This blog is about pros and cons for the health of the carnivore diet as far as we know, and topics such as animal friendliness and sustainability I will leave aside for now.
Multiple roads to Rome
If you follow my blogs a bit then you will know that I am an advocate of food that is close to nature and then there are many roads to Rome. For example, there are people who are healthy on diets high in animal sources, but others who eat mostly plant-based foods can also be in topshape.
There is often a combination of diet consisting of animal and plant sources, but in recent years, plant-based foods in particular have received a lot of attention in the media and in books (see: What the Health and The Game Changers). Similarly, it was actually to be expected that the antithesis would also start getting attention one day, namely the carnivore diet (RTL news, and Editie NL).
What is the carnivore diet?
The carnivore diet, as the name suggests, consists mainly of animal products, such as eggs, lots of meat, poultry and fish. Interestingly, virtually no carbohydrates and vegetables (and fruit) are eaten with these. So this means that there are similarities with the ketogenic diet, but the important difference is that vegetables are also out of the question.
What are the benefits?
The carnivorous diet has a number of benefits that the ketogenic diet also has. Of course, it is lose weight a known effect of both, but there is more.
Thus, due to the strong carbohydrate reduction, it can insulin resistance (and type 2 diabetes) (1) reduce and the relieve the immune system (2) in people who are hypersensitive to certain carbohydrates that contain gluten (celiac disease, glutensitivity), phytic acid (antinutrients see `The plant paradox') or Fodmaps.
With the carnivore diet, people who get irritable bowel, for example, may experience additional benefits from certain vegetables. For instance, people with certain autoimmune diseases or viral and bacterial diseases such as chronic lyme and post viral syndrome are experimenting with the carnivorous diet to minimise the burden on the immune system. This gives short-term improvements in some of them, such as more energy, more stable blood sugar (and thus more constant energy levels), fewer physical complaints and a reduction in intestinal complaints.
What are the drawbacks?
For diets that are quite one-sided (little variation) then the long-term effect is particularly interesting. Do deficiencies arise? Are there harmful effects? This information is almost non-existent in scientific research at the moment. So this makes it quite experimental, which also results in a lot of criticism from dieticians, nutritionists and (of course as always) the Nutrition Centre.
Critical issues here include one-sidedness, deficiencies in fibre, unknown effects on gut flora, deficiencies in vitamins (such as vitamin C and scurvy) and minerals.
People also often point to scientific studies in which high meat intake shows negative effects. However, these are epidemiological studies with only some associations, which does not mean that you have found a proven cause (causal relationship). We simply do not have epidemiological studies in which large groups of people followed a carnivorous diet, which makes it difficult to make statements.
Also, of course, one type of meat is not the other, which makes it even more difficult. An additional disadvantage with this diet is that it is very far from the average `Dutch' diet and requires a lot of adaptability. The chances of someone sustaining this permanently then become a lot less.
What is my opinion?
As with the ketogenic diet, I understand that there are situations where you try this diet. For instance, I understand that when you hear that someone has chronic Lyme disease symptoms and feels much better after switching to a carnivorous diet that you want to put it to the test as a fellow sufferer.
However, the question is why this effect is there. I personally think this is mainly because of what you get with the carnivore diet DON'T EAT. If your immune system reacts incorrectly to certain carbohydrate sources and/or veggies because of intolerance, allergy or other hypersensitivity, with carnivore diet you have taken it all out.
However, this does not mean that there are then no carbohydrate sources or vegetable types that you do digest and tolerate well. Especially if you experience positive results and want to keep doing the carnivore diet, I would still look further and try to reintroduce certain types of carbohydrates and vegetables. Then keep only the carbs and vegetables that don't give you any symptoms. In this way, still try to make the diet as varied as possible to spread risks.
Also, I don't think the positive experiences come from being in ketosis at low carbohydrate intake. If you manage to add more carbohydrates and still remain symptom-free, it will be kinder to the thyroid.
For an average person, I would recommend a much milder and more varied diet that is somewhat less extreme and health experimental in nature.
