[Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, as I am not a health expert. Please see your doctor before implementing any changes that may affect your health.]
I followed a strict carnivore diet for 18 months and learned the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here I’ll share what I’ve learned and how the claims of its proponents line up with a biblical perspective—or do they?
What It Is
The Carnivore Diet, just as it sounds, is an animal-based diet. No vegetables, fruit, flour, sugar, beans, or condiments except unrefined salt. Some followers allow certain aged cheeses and perhaps cream for coffee. But for many, it’s beef, eggs, bacon, and butter—turning conventional low-fat wisdom on its head. Any type of meat is allowed, though grass-fed beef is preferred, and eating all the fat is essential.
- Why eat all the fat? The body burns either carbs or fat. Since carbs are not in the diet, it’s important to eat enough fat for energy.
- Isn’t that unhealthy? Proponents say that fat (in the form of ketones) is the ideal brain food,and therefore the full-fat diet is healthy for our brains, as well as for other essential functions like hormone production. Most Americans do not get enough healthy fat.
- Won’t that make you fat? Surprisingly, no! When the body burns fat, people lose weight. The key is to have a no-carb or very low-carb diet. If you start burning carbs again, the fat will get stored instead of used, and you’ll gain weight.
But is it the “perfect” human diet?
Well-meaning carnivore gurus, including some medical doctors, say this diet is the “perfect” human diet. They back up that claim by asserting that mankind ate this way for “millions” of years, from time immemorial. They prefer “Carnivore Lifestyle” to “Diet,” because, as they see it, it’s the only healthy way to eat and should be followed for life.
Is It True?
In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve “every plant yielding seed” (grains, herbs, vegetables) and “every tree yielding seed,” (fruit and nuts) for food (Genesis 1:29). They ate no meat. Animals were not even wild yet or estranged from mankind.
The bottom line is that in a perfect, sinless world like Eden, there was no death, and you can’t eat an animal unless it’s dead.
Conclusion: We did not eat meat from the beginning, as the proponents say.
Then why do we eat meat now?
The global flood in Genesis 9 drastically changed the world, its atmosphere, the distribution of land masses, and much more. Afterward, God told Noah and his family, “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.”2 Notice that God did not rescind his gift of vegetables and plants, He merely added animals to the menu. Therefore, meat is perfectly acceptable food for us, but so are plants (Genesis 9:3). If God—the One who made us—says green plants are good for food, who are we to say otherwise?
Conclusion: Meat alone is not the “perfect” human diet.
- Does this mean all vegetables are healthy? I don’t have room to discuss farming practices, pesticides, herbicides, GMOs. and the like. (A similar discussion could be held about meat production and CAFO farms.) The idea is that vegetables as a class were given by a good God for us to enjoy, and that approval has never been rescinded. Like all things, however, we must use discretion to choose wisely, eat in moderation (sorry, vegetarians!) and check sources for what we consume.
Can the carnivore diet be helpful?
Yes, here are some pros:
- Meat is extremely nourishing. It is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and contains, besides complete proteins, essential vitamins, micro-nutrients, minerals, and amino acids. It is highly digestible and bioavailable. Vitamin B12 is only found in meat sources.
- It’s a great elimination diet by its sheer exclusivity. By following the diet and slowly reintroducing other foods, you’ll know if they sit well with you or not. The variation known as the Lion Diet is red meat only—the ultra-elimination diet. (Popularized by Jordan Peterson’s daughter Mikhaila, who recovered from a slew of very serious conditions after adopting it).
- It can heal insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome—no small things, as these are major drivers of disease.
- It’s a great way for most people to lose weight.
- It can change your taste, so you don’t need sweets or sweeteners, even after returning to a varied diet. (This will revert, however, if you go back to regularly consuming sweets.) To carnivores, eating a ribeye with butter and salt tastes like the richest of foods. I often felt I’d never eaten better.
- It simplifies meal preparation, shopping, and meal planning. I found this to be true even though I still cooked regular food with carbs for my husband and family. It often meant simply adding two sides for them to the meat I was already making. But there are no tricky calorie-counting charts or confusion about what’s allowed or measuring of quantities. It’s an easy diet to follow in that sense.
- Over time, it can help cleanse the body of unhealthy ingredients found in processed foods. By not continuing to consume them, your body has a chance to get them out.
- Fat is extremely satiating. Unlike carbs, which spike and then drop blood sugar, making you feel hungry again, meat and fat keep blood sugar steadier. No more searching the closet or fridge for something to fill that need to eat between meals. Simply put, you’re not hungry. This is very freeing! [The key is eating enough. Forget the 4 oz. steak serving—eat as much as you want!] Psalm 63:5 attests, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.”
Here are some cons:
- A sudden switch to the diet can cause major constipation. Ease into it.
- Without electrolyte supplementation, most people will develop leg cramps, especially at night. I did, and they were terrible. I found that using electrolyte drops daily in my morning water took care of this issue.
- It raises cholesterol. Testing shows that “good” cholesterol usually far outranks “bad” cholesterol in those on the diet. My case included. (Cholesterol is no longer considered the litmus test for heart health. Studies show that people with very low cholesterol die younger than those with higher numbers. Every cell in our body needs cholesterol, especially the brain. So this may not be a ‘con’ for everyone.)
- It can be socially awkward and difficult to stick to when eating out or at parties. It’s harder to find good options for takeout or quick snacks.
- Gurus say ANY meat is better than eating veggies, including hot dogs!
- Good quality meat, poultry, and fish are expensive.
- Like any food addiction, the diet can be an obsession. YouTube gurus are not only obsessed with food, but they’re forever getting their bloodwork checked and telling followers to. (If it’s the perfect human diet, why all the fuss about frequent testing?)
- One proponent looks skeletal and thinks this is healthy. Most followers do not get this way—some even complain that they haven’t lost enough weight after months on the diet—but losing too much can happen. (I lost too much, in my opinion, in 18 months.)
- It means turning your back on all the other wonderful foods God created for us to enjoy and which, if chosen and prepared wisely, can be very good for us.
As I mentioned, I often felt I was eating like a king as a carnivore. (Remember, taste buds change!) But after 18 months, besides the weight loss, I didn’t feel wonderful. Turns out, even “carnivore doctors” admitted that some people are better off with some carbs in the diet. I decided I was one of them. I now eat a low-carb diet, but will eat anything I wish to in moderation. I feel much better!
Is there anyone who SHOULD try the diet?
If you need to lose weight, fix insulin-sensitivity, have metabolic syndrome (many, many Americans do, including children, unfortunately), or just want to avoid processed foods and get healthier, the Carnivore Diet is an effective way to do so. Most people see positive results very quickly, even within two weeks.
Would I stay on it forever? No.
About the Author
Linore Rose Burkard is a Christian author of Inspirational Romance to Warm the Heart / Fiction to Stir the Soul. For a free reader-favorite historical romance novel, join her mailing list.