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Article: Carnivore Diet Pros and Cons: Is it Really a Safe Option for Weight Loss?

Carnivore Diet Ultimate Guide

Carnivore Diet Pros and Cons: Is it Really a Safe Option for Weight Loss?

Carnivore Diet Pros and Cons

The Carnivore Diet is thought to help you lose weight, control blood sugar and auto-immune conditions. But there's a catch.

It restricts all of your eating to animal-based products, nothing else.

This meat exclusive eating style excludes other foods, like fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes. Some of these food are full of nutrition needed to live right? It is truly an elimination diet.

It is thought to help with weight loss, blood sugar control and auto-immune conditions.

Where are these health claims coming from? Can you lose weight and feel better going carnivore?

This article explains the Carnivore Diet, including its benefits, where to start, meal plans, carnivorous foods, FAQs and more.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about going carnivore and more.

First a quick caveat: my company makes and sells the absolute best tasting carnivore-friendly bone broth on the planet. You can find some at Bluebird Provisions. Also, this site is reader supported, meaning that when you buy through links on our site, I may earn an affiliate commission.

What is a Carnivore Diet

The Carnivore Diet consists of fish and animal products like cheese and eggs. You can eat some dairy items, not others.

Remove all vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes and grains.

You can eat dairy items which are low in lactose (ex: butter and hard cheeses). However, carnivores restrict any dairy items containing lactose, which is a sugar. These include milk, yogurt and ice cream.

Carnivore Diet Health Benefits Infographic

How the Carnivore Diet works 

Like any other eating plan, the Carnivore Diet works by restricting food groups and calories. Carnivorous proponents cite that ancestral populations consumed more animal flesh and fish and not much else.

They claim that carbohydrate and sugar based foods (basically what we eat in the west) are to blame for obesity and chronic health issues.

By restricting food, proponents claim it decreases inflammation because you're removing harmful anti-nutrients in many foods.

Unlike keto or the paleo diet, carnivores completely exclude any carbohydrates. Some people do it to get into ketosis.

Carnivorous Diet history

Shawn Baker created the modern application of the Carnivore Diet. He’s a former orthopaedic doctor turned author and podcast host who wrote a book on the subject in 2019.

Since then, it gained popularity due to influential public figures like Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson. 

Both are supporters of the eating style. Peterson makes the argument on a podcast that it helped him cure auto-immune conditions that plagued him for his whole life. 

Rogan went tried it for 30 days in January 2020. He claimed it helped him lose weight and gave him more energy. It also gave him explosive diarrhea. Evidently, this is one of the major risks.

Now he opts for carnivorous foods with fruit.

The all-meat eating plan was created in 2019. Since then, it has gained popularity. 

bone broth quiz

Does an all-meat diet have merit?

The all-meat eating style has no research or scientific basis. Proponents use testimonials to promote these fad diets.

Those on it claim it can treat arthritis, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, obesity, anxiety and depression. 

There are case studies, but not scientific studies to prove that this eating style is safe and effective. 

Carnivore Diet for weight loss

Can going carnivore help you lose weight? Many proponents of it report weight loss. 

Some aspects of going carnivore may help you lose weight. 

Research shows that high protein, low carbohydrate eating plans like carnivore help with weight loss (1).

Why?

Protein does two things:

1. Helps With Satiety

It makes you feel full after meals. This helps you crave less food and eat less food throughout the day. You eat fewer calories and you lose weight.

2. Increases Your Metabolism

Protein helps you burn more calories by increasing your metabolic rate.

It makes sense that carnivore would help you eat fewer calories and lose weight. You would feel full and perhaps your metabolic rate would increase… in the short-term. 

man doing a workout with a tire

Many studies show that high protein leads you to lose weight compared to low protein diets (2). This helps with more sustained results in the long-term as well.

The issue with going all 'steak and chicken' is compliance and restriction. Are you really going to eat only chicken breast for the rest of your life?

It doesn't seem viable or sustainable as a long-term plan or weight loss strategy. You are restricting too many food groups the issues with sticking to this strict diet compounds.

Losing weight doesn’t require you to eat like a carnivore.

Moreover, you do not need to remove carbs and vegetables to lose it. It requires a commitment to small lifestyle changes.

