The carnivore diet, as the name implies, is an eating plan that relies nearly entirely on meat and other animal items. Users claim it can help them lose weight, reduce inflammation, and improve testosterone levels, but there are some serious disadvantages.
Diet Plan for 7 Days
There are no rules about when and how much you should eat on a carnivorous diet. Instead, the diet consists of permitted animal foods. Here’s an example of a 7-day meal plan:
- Day 1: includes scrambled eggs and bacon, organ meat pie, and chicken breasts with melted cheddar cheese.
- Day 2: Butter-cooked pork chops; smoked salmon and a sausage patty; turkey burger with a fried egg on top.
- Day 3: Tea with ham steak and bone broth; crab and hard-boiled eggs; and chicken thighs with mozzarella cheese.
- Day 4: Parmesan omelet; butter-sautéed scallops; grilled beef and chicken kabobs
- Day 5: consists of turkey sausage patties, bacon and shrimp, and lamb chops with cream sauce.
- Day 6: Ground beef and hard-boiled eggs; pork tenderloin; salmon filet with butter sauce
- Day 7: scrambled eggs with cheddar; shredded chicken with bacon pieces; beef roast
What You Can Consume
The carnivore diet is simple: meats and shellfish, eggs, and tiny amounts of other animal products, including dairy dishes and bone broth. Users are recommended to limit themselves to these selections alone.
Here is a list.
- Venison, bison, and other game meats Beef, ground beef, steak, beef liver
- Lamb
- Turkey and chicken
- Pork, bacon, ham, and sausage are all options.
- Eggs
- Seafood like salmon, tuna, mackerel, shrimp, crab, oysters, and scallops.
- Dairy in small amounts, such as milk, cheese, and cream
- Broth broth
Things You Shouldn’t Eat
If you go full carnivore, several dietary groups, such as grains, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and oils, will be absent from your plate. A carnivorous diet also excludes sugary beverages and alcohol.
Here is a list.
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Grains
- Seeds and nuts
- Oils derived from plants
- Meats made from plants
- Sweetened liquids and alcoholic beverages
Tips for Preparing for the Carnivore Diet
Unlike certain diets, which specify how much and when to eat, a carnivore diet does not specify when or how much to eat. It does, however, force you to limit your eating choices.
To prepare for this diet, consider your tolerance for eating from an incredibly limited menu. While this manner of eating can be difficult to maintain in social contexts, such as restaurant dining or family gatherings, it’s necessary to consider how consistently you’ll be able to adhere to it. However, because high-quality animal products can be costly, evaluate how a carnivore diet would fit into your budget.
Next, think about how a carnivorous diet can affect your health. Whilst many people who consume animal foods exclusively claim to have experienced benefits such as weight loss and better blood sugar control, this method of diet may result in the health issues outlined below.
The Benefits of a Carnivore Diet
In general, a carnivorous diet has various disadvantages, many of which are potentially harmful to one’s health. However, there are a few potential benefits to eating this way.
Provides Protein Consumption
Protein is a vital macronutrient that helps build muscle, repair wounds, and serves as the foundation for the body’s numerous enzymes and hormones. Obtaining enough of it is vital for good health. A carnivore diet guarantees a high protein intake, which may protect against health issues such as low muscle tone, a compromised immune system, and a higher risk of bone fractures. Nevertheless, this comes at the expense of not getting enough of the other two macronutrients: carbohydrates and fats.
Weight Reduction May Be Facilitated
The carnivore diet is a type of low-carb, high-protein eating regimen. According to research, cutting carbs and increasing protein intake will help you lose weight and fat mass, which is likely due to protein’s satiation factor, among other things. Despite the fact that studies on the carnivore diet’s weight loss effects are limited, a 2021 study on persons following the diet discovered that those with diabetes lost more weight than the general group evaluated.
Appropriate for Individuals with Serious Food Allergy
Meat allergies are so uncommon that there are no reliable estimates of their incidence; therefore, those with food allergies may discover that a carnivore diet allows them to consume without fear of unpleasant reactions. Even for those who have severe food allergies, avoiding all food groups except animal products is unlikely to be essential or healthful.
The Drawbacks of the Carnivore Diet
There’s a reason the carnivore diet doesn’t appear on expert-approved lists of the finest diets to follow. This diet raises several severe red flags.
Tough to follow
Eating just meat and animal products may appear simple on paper, but any diet that restricts your intake to a single food group can be tough to stick to. You may discover that your alternatives on this diet are repetitious and dull, and you will most likely seek familiar favorites that the plan does not permit. Yet, depending on your meat, fish, eggs, and dairy preferences, a carnivorous diet can rapidly become costly. Pasture-raised meats and ethically sourced seafood are among the most expensive items available.
Fiber and other nutrients are low.
While supporters of the carnivore diet claim it is the way humans were supposed to eat, it lacks some important elements known to boost human health. Fiber is one notable deficiency. A lack of fiber may not only cause extreme constipation but may also lead to long-term health problems. A higher-fiber diet is linked to a lower risk of colon cancer and heart disease, as well as improved blood sugar control.
Vitamin C and plant-based polyphenols are also lacking in the diet of carnivores. A lack of vitamin C puts you in danger of scurvy, and a lack of antioxidants may cause inflammation, lowering overall health in the long run.
Saturated fat and sodium levels are high.
What are the similarities between Beef, lamb, and pork? All of these typical meats are high in saturated fat. While research into the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease is still ongoing, public health groups continue to advocate limiting your intake. According to the American Heart Association, you should consume no more than 6% of your daily calories from saturated fat. A carnivorous diet will almost certainly exceed this recommendation.
Another worrisome ingredient in many animal diets, such as cured meats, is sodium (think bacon, sausage, and deli meats). Consuming too much sodium from these animal products may raise your chance of developing high blood pressure.
Societal Restrictions
Food draws people together, but if you’ve restricted your eating to a tiny pool of foods, you can find it difficult to engage with others over a meal. Following a carnivorous diet will most likely limit your dining alternatives and force you to make difficult decisions about when to deviate from your diet in the service of social nicety.
Could Harm Kidneys and liver
Protein is, of course, an essential nutrient for good health. Yet, the liver and kidneys are limited in their ability to digest it. By eating meat exclusively, you may consume enough protein to burden these organs, potentially causing injury.
Is the Carnivore Diet a Good Option for You?
A carnivorous diet may result in major nutritional gaps (and excesses). Consuming only animal products is likely to cause you to exceed acceptable sodium and saturated fat limits, as well as produce shortages in plant-based nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C, and polyphenols. Because carbohydrates are the preferred energy source for both moderate-intensity exercise and brain function, eliminating them may leave you feeling lethargic and mentally muddled.
Thus, while eating a consistent diet of meats, seafood, eggs, and dairy is a sure way to get adequate protein, it may also supply too much of this macro.
To Conclude
Cutting out major food groups is not a good idea—and, like a skilled butcher, a carnivore diet eliminates entire food groups. If you enjoy meat or want a lower-carb diet, there are plenty of alternative diets to choose from that take a more moderate approach. You’ll have more flexibility and may like your diet more if you choose something less restrictive.
Note that being on a long-term or short-term diet may not be good for you, and many diets, especially long-term diets, simply do not work. While we do not support fad diets or unsustainable weight loss approaches, we do give the facts so that you can make an informed decision that best suits your nutritional needs, genetic blueprint, budget, and goals.
If weight loss is your aim, keep in mind that reducing weight isn’t always synonymous with being in optimal health, and there are many other methods to achieve health. Exercise, sleep, and other lifestyle factors all have a significant impact on your overall health. The best diet is one that fits your lifestyle.