Does the ‘carnivore diet’ work? Here’s what eating only meat does to your body (2024)

FAQs

Does the ‘carnivore diet’ work? Here’s what eating only meat does to your body? ›

Health impacts from eating only meat

The carnivore diet can lead to an increased risk of developing heart disease because it prioritizes foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty steaks, which can elevate cholesterol levels, Arsenault says. Meanwhile, eliminating fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds could increase your risk.

Some carnivores, called obligate carnivores, depend only on meat for survival. Their bodies cannot digest plants properly. Plants do not provide enough nutrients for obligate carnivores. All cats, from small house cats to huge tigers, are obligate carnivores.

While this diet can probably help you lose weight, it also can lead to nutrient deficiencies and it's not sustainable, says Kathleen Zelman, MPH, a registered dietitian nutritionist. “You just can't stay on it very long.” The carnivore diet is too restrictive, and too boring, to follow long-term.

Beyond anecdotal evidence of miraculous effects of an all-meat diet, science does not back up the other claims of the Carnivore Diet, and most doctors recommend avoiding it. While a diet that induces ketosis may be beneficial for some people, changing the way the body burns fuel is not the only factor in a diet.

Other longer-term concerns about keto diets, especially the carnivore diet, include the increased risk of kidney stones, gout, and osteoporosis. Also, the very high protein intake associated with the carnivore diet can lead to impaired kidney function.

Eating too much processed meat and red meat probably increases your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer. Processed meat can also be high in salt and eating too much salt can increase your risk of high blood pressure.

The carnivore diet eliminates all foods except meat and animal products. Thus, it's low in vitamin c, folate, has no fiber, and is difficult to maintain. You should follow a well-rounded diet instead.

The carnivore diet plan is simple; you only eat animal foods and products. Everything else is restricted. That means no fruits, no vegetables, no bread or grains, and limiting your dairy intake to low-lactose foods.

The carnivore diet does two things at once: It infuses the gut with bone broth's gut-healing benefits while eliminating harder-to-digest vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds. In other words, it still allows a person to get beneficial nutrients while giving the gut a break from working so hard.

Can you drink coffee on a carnivore diet? ›

Ideally, it is best to stick to black coffee as it contains zero calories and carbohydrates, making it suitable for a low-carb diet like carnivore. Adding cream or other additives can increase the calorie and carbohydrate content of the coffee, which may not align with the principles of this diet.

On his Instagram account, Rogan shared that after 30 days on carnivore “lots of aches and pains went away” and that he'd seen “improvements in my vitiligo.” He also describes how carnivore supported stable energy, weight loss, and improved mental health.

It could be as simple as time - you haven't been on the diet long enough. Or, maybe you're still in caloric surplus despite eating the right foods. It could even be that you're not drinking enough water, you're constipated from the new diet, you're stressed out - or some other unrelated cause.

Gradually replacing meat with plants could have immense benefits for the planet. “It would be a huge net win for the environment,” Dutkiewicz said. By one estimate, a complete phaseout of meat over 15 years would cut as much as one-third of all methane emissions and two-thirds of all nitrous oxide emissions.

It's worth mentioning that some individuals who regularly eat meat can actually experience acne breakouts if they suddenly stop consuming meat. The body is complex, and there's no way to know for sure how eating meat or cutting it out will affect one's skin until enough time has gone by.

And people who don't eat meat, called vegetarians, generally eat fewer calories and less fat. They also tend to weigh less. And they have a lower risk of heart disease than nonvegetarians do. Research shows that people who eat red meat are at a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke or diabetes.

"Meat is high in protein and can be high in fat. It also doesn't have fiber. So all those things can impact your GI tract and can cause constipation or just general changes in ease and frequency when it comes to poops," explains Valente.