Exploring the Carnivore Diet: a Look at All-Animal Eating

Could eating only meat and animal products really be the secret to better health, or is the carnivore diet safe?

In this article, we’ll explore what the carnivore diet is, how people feel on the diet, how it may impact certain chronic health conditions, and if it is an optimal diet for health.

You’ll get honest, science-based insights on the potential benefits and risks from experts like a medical doctor and registered dietitian.

What is the carnivore diet?

The carnivore diet is a high-protein, animal-based diet where meat consumption is the primary or only food source. It is a fad diet that has gained popularity from certain celebrities, social media influencers, and fitness personalities.

The carnivore diet is essentially a variation of a keto diet. A keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet where typically 55% or more of daily calories come from fat.

What can you eat on the carnivore diet?

Variations of this diet exist; however, most appear to be strictly animal-based. Here is a food list of what is generally consumed on the carnivore diet:

Depending on the specific variation, it may consist entirely of meat; however, processed meats are typically not consumed on this diet. Regarding spices, information is limited, but salt is commonly included.

Overall, other than animal-based foods, all other foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, beans, nuts, and seeds are typically removed.

The 30-day carnivore diet: what does the experience look like for most people?

The 30-day carnivore diet challenge has become popular on social media and anecdotally promoted for its supposed benefits.

While I personally have never tried the carnivore diet, I have had a family friend test it out. They initially tried it for 30 days to help ‘heal their gut,’ as they claimed.

At first, this person reported experiencing fatigue, brain fog, and a lack of energy in the start week, which seems to be a common trend among many. Generally, these symptoms may be similar to ‘keto flu,’ which is also a low-carb dietary principle.

While this individual reported a reduction in some gut symptoms, they experienced a few adverse effects in the following weeks.

Mainly, they suffered from ongoing constipation. As a registered dietitian, this makes sense to me as the carnivore diet lacks dietary fiber entirely, which is crucial for helping with bowel regularity.

Ultimately, this person found this diet was not beneficial for their mental health, not sustainable, and did not help them address the root cause of their digestive concerns.

As a dietitian, I always recommend seeking medical advice if you have any unexplained digestive symptoms.

Carnivore diet meal plan

Here is an example of what a typical day of eating on the carnivore diet entails.

As you can see, you mainly eat animal products on this diet.

While this diet is typically not promoted as a calorie-restricted diet, it lacks significant food groups, so nutritional deficiencies, particularly long-term, are likely.

Advantages of a carnivore diet: what followers of the carnivore diet claim?

Is the carnivore diet healthy? There’s been limited research conducted on the carnivore diet, but a few studies have examined its potential benefits, which allegedly include:

• Improved energy
• Improved digestive health
• Weight loss

However, what does the science say?

Can the carnivore diet increase your energy?

You may actually experience a decrease in energy in the first week as your body adapts to sourcing its energy mainly from fat over carbohydrates.

Once your body adapts, you may or may not experience an increase in energy. Some proponents perceived increased energy levels while on this diet, but this information is only self-reported and not studied in a clinically controlled environment.

More robust research is needed to determine whether this diet increases energy levels or not.

Can the carnivore diet improve your digestion?

It is possible to experience initial symptom relief on a carnivore diet, as certain plant-based foods or dairy products can be linked to digestive symptoms, like those with lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

However, this does not address a potential underlying gut health condition. The carnivore diet is not currently recommended as a nutritional therapy method for any digestive health disease by any reputable medical body due to its lack of research and high risk of potential health concerns.

Further, the carnivore diet is actually more likely to cause other potential digestive symptoms like diarrhea and acid reflux from high meat consumption.

If you are experiencing gut symptoms, you should reach out to a medical doctor to determine what is going on.

Can the carnivore diet help you lose weight?

Weight loss is a complex process that may be impacted by any or several of the following:

• Genetics
• Health status (presence of chronic ongoing medical conditions or hormone fluctuations)
• Medications
• Sleep
• Physical activity
• Dietary intake
• Types of foods consumed

While some followers of this diet claim it may help promote weight loss and help you burn fat, research is very limited.

One study collected self-reported data from over 2,000 individuals who had been following the carnivore diet for six months or more for its supposed benefits.

Participants with diabetes in this particular study perceived weight loss; however, this study had many limitations, and the results should be interpreted cautiously. Since the data was self-reported, there is no way to know for sure if the reported results were factual, as there is a high risk of bias among the study participants.

Randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to reduce the risk of bias and explore any potential weight loss benefits.

Since the carnivore diet is a form of the keto diet, it is also possible that initial weight loss may occur from being in ketosis. Still, if weight loss occurs, it is unlikely to be maintained long-term, as a keto diet is not typically sustainable long-term.

Ultimately, you may or may not lose weight on the carnivore diet, but if you do experience weight loss, it is unlikely to be attributed solely to the diet composition and may be more related to potentially decreased food intake overall and a reduction in ultra-processed high-calorie foods.

As a registered dietitian, I do not recommend the carnivore diet to help you lose weight or for any health benefits due to its many potential health risks and lack of robust studies in this area.

The dark side: understanding the potential risks

As discussed, the carnivore diet itself has not been studied in great detail. However, the ketogenic diet has more research, and plant-based diets have been studied in great detail — the outcomes from these studies can lend insights into the potential risks of the carnivore diet.

To understand the potential risks of the diet, let’s first address what possible nutrient deficiencies may occur.

The carnivore diet eliminates or severely restricts entire food groups like:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Grains
• Dairy (depending on the diet variation)
• Plant-based proteins like legumes, beans, nuts, and seeds

These food groups contain essential nutrients like:

• Protein
• Unsaturated fatty acids
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Other vitamins (like vitamin C and B vitamins)
• Other minerals
• Fiber

The carnivore diet provides nutrients from red meat like protein, certain minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium), and B vitamins, but contains limited or no essential nutrients found in plant foods.

Thus, without supplementation, a deficiency in certain key nutrients like calcium (involved in bone health), vitamin C (prevents scurvy), potassium (important for nerve function), and fiber is possible.

Further, following the carnivore diet may lead to or impact some existing chronic diseases.

Colon cancer

The carnivore diet is very low in fiber, and a low-fiber diet in some scientific literature is associated with the risk of developing colon cancer.

Further, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies red meat as a probable carcinogen and suggests that your risk of colon cancer increases with the more red meat you consume.

While the risk of developing colon cancer is influenced by multiple factors, including age, family history, and personal medical history, it is important to recognize that lifestyle and dietary choices may also contribute to some extent. Therefore, maintaining a balanced diet — including adequate fiber intake and moderating the consumption of red and processed meat — is generally recommended to support overall health.

Diabetes

Those with diabetes, particularly those taking certain types of blood sugar-lowering diabetes medications, are at risk of blood sugar lows. Since the carnivore diet is a very low-carb diet, blood sugar lows are a greater risk in this population.

Blood sugar lows may be harmful for those with diabetes, particularly those who use diabetes medications, as extreme lows may cause confusion, loss of consciousness, or seizures.

In particular, those on blood sugar-lowering diabetes medications should not follow this diet, as they need to eat carbs (particularly complex carbs) for blood sugar control.

Considering your heart: saturated fat and cholesterol

While the carnivore diet is concerning for many chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease risk is a particular concern for long-term followers.

“Diets high in red and processed meats and animal-based saturated fat are linked to higher risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer, in part because they raise LDL cholesterol and blood pressure,” according to Heathr Gosnell, MD, pediatrician and plant-based health coach.

Those who have high blood pressure, or are at risk of developing or have cardiovascular disease, should focus on a diet high in plant-based foods and minimally processed foods, added sugar, and salt as recommended by the American Heart Association.

Beyond the carnivore: exploring balanced alternatives

In my professional opinion and in line with scientific consensus, there are better dietary approaches for optimal wellness.

While no one diet will work for everyone, the American Dietary Guidelines advise the following for general health and wellness:

• Consume a nutrient-dense diet rich in foods from all food groups and stay within your daily energy needs
• Enjoy foods that fit within your budget and meet your personal and cultural preferences
• Follow a healthy dietary pattern like the Mediterranean diet or a vegetarian diet
• Limit added sugars, salt, saturated fats (found mainly in animal products), and alcohol

For individualized dietary advice, it is best to work with a registered dietitian.

Final thoughts on the carnivore diet

Overall, is the carnivore diet healthy? No. This high animal-based food, very low carbohydrate diet poses increased health risks, particularly if followed long-term.

Those with chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, or kidney disease, in particular, should avoid this diet. Further, any diet that advises eliminating entire food groups should be approached with caution.

Instead, for optimal health and wellness, consider following the American Dietary Guidelines or working with a registered healthcare professional to help you meet your individual health needs.