To call the carnivore diet “controversial” would be an understatement. But the reality is it’s trending. So, my husband (a current carnivore diet enthusiast, at the time I’m writing this article) insisted I share the carnivore diet pros and cons, from my holistic nutrition perspective!
Everything you’ll find here is based on a blend of research findings + anecdotal real-life reports (based on my hubby’s carnivore diet journey and experiences from my carnivore-curious private practice clients over the last year-ish, from summer 2023-summer 2024).
To satisfy your curiosity, here’s an abbreviated version of what we’re about to unpack:
Possible pros and potential benefits:
- May help support weight management for folks desiring to lose weight or gain weight, achieving a healthy set point. (1)
- May benefit people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. (1)
- May provide symptom relief as a short-term elimination diet for folks navigating digestive disorders. (1)
- May help manage symptoms for people with psychiatric disorders. (1)
- May help provide symptom relief for people with autoimmune disorders and endocrine disorders. (1)
- May help provide symptom relief for dermatological (skin) conditions. (1)
- May help provide symptom relief for neurological conditions. (1)
Risks and cons of the carnivore diet:
- Not much research on the safety/effectiveness at this time.
- Generally very rigid; may not be realistic or sustainable long-term for some people.
- May be unnecessarily restrictive long-term.
- May potentially increase the risk of dehydration.
- Potentially very high in saturated fat and potentially low in omega-3 fatty acids.
- May potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular disease for some people if not done responsibly. (1, 2)
- Inherently lacking certain vital antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals – potentially leading to nutritional deficiencies. (1)
- Inherently high in purines, which could potentially trigger symptoms and flares in people with gout.
- Lacking fiber (roughage), potentially leading to constipation. (2)
- Low in prebiotics (fermentable carbohydrates), which could negatively impact gut microbial diversity long-term.
Needless to say, I’ve got lots of interesting data, findings, and insights to report and discuss!
Now let’s take a deep dive into each of the above-mentioned carnivore diet pros and cons so you can have a more holistic understanding and make your own informed choices.
Disclaimers:
- This article is not medical/nutritional advice but is written for educational purposes.
- Please keep in mind I’m not endorsing or discrediting the carnivore diet but rather sharing findings based on a combination of the latest research and my first-hand observations over the last year via my husband’s journey (with his permission) and anonymous client feedback.
- Always consult with your doctor and a registered dietitian for medical and nutritional advice tailored to your bio-individual needs.
Table of Contents
First things first: What is a holistic nutrition perspective?
“Holistic” means thinking critically and seeing the full picture, without any bias towards a particular narrative.
As a holistic registered dietitian, in my writing, and in my clinical practice I approach health and nutrition from a place of neutrality and curiosity, which allows me to see and learn through a pure and unbiased filter. (Think: multi-dimensional, 360-degree perspective.)
For example: In this article, I share and acknowledge not just the formal literature and research studies (or lack thereof in some cases)…
I also consider the anecdotal real-life experiences and case studies reported by my husband and my carnivore-curious clients who had dabbled in this diet out of desperation, before working with me. 😉
All of that said, the perspectives and insights you’ll find in this article are not meant to persuade you one way or the other but rather to educate and empower you to make more informed choices based on your unique health goals and needs.
Now, let’s begin!
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet is an “animal-based”, “meat-centric” diet that was developed by Dr. Shawn Baker, MD.
This diet is endorsed based on the premise that traditional arctic diets were very ketogenic, low in plant foods, and high in carnivorous proteins, and these populations of people thrived for millennia. (1)
According to Baker and many other carnivore diet enthusiasts, this diet is meant to support weight loss, blood sugar management, gut issues, and inflammation-driven autoimmune disorders.
Carnivore diet foods list
Specifically, the carnivore diet is made up of any and all animal products such as:
- Beef
- Venison
- Bison
- Elk
- Lamb
- Pork
- Seafood (fish, shellfish)
- Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc.)
- Eggs
- Organ meat (liver, heart, kidney etc.)
- Bone broths and stocks
- Collagen peptides
- Animal fat (beef tallow, lard, chicken fat, duck fat, etc.)
- Other food products made exclusively from animal parts (i.e. jerky)
- Water
- Black coffee
- Unrefined sea salt
Some variations of the carnivore diet also “allow” minimally processed dairy (raw milk, cream, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, butter, ghee, etc.) as well as herbs, spices, seasonings, condiments, and/or raw honey.