Positive experience discussed at RTL Tonight
Experience expert Miriam Hill got to speak on RTL Tonight and the discussion with the nutritionist went 'healthy'. Watch the clip here: experience carnivore diet
More information, recipes, weekly menus and schedules: https://www.carnivorestyle.com
English 
Dutch 
81 Response(s), post a comment too!
Also, are there people here who are getting results with the carnivorous diet for lipoedema and or lymphoedema?
By eating fewer carbs, I notice that the swelling has gone down. I try to stay under 40 g pd. Do eat fruits like berries and strawberries. And occasionally an avocado salsa with tomato.
This clearly indicates the importance of ketosis, t'just so you know. (date: early January 2025)
Dr Thomas Seyfried
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjdAtauO2cA&t=51s
Yet some nuance about carnivorous while I was doing it, everything was going well until I went on a binge in 1 week where I stowed away everything that wasn't part of the carnivorous diet, well that didn't end well, I'm now on 40 mg prednisolone and they're trying to sell me Puri nethol. Maybe it is better to watch very carefully and try to keep some variaty it could be that the immune system also needs to be stimulated from time to time with all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Experiment and see what you can tolerate. Do keep your immune system a bit busy you never know what you will do on that birthday or during that holiday !!!
I am thinking of starting the carnivorous diet. But I have less functioning kidneys. However, I have heard that it raises uric acid levels in the blood and now I don't dare so much, so as not to cause further damage to my kidneys.
Is the carnivorous diet not suitable for me or not?
Check out Anthony Chaffee on YouTube and as for your kidneys your functions will only get better as far as there is no damage done by carbohydrate eating from before.
Look you should never do anything someone else says you should use your gut and judge yourself so you are an expert by experience and you could and should have done that much earlier then you would have been much further but that is the way you chooser placing nothing outside yourself but reacting yourself to everything around you that determines a successful path.
Good luck.
André
Hello all,
I have now started carnivorous diet since three weeks. I weaned off slowly the week before. I am 30 years old, two young kids, heavy job, suffer from Bechterew's disease (SI joint), for this I take medication (etoricoxib 90mg).
What I myself have noticed after watching many videos, experiences. Is that many people are extremely enthusiastic. Well at least I can say with certainty that it resonates well with me.
What am I experiencing:
- towering energy
- no dips
- Lost 5 kg in 3 weeks
- no longer tired
- state of mind is optimal
- focus 1000%
- no cravings for sweets
- easy to maintain
I also fast there every day (intermittent 16/8 or 20/4)
I almost dare say the pain in my lower back is getting less and I am going to notify the rheumatologist about the diet and want to phase out medications.
The only thing I have been experiencing for a few days now is pain (stabbing, cramping) in my left hand, especially the ring - and index finger. And occasionally in other body parts as well. I don't know if anyone in this forum is familiar with this phenomenon? If so, I would like an answer to that as well.
Hi Ralph,
During Trainer Hormone Factor training, you mentioned that carbohydrate deficiency can be a problem for the thyroid. However, it is not clear to me why. What is the relationship between the thyroid and carbohydrates? Why would the thyroid slow down due to lack of carbohydrates in the diet? I get that crash diets are a bad idea, but I'm curious how you see this in relation to a carnivorous diet where you eat until you are satiated and therefore don't pay attention to calories.
Hi Regina,
Thank you for your question. There are several issues at play here. So, ketogenic diet in the form of carnivorous diet gives advantages and disadvantages. People who have an immune system reaction to certain plant components or have difficulty digesting it can improve tremendously when you go carnivorous (think gluten, nightshade, fodmaps, antinutrients etc). When we talk about thyroid delay, it can be at the thyroid level itself and/or outside the thyroid such as reduced conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to active thyroid hormone. With ketogenic diets, studies have measured reduced T3 if maintained for more than a few months. Why this is so is unknown to me. If you have a lowered T3 it certainly does not have to mean that you will then gain weight hear. Carnivorous diets will certainly be more satiating than many other diets. Lowered T3 in that case may well cause other mild symptoms such as diffuse hair loss and dry skin.
