The Carnivore Diet: Positives, Negatives and The Right Protocol

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Dr Shawn Baker and his book: The Carnivore Diet have pioneered the growth of those eating only animal products (essentially the direct opposite to veganism). Alongside his carnivore diet, Baker has notable achievements such as becoming an orthopaedic surgeon, a world record holder, a Doctor of Medicine, a semi-professional rugby player and a US air force officer and commander.

Is It Good for You?

According to mainstream science, the carnivore diet provides many negatives, these are described in the amount of fat and sodium in the diet creating a higher risk in colorectal cancer and heart disease. Despite this, the carnivore diet has a plethora of evidence based and anecdotal research which shows interesting results, some of which proving the direct opposite to those described by the diet’s opposition. These results may even make you want to give the diet a go.

Reported Benefits:

Common benefits that people have experienced, according to carnivore.diet.com (Baker’s website), are the reversal of diabetes, normalised blood pressure and a reduction in digestive problems. One of the primary reasons to switch to carnivore is to lose weight as it has been anecdotally proven to be a lifestyle choice that is simple and sustainable for weight loss. This is due to how satiating meat and meat products are.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance in cells in the muscles, fat and the liver. With this being said, carbohydrates are associated with releasing insulin from the pancreas (due to increases in blood sugars from carbs), according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Baker claims that avoiding carbohydrates in your diet can even so far as reverse type 2 diabetes, due to the control of blood glucose levels that are found within the carnivore diet.

Protocol:

The best protocol for beginning a diet such as carnivore is to eat only the best quality ingredients, as would be advised with any diet (eating 80-90% non-processed foods). Within the carnivore diet, it is advised to eat only grass-fed, pasture-raised meats and wild-caught seafood, as well as full-fat dairy products and eggs. To make crafting a carnivore diet easier, here is a list of foods which are best advised to eat while on the carnivore diet.

As always, consult a doctor or medical professional before making any radical change to your diet, lifestyle, or supplementation.

Meat:

The best advised meats to rely on are the fattier cuts, such as a grass-fed ribeye, New York strip steak, 80/20 ground beef or pork chops. Such meats with higher fat contents will provide a great source of energy to replace the lack of carbohydrates in your diet. The same philosophy is suggested also for fish, look for fattier fishes such as salmon, trout, mackerel, or sardines.

Eggs:

A staple of the carnivore lifestyle is eggs (aka natures multivitamin). Eggs contain a great amount of protein, fat and nutrients so will be perfect for this, and any good diet.

Dairy:

To avoid building an intolerance, aim to eat less dairy than meat products in your diet. Milk, grass-fed butter and raw or aged cheeses are still a great source of fat when eaten in moderation.

Other Important Elements:

Bone marrow or broth is a great protein source which is full of collagen, which is also good for your gut, hair, skin, nails and joint health. Using lard, tallow and fats which come from animal products to cook your food in are also advised for a carnivore.

With the incorporation of a carnivorous diet into your lifestyle, as suggested by Baker, your lifestyle could see massive improvements. Listen to Baker’s description of how and why to eat carnivore here, in his podcast with Joe Rogan.