Today I’m going to quickly discuss the shocking and real truth – and scam – about the carnivore diet.
Which, for anyone new to this term, is basically an all-animal, meat-based protein diet.
It’s also a zero-carb diet, but not necessarily a ketogenic diet, and I’ll discuss the differences in a few seconds.
And I bring this up because of all the misinformation about the Carnivore diet and the fact a viewer asked me the following question:
What do you think of a carnivore diet? I’ve been doing it for about 2 weeks and I see a lot of improvements already. Is it safe for me to follow all the time? I hear amazing things about it.
As stated already, you only eat animal-based proteins. Thus, NO carbs, vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, starches, or added fats.
Zero-Carb Diets
The main thing about this fad diet – yes, it’s a fad that has come up again recently – is that you are not having any carbs at all.
A ketogenic diet is similar as far as no carbs, but on the opposite side, you have very low proteins. A TRUE keto diet is basically all fat.
While a Carnivore diet is all animal protein.
Both again, have no carbs.
Is the Carnivore Diet Effective?
Here’s the truth – I don’t like any diet that restricts a major macronutrient – such as carbs.
I also do not like any diet that will restrict key micronutrients and all the amazing nutrients that are found in vegetables and even fruits. All the variety of colors that offer amazing phyto and poly nutrients, vitamins, and minerals are sourced because of and from the most powerful life force on the planet – the SUN!
The major benefits people feel and see from a carnivore diet is NOT because of the all-meat diet.
However, it’s from restricting and eliminating all of the junk that people normally eat — simple carbs, man-made and packaged foods, high insulinogenic diets, inflammatory foods, and so on and so forth.
Thus, the benefit of a carnivore diet is not from what you are eating, but more so from what you are NO longer eating.
And trust me, being on a carnivore diet or any super restrictive diet – including a ketogenic diet – is NOT a long-term solution or maintainable lifestyle.
After a few weeks or months, you’ll be back to normal.
Very rarely is someone following such diets, year after year – without having health issues and deficiencies.
What Makes a Healthy Diet?
A healthy diet consists of
- lots of vegetables and fibers
- healthy fats – which is a MIXTURE of both saturated and unsaturated fats
- proteins from both animal and vegetable sources
- some fruit
- and yes, some healthy carbs, based around how much exercise you do – which EVERYONE must be exercising daily — both aerobic and anaerobic, cardio, and weights.
The basics are very simple, logical, and backed by lots of evidence.
Stop with the stupid fad diets – high in this or low in that. You shouldn’t eliminate any macronutrients – just manage the amounts and ratios, based on your genetics, hormones, goals, lifestyle, and current health status.
Of course, we can get into the details of such a diet and I have an entire article series about this, which you can start reading today.
Please listen carefully, extremes of any kind is not a healthy or viable long-term solution in any aspect of life – this includes a carnivore diet.