrity podcaster Joe Rogan, Shawn Baker, author of “The Carnivore Diet” and Paul Saladino, author of “The Carnivore Code,” the carnivore diet is now picking up steam with women who are sharing on TikTok what they eat in a day following the meat-heavy diet.
Content creators like Bella Ma, who posts under the handle Steak and Butter Gal on TikTok, praise the benefits of the carnivore diet for weight loss and a range of “healing” properties. Carnivore influencers proudly show their plates piled high with ribeye steaks, fried eggs and strips of bacon.
Google searches for the carnivore diet have increased 150% over the last year, far exceeding searches for the extensively researched Mediterranean diet, DASH diet and other plant-based diets.
Here’s what to know about the meat-heavy meal plan before considering it.
[READ: Mediterranean Diet vs. Keto.]
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet is an extreme, meat-centric eating plan where followers consume only animal products, like meat, eggs and animal fats.
Carnivore diet variations
The diet has recently evolved and new variations of the carnivore diet have been trending, including:
— The lion diet is a more restrictive version of the carnivore diet that allows only ruminant meats (primarily beef, lamb and bison), salt and water, which was created by Mikhalia Peterson, daughter of carnivore diet advocate Jordan Peterson.
— The ketovore diet is a blend of ketogenic and carnivore principles that allows keto-friendly foods, such as avocados, olives, berries and low-carb vegetables.
— The animal-based diet is a modified carnivore diet promoted by Paul Saladino who abandoned his original carnivore diet and added fruits, honey and raw dairy.
— The personalized darnivore diet is a more flexible carnivore diet that includes some plant foods like leafy greens, squash, and berries in limited quantities to test tolerance and add nutritional diversity.
Advocates of the carnivore diet describe the meat-heavy regimen as an ancestral diet that mimics the eating patterns of early humans before the advent of agriculture. They claim humans were built to eat more like lions and other predators.
The carnivore diet is more restrictive than the Paleolithic (paleo) or caveman diet that also romanticizes what our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate, but it allows more plant foods.
Some carnivore enthusiasts adopt an 80/20 carnivore diet: 80% fat and 20% protein.
[See: Top Plant-Based Proteins.]
What You Can Eat on the Carnivore Diet
Those following a carnivore diet will primarily eat:
— Beef, poultry, pork, seafood
— Processed meat like bacon and sausage
— Organ meats including liver, kidney and brain
— Eggs
— Butter
— Lard
— Beef tallow
— Low-lactose dairy, like heavy cream and hard cheese
Foods to avoid on a carnivore diet
The carnivore diet excludes all plant-based foods, including:
— Fruits
— Vegetables
— Legumes
— Grains
— Nuts and seeds
— High-lactose dairy like milk, yogurt and soft cheese
— Alcohol
[SEE: 8 High-Protein Breakfasts That Keep You Full.]
Carnivore diet meal plans
A typical carnivore diet focuses entirely on animal-based foods, while excluding all plants, carbohydrates and processed foods. The diet is high in protein, cholesterol and saturated fat, and allows zero carbs. Here’s what you can eat on a carnivore diet:
Breakfast: Ribeye or sirloin steak cooked in butter or tallow with a couple of fried eggs on the side; or carnivore breakfast scramble made with a mixture of ground beef, eggs and bacon cooked in butter
Lunch: Ground beef patties with melted cheese and bacon without buns or vegetables
Dinner: Skin-on chicken thighs cooked in duck fat or butter
Snacks: Beef jerky, pork rinds, boiled eggs, bone broth, tinned fish
The diet is amplified on social media, where advocates share their meals and recipes. Some of these include carnivore lattes made of coffee, bone broth, butter and egg yolks, as well as organ smoothies made with beef organ supplements or raw beef liver, heart and other organ meats.
High-fat bone marrow and pork belly are popular additions to the carnivore diet. Some carnivore dieters avoid dairy, while others include butter, cheese and heavy cream.
Is the Carnivore Diet Easy to Follow?
Carnivore dieters point out some advantages of the diet:
— Simplified meal planning: With a limited range of food choices, meal planning and preparation may be easier.
— No calorie counting or portion control: Followers proudly show the large amounts of meat they eat in a day. The high-protein, high-fat diet is highly satiating or filling, so they’re likely eating fewer total calories than before.
— Elimination of processed foods: The diet cuts out sugar and refined grains that may help followers reduce calories and lose weight.
“The carnivore diet is relatively simple. Omit all plant foods and eat your fill of satiating, nutrient-dense animal products,” says Kansas City-based registered dietitian Cara Harbstreet, owner of Street Smart Nutrition. “It offers what someone might be craving. However, this isn’t reason enough to pursue it.”
What does the carnivore diet cost?
You should also ask yourself if you can afford the carnivore diet, says Canadian nutritionist Edin Sehovic of Evidence Nutrition
. Since meals are built around meat, especially pricey cuts of grass-fed steaks, and eliminate budget-friendly plant foods like beans, whole grains and vegetables, the diet can be expensive to follow.
Does the Carnivore Diet Have any Health Benefits?
Advocates of the carnivore diet primarily rely on personal testimonies, including everything from dramatic weight loss to relief from autoimmune conditions, diabetes, digestive disorders and even anxiety and depression.
Some supporters point to a 2021 Harvard study that they say proves the benefits of the carnivore diet, including reduced median BMI. Yet, this “study” was a social media survey that asked questions of people who said they were following a carnivore diet. The 2,029 respondents to the online survey reported high levels of satisfaction and improvements in overall health.