Carnivore Diet Health Benefits 

Claimed Carnivore benefits include:

  1. Weight loss
  2. Curing autoimmune conditions
  3. Reducing joint pain and arthritis
  4. Helping control blood sugar and diabetes
  5. Increasing energy

Here is an important tidbit on these health benefits. 

All the benefits can be attributed to what you are not eating, not necessarily what you are eating. 

What do I mean by this?

Going carnivore restricts your eating to… beef, chicken, pork, etc. Meaning you are not eating refined carbohydrates, sugars and vegetable oils. 

Gone is the days of soda, donuts, candy and bagels. 

These processed foods have more calories but low in vitamins and minerals. They don’t belong in any balanced eating plan. 

This is why carnivores lose fat eating this way, you are so limited. It is difficult to stuff yourself with 2500+ calories of steak per day. 

You are naturally creating a caloric deficit. 

Autoimmune Conditions Benefits

Proponents of carnivore claim it helps control autoimmune conditions. Some claim it leads to remission of symptoms.

My hunch is that eliminating inflammatory compounds and foods like grains, legumes and dairy contributes to these benefits. However, no research has been done.

Reducing Joint Pain and Inflammation

Similar to autoimmune conditions, removing foods that cause inflammation may help reduce joint pain.

Moreover, adding collagen rich foods like bone broth also helps reduce joint pain. Curing arthritis may be a stretch, but improving joint pain symptoms seems plausible. 

Blood Sugar Control

Eliminating sugar and refined carbohydrates will generally help control your blood sugar. 

You know that sugar and ultra processed foods like Impossible Burger are bad for you. They spike your blood sugar and can lead to blood sugar issues like type 2 diabetes. 

woman getting ready to exercise

Eating like a carnivore does not have any blood sugar spiking foods. 

More importantly, glycine is found in some cuts of steak and bone broth. Glycine is used to control insulin and blood sugar in type 2 diabetics (3). 

Increased Energy on Carnivore

Incredibly hard to measure subjective energy levels. Many proponents claim to have improved energy and clarity of thought while on carnivore. However, these topics are not substantiated by any science. 

Carnivore Diet Cons

The cons of going carnivore are the lack of vitamins and minerals, it's high in fat, sodium and cholesterol and it has zero fiber.

The Carnivore Diet is not safe because we do not know the long-term effects. It restricts many more important food groups for your health and wellness. 

Removing these nutrient rich foods makes the Carnivore Diet dangerous. Here are the cons of eating animals foods only.

  1. Lacks vitamins and minerals for your health
  2. High in fat, sodium and cholesterol
  3. Has zero fiber
  4. Not suitable for some people

1. Lacks vitamins and minerals for your health 

lack of vegetable and salad nutrition on carnivore diet

Many of the non-compliant carnivore foods provide crucial vitamins and minerals for bodily functions. 

Thanks, captain obvious. It goes without saying that an eating plan devoid of vegetables will lack important micronutrients. 

Eating vegetable rich foods is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease (4).

Turns out that plants have more than just vitamins and fiber. There are sterols, antioxidants and other unique compounds in plants for health and longevity. 

The Carnivore Diet restricts all plants and fruits. Meaning you could end up with major nutrient deficiencies.

You also may end up with an overconsumption of other nutrients like methionine. Not good.

2. High in fat, sodium and cholesterol 

Speaking of overconsumption, the Carnivore Diet can easily make you over do it on sodium, cholesterol and fat.

Animal-based foods are higher in saturated fat and cholesterol. Does this matter?

Saturated fat and cholesterol are not the demons we once thought. We now know that cholesterol is not linked to blood cholesterol or heart disease (5).

Saturated fat doesn’t seem to be linked to heart disease anymore either (6).

I’d like to emphasize that Carnivore may push the limits in terms of saturated fat and cholesterol intake. We do not have studies or information on the long-term health effects of consuming this much saturated fat and cholesterol.

If you are going carnivore, stick to real beef, fish, chicken, lamb and pork products. Why? Processed products like bacon, cheese and lunch meats are incredibly high in sodium. 

Overdoing it on sodium does have major health implications. Too much sodium leads to high blood pressure, kidney issues and many other scary health issues.

3. Has zero fiber from fruits or carbs

types of fruit with fiber and carbohydrates

Fiber is an important part of gut health. It is a non-digestible carbohydrate that keeps you regular and is only found in vegetables.

