Food for Thought #9 Are you a Carnivore?

The only fat I want in my life is the one on a steak.

The carnivore diet is an eating plan that involves consuming exclusively animal-based foods while eliminating all plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

It seems to go against everything we have ever learnt or thought about healthy eating! But, carnivore supporters claim it can lead to weight loss, improved mental clarity, and relief from autoimmune and digestive issues.

Some folks doing carnivore follow a more lenient version that includes dairy and eggs, while others adopt stricter forms like the “Lion Diet,’ which consists only of beef, salt, and water.

I first heard about it from Jordan Peterson and his daughter, Mikhaila Peterson: Both have publicly discussed their adherence to the “Lion Diet” and reported personal health improvements.  Mikhaila’s story is remarkable. She had Juvenile Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease. She had an ankle and hip replacement when she was 17. It was that bad!  Now she claims to be symptom free on no medication.

Scientific studies on the carnivore diet are limited, but some research and surveys provide insights:

Self-Reported Health Benefits: A survey of over 2,000 individuals following a carnivore diet reported improvements in health markers and high satisfaction levels.

Nutrient Adequacy: An analysis of various carnivore diet meal plans indicated that, depending on food choices (e.g., inclusion of organ meats and dairy), the diet could meet certain micronutrient requirements. Nonetheless, concerns remain about potential deficiencies, particularly in vitamin C and fiber.

There are no long-term studies I could find that were done on the benefits and risks of the carnivore diet.  Some doctors think it might be beneficial as a short-term eating plan. It can be a base to reintroduce foods again, like an elimination diet.

Health experts have raised several concerns regarding the carnivore diet: possible nutrient deficiencies, raised LDL (“bad” cholesterol), digestive issues, costs and long-term sustainability.

This diet is the opposite of many recommended healthy diets… but, one thing remains the same, people on this diet also don’t eat any processed foods!

This is not the diet for me. I fortunately do not have an autoimmune disease, severe allergies, or any other serious medical diseases.  I wouldn’t rule this diet out if I was suffering from one of these. 

I wouldn’t discourage someone from following this diet if they have done their research and feel this might be the diet for them.  One also doesn’t have to commit to this for life.  For a gut reset, one could do this for 2-6 weeks and then slowly reintroduce foods to determine which foods create certain symptoms.

This is an option, but I don’t think everyone needs to jump on this bandwagon. First, eating real, unprocessed food would be my first advice to anyone… before needing to explore popular restrictive diets.

People trying out the carnivore diet must remember to make sure they eat good quality meat.  Meat like viennas, ham, boerewors don’t qualify for this diet.  Our local butchery, Black Sheep, make a salt and pepper boerewors, which just contains salt and pepper and no other spices.  The source of a persons allergies could be in the added spices.

Before attempting carnivore, I would suggest that you do further research.  If you are on chronic medication, do consult your healthcare provider as following this diet strictly may require changes in your chronic medication.

Could you be a carnivore?

Definition: CARNIVORE PERSON: A human who is going against the grain. Literally.