Carnivore diet

Short description: Meat-only human diet

For actual carnivore diets, see Carnivore. For actual low or zero carbohydrate diet, see Low-carbohydrate diet. For the diet of lions, see Lion § Hunting and diet.

Beefsteak, a core food across many variants of the carnivore diet

The carnivore diet (also called a zero carb diet) is a high-protein fad diet in which only animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy are consumed.[1][2][3][4][5] The carnivore diet is associated with pseudoscientific health claims.[2] The diet lacks dietary fiber, can lead to deficiencies of vitamins, and can increase the risk of chronic diseases.[3][4][6][7] The lion diet is a highly restrictive form of the carnivore diet, in which only beef is eaten. A recent fad inspired by the carnivore diet is the animal-based diet in which fruit, honey and raw dairy are added.[8]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Diet
* 3 Health concerns
* 4 Environmental impact
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## History

The idea of an exclusive meat diet can be traced to the German writer Bernard Moncriff, author of The Philosophy of the Stomach: Or, An Exclusively Animal Diet in 1856, who spent a year living on only beef and milk.[9] In the 1870s, Italian physician Arnaldo Cantani prescribed his diabetic patients an exclusive animal-based diet.[10][11] In the 1880s an American, James H. Salisbury, advocated a meat diet consisting of 2 to 4 pounds of lean beef and 3 to 5 pints of hot water daily for 4 to 12 weeks.[12] It became known as the meat and hot water diet, or Salisbury diet.[13]

In 2018, the carnivore diet was promoted on social media by former orthopaedic surgeon Shawn Baker, who wrote the book The Carnivore Diet.[14] Jordan Peterson and his daughter Mikhaila were also vocal adherents of this diet.[3][15][16] Peterson and his daughter follow a strict type of carnivore diet termed the lion diet, in which only beef, salt, and water are consumed.[16][17][18] The 'lion diet' became a viral fad on TikTok.[19][20]

In April 2023, skeptic and neurologist Steven Novella described the carnivore diet as the latest fad diet to have achieved popularity.[2] Because of its high cost Novella described the diet as one for "select elites", adding what he said was a further unsavory aspect to its harmful and pseudoscientific basis.[2] The carnivore diet advertised by meat influencers on social media platforms has been described as a fringe movement.[21]

Another position within the carnivore community has been labelled carnivore traditionalism which argues that "It's not the cow, it's the how".[22] Carnivore traditionalism defends livestock raised through "regenerative" methods and encourages the consumption of vast amounts of eggs and grass-fed beef from small traditional farms in opposition to industrial livestock production.[22]

Because of its restrictive nature, some carnivore diet advocates have since switched to an animal-based diet that allows limited plant foods. The animal-based diet popularized by Paul Saladino in 2024 is based on red meat but allows fruit, honey and raw dairy.[8][23][24] Raw Egg Nationalist, a far-right influencer, has promoted a raw food version of the animal-based diet.[25]

## Diet

People following a carnivore diet consume high-protein animal-based products, such as beef, pork, poultry, and seafood.[1][3][5] Some may eat dairy products and eggs.[5] All fruits, legumes, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds are strictly excluded.[5]

The carnivore diet is often confused with Inuit cuisine. Primary differences include a high proportion of organs in the Inuit diet, high seafood content, and consumption of raw meat, all of which are not typical for the fad carnivore diet.[26] Inuit cuisine is also not exclusively composed of animal products, as the Inuit would consume plant products they acquired from gathering.[27][28][29]

## Health concerns

There is no clinical evidence that the carnivore diet provides any health benefits.[3][17][18] Dietitians dismiss the carnivore diet as an extreme fad diet,[3][4] which has attracted criticism from dietitians and physicians as being potentially dangerous to health (see Meat § Health).[15][17][18]

It also raises levels of LDL cholesterol, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.[4] Carnivore diets exclude fruits and vegetables which supply micronutrients. They are also low in dietary fiber, possibly causing constipation.[4][7][5] A carnivore diet high in red meat increases the risks of colon cancer and gout.[7][30][31] The high protein intake of a carnivore diet can lead to impaired kidney function.[32]

## Environmental impact

Criticism also derives from concerns about greenhouse gas emissions associated with large-scale livestock farming required to produce meats commercially, and the potential for such emissions to worsen climate change (see environmental impact of meat production).[15][17][18]