Low fiber can lead to constipation in some. Although, I’ll note that many anecdotal Carnivore Diet reports mention the opposite while on the diet. Just ask Joe Rogan.

What’s important about fiber is its effect on your gut health. Fiber is needed to seed and fuel our gut bacteria. 

The gut is the cornerstone of our immunity. Messing with your gut bacteria has adverse health effects.

4. Not suitable for some people

Anyone with a history of eating disorders should never try Carnivore or any restrictive diet. If you have anxious thoughts or a poor relationship with food, an animal centric approach is not for you.

It goes without saying that the Carnivore Diet is not for those who must limit protein intake. Those with kidney disease should not follow the Carnivore Diet.

You should not go Carnivore if you are sensitive to saturated fat or cholesterol rich foods. Lastly, if you have specific nutrient needs, save your brains health and do not try it. 

Carnivore Nutrition

You'll get all of your crucial amino acids, iron, choline, zinc, collagen and B vitamins going carnivore, but you will lack important nutrition from vitamin rich veggies. What it lacks are fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C (unless you eat a ton of beef liver).

The vitamin C is so low at 10 mg per day, that you could develop scurvy.

How to start with a meat only diet

If you are going to start with all-meat diets, read this. Going carnivore makes your life and shopping list simple. All you eat are animal based foods. It should be easy to follow… in principle. 

Foods to eat on Carnivore

Here’s what you can eat on the Carnivore Diet:

1. Steak, chicken, pork, lamb, game animals, etc

steak and rib browning on a grill

Your main source of food will be animals. You should opt for fattier and more nutrient dense meats like organs These include liver, heart and kidneys. 

In fact, the best way to maximize your nutrient intake on Carnivore is to eat nose to tail. Nose to tail ensures you are getting all the nutrients and minerals from an animal. 

Other fattier cuts include: rib eye, 80/20 ground, flank and thighs. 

2. Fish

Choose the fattiest fish you can find. Salmon, sardines, anchovies and mackerel are all great. Small fish are great because you can eat the bones. Small fish bones provide calcium and other important nutrients.

sardines in water

My favorite convenient source of fatty fish are the Seasons Sardines in water. You can find them online or in some stores.

3. Eggs

Perhaps the most nutrient dense animal based food. Eggs are crucial if you are carnivore. They’ll provide vitamins and minerals to keep your systems in check. 

4. Bone Broth

Stock vs. bone broth for carnivore diet

Rich in hydrating electrolytes, collagen and important amino acids (glycine) that buffer out the negative effects of high animal flesh intake. Bone broth should be consumed daily when you are eating carnivorously.

You can find the best bone broth from Bluebird Provisions.

5. Bone Marrow 

Contains many vitamins and minerals for carnivores. Also, rich in fat. If you want the nutrition without finding it yourself then there's a grass fed / finished pill version from Ancestral Supplements that is a good way to cover your nutritional needs.

6. Low-lactose Dairy 

Carnivores are split on whether dairy is allowed. Many proponents recommend keeping dairy out of the Carnivore Diet as people develop allergies to it. Others will consume milk, certain hard cheeses and grass-fed butter. 

7. Lard, Tallow, Animal-Based Fats

A great alternative to most cooking oils. Cook your food in animal based fats like tallow and schamltz. But don't just grab anything off the shelf as some are highly processed and bad for you.

I found a great grass fed beef tallow from Epic that I like and an organic chicken schmaltz from FatWorks. If you've never cooked with chicken schmaltz, it is absolutely amazing. The taste is so rich and delicious you'll never got back.

I am not as experienced in other animal fats, but you can also find organic pork fat (Whole 30 Approved), rendered duck fat (Whole 30) or other animal based fats. 

8. Low-Carb Spices and Herbs 

Salt, pepper, herbs and spices are carnivore compliant. Just make sure these spices do not have sugar and carbs. Some carnivores allow zero-calorie condiments like hot sauce. 

Some carnivores also consume yogurt and softer cheese. However, these are higher in carbs, which go against carnivore beliefs. 

Note: Some leaders like Shawn Baker don't think you need to eat pasture-raised, organic, grass fed or wild caught animals. I do.

If you are going to eat this way, you must eat the highest quality that you can afford. 

What is an all meat keto diet?

