Carnivore Diet Review: The Pros and Cons of Carnivore Dieting

Who does not want to eat bacon, steak, and more steak every day? Plus, you don’t have to count calories while you lose weight. Well, these are the promises of the carnivore diet. Although there are known benefits of this diet, this carnivore diet review will take a look at how this diet works and what are its benefits.

Carnivore Diet Review: How It Works?

This diet requires consuming only meat and animal products. That’s why it is high in fat and protein with no carbs. It makes it an ideal low-carb diet.

The carnivore diet has been around for years (or centuries). It is believed that our ancestors only ate meat at some point.

Shawn Baker was the forerunner of this trend and he made it popular in 2016. You can read his book, The Carnivore Diet, to know the positive health results of this diet on his life and overall health.

He also credits his athletic success to this meat-only diet.

But he’s not the only one advocating this type of diet. Dr. Paul Saladino also made this movement popular.

Unlike Shawn, Paul supports eating nose to tail. It means that he encourages eating organ meats and their connective tissue along with traditional cuts of meat.

He also recommends eating only grass-fed meat. But Paul is not just an author of a book. When you read his book, you will know how he managed to tame his severe eczema with this diet.

According to him, he tried other diets to treat his autoimmune condition. Unfortunately, nothing worked until he tried this diet.

If you wish to follow this diet, you don’t need to think of other ingredients. As the term suggests, this diet requires eating only meat. No rice. No potatoes.

However, if you read Dr. Saladino’s book you will find various tiers of this diet. The variations will help you customize this diet according to your specific needs.

What to Eat on the Carnivore Diet? 

It depends on the variation you are following. If you want to be strict, you need to consume animal products only. But you have to eliminate, yogurt, milk, and cheese.

In a less severe diet, you can include milk, yogurt, and cheese.

You can’t eat eggs and dairy because they are inflammatory to some people.

If you incorporate vegetables, you can say that you’re 90% carnivore.

What are the Pros of Following the Carnivore Diet?

There is a range of digestive health benefits as per reported by many followers. This diet is also said to stabilize energy levels and improve mood.

Weight Loss 

Most people who jump on the bandwagon of this diet are in for the weight loss benefit.

Indeed, this diet can significantly improve your weight loss ability. Thanks to its high protein, low-carb component.

Several studies showed that a low-carb, high-protein diet, like a carnivore diet, does promote weight loss.

Reduce Inflammation

Sugar triggers inflammation. When you start to reduce your carb intake, you will notice a great difference in how you feel.

You can start by eliminating processed foods from your diet. They are a major contributor to inflammation. These foods are also high in carbs.

But just because health experts recommend eliminating processed foods from your diet, it does not mean that you have to load up on deli meats. These are still high in carbs which can still cause inflammation.

Clearer Mind

Meat can sharpen your mind. But it still depends on the kind of meat you eat. Still, choosing to eat meat only will help your brain function. It is rich in zinc, iron, and vitamin B12, among others.

The best thing about eating only meat is that you don’t have to suffer from blood sugar crashes. It means that your energy will improve. Your mental energy will also increase.

However, in some cases, when you are just starting, you may experience mental fatigue. It is especially true if you are doing it wrong.

What are the Negatives of a Carnivore Diet? 

The carnivore diet comes without side effects. Some people may experience the following side effects:

• Diarrhea or constipation. A change in your bowel movements can happen during the first phase of this diet. The reason for this is that your body is still adjusting to your diet. However, this side effect will be gone once your body has adapted to your protein and fat intake.
• Difficult to sustain. Because of food selection, this diet is difficult to sustain for many people. That’s why only a few can survive on this type of diet.
• Repetitive. Because of the lack of variety, you may get bored eating the same thing every day.
• Costly. This is one of the reasons not all people can follow this diet. Because it requires the consumption of high-quality meat, not all people can afford it. However, you can make a carnivore diet cheaper by following these tricks.

Should You Try Carnivore Diet? 

Just like any diet, this is not for everyone. Although it has a lot of health benefits, it may not be ideal for you. If you think that this diet is expensive, there are various ways to make it cheaper. For instance, you don’t have to choose those expensive meat cuts.

The carnivore diet can be sustainable only if you can handle those hurdles. As you can see in this carnivore diet review, this type of diet can be difficult to follow for some people. You may consider talking to a provider for consultation.

If you have further questions about the carnivore diet that has not been discussed in this carnivore diet review, please check out our posts here.