No one is talking about the following !!!
MEAT takes 24 h or longer to be digested in and through the intestines !
So a CARNIVOOR diet keeps
in that the intestines are continuously FULL of 12 h of supplemented meat daily. Surely this must give a continuous Overload ?
Good question I hope ?
That is complete nonsense.
Stoma research has clearly proven that meat digests much better and faster than plants.
Stomach acid is as acidic as a hyena. Perfect for digesting meat quickly.
You also eat much less because your body can absorb more than 90%.
So bowel movements become a lot less.
Your bowels can rest much more.
This is also why many people have already been cured of crohn's by a carnivorous diet.
Search ff on Youtube for Kent Carnivore
Hi Ralph.
You should look for it in electrolites, you might be severely deficient in these and then you get such symptoms.
Am two weeks into the diet so far all good, now my question is , I eat only meat and organ and once a week salmon for my omega 3 and 6. This Ou I do until my immune problems are resolved, how do I then slowly start putting other foods back into my diet, what is the best way? That I am sure whether my body can tolerate the product or not.
2nd question
While dieting, is it bad if you consume some carbohydrates , sugars, alcohol once in a while during a dinner with friends for example? Can this do any harm?
Healthy greetings
David
Hey David, I have no hands-on experience with this myself. Perhaps you could engage a nutrition coach with specialism in carnivorous diet?
Ok thanks for the tip, but will do some more research on the web, seems more advantageous 🙂 .
Hey David.
Can't you put the fodmap diet alongside it? With that, you also reintroduce nutrition and check what t does and what amount you can handle.
Hi, I did the carnivorous diet for 3 months a while ago, I liked it a lot! But after talking to my GP about the gout I had, she said it was caused by eating a lot of meat. And for your cholesterol it's even dangerous, no pill will help against that, because I have one. I had a brain infarct four years ago, fortunately nothing was left over, but you do become cautious. Please respond
What can be triggers for gout are uric acid and low-grade inflammation. Certain meats contain a lot of purine and this can increase uric acid production. The carnivorous diet can lower low-grade inflammation, though. With a balanced diet that is not carnivorous, you can also lower inflammation while taking in less purine.
The cholesterol story is way too short in my opinion, because with cardiovascular disease it is much more complex and there are many more markers affecting it than just cholesterol levels.
Above all, make sure you get guidance from an expert who has a lot of experience counselling people with gout. Good luck!
Thank you for your response! Indeed I do regular blood tests, so any abnormalities come up quickly.
I am 100% rid of my arthritis.
Another blood test done last Tuesday, was 2 years ago, everything perfect, uric acid low.
So that meat would increase your uric acid I don't believe it, it only got lower for me after 3.5 years carnivorous.
Sugar.....
YouTube dr.ken Berry and his wife have lots of info.
And youtube.com/@homesteadhow
In America, it benefits an awful lot of people.
Greetings.
Hi, well after 15 years of colitus, IBS and for the last few years waking up every night for a pee
I was fed up and tried the carnivore diet.
Conclusion after 3 months ;no colitus no IBS and nighttime urination is also less. I have clearly
a hypersensitivity to vegetables/oxelates (Sally K Norton). Vitamins don't seem like a problem to me as the conversion is much better. 1 light cheat day a week helps to keep it up.
I did KETO to lose weight but it was clear that the spinach, mushrooms, nuts and dark chocolate was definitely not going down well. I also found out that I do not tolerate sweet potato who would have thought this !
Hey Theo, I kept it up for 7 months and in itself the diet went great but despite my diabetic symptoms before it, uric acid being too high and idem ditto cholesterol, all blood levels had almost halved after 4 months of diet to the disbelief of my GP.
Still, the lack of a nice sandwich or a portion of vegetables or a nice packet of chips was the reason I quit anyway.....
After a few months of eating everything, I was back to my pre-diet weight and my blood levels were also back to what they were before, so I started again 14 days ago, the first 6 kilos have already come off and my energy levels are going back in the right direction.