An all meat keto diet aims for zero carbs per day. This is different from a ketogenic diet, which will have some carbs throughout the day. It allows you to only eat steak, chicken, pork, fish, eggs and some animal-based products like tallow. Non of these foods have any carbs, allowing you to get into ketosis faster. However, these meats might kick you out of ketosis, so some experimenting is needed.

Foods to avoid on Carnivore Diet

Ready for the ‘no-fun police’? Here are the foods you must avoid when going carnivore.

  1. All vegetables: Including condiments made from vegetables and broth.
  2. All fruit: Any fruit like bananas, berries, etc
  3. Sugar: Even sugar alcohols, natural forms of sugar and sugar substitutes are not compliant.
  4. Processed foods: Carnivores avoid additives like nitrates, MSG and nitrites. Processed food like bacon, shelf stable products or canned foods and non-compliant.
  5. Most dairy products: A hot button issue among the carnivore community. Some advocate low-lactose dairy like hard cheese or kefir. You should avoid yogurt and processed dairy.
  6. All grains, pastries, bread: No refined carbs like grains, rice, pasta, donuts, etc.
  7. All nuts, seeds, legumes: Not allowed. These include peanuts, almonds, macadamias, cashews, chia, flax, peas, etc.
  8. Any other products: Including alternatives like Beyond, lab grown or Impossible Burger. Candy or chocolate.

Carnivore Diet Meal Plan + Food List

Here is a 7-day meal plan to get you started with the Carnivore Diet.

Day 1 carnivore diet meals

  1. Breakfast: Scrambled eggs
  2. Lunch: Baked or canned salmon
  3. Snack: Bone Broth
  4. Dinner: Beef liver fried in lard or beef tallow

Day 2

  1. Breakfast: Kefir and steak
  2. Lunch: Chicken wings
  3. Snack: Pork rinds
  4. Dinner: Flank steak

Day 3

  1. Breakfast: Eggs fried in lard or beef tallow, bacon
  2. Lunch: Beef kidneys or steak
  3. Snack: Sardines
  4. Dinner: Chicken and bone broth soup

Day 4

  1. Breakfast: Feta cheese omelette
  2. Lunch: Fried beef heart
  3. Snacks: Mackerel 
  4. Dinner: Chicken thighs 

eating pork rinds

Day 5

  1. Breakfast: Eggs fried in beef tallow with bacon
  2. Lunch: 80/20 ground beef patties 
  3. Snacks: Bone Broth
  4. Dinner: Baked salmon

Day 6

  1. Breakfast: Fried eggs with cheese
  2. Lunch: Beef liver
  3. Snack: Canned sardines or anchovies
  4. Dinner: Bison burgers

Day 7

  1. Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
  2. Lunch: Grilled chicken
  3. Snack: Pork rinds
  4. Dinner: Beef or lamb roast cooked in beef bone broth

beef bones with meat on cutting board

See the simplicity? You can eat any of these foods all day, every day. Do your best to work in some organs like liver, heart and kidney as they are crucial for vitamins and minerals. 

You should experiment with what you enjoy, but also ensure you are getting adequate fat and nutrients. 

Carnivore Diet tips to get you through month one

You should know that the first month is difficult. The first week, in particular, will be hard.

Here are three things to do and expect.

1. Get blood work done or face the risks

Get your blood tested before you begin and at 6-week intervals while on carnivore. This look under the hood is crucial to see how your system is reacting to eating animal nutrition only. Consult your doctor or primary care provider about blood work and carnivore before proceeding. 

2. Expect appetite changes

Your appetite will fluctuate like crazy. Some days you’ll feel full and satiated. Other days you can’t get enough food in your mouth. Experts say that your appetite will adjust eventually.

3. Expect to feel awful

Much like the keto flu, you will feel like crap on the Carnivore Diet. This is because you are switching your primary fuel source from carbohydrates to protein and fat. 

Our bodies need time to adjust to ketosis. You’ll likely experience fatigue, irritability, headaches and flu-like symptoms. These will pass. 

Carnivore Diet Bottom Line

The Carnivore Diet is new and dangerous. There are no scientific studies backing to substantiate the claims and possible benefits of it.

If you are going to try it, do yourself a favor and get some bone broth before doing so in order to get enough hydration and electrolytes. You will thank me later.

You should be careful and do your research before trying it. It is restrictive in terms of foods, but also nutrients and minerals. 

You will have a hard time getting adequate vitamins and minerals while only eating animal-based foods. As such, proceed with extreme caution and under the guidance of a physician. 

