The Carnivore Diet is a type of dietary plan that involves consuming only animal products, such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. In celebration of National Carnivore Month, we’d like to take a moment to examine this increasingly popular WOE (Way of Eating) – and investigate some of the diet’s common criticisms.
Proponents of the diet argue that it can improve health, increase energy, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, the Carnivore Diet is not without controversy. So, what’s the deal? Is it just another fad diet? Is it dangerous? And if you’re interested in giving it a shot, is there anything you need to be concerned about? Let’s dig in!
One of the main arguments for the Carnivore Diet is that it can help to reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a normal immune response to injury or infection, but chronic inflammation has been linked to a range of health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. It’s also most likely the way our ancient ancestors ate for nearly 2 million years of evolution.
By eliminating plant-based foods, which are high in fiber and antioxidants but can also contain compounds that can cause inflammation, the Carnivore Diet may help to reduce inflammation in the body. Another potential benefit of the Carnivore Diet is that it can help to improve gut health.
Below, we’re going to discuss some common myths around the Carnivore Diet and what the science actually tells us. The results may shock you, as many go against widely-held mainstream beliefs about eating healthy and “proper nutrition”.
Myth #1: You Need Fiber
The Premise:
Plant-based foods contain dietary fiber, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut and helps to support the digestive process. However, the Carnivore Diet is low in fiber, which may lead to changes in the gut microbiome and potentially negative effects on digestive health.
The Evidence:
Contrary to commonly-held beliefs – fiber does not seem to help prevent potentially serious health issues and, in some cases, may actually increase the risk; such as in the case of diverticulitis for example.
Here is what some of the latest research has to say on the matter:
“The results of this study show that neither fiber intake from a wheat bran supplement nor total fiber intake affects the recurrence of colorectal adenomas (non-cancer tumors), thus lending further evidence to the body of literature indicating that consumption of a high-fiber diet, does not reduce the risk of colorectal adenoma recurrence.”1
“New England Journal of Medicine editorial that accompanied back-to-back April 2000 reports on two major trials—one on fourteen hundred subjects of the Phoenix [Arizona] Colon Cancer Prevention Physicians’ Network, and one $30 million trial from the National Cancer Institute—both of which confirmed that fiber had no effect on colon cancer.”2
“We were surprised to find that a low-fiber diet was not associated with a higher prevalence of asymptomatic diverticulosis,” said Peery. In fact, the study found those with the lowest fiber intake were 30 percent less likely to develop diverticula than those with the highest fiber intake. A high-fiber diet and increased frequency of bowel movements are associated with greater, rather than lower, prevalence of diverticulosis. Hypotheses regarding risk factors for asymptomatic diverticulosis should be reconsidered.3
What these results tell us are – at best, the benefits of fiber have been greatly overstated and, at worst, fiber consumption may actually increase your risk of developing the conditions that the prevailing recommendations claim to help prevent.
So which foods contain fiber? Plants. Which foods don’t contain fiber? Meat.
Myth #2: You Need Carbs
The Claim:
Many people are apprehensive to try the Carnivore Diet because they believe that any well-balanced diet should include fruits and vegetables. This idea has been reinforced by the FDA’s “food pyramid” and their recommendations that a well-balanced diet should include foods from various “food groups”. However, the research appears to point do a different conclusion.
The Evidence:
In a recent large-scale meta-analysis of the available literature – the authors concluded that:
“39 out of 49 studies, including all 16 isocaloric comparisons, in addition to 4 published abstracts, found no significant benefits of higher carbohydrate intakes on strength training performance. 10 Out of 15 studies also found no effects on muscle growth; the other 5 were confounded by higher energy intakes in the higher-carbohydrate groups. Let’s emphasize that: there’s literally not a single high-quality study that shows benefits of higher vs. lower carbohydrate intakes on strength training performance.”4
Why would this finding be important? Well, we also know from the research that the best defense against all-cause mortality is being as strong and lean for as long as possible. Researchers have concluded: “Mortality rates were lower for individuals with moderate/high muscular fitness compared to individuals with low muscular fitness”.5
Ok, so how does that relate to carbohydrates? Well, in order to build muscle you need to provide your body with the correct amino acids in order for muscle protein synthesis to occur. Carbohydrates do not contribute to muscle protein synthesis at all.
Let’s get a little technical for a second. ATP is the molecule which provides energy for all your cellular processes. Your body is only able to use two sources to produce ATP – glucose or fatty acids. For folks following the Standard American Diet (SAD) – which is high in carbohydrates – they tend to have a high level of glucose in their bloodstream throughout the day. The body will preferentially use this glucose to produce energy – before it will begin to use fatty acids.
The problem comes when you have too much glucose in the bloodstream – because the body can only store a limited amount of glucose for ATP production at any one time. Any excess glucose in the blood gets stored as – you guessed it – body fat – so that those fatty acids can be burned for energy at a later time.
For folks following a ketogenic diet such as the Carnivore Diet – carbohydrates are so restricted that the body has no choice but to rely on fatty acids to produce ATP. This means they are literally “burning fat” throughout the day.
The bottom line is – you do not “need” carbohydrates to survive. Even the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board 2005 textbook states: “The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero.”6 In this regard, carbohydrates really shouldn’t even be classified a macronutrient.