My motivation to persevere is huge now I think I'm really going to push through now.........
Best of luck it doesn't hurt....
Just persevere and eat some green vegetables with it and nuts
How good man! Just carry on in your own way and instinct. I started eating carnivorous five weeks ago after two years of keto. The difference in results is huge! I'm muddling through with electrolytes, iodine and blood pressure though and find all the totally different advice, perspectives and amounts about supplementation a jungle I get lost in, as is the difference in advice for women and men. I have irritating apple fuzz, but I'll get out of that too.
Don't make it too complicated. Basically, you don't need electrolyte supplements. If you exercise very much or intensively, you can possibly buy an electrolyte supplement and throw a scoop in your water that you drink while exercising. Just enough sea salt on your steak is enough. Our ancestors didn't have supplements either and they were a lot more physically active than modern humans. There is also absolutely no difference between the diet for men and women. Eat only when you are hungry, until you are full or notice that the food starts to taste less good (that is a sign that you have taken in enough nutrients). The feeling of hunger is many times less with the carnivore diet. That is why it is quite easy to do the carnivore diet with 1 meal a day or 2 if you prefer. I am now in my 2nd year myself and have never felt better. I literally feel 20 years younger.
Question. Am now 3 weeks into carnivorous eating.
But now my protein is always higher than my fat,how can I change this?
Because I read everywhere that fat should be higher than protein.
Eat a lot of beef and veal, pork , steak (sometimes venison )and liver sausage 3x a week salty herring.
Prepare all this in creamed butter .
And in my coffee comes coconut fat 3 times a day teaspoon .
I hope You can help me. Thanks in advance.
Hi Greetje, I am not an expert coach on the carnivorous diet. Perhaps you could google for a specialised coach on this diet. mvg Ralph Moorman
It is about energy from protein and fat. One gram of protein provides on average 4 kcal of energy. One gram of fat provides an average of 9 kcal of energy. "They" say you should get more energy from fat than from protein. For example, if you take 100 minced meat, it contains about 20 g of protein and 20 g of fat. So this means 4 kcal x 20 g = 80 kcal from protein and 9 kcal x 20 g = 180 kcal from fat.
Is a bit roughly calculated but you can see that you easily get more energy from fat than from protein.
@BRAM - THANK!!!! Really I really did not understand how if you eat steak, rib chops, shoulder chops etc etc, you can get ~60-70% fat and the rest protein. Here's the explanation. Why doesn't anyone on the internet / YouTube clearly state this? I think I heard something about it once in a YT video, but then forgot who/what/when so I LEAVE to wonder about this. Now it is clear, otherwise it will never work, if you calculate purely on % and not on the amount of energy in kCal per gram of fat / protein. So thanks!
To get those fats in lean meat, you just have to fry it in butter, those fats also count. You can't use oil in the carnivore diet anyway. You add a little water to your pan at the end and you have a gravy.
For me , the vegetables started to taste less and less , too quickly satiated and bloated ! In ancient Europe the Neanderthals and later the Reindeer hunters , during the harsh ice ages lived exclusively on big game ? Those few berries they found during the short summers did not amount to much ! I now eat pretty much only all meat - and fish , eggs and shellfish . I can advise you all to boil the larger, more massive pieces of meat and fish for an hour, so that they are well cooked and you only have to brown them for a few minutes. The basis for a delicious and nutritious broth ! Fri . Gr. Hans Alewijn
Hi Hans,
I use a sous vide to cook large pieces of meat.
A 4cm thick steak is cooked through nicely, just the way you like it (is seignant at 52 degrees for 2 hours)
Then just 2 minutes on the hot grill per side and your steak will be cooked better than in many a restaurant.
I have now been living this "lifestyle" for 20 months and feel great.
I notice that I have gained a huge amount of muscle over the past year, my calves and buttocks are all muscle, no fat to speak of. Arms and chest are also starting to change. Meanwhile, have trouser size 36 (was 52)
Didn't have a single sick day at work last year either. (Still 15 days in 2019)
Not been sick last year, not even a cold.