Read my guide on the top 6 bone broth brands for this year.

FAQs about Carnivore Diet

Is the Carnivore Diet keto?

No, the carnivore diet is not keto. Eating that much steak and chicken will kick you out of ketosis. Why? Our bodies are cleverly designed to convert protein into carbohydrates for fuel via a process called gluconeogenesis. 

Can the Carnivore Diet heal leaky gut?

The carnivore diet may help your leaky gut. We do not have enough research or information. Some claim it helps improve gut health. Others believe it is damaging to gut health due to a lack of fiber and fermentable carbohydrates to see gut bacteria. 

Can the carnivore diet cure cancer?

No, the carnivore diet cannot cure cancer. There are no panaceas like this.

Can you eat eggs on the carnivore diet

Yes you can eat eggs on the Carnivore Diet.

Can you do the carnivore diet without red meat

You can do the carnivore diet without red meat, but it is not recommended. Why? Red meat provides many beneficial vitamins, compounds and minerals to your body. These include iron, b vitamins and many other that you cannot get without it.

Can you do an all red meat diet?

You can do an all red meat diet, but there are significant health risks associated with it. Be sure to get bloodwork done before and during to measure how it is effecting you. You should also consult a doctor before doing so.

Why do I need salt on an all meat diet?

You need salt on an all meat diet because the diet is low in carbs and carbs are needed to store sodium and potassium. As such, your body will flush out electrolytes while eating animal based foods only. You must supplement or get enough natural sources of electrolytes to stay hydrated while on Carnivore. 

Does a carnivore diet work for athletes?

For strength-based athletes, the Carnivore Diet may work. For mixed sport (soccer, basketball, tennis) or endurance athletes, Carnivore Diet will not work. Your body needs carbohydrates to excel at any mixed or endurance sport. You are handicapping your performance and missing out on obvious improvements by not eating carbs.

How long does it take to adapt to a carnivore diet?

A carnivore diet requires an adaptation period for your body to get used to it. Most people take 3 weeks or so to begin getting used to its effects on the body. There are many compounds that need to get reset.

Can you gain muscle on a carnivore diet

If you are working our correctly, then yes, you can gain muscle on the Carnivore Diet.

What are carnivore diet side effects?

Carnivore diet side effects include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, hydration issues from fluid loss, dizziness, fatigue and insomnia. Some of these are short-term and will last for days to weeks.

Many of them are a result of electrolyte imbalances due to no carbs in your eating plan. It will take some trial and error to figure this out as ketosis and difficult to adjust to. If any of these persist, you should consult your doctor.

What are the long-term side effects of an all meat diet?

The long-term side effects of an all meat diet include hypoproteinemia, kidney stones and vitamin deficiencies. Let's look at them in more detail below.

Hypoproteinemia: Abnormally low blood protein levels can be life-threatening.

Kidney stones: When your urine is too acidic, crystals can form in the kidneys and pass into urine.

Vitamin deficiencies: Vitamin and mineral deficiencies have very serious long-term health issues.

Disclaimer: this information is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the FDA or CFIA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness. Please consult your primary care physician for advice on any of this or the specific compounds mentioned in the article.

Bluebird Provisions is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

26 comments

Been on carnivore life style.eating meat,lost weight,but a month ago, after one year on diet ,started feel bad left side start feeling pain under my heart feeling presser..been feeling sick no energy ,pray I didn’t destroy my heart.cant go to Dr offices lost my health insurance in til Jan 2nd.so don’t know what’s happening to my health.just pray eating this way hasn’t done to much damage.i use to have beautiful Hair lost ton of hair,now it wont grow and keep losing my hair, 😞😭 not feeling good at all now weight loss was great year later, 😞 now having problems with diet, 😔 not sure I will stay with carnivore life style, now at first 4months in good 👍, now not good

Renee

I have never tried the carniviour diet so found so found these comment interesting, however I feel the comments for against it could be a little biased as the government seem to want to wipe out cows from the planet because of the gases they produce

eileen smith

Hi Jackie,

I think you would need to speak to a doctor and/or registered dietician to get an answer. Unfortunately medications like what you listed and their affects on certain diets is outside of my area of expertise.

all the best!

connor

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

Hi Milton,

That is a difficult question to figure out and probably requires speaking to a registered dietician to do some testing.

