Top 5 Health Benefits Of The Carnivore Diet

by Friendo Health June 03, 2020

Diets come and go, but some stick around and gain massive popularity. Not so long ago, ketogenic diets, paleo diets, and low carb diets were believed to be a fad, but they are still around and more popular than ever. The Carnivore Diet is another diet that was originally believed to be a fad but is increasing in popularity among those that follow the keto diets and the low carb diets.

What is the Carnivore Diet?

The Carnivore Diet is a restrictive diet that only includes meat, fish, as well as other animal foods such as eggs and some dairy products. It excludes all other foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and seeds. Strict followers of the diet also don’t consume any herbs besides salt and pepper.

Red meat (preferably grass-fed) is widely considered the staple when it comes to the Carnivore Diet, but those that follow it are allowed to consume meat from just about any animal. Proponents of this diet, such as Shawn Baker, MD, author of The Carnivore Diet, also recommend limiting or completely eliminating your dairy intake to foods low in lactose, which is a sugar found in milk and dairy products such as hard cheese and butter.

How to Follow the Carnivore Diet

If you want to follow the Carnivore Diet, you must eliminate all plant foods from your diet and exclusively eat meat, fish, eggs, as well as low-lactose dairy products in small quantities.

The foods that you should eat include pork, chicken, beef, turkey, salmon, white fish, sardines, organ meats, lamb, as well as small amounts of hard cheese and heavy cream. Bone marrow, lard, and butter are also permitted. Proponents of the diet emphasize consuming fatty cuts of meat to meet your daily energy needs. (1)

The Carnivore Diet encourages the consumption of bone broth and plain drinking water, but it discourages drinking coffee, tea, or other plant-derived drinks. It does not provide specific guidelines regarding the intake of calories, serving sizes, or even the number of snacks or meals to eat per day. Proponents of the diet recommend eating as often as your heart desires.

Carnivore Diet Vs. Keto Diet

The Carnivore Diet is not the same as the Keto Diet. If you are on the Keto Diet, you are still allowed to eat low-carb vegetables and can have plant fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, etc., coffee/tea, vinegar, salt, spices, as well as other non-animal foods for nutritional value and tastiness.

Carnivore Diet Vs. Paleo Diet

The Carnivore Diet is not the same as the Paleo Diet. If you are on the Paleo Diet, you are encouraged to eat a variety of pre-agricultural plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, etc. since those foods are high in nutritional value, tasty, and add variety.

Health Benefits of the Carnivore Diet

The Carnivore Diet provides numerous health benefits, which include the following:

1. It May Promote Fat Loss

If you follow the Carnivore Diet, you won’t eat any plants, but you will eat more meat and this translates to fewer carbs and more protein. The combination of carb restriction and a higher consumption of protein can help keep your hunger under control.

The consumption of more animal protein with every meal you take also stimulates the synthesis of muscle protein and this helps build muscle and prevent muscle loss. Simply put, following the Carnivore Diet will help you achieve a more sculpted physique by since it promotes fat loss. (2)

2. It May Reduce or Eliminate Autoimmune-Related Symptoms

If you only eat meat you can eliminate most food sensitivities and allergens. It promotes recovery of the body from chronic immune responses that plant-based foods may trigger. Both Jordan and Mikhalia Peterson have both been able to use the carnivore Diet to successfully reverse severe autoimmune disease. Joe Rogan would also take a stab at the Carnivore Diet after his interview with Dr. Peterson, which you can watch here:

Mikhalia Peterson is a well-known advocate for this potential benefit of the Carnivore Diet. She suffered from chronic depression and rheumatoid arthritis for most of her life, but once she adopted the all-meat diet, all her debilitating symptoms were cleared. (3)

Other benefits of the diet referenced by the Petersons include: not feeling hungry throughout the day, not having cravings throughout the day, being able to get up easily and early in the morning, the disappearance of eye floaters, the disappearance of psoriasis, the disappearance of gingivitis, and improved mood regulation.

3. It Promotes Ketosis

The Carnivore Diet is likely to induce nutritional ketosis for the vast majority of people. Having said that, you can prevent high levels of ketone production through the consumption of too much protein. (4)

Ketogenic diets and the resultant ketosis have been shown to offer numerous unique benefits such as being helpful for various conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and even neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

4. It May Promote Better Regulation of Blood Sugar

The lack of carbohydrates and refined sugars in the Carnivore Diet helps stabilize the blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels won’t have the massive spikes associated with eating pastries, cookies, pastas, and other high-carb foods, which ultimately leads to a far smaller dependence on insulin along with other blood sugar management techniques. (5) One thing to watch out for is a deficiency of minerals, such as iodine and magnesium, which can manifest itself on an all-meat diet. Meat does contain high amounts of uric acid, however, which is a powerful antioxidant. One might say it is analogous to high dose Vitamin C. Of course, consult with a doctor before changing your diet or supplement program.

5. It May Fight the Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may take different forms. Its symptoms include pain and discomfort in the gut that’s often characterized by diarrhea, bloating, gas, and cramps. It may also cause indigestion, acid reflux, along with several other problems relating to the digestive symptoms.

If you switch to the Carnivore Diet, you can reduce or remove the symptoms. The reason why this is the case is that most IBS symptoms surface after consuming plant-based foods. Legumes, grains, and other ingredients that the body has a hard time digesting are usually the culprits. (6)

If you follow the Carnivore Diet, you will avoid those potentially harmful foods, which means that it can be the perfect option when it comes to fighting IBS.

Final Thoughts

The Carnivore Diet is definitely successful as a short-term weight loss tool and offers several key health benefits as clearly explained here. The only real drawback associated with this diet is that you will have to give up a lot of freedom since it is a highly restrictive diet.

It might be increasingly challenging to stick with the diet in the long run, but the results are definitely worth it. If you would like to learn more about the diet, you should check out “The Carnivore Diet”, which is a book by Shawn Baker that provides all that you need to know about this diet.