Did eat dessert once in September at a wedding party, Oh what a hangover I had from that, 3 days of brainfog and low energy. So it was a Christmas dinner with only meat for me.
I did have cramps in the calves once Edna, bit more salt on my meat and it was over in no time. (Now use Redmond real salt) The Himalayan salt is apparently a lot of fake rubbish on the market.
Hi. Does the meat still taste good then? Ba cooking it in water? Or do you mean simmer until cooked?
Oh das a very good tip with first boiling and then frying. And drinking the liquid again. Do you add anything else to that broth?
I cook it until tender in my slow-cooker with piece of butter in it never actually bake it.
No chicken?
With Carnivoir, can you use/not use: egg-powder, liquid protein, collagen(beef) and/or whey isolate xp powder?
This does not strike me as a problem at all.
[...] we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about the carnivore diet - what is it, how does it work, what does it cost - it's time to take a [...]
Hi Ben, is not drinking milk a personal choice and does it fit into the carnivore diet ?
Greetings Tamara
Wow how wonderful Ben, a heart to heart for me. I am now 14 days into Carnivore, want to lose weight SO badly, have "tried all diets"....
I find it very difficult for now, especially at stress moments of course, because used to react off with food. But I understand from your comments that it takes some patience. And that you are already feeling so well after a year, fantastic.
Thank you for this encouragement!
Can I still ask if you suffer from muscle cramps in foot or leg, or has that also passed?
Greetings, Edna.
something went wrong with the name, (sorry Marijke). My name is Edna.
Indeed Edna , my name above your article!
My daughter recommended the app Chronometer to me. Still need to study it. I also had cramping, but with magnesium this is over.
Hello I have a question .I have been doing the carnivore diet for almost a year now.I do not eat organ meat.How do I still get the optimal vitamins?.I started doing this to lose weight and have lost 20 kg. Now I feel so good about it that I will keep doing this for now .
If you are doing it long-term, I would definitely recommend doing blood tests ea from time to time, as we simply don't have enough experience in this area yet.
[...] to follow that which is somewhat less extreme and health experimental in nature," concludes [...].
Just two points: no scientific study has ever shown that fibre contributes anything to health. However, there are studies showing that a diet devoid of fibre can be positive for bowel function.
Vitamin C is abundant in organ meats such as liver. Moreover, a glucose-free diet requires much less vitamin C.
We just have less practical experience with it, reasoning from our current epigenetics. For example, Masai will have adaptations that many other people don't have. That makes it complex and ultimately bespoke. I am very curious to see what else we will learn about this in the coming years. Thanks for your response Bert!
Quite right Bert.
In the end, it is just sawdust one eats.
We did not evolve for millions of years to eat indigestible plants.
Just comparing the appendix between humans and a gorilla says it all. We cannot ferment plant matter.
I went from constipation to diarrhoea.
Since eating a zero carb diet, I no longer have intestinal problems at all.
Haven't eaten vegetables or fruit for a year now.
Neatly going to the toilet once a day, and no more having to run to get there on time 🙂 ...
Fiber is mostly pushed by bigfood.
Hi Ben, may I ask what a weekly menu looks like or where I can get this from.
Thanks in advance
Ingrid
Animal products only.
Beef, Pig, chicken, eggs, fish, shellfish.
Dairy, cream butter, whole yoghurt, sour cream
Milk I don't drink.
I only drink coffee and water.
Hi Ben. And vit C. And iodine? Are you taking supplements for that? I myself have been on it for a week now. Not to lose weight.
And now two years into it.
2 Years without fruit and vegetables.
Not seen a doctor in 2 years.
Didn't even catch a cold.
Feel great every day, brimming with energy.