You could try a different cut of mean — perhaps something leaner like a steak to see how it affects you.

Connor

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

I have coronary heart disease and have been taking Clopidogrel 75mgs and I
had high cholesterol which has been controlled by Rosuvastatin 10mg. I have just started the diet as I am overweight and would like to continue but would this affect my coronary heart disease.

JACKIE LANE

I have poor digestion/poor health post COVID.
Every time I try a day of ground beef/lamb or whatever red meat. (Low histamine included) it wipes me out. It hurts my digestion. It feels like I have a hard time digesting (I cannot tolerate hcl and betaine)and the next day I wake super fatigued. Easy simple carbs seem to be the only thing that help with energy. Is this common with starting eating red meat or is there a way to encoperate slowler?

Milton

I started this diet three weeks ago and from the beginning I hardly eat, because I was not hungry. Otherwise, I can be a eating machine. The fat cures hunger. I love liver, tongue, brain, heart, and gnawing on bones. So a non issue to get my vitamins. Salt gives one minerals when using the proper salt. I lost ten pounds so far. Went off blood pressure medicine and my blood pressure is not perfect, but well within tolerance. That maybe more the garlic I take in pill form. Long term health unknown? At 72 and over weight, just losing the weight will prolong my life by years. Veggies leave me hungry, and it was not mentioned that many people are allergic to veggies. Blood work has been done by doctors of some on the diet for 10 plus years an clean. That is scientific enough for me as my blood work is done every year and sometimes twice and will be a routine I do regularly now. Weight is a bigger issue and scientifically proven it Is a killer. I will stay carnivore and easiest diet to adjust to of the many I have tried with failure to lose weight.

charleydan

Large, properly done population studies over the last 30 years show a 20-30 percent increase in colon cancer in people who eat more than 90 grams of red meat (especially processed or smoked red meat) a day, compared with those who eat 70 grams or less average per day. I would not recommend red meat – only diets to those who have a personal or familial increased risk of colon cancer. 90 grams is a little over 3 ounces.

William Rouse

I have been on the carnivore for only a couple of weeks, My First week I lost 9 pounds. shirts fit better ,my rings fit good not too tight. I am 65 and this looks like the best option to get this weight off and keep it off. The best part is I am not starving while doing this, this is not a diet, its a life change.

Mike McCombs

I was a vegetarian for 20 years and developed severe digestive issues. I then switched to carnivore3 years ago. Felt really well but had a stroke a couple of months ago. I never got baseline bloodwork done. But now I have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. There is no history of stroke in my family, But we do have clogged arteries and heart disease. I think heredity matters. My life sucks now I did this to myself.

Heidi

I read somewhere that the Inuit and people’s of the Kalari eat only meat and are healthy but on further reading they have two of the shortest lifespans on the planet. I also read that all meat is too acidic. I must agree that meat seems to be the only food that appears not to give people allergys. I cannot eat beef or pork, the thought of it makes me heave but I can eat chicken and occasional lamb. I think Imwould get bored very quickly. I am 76, perfect weight a d good health. Jude
.

Jude Austin

I have only been on this diet for a week and I have shed a few lbs and feel better. Gave all my snacks away because I have no cravings. I don’t eat all read meat .I do eat some chicken and shrimp here and there . I feel Better and only need to have two meals a day. I do snack on the cleanest beef sticks I can find at least once a day one or two. I am excited to keep going with this and see how it impacts my auto immune disease.

Brandy

I have been on strick Carnivore almost Lion. I feel wonderful and absolutely no cravings and no snacks but I have only lost 7 pounds! What’s the deal? Could it be all the medication for my heart or my age of 73? Please advise me.

Sally wall

Carnivore is absolutely amazing, I agree with DC in that it does take willpower, once you get through the first few days the mental clarity and a feeling of calmness is what was most noticable for me. CRAVINGS GONE, I think most people will find that if they give this lifestyle a try it will be life-changing!

Heather

Hi Ken,

My mistake about the bacon. Thanks for letting me know about the contradictory info. I will edit it this week.

A high quality, minimally processed bacon is fine. It is more that you should try and stay away from highly processed bacon you find in grocery stores if possible.

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

I noticed that one of the recommended foods not to be eaten was bacon, but it’s included in the first weeks meal plan. Is this a mistake or was this intentional? Maybe there’s missing context that I’m not aware of. Is the bacon in the meal plan more organic, thus it’s acceptable?
Thanks for the article, I have an autoimmune disease and I’m currently researching the diet for more information and your opinion is very helpful.