Myth #3: You Won’t Get All Your Nutrients From Meat
The Claim:
The lack of plant-based foods in the diet means that it may be difficult to get enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are important for overall health.
The Evidence:
In 2007, researcher Jason Calton put out a study which determined that – in order to reach the FDA’s levels of recommended daily allowances for vitamins and minerals, you would need to consume 27,000 calories each day.7 That’s more than 10X the amount of calories that they recommend people consume on a daily basis.
So where did those recommendations come from? They came out of the 1950’s from expert opinion – essentially the lowest level of medical evidence there is. Basically, a group of doctors got together and just kind of made it up.
Now, if your healthcare provider runs your bloodwork and determines that you have low iron or Vitamin D, then you can address those specific issues with supplementation. But the idea that we need to hit the levels commonly recommended by the FDA – and that everyone should supplement to hit those levels – appears to be false.
One of the biggest criticisms leveled against the Carnivore Diet is that you could develop scurvy because meat contains no Vitamin C. Even though the FDA tests for almost every other micronutrient, they default to labeling Vitamin C in muscle meats as “assumed to be zero”.
However, this is not accurate. Recent research from 2007, published in Meat Science Journal, shows that fresh beef actually contains 1.6 mcg/g of vitamin C in grain-fed meat and 2.56 mcg/g in grass-fed meat.8 That means consuming 2.2 lbs of muscle meat per day on a carnivore diet provides enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy, with 25.6 mcg and 16 mcg, respectively.
If you’re worried that you might not be able to consume that much meat per day, you might consider trying a “nose-to-tail” approach and incorporating some organ meats and seafood – which contain higher levels of Vitamin C than standard muscle meat. Some of these include salmon roe, beef pancreas, beef kidney, and oysters – among others.
Myth #4: Eating Meat Isn’t Healthy
The Claim:
Some detractors have expressed concerns about the potential negative health effects of the Carnivore Diet – the common belief being that, because the diet is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, this may increase the risk of heart disease.
The Evidence:
If we’re looking at life expectancy in humans, a 2022 study concluded that meat eaters actually appeared to live longer on average than people consuming a more plant-based diet.
“Results: Worldwide, bivariate correlation analyses revealed that meat intake is positively correlated with life expectancies. This relationship remained significant when influences of caloric intake, urbanization, obesity, education and carbohydrate crops were statistically controlled. Stepwise linear regression selected meat intake, not carbohydrate crops, as one of the significant predictors of life expectancy. In contrast, carbohydrate crops showed weak and negative correlation with life expectancy.”9
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Getting to the Meat of the Issue
In conclusion, the Carnivore Diet may have some potential benefits, such as reducing inflammation and improving gut health. The diet can be challenging to maintain and comes with a number of social stigmas. However, the health benefits of eating mostly meat, eggs, and dairy tend to far outweigh the risks of eating the so-called “balanced diet” typically recommended by the FDA.
It is important to carefully consider the potential risks and benefits of the Carnivore Diet and it’s always a good idea to speak with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet. Just remember – not every doctor is going to have the same values or philosophies as you – and many traditional allopathic medicine practitioners receive little to no training in nutrition science during their years in medical school.
If you’re not on the same page with your current practitioner, it never hurts to get a second opinion. If you’re looking for a new doctor, you may want to explore a Functional Medicine approach. To find a Functional Medicine specialist near you, visit www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/
References
1. Jacobs, E. T., Giuliano, A. R., Roe, D. J., Guillén-Rodríguez, J. M., Hess, L. M., Alberts, D. S., & Martínez, M. E. (2002). Intake of supplemental and total fiber and risk of colorectal adenoma recurrence in the wheat bran fiber trial. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 11(9), 906–914.
2. Taubes, Gary. (2011). Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health. Blackstone Publishing.
3. Peery, A. F., Barrett, P. R., Park, D., Rogers, A. J., Galanko, J. A., Martin, C. F., & Sandler, R. S. (2012). A high-fiber diet does not protect against asymptomatic diverticulosis. Gastroenterology, 142(2), 266-272.
4. Henselmans M, Bjørnsen T, Hedderman R, Vårvik FT. (2022).The Effect of Carbohydrate Intake on Strength and Resistance Training Performance: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 14(4):856.
5. FitzGerald, S.J., Barlow, C.E., Kampart, J.B., Morrow, J.R., Jackson, A.W., & Blair, S.N. (2004). Muscular fitness and all-cause mortality: prospective observations. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 1(1), 7-18.
6. US Food and Nutrition Board’s 2005 textbook. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. 275-277.
7. Calton, J. B. (2010). Prevalence of micronutrient deficiency in popular diet plans. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 7(1), 24.
8. A.M. Descalzo, L. Rossetti, G. Grigioni, M. Irurueta, A.M. Sancho, J. Carrete, N.A. Pensel, Antioxidant status and odour profile in fresh beef from pasture or grain-fed cattle, Meat Science, Volume 75, Issue 2, 2007, 299-307.
9. You W , Henneberg R, Saniotis A, Ge Y, Henneberg M. (2022). Total Meat Intake is Associated with Life Expectancy: A Cross-Sectional Data Analysis of 175 Contemporary Populations. International journal of general medicine. 1833—1851.