Diabetes T2 gone
High blood pressure gone
Arthritis gone
Migraine gone
Sinusitis gone
Tinitus gone
No more bleeding gums
No more intestinal problems
No more diarrhoea, perfect 1 bowel movement a day
Skin Tags gone
Almost no more sunburn, skin much smoother and flawless
Eyes improved for reading, and markedly better at nightfall
10 cm skin flap on abdomen gone
Toenails strong and shiny, no longer yellow and crumbly
40 kg down
Blood pressure from 15/10 with pills to 11/6 in 6 weeks
Resting heart rate from 80 to 55
Muscle mass +7 kg
Get a six-pack without doing anything for it.
What I also notice is that at work everyone is yawning after lunch, so I don't do that anymore.
This is why I recently started following the diet as well. Exactly for also a lot of what it says with you too. I have/had enough of sore joints, being tired after eating no energy, etc.
Everyone though thanks for the tips with what to do with the start-up inconveniences.
Tinitus gone Really
Not had a tone in my ear for a year and a half.
Sleep great every night.
Snore no more either.
Wow how super to read.
Hello Ben,
May I ask what all you do eat and drink?
Greetings Siem
Well what the carnivore diet is not is a diet.
Nor is it hype.
It's just not eating the industrial junk, and eating what our genes are made for.
There is plenty of evidence of this working, peoples who did not know western diseases got them after switching to western food. Inuit, Masai, Aboriginal, North American Indians who ate only bison.
Your body returns to its normal state, and can begin to heal itself.
I have been doing this for one year now, and the list of ailments that have disappeared is long:
No more type 2 diabetes
Migraine gone
high blood pressure gone (had to stop medication after 1 month)
Sinusitis gone
Plugged ears gone
Arthritis in hips gone
Skintags gone
36 kilos of weight lost
Constipation gone
Sore ribs gone in the morning
Having to replace my reading glasses with a weaker pair.
Those deficiencies that could occur. My blood levels have never been better. I am 53 and have better values than my 23-year-old son.
Those minimum recommended daily amounts, by the way, are a guess of science, tested via mice.
When you realise that our modern "sugar diet" is not the normal state, but puts your body in a state of emergency to get that junk out of your blood asap...insulin spikes...then you're done for.
Cool Ben! I am curious to see how this will suit you in the long run. I'm still a bit more cautious at the moment. Between Western unhealthy lifestyle and carnivorous diet, there are many options and nuances. In the end, it's also a search for customisation.
Good luck and enjoy your great results so far 😀.
Dear Ben Sels,
I have been reading the whole piece and have actually become increasingly interested in this lifestyle. Doesn't seem like a diet to me.
What I am definitely curious about is what you eat in a day and how your body reacted to it, especially in the beginning. What I'm also curious about , don't you miss the daily food you were eating before this year. seems very difficult to me when you walk through town, for instance, and see all those tasty things passing by that you just took then. What's that like now, seems very strange that those kinds of things are gone. Do you occasionally have some kind of cut-off day where you do eat something more elaborate or is that all over.
Hope to hear from you.
Greetings Theo
Hi Theo,
Animal products only. Beef, Pig, chicken, eggs, fish, shellfish.
Dairy like, cream butter, full-fat yoghurt, sour cream. Milk I don't drink.
I only drink coffee and water.
I eat steak 4-5 days a week - something like 700g.
In the process, about five eggs.
Only salt, enough salt, I don't use pepper af other spices on my meat.
Some days I eat one meal, other days two smaller meals.
The days with two meals, breakfast is always bacon and eggs.
Steak that is too lean I eat a knob of butter with it.
I eat chicken or other lean meat with sour cream.
Once a month I pig's liver. But eating organs is not really necessary. Sufficient fat is the most important thing.
After 3 months carnivorous, your tastes begin to change, and you have no desire for those sweet things at all.
Walked through the AH with my wife a month ago, and nothing on those shelves registers as food for me anymore.
You are amazed at how much your body changes, including your brain.
So when I go shopping with the wife, I don't have to make any effort at all to ignore those "tasty" things, I just drink a coffee, no more ice cream for me.
The hunger feeling is completely different from before. The hunger feeling in a sugar eater is a craving for dopamine, just a reward for your brain.
