What is the Carnivore Diet?

While I prefer the word “lifestyle” rather than “diet,” the Carnivore Diet is the latest nutritional lifestyle in the mainstream. People like Dr. Paul Saladino (carnivoremd.com), Shawn Baker (shawn-baker.com), and others are doing incredible things by following this way of eating. They have seen results such as losing excess body fat, improved blood test markers, and improved physical performance. They also claim they have clearer thinking, better sleep, and they are trying to get the word out so more people can experience these results too.

What is the Carnivore Diet?

The Carnivore Diet is not a new way of eating at all. In fact, it is the way our ancient ancestors ate in a hunter/gatherer society. They would hunt animals like bison, elk, and deer. They took a “nose to tail” approach where they would utilize every ounce of meat, fat, and even the organs of the animal for food. They would boil the bones to make bone broth and used the fur to make clothing and shelter. There were no grains, no fruits or vegetables, and definitely no processed foods.

They didn’t eat carbohydrates, sugar, or artificial chemicals. Diseases like obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and Cancer didn’t exist in their society. They didn’t require preservatives for their food, and they didn’t need multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies. They didn’t need artificial medication, because their food was their medicine. Their food was meat, and on the Carnivore Diet, meat is all you need.

How do you eat carnivore?

The simplicity of the carnivore diet is also the beauty of it. All you eat are animals, nose to tail including the fat and organs. Just like the indigenous populations of the ancient hunter gatherer societies, the entire animal gets utilized. Pure carnivores will eat only animal products. No grains, fruits, vegetables, starches, or dairy products.

Some carnivores will include eggs and dairy products like cheese (in limited quantities). But they avoid sugar, grains, starches, and even vegetables. Sugar, grains, and starchy foods make up processed foods, and it’s obvious why these are avoided. But carnivores don’t eat vegetables, because it is believed that vegetables contain a chemical defense mechanism that is harmful to humans and other carnivorous animals.

Why eat carnivore?

The benefits of the carnivore diet appear to be promising. People are experiencing better mental clarity, improved physical performance, and body fat loss. It seems like a no-brainer as to why these benefits are happening.

First of all, eating only meat eliminates all processed foods. Nearly all processed foods contain sugar, and even worse, high fructose corn syrup. More and more information is coming out about how poisonous and bad sugar is for the human body. Consuming sugar can cause type 2 diabetes, and consuming fructose can be even worse, causing obesity and high blood pressure. Experts are even discussing the fact that cancer cells use sugar and fructose for energy. Regardless of the diet we choose, we all need to eliminate sugar from the foods we eat.

Next, eating carnivore eliminates grains and starches. Eliminating these foods removes gluten from the diet. The majority of human beings have at least a mild allergy to gluten. This mild allergy produces adverse effects that most people are used to and don’t even realize exist. Then there are those who have severe reactions to gluten and can’t eat it without getting sick.

Finally, going carnivore eliminates artificial ingredients such as sweeteners and colors. These ingredients are believed to cause behavioral problems in children, joint pain, weight gain, and even cancer. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, has been studied immensely but still no one knows what the long term effects of this chemical are. And there are no guarantees whether it is even safe for consumption.

Carnivores in the wild

If we look into nature, at the wild carnivorous animals, we can witness the benefits of this diet. Think about a lion, a wolf, or a shark. These carnivorous animals are never obese or overweight. Is that because there is a shortage of food for them? Absolutely not. A lion picks and chooses from entire herds of prey. And a shark has its choice of an abundance of fish, seals, and other prey. These animals never overeat, because they are satiated from eating the natural food they were designed to eat. This keeps their bodies in optimal condition so they can function and survive in their harsh environment.

It’s also worth noting that these animals don’t get diseases like cancer, diabetes, or heart disease. Their diet doesn’t promote hormonal fluctuations which cause the immune system to react to inflammation leading to damage of the body’s own healthy cells. There are no hormonal or eicosanoid imbalances which can cause tumor growth, allergies, vasoconstriction and other reactions. They don’t need doctors or medications to treat diseases caused by diet. The meat that they eat provides protein, fat, calories, and even vitamins and minerals without the need for sugar, grains, or even vegetables to sustain their health and vitality.

What about you?

What about you? Do you think a carnivore diet is something you could sustain? Personally, I like fruits and green vegetables and think they are an important component in any diet. Do you think you could eat nothing but meat? Be honest with this question. If your answer is no, is it because you’re addicted to sugar?