The Carnivore Diet

There are a lot of diets out there, paleo, atkins, keto, and the list goes on and on.  There is a newer diet that is coming around. It is called the carnivore diet. What does carnivore mean?  Its true definition means an animal that feeds on flesh. Deriving from the Latin word carnivorous. Now that sounds kind of crazy, to feed on flesh. Basically though the carnivore diet means you eat strictly meat and nothing else. This is new enough that it has not been scientifically studied yet as to what the benefits of this diet are.  People use this as a weight loss method, to help with digestion, heart health, and increasing energy. There have even been studies showing that it can help with reversing effects from arthritis or other forms of diseases.  There are no long term studies, though to show what really comes from this diet.

The basis of this diet is that basically you eat meat for every meal.  The meat consists of steaks, roast, or ground beef. From those you can try lamb, pork, chicken, fish or eggs.  The liquid that is allowed on the diet is water. If you can’t drink just water and you need something else you can drink tea or coffee.  Try not to add anything to the tea or coffee drink them plain. One food that is good to go without is dairy. After you have gone the initial first weeks of the diet you can try and reintroduce dairy into your diet.  Other things to try and stay away from during the first initial weeks are seasonings, sauces, alcohol, and processed meats.

When and how much should you eat on the diet? Eat when hungry. The carnivore diet is a lot about reading your body, eat when you are hungry, eat until you are full.  This can be a lot of meals for people on the carnivore diet but a lot of people only eat two times a day. No amount of meals is right or wrong. You know your body and you know when you feel hungry. Do not count calories on this diet or restrict portions. Another thing that is important is to try to not overeat as well.  A good approximation is about 2-4 pounds of meat per day. There shouldn’t be any need to snack. To avoid snacking if you feel hungry eat a meal, eat more meals within the day do not try to restrict yourself to a number of meals. If there is just a habit of snacking or you like to snack you can try pork rinds. Try not to deviate from the all meat diet for snacks.  

There are different levels of the carnivore diet.  How strict you want to be depends on the level.

1. Level one being the most lenient.  Where if it is fish or meat then its on the menu, you can drink water, coffee, and tea as well.  You can add supplements to your meals as well, himilayian salt, or electrolytes.
2. Level two any meat or fish on the menu and water.  No other supplements or drinks.
3. Level three is just strictly beef and water nothing else. After completing the first thirty days then you can start adding food items back into your diet.  Slowly to make sure that whatever you have cut out doesn’t cause any of your symptoms or benefits to go away.

This diet makes it that you don’t eat anything other than animal products.  Meaning no vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and dairy.

There are many people that think this diet is not a good idea.  Our bodies may not be made to just digest meat and not able to sustain our bodies on just meat. Meaning that we need other vitamins from the vegetables and fruits that meat cannot give us.  With the restriction on diet so extreme, cutting out everything but strictly meat can lead to other problems. Such as mental health issues, leading to eating disorders or other mental health diseases.  People are pushing back also stating the carnivore diet can lead to constipation or inflammation of the colon. It has not been scientifically backed up or even studied for long term so there aren’t any substantial studies as to what the carnivore diet can do.

There are some people who have done this diet for a period of time who have found good benefits.  

• Some of these benefits are weight loss though that is not usually the main reason to try the carnivore diet.  
• Some people say that it can help their digestion making it so there body doesn’t have to break down all the artificial foods that are in the world today.  
• Another benefit is that it can raise testosterone levels or can promote heart health.
• The biggest benefit that seems to be the most widely discussed is that it can get rid of symptoms of arthritis.  Eliminating the pain caused by arthritis. It seems as though the fat from the meat in your body can lead to the reduction of inflammation in your body.

Though there is no scientific research for this diet however, there are a lot of actual testimonies of people who have tried this and are raving about the benefits and what this diet has done for them. From digestion benefits to increase energy or even weight loss this diet seems to be a new trend.  The biggest benefit seems to be reversing effects arthritis.

Consult a dietitian or a physician before you try this diet.