## See also

* Carnivore
* Lectin-free diet
* Monotrophic diet
* Paleo diet

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kurutz, Steven (April 30, 2024). "Meet the Men Who Eat Meat (and Only Meat)". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/style/meet-the-men-who-eat-meat-and-only-meat.html.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Skeptical of the Carnivore Diet". Science-Based Medicine. 19 April 2023. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/skeptical-of-the-carnivore-diet/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Dennett, Carrie (May 2019). "Popular Diet Trends: Today's Fad Diets By Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN, CD". https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0519p12.shtml.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Rachel Hosie (2018-08-13). "New 'carnivore diet' condemned by health and nutrition experts" (in en). The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/carnivore-diet-plan-results-meat-only-fad-nutrition-health-warning-a8489266.html.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Emer Delaney (20 October 2020). "What is the carnivore diet?". BBC Goodfood, Immediate Media Company Limited. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-is-the-carnivore-diet. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
6. ↑ R.D, Abby Langer (7 August 2018). "I'm a Registered Dietitian and I Really Don't Want You to Eat a Carnivore Diet" (in en). https://www.self.com/story/im-a-registered-dietitian-and-i-really-dont-want-you-to-eat-a-carnivore-diet.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Jonathan Jarry (15 November 2018). "The Carnivore Diet: A Beefy Leap of Faith". Office for Science and Society, McGill University. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-nutrition/carnivore-diet-beefy-leap-faith. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Helm, Janet (2024). "The Carnivore Diet" (in en-GB). https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/carnivore-diet-reviews-everything-you-need-to-know.
9. ↑ McLaughlin, Terence. (1979). If You Like It, Don't Eat It: Dietary Fads and Fancies. New York: Universe Books. p. 62. ISBN 0-87663-332-7
10. ↑ L'Esperance, Francis A; James, William A. (1981). Diabetic Retinopathy: Clinical Evaluation and Management. Mosby. p. 118. ISBN 978-0801629488
11. ↑ Gentilcore, David; Smith, Matthew. (2018). Proteins, Pathologies and Politics Dietary Innovation and Disease from the Nineteenth Century. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1350056862
12. ↑ Sutherland, George Alexander (1908). A System of Diet and Dietetics. Henry Frowde. pp. 423-424. https://archive.org/details/systemofdietdiet00suthiala/page/422/mode/2up.
13. ↑ Gratzer, Walter (2005). Terrors of the Table: The Curious History of Nutrition. Oxford University Press. pp. 199-200. ISBN 978-0-19-280661-1. https://archive.org/details/terrorsoftablecu0000grat_p2h4/page/200/mode/2up.
14. ↑ "What Is The Carnivore Diet?" (in en-US). 2021-05-25. https://www.forbes.com/health/body/what-is-the-carnivore-diet/.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Olivia Solon (11 May 2018). "They mock vegans and eat 4lb of steak a day: meet 'carnivore dieters'". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/11/the-carnivore-diet-all-meat-health-benefits-dangers.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Adam Gabbatt (11 September 2018). "My carnivore diet: what I learned from eating only beef, salt and water". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/sep/10/my-carnivore-diet-jordan-peterson-beef. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Sutton, Malcolm (2019-12-05). "The beefed-up diet 'changing lives' but health experts not so sure" (in en-AU). ABC News - Australia. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-05/carnivore-diet-of-meat-and-water/11757396.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 James Hamblin (28 August 2018). "The Jordan Peterson All-Meat Diet". The Atlantic. ISSN 1072-7825. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/08/the-peterson-family-meat-cleanse/567613/.
19. ↑ Abdou, Anouare. "What Is the Lion Diet and Is It Ever a Good Idea?" (in en-us). https://www.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/what-is-the-lion-diet-and-is-it-ever-a-good-idea.html.
20. ↑ Trepany, Charles. "Carnivore, lion diets called life-changing online. But is eating only meat really good for you?" (in en-US). https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/01/06/carnivore-all-meat-diet-viral-tiktok/10984541002/.
21. ↑ Rowan, Claudia (2023). "'You feel better than you've ever felt': the rise of the carnivore diet" (in en-GB). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/diet/weight-loss/the-rise-of-the-carnivore-diet/.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Broad, Garrett M (2023). "Understanding the (Fake) Meat Debates: The Alternative Protein Ideological Circle". Nutriton Today 58 (4): 181–188. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000617. https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/abstract/2023/07000/understanding_the__fake__meat_debates__the.8.aspx.
23. ↑ Doan, Laura (2024). "U.S. Influencers promote raw milk despite FDA health warnings as bird flu spreads in dairy cows" (in en-GB). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bird-flu-raw-milk-influencers-fda-warning/.
24. ↑ Anas, Brittany (2024). "The ‘Animal-Based’ Diet Is Trending On TikTok—But What Do Dietitians Think?" (in en-GB). https://www.delish.com/food-news/a62842997/animal-based-diet-is-it-healthy/.
25. ↑ Molloy, Joshua; Leidig, Eviane (2022-10-10). "The Emerging Raw Food Movement and the 'Great Reset'" (in en-GB). https://gnet-research.org/2022/10/10/the-emerging-raw-food-movement-and-the-great-reset/.
26. ↑ Tegan Taylor (21 October 2020). "Carnivore diets can tick boxes when it comes to nutrients, but that doesn't mean they're optimal". ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-22/diet-only-meat-carnivore-traditional-diets-health/12772188.
27. ↑ Searles, Edmund. "Food and the Making of Modern Inuit Identities." Food & Foodways: History & Culture of Human Nourishment 10 (2002): 55–78.
28. ↑ Kuhnlein, Harriet (1991). "Chapter 4. Descriptions and Uses of Plant Foods by Indigenous Peoples". Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples: Nutrition, Botany and Use (Food and Nutrition in History and Anthropology) (1st ed.). Taylor and Francis. pp. 26–29. ISBN 978-2-88124-465-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=fPDErXqH8YYC&q=inuit+seaweed&pg=PA26. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
29. ↑ Bennett, John; Rowley, Susan (2004). "Chapter 5. Gathering". Uqalurait: An Oral History of Nunavut. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 78–85. ISBN 978-0-7735-2340-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=6cjGnMRRrcEC&q="in+the+land+where+it+was+flat"&pg=PA78.
30. ↑ "Consumption of red meat and processed meat and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies". Eur J Epidemiol 36 (9): 937–951. 2021. doi:10.1007/s10654-021-00741-9. PMID 34455534.
31. ↑ "Dietary factors and risk of gout and hyperuricemia: a meta-analysis and systematic review". Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 27 (6): 1344–1356. 2018. doi:10.6133/apjcn.201811_27(6).0022. PMID 30485934. https://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/27/6/1344.pdf.
32. ↑ LeWine, Howard E. (2024). "What is the carnivore diet?" (in en-GB). https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/what-is-the-carnivore-diet.

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