I'm a 13-month carnivore, and haven't had a single craving for dessert or any other sweet.
The change I find most amazing is the incredible clarity of mind I have. Huge energy and ability to concentrate. Blessed just like that.
Had a blood test done a fortnight ago, and my GP was in disbelief. Spectacular result, she had never experienced before.
My blood levels at 53 are much better than those of my 23-year-old son.
Since sugar (carbohydrate) eating is an addiction, you can expect a number of things if you suddenly leave it out of your diet.
I had a slight headache for 2 days... just like an alcoholic quitting.
About 5 days of uncomfortable gut, you don't have the right gut flora, this requires a few days of adjustment.
But the benefits you start experiencing after only 3 weeks are more than worth these inconveniences.
I have tried just about every diet in my life, and nothing worked.
But now I have total control over my weight, I still lose weight and if I like it to go faster I just fast 48 hours.
Regards
Ben
Hi Ben, thanks for your response. If I read it correctly, fortunately you are doing well. One more question though, that 4 to 5 times steak a week. You talk about around 700 grams. Is that per time or divided over those 4 or 5 times? The eggs, I guess it's one at a time. I can figure it out, but if I want to do this with my wife and both eat 700 grams of steak every time, that's 1.5 kilos a time. Bit expensive so to speak. Or am I completely wrong. I assume that the times you don't eat steak you eat the other types of meat that are available.
I'll hear from you I hope. I do notice that I get more and more motivated when I read about this way of eating.
Greetings Theo
Hi Theo,
I am not doing "well" but fantastic.
I understand that it is hard to imagine that all those age-related ailments are caused by your diet, and that you can cure them.
And that everything a qualified dietitian learns about nutrition while studying is actually totally wrong.
A GP also learns virtually nothing about the relationship between diet and metabolism.
The whole nutrition triangle is wrong.
All based on a hypothesis from the 1950s by Ancel Keys.
Take a look at the film Fat Fiction and Dr Anthony Chaffee's videos on youtube.
It is inconceivable that the whole food and pharma industry is wrong, but it is the only way for them to make big profits.
And yes, I regularly eat a 700g steak a day (2 ribeye steaks from Lidl of 350g) Those days I eat nothing else.
This costs a bit, but when I make the bill I don't spend anything more on other "food", I don't buy any more of that rubbish called nutrition that you eat a lot more of.
Indeed, the days I don't eat steak I eat the other varieties.
Yesterday, fried a kilo of pork/beef mince in the wok, with 10 eggs added.
I ate from it until I had enough, and today I am eating the leftover for breakfast.
My health is worth this to me, I'm just really sorry I didn't know this 30 years ago.
Greetings,
Ben
Hello Ben,
I am just now reading about the carnivore diet because I heard about this today. Ran into a couple who had started this diet and they were raving about it. I got quite interested and want to know more about it.
I work in a shop where they have unprocessed meat and for the past few weeks, when I walk past the meat, I've had the water running into my mouth and a huge desire to eat it, so I guess my body is asking for meat.
I eat no bags or jars, always lots of fresh vegetables and love rice, I am a big eater and also eat the requisite chocolate and more often I lapse into very bad snacking. I am fed up.
But........ how do I start carnivorous eating. Suddenly hoppa, or build up. I still have a lot of vegetables and other things in the fridge, I do want to use those up first, am not into throwing them away.
I want to mentally prepare for this anyway, also see what it will cost, because the meat I buy is a bit more expensive.
Where do I start.....
Great Ben, may I ask what you do eat and what and day looks like in terms of food and drink?
I read about this on the thin-fibre neuropathy forum, I have always been told that a lot of meat would actually be acidifying and bad for rheumatism, for example. So how can this diet be anti-inflammatory? I feel it goes completely against everything I have "learnt".
I think the acidification story is different and that it has less to do with nutrition (buffering) than with, say, stress.
Balanced article Raplh!
The carnivore diet challenges just about everything we have been 'taught' about healthy eating.
