By John Hand –
Before there were grocery stores with aisles upon aisles of food and before there were farms to offer up a range of vegetables and grains, humans pretty much relied on a meat diet. Today, despite having the luxury of supermarkets providing always-available food, a substantial and possibly growing number of people are reverting back to consuming only meat and animal products. This diet, not surprisingly, is called the carnivore diet, and while it’s gaining popularity, the carnivore diet has meaty concerns that continue to spark debate among health experts and nutritionists.
This fairly restrictive diet has gained in popularity over the last seven years in part because of a growing body of anecdotal evidence that it can positively change a person’s life. Science, however, warns that eating meat alone is dangerous because it does not provide the necessary nutrients essential for a body’s health. Other worries surface because to date few formal studies on the diet’s effects have been concluded.
A carnivore diet pretty much lets users eat any type of meat they want. This could be steak, ground beef, chicken, lamb or brisket to name a few. The diet also allows for seafood, so items like shrimp, salmon or tuna can be added to a person’s daily intake. Because animal products are also allowed, the diet gives way for someone to eat eggs, lard, bone marrow or bone broth. Salt and pepper are allowed as is black coffee and water. Whether seasonings or other products can be consumed depends largely on how strictly a dieter stays on the program. Those inclined to give themselves more leeway will include yogurt, milk and soft cheese. The options stop there. Absolutely no fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, sugars, seeds or carbohydrates are allowed.
The carnivore diet first started gaining mainstream notoriety when Dr. Shawn Baker appeared on the Joe Rogan Podcast in 2017. Baker is an orthopedic surgeon and weight lifter, who began experimenting with the diet in 2016 at age 45. He liked the diet’s results and began recommending the carnivore diet to his patients. Baker’s medical license was suspended as a result in 2017 only to be reinstated in 2019. Today, he still promotes the carnivore diet and in the process has amassed an Instagram following of more 580,000 followers.
There has been support for the diet, including a 2020 study that found that participants on the diet for 14 months reported health benefits and high satisfaction. However, since Baker was involved with the study, some discredit its conclusion. Other advocates also report anecdotal evidence of health benefits that include higher energy levels, weight loss, better sleep and relief of joint pain. Some warn, however, that these results may stem from the fact that the carnivore diet is effectively a keto diet, which means no carbohydrates are included.
A keto diet reduces the amount of glucose the body gets from sugar and replaces it by burning fat, generating ketones, an energy source. Ketones are released into the bloodstream making blood more acidic, which is known as ketosis. Beyond this, the carnivore diet eliminates processed food, dairy, wheat and sugar, which makes people groggy, impacts sleep and is known to be a factor in weight gain. These food groups can cause inflammation leading to joint pain.
What the carnivore diet lacks are the essential nutrients, vitamins and other elements that foods bring. Fruits and vegetables, for example, supply fiber, which is essential for gut health, building immune systems and helping the prevention of colon cancer. Without other plant-based nutrients, the body also misses out on essential vitamins like A, C and B12.
Another worrisome consideration is that some diet participants may have extremely high glucose levels because the body is trying to turn all the extra protein it has into glucose. Baker, for example, has revealed that his glucose level is at 127. Any glucose reading over 126 is an indication that someone has diabetes. Also concerning is the high levels of saturated fat consumed while on the diet because of meats like fatty steaks.
There is little doubt that a carnivore diet includes some healthy elements. Eliminating or even reducing sugars, fats and processed foods is a positive step on a pathway to a better lifestyle. However, it is essential that any diet, and particularly the carnivore approach, not create more problems than it solves by cutting off nutrients the body requires. The carnivore diet may produce positive results fast, but the long-term impact of neglecting other nutrients is dangerous.
