A new popular diet, the Carnivore Diet, involves the cutting out of all starches, fruits and vegetables.
It permits only the consumption of animal products such as meats, eggs, butter and other dairy products including cheese, yoghurt and kefir. Its proponents are claiming spectacular results.
But what does the research tell us?
We asked Cape Town dietician, Rael Koping, for his opinion. According to Rael, the research is mostly descriptive at this stage, meaning that studies are performed on people who are already following the diet, and describe their experience. “This introduces a bias of self-selection because people who experiences ill-effects or poor results would abandon the eating plan, and so their experiences are not included; the research reflects only those who have successfully adopted the diet,” Rael cautions.
A large survey conducted on over 2000 people who had been on the Carnivore Diet for over 14 months indicated, on average, very good weight loss, reduced cholesterol, improved diabetic control, and, among diabetics, a reduction in diabetic medication. However, it is concerning that most reported a rise in LDL cholesterol, which is the ‘bad’ cholesterol. Very few reported stomach issues, somewhat surprising since it is widely accepted that fibre from whole grains, fruit and veg is important for a healthy gut. One study was done on an individual who had been on Carnivore for four years. His gut biome was found to be very similar to a person eating a healthy diet rich in unprocessed foods and fibre-rich vegetables. His gut was far healthier than that of a person eating a Western diet featuring meats, as well as highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates.
But is it possible to have a balanced diet without the vitamins and minerals from plants?
“That is an interesting question,” responds Rael, “because most nutrients are more bioavailable from animal sources than from plant sources. So if an animal’s diet has adequate vitamins and minerals, then a person eating that animal should absorb them well, and not be deficient. That said, the most likely deficiencies when following a Carnivore Diet are Vitamin C and Calcium.”
To conclude, we asked Rael whether he recommends this diet. “No, I do not,” Is his frank answer. “Aside from increased bad cholesterol, other red flags include if you have had a history of yo-yo dieting or of addiction, especially where the addiction may lead to an eating disorder. Such an extreme diet, with its social implications, is likely to trigger addictive patterns in susceptible people.
People at risk of heart disease, kidney disease, or osteoporosis should also beware. Although many lifestyle risk markers seem to improve in the short term, it is not clear if they will translate to longevity in the long term. If you intend to follow Carnivore, I suggest that the plan is modified for you personally, and that your risk markers are regularly checked,” Rael advises.
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