There are people who have been eating this way for 20 years and are in core health. I have been following quite a few people who promote the diet for quite some time and I don't think weight loss is the No 1 goal of many people. It is, however, a very wide range of health problems. It's that so many personal stories are becoming available, otherwise you wouldn't believe it. There really is something going on here. Very interesting!
Since people who have been following this diet for 20 years are in core health, vitamin and mineral deficiencies will be no problem. Blood tests of some of these people have been published. It seems that the daily recommended values are different for this diet, but no research has been done on that yet. Even people who eat almost only steaks and minced meat do not get scurvy, which you would expect based on mainstream views.
It seems like this diet puts you in a different state, where many 'facts' we know suddenly turn out not to be true.
The lack of fibre does not appear to be a problem either. Do we actually need it? There seems to be no scientific evidence for this. There was a study on constipation, though. Only the patients who consumed 0% fibre all got rid of their problems, completely.
Hong Kong residents are among the longest-lived in the world, with the highest meat consumption. How can that be? In the West, meat is not seen as a health food. In Hong Kong, it is. Could also be a healthy user bias, people are more concerned with their health and thus have other health-promoting habits. The same can be said of the epidemiological studies where meat comes out as the culprit: people don't care that much about their health, smoke, eat meat with a fries and milkshake....
I am curious to see what will be revealed about this diet in the future.
Warm regards,
Jeroen
yes hey, totally agree with you and I also find it all interesting and will keep a close eye on it
Dear Ralph,
How long does it take for the inflammations to start decreasing?
I really can't say anything about that. First of all, the cause of the inflammation has to be found and if that is a lifestyle-related cause you can work on (is not always the case) then all inflammatory forms are different again. Restless skin will clear up faster than severe inflammation or autoimmune diseases will flare up less.
Thank you Ralph for your response.
But now I have another problem.
I suddenly became very
Starting to retain moisture. What could this be due to? Am I doing something wrong?
Could t also have a good effect with fybromyalgia?
Actually, in all inflammation-related complaints...
There is indeed scientific research/evidence showing that the carnivore diet does not cause deficiencies, provided the total animal is eaten (eggs, organs, fat, bone broth, bones, etc.). 1 minute of serious googling on (scientific) articles and you have found them in no time. It's not experimental, it's how we were evolutionarily formed and how we ate for millions of years.... no hype then. We have not been eating as omnivores (plants/vegetables) for so long.
Oh I definitely believe that, that it is possible though. There really are many roads to Rome, although one constitution will adapt more easily than another to a new diet. And you have to know very well what you are doing, and that won't always be the case. However, in an omnivorous diet, the risk of deficiency is lower in a person who is casual with the diet.
I think this is a good way of eating. How do you maintain your weight so that you don't lose more than necessary? I just wonder with the necessary discouragement of current politics ...how can you keep doing this way of eating? Haven't they already invented a 3D printer with fake meat? Will there be any meat left soon?
A daughter has been following this diet for 3/4 years now and with many good results. She started this because of severe migraines, which she has now largely lost.
Also have several complaints that I would like to work on.
I also started on the Carnivore diet but at the age of 80, it is very difficult to change your mindset regarding nutrition.
I wonder what would happen if I ended up in a hospital and I was given a drip of glucose or the way of eating in hospitals which is so completely different.
For now, I just assume that eating this way will keep the hospital far from me ( even though I live around the corner ????)
I am now about 2 months in.
And eats 600gr of veal/beef mince, some eggs, and a Ribeye/Entrecote a day.
But I have no energy and feel lifeless.
What am I doing wrong?
Your post is from a while ago, have you found a solution yet?
My thoughts:
- You could eat more
- I often hear that electrolyte deficiency can play a role, you could supplement
- Meat needs time to digest, maybe your sleep can get deeper if you lunch OMAD (one meal a day)
- Still, add something from fruit you can tolerate, a banana quite a long time after/before your normal food e.g.
So here are some things I have tried and what seems to work. My body especially likes a fruit every other day, not much needed but still that little bit. Perhaps fat burning is not optimal with me or something is still missing, but this is how it works.