Ken

Thanks for sharing your perspective Josh. I will agree with you that a lot of science is fraught with inherent bias, lobbying, conflicts of interest and other chicanery.

connor

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

Hi Conor,

As a carnivore practicioner, I see lots of misinformation in your article, but what I find very funny is how you refer to science. You mean the same science that told us to eat 5-6 meals a day and every meal is at least 50% carbs, so our blood sugar level is up all the time which eventually catch us up in terms of metabolic disorders and diseases?!? Having blood sugar up all day long is bad news for the body, but this is what you achieve by eating frequently, so why would you still trust this science – is beyond me ??
There is no valid science when it comes to human nutrition, because nobody has been able to lock up genetically identical people and feed them and control their other behaviors for years, all these “studies” are not science, but more of interest.

Your diet meal plan consists of 4 meals a day, snacks included: you do not need to snack ever, on any diet, especially on carnivore diet, furthermore one or two meals max per day are sufficient, because animal foods (with fats) are very nutrient dense that make you full for a long time.
So much this time.

Josh

I am happy to hear that the diet is working well for you Pamela! All the best.

connor

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

I am new to the carnivore diet. I am about one and a 1/2 months in and I have already brought all of my numbers down to a normal range in a matter of a month. I have several issues or did have that doctors told me to eat certain things and was trying this for over 10 years or 8 years or whatever and nothing has helped me and nothing has cleared anything up. This is the 1st time in a long time I’ve been under certain weight and again all of my numbers on my blood work and urine test everything is to the normal range. It’s also the 1st time in I don’t know how many years that my blood sugar has been under 100. DC is right. Do your homework.

Pamela

You’re welcome sally! I do my best but have to tread lightly with some of the ‘why’ stuff because it is usually mechanistic and not 100% based in science.

connor

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

Thanks for your comment DC. Your passion for Carnivore is really awesome and I appreciate your perspective and learning about your personal experience.

I’ll be the first to say that if it works for you and you’ve done it for years then this article is likely not for you. It is intended to be an intro to the diet to let people researching it learn a bit more about the pros and cons of it.

connor

I have no personal

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

Hi there Connor
Thank you for taking the time to write this. I really love your tips and meal plans.

I am struggling a little bit with how the information regarding the ‘Long Term Side Effects’ is presented. I will do further research on this but I think if at all possible it would be wise to tell your readers WHY meat only causes Kindney stones for example. And WHY you believe it to be responsible for the other side effects listed. In fact, I was under the impression (again, I will do further research) that oxalates found in a lot of vegetables were the cause of kidney stones and that they were nothing at all to do with meat.

Overall, thank you very much

sally

This page couldn’t be further from the truth. You’ve obviously never tried this diet. You did research and are coming with what you’ve been told and you blindly believe it. As someone that has been carnivore for years (it is sustainable) this is how everyone SHOULD eat. I have no lack of vitamins in my diet at all. For the first time in my life my cholesterol is in the normal range. Removing ALL vegetables made me feel a ton better. As much as you don’t want to hear this, vegetables are full of defense chemicals and are not as good for you as you may think. Also, I haven’t had fiber in years because you do not need it. I feel healthier than I’ve ever felt. Who wrote the nutrition pyramid? An ad agency and not 1 single scientist. Had you wrote how this diet made you feel or impacted you over a 30 day period I may have taken it more seriously. The bathroom issues Rogan had aren’t common either. Try this diet! Do it for 30 days and rewrite this article. Do you know why people say it’s not sustainable? Because they have zero willpower. They’d rather eat junk, oils, go to McDonalds. It’s all easier and people are inherently lazy. Work the chemicals out of your system and you’ll feel much better. All of the artificial ingredients, artificial sweeteners, all of the things banned in every other country except the US. I challenge you to try this! When you do, send me a link to your article and I’ll be the first to comment congratulations! It’s not easy. If it was, everyone would do it. Do you have what it takes? :)

DC

Thanks for your comment Kitty. I can tell you are very passionate about this topic. Please explain exactly what you find is misinformation on this page and I will do my best to address it.

connor

Connor at Bluebird Provisions

This page is a huge collection of misinformation masquerading as information!

Kitty Lathrop

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