Few adverse effects of the diet were reported, except a subset of the participants who experienced elevated LDL cholesterol levels (“bad” cholesterol) after following a carnivore diet for 6 months or more. However, it’s important to note that these were all self-reported observations without a way to verify eating habits or health outcomes.
Additionally, those surveyed were already fans of the diet. “We tend to see bias in populations that are identifying with a specific community so that could sway the data,” says Sehovic, referring to the Harvard research.
Beyond this frequently cited survey and anecdotal evidence, there don’t appear to be any scientific studies to support the claims. So in reality, there are no documented health benefits of the carnivore diet.
Can the carnivore diet help with weight loss?
Carnivore dieters boast about losing weight
on the regimen, but Sehovic says reducing your reliance on calorie-dense processed foods may be a big reason.
The carnivore diet is a type of ketogenic diet, so it may result in weight loss, but it’s not an approach Sehovic recommends.
That doesn’t mean you can’t add more meat to your meals and increase daily protein. Just keep it balanced by filling half your plate with health-promoting fruits and vegetables.
Health Risks of the Carnivore Diet
Since the diet is extremely high in saturated fat and excludes so many well-documented health-promoting foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts, it is associated with multiple health risks.
A scientific review of animal-based diets like the carnivore diet concludes that these meat-heavy regimens may drive the development of heart disease. “Evidence strongly suggests that the consumption of a plant-based diet will favorably impact cardiovascular disease, and this should remain the predominant public health message,” the author concludes.
“I think the best way to highlight the risks is to understand the benefits that you miss out on that come from plants,” says Sehovic.
Eliminating all plant foods and eating only animal foods on the carnivore diet could lead to:
— Nutrient deficiencies: Eliminating plant foods may lead to you not consuming enough fiber, vitamin C, folate and beneficial phytonutrients that are found only in plants.
— Digestive issues: The lack of fiber can lead to constipation and alter your gut microbiome balance.
— Cardiovascular disease: The diet is high in saturated fat that can raise LDL cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
— Cancer: Plant foods may offer protection against cancer, while a diet high in red meat and processed meat has been linked to a increased risk of certain cancers.
— Other health problems: The meat-heavy diet may increase the risk of gout, osteoporosis, kidney problems and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
— Environmental concerns: Meat-centric diets have a far greater impact on planetary health because they are linked with higher carbon and water footprints.
— Social challenges: The restrictive nature of the diet can make it more difficult to eat in social settings with family and friends.
Even though athletes and fitness enthusiasts are among the “meatfluencers” promoting the carnivore diet, Sehovic said it can be difficult to fuel an active lifestyle without carbohydrates.
“If anyone has an athlete training in the house, while there are some differences in nutrition strategies from one sport to the next, all sports see improved performance outcomes when carb-rich foods are included,” he says. “I would say eating only meat or even low-carb would put most athletes at a massive disadvantage for sport performance.”
Lack of Scientific Support
The carnivore diet lacks scientific evidence to support the approach, and the entire premise of why plants should be avoided is misguided.
Carnivore dieters argue that plants are unnecessary for human health and are actually harmful. “Plants are trying to kill you,” carnivore advocates declare. They wrongly believe that plants are full of toxic chemicals that were created naturally as an evolutionary defense mechanism to deter predators.
These plant compounds, such as lectins, tannins, phytates and oxalates, are sometimes referred to as “antinutrients” because they may slightly reduce the absorption of certain nutrients.
Registered dietitian Sharon Palmer, The Plant-Powered Dietitian and a member of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Diets panel, says there’s nothing to fear. “The idea that antinutrients are a reason to avoid plant foods is not backed by science,” says Palmer.
A scientific review of antinutrients downplays any concerns and reinforces the health benefits of these compounds, which are widely distributed in plant foods, especially raw legumes and grains.
The effects of these antinutrients is minimal and they’re largely eliminated during the cooking process, says Palmer.
“Humans understood a long time ago that grains and legumes need to be cooked, and that we should not consume them raw in our diets,” she says. “So the concerns over antinutrients are largely mitigated with these cooking practices.”
These compounds are also accompanied by a range of essential vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in plant foods. Fiber, for example, is technically an antinutrient but has studies to back up its benefits, from reducing blood cholesterol and glucose levels to boosting the gut microbiome, says Palmer. However, carnivore proponents say it’s a myth that we need fiber and downplay its importance.
Should You Try the Carnivore Diet?
As a registered dietitian, I would strongly advise against trying the carnivore diet. Other nutrition colleagues I spoke to agree.
“As a dietitian, I can’t endorse any type of eating pattern that omits entire food groups that have long been associated with health benefits,” says Harbstreet. “If you’re debating it, resist the urge to take dietary advice from online influencers and instead consult with qualified experts or your personal healthcare team.”
Components of some versions of the carnivore diet may be helpful to consider, like eating adequate calories from protein and eliminating certain foods that may be allergens for a temporary period of time, says registered dietitian Jaclyn London, author of “Dressing on the Side: And Other Diet Myths Debunked.”
But otherwise, there’s a major lack of evidence to support doing this, she says.
“There’s simply no peer-reviewed research to support this dietary approach for long-term health, weight management, and reducing risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer,” says London.
Advocates of the carnivore diet often dismiss dietary guidelines that recommend limits on saturated fat and processed meat. While they attempt to make scientific claims, they’re often misinterpreting the data to promote their carnivore lifestyle.
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The Carnivore Diet: Safety, Risks and Reviews originally appeared on usnews.com