In cases of elimination diets, dairy, herbs, spices, seasonings, fermented foods, condiments, and honey aren’t allowed or re-introduced right away until unwanted symptoms subside.
Some self-proclaimed carnivores have also reintroduced small amounts of fruit later on down the road.
Foods NOT allowed on the carnivorous diet include, but aren’t limited to:
- Fruit (initially)
- Vegetables
- Grains and starches
- Sugars (all)
- Beans, lentils, and legumes
- Nuts and seeds
- Plant-derived oils
- Alcohol
- All other beverages aside from water and black coffee
I know you’re wondering at this point: is this extreme, restrictive, and controversial way of eating actually a legit option to consider for peeps desiring to heal their gut, lose weight, balance blood sugar, and/or reverse autoimmune issues, or is it just another passing trend?
In short, per usual, it depends.
There are certain very important pros and cons to consider when it comes to our gut microbiome, our immune system, and nutritional status both short-term and long-term.
Carnivore diet research
To date, I’ve only been able to find one clinical study that directly investigated the potential benefits and safety considerations of the carnivore diet.
It’s a 2021 study, published by Current Developments in Nutrition.
Participants
This particular research study gathered information and data via surveys and consultation administered to 2,029 eligible adult participants (age 18 or older), who had reported following a carnivore diet for at least 6 months.
Reported reasons for trying the carnivore diet
The reported reasons for going on the carnivore diet included the following:
- Athletic performance
- Focus/energy
- Allergies/skin/autoimmunity
- Digestive health
- Mental health
- Diabetes
- “Other”
Clinical outcomes reported
Improved/resolved
In this study, the majority of participants reported significant improvement or in many cases, “total resolution” of the following conditions and even medical usage after going carnivore:
- Obesity/overweight
- Underweight
- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular
- Diabetes/insulin resistance
- Gastrointestinal
- Endocrinologic
- Autoimmune
- Musculoskeletal
- Neurological
- Cognitive
- Psychiatric
- Respiratory
- Urologic
- Dermatologic
- Hematologic
- Other
Diabetes medication: Almost everyone with diabetes in this study also reported being able to decrease or even discontinue their diabetes medication altogether after following a carnivore diet.
- 52% of people previously taking insulin were able to discontinue it.
- 38% of people with diabetes were able to reduce their insulin.
- 100% of people taking “other diabetes injectables” were able to discontinue these.
- 84% of people previously taking oral diabetes medications were able to discontinue it entirely.
- 14% of people taking oral diabetes medications were able to reduce their dose.
No change
Conditions that did not appear to improve as significantly or as consistently among people who spent at least 6 months or more following a mostly-carnivore diet included the following:
- Ophthalmologic (eye problems)
- Oncologic (cancer-related)
Diabetes medication:
5% of participants with diabetes were not able to reduce their medication after going on the carnivore diet but their doses did not increase.
Worsened
The only condition that appeared to significantly WORSEN for some (but not all) participants as a result of going on the carnivore diet was the following:
- Lipid abnormalities (cholesterol, triglycerides)
Diabetes medication: 7% of participants with diabetes who did not previously take insulin had to start taking insulin after going on the carnivore diet for 6 months or longer.
Study limitations
The majority of the data from these participants was self-reported which is subjective (and subject to confirmation bias).
While it’s a nice start, and definitely very eye-opening, I still believe we can benefit from significantly more studies collecting more direct, hands-on clinical data in a more controlled environment.
Of course, I’ll continue to update this post periodically, if/when more research studies are rolled out down the road!
But in the meantime let’s unpack each of these findings in greater detail.
Real-life reports and experiences
Most health and nutrition-related breakthroughs begin with brave pioneers and early adopters who are willing to step into uncharted territory and experiment on themselves, in hopes of finding greener pastures.
Below is some data I’ve gathered from real people (family, friends, and clients) over the last year.
(Please take all of this with a grain of salt, and make sure to read this article all the way to the end if you’d like my insights and interpretations in terms of the “why” behind the “what”!)
Anecdotal claims and reported benefits
Weight loss
My husband and some of my 1-1 clients have reported significant weight loss (whether intentionally or unintentionally) after “going carnivore”.
- My husband requested that I share he has lost about 25 pounds in the first 6 months of his carnivore journey, before integrating exercise into his regimen.
- My clients with digestive disorders also reported experiencing weight loss; however, in some of these cases, it was unintentional.
Blood sugar stabilization
My husband had borderline high blood sugar levels and borderline high hemoglobin A1C in the spring of 2023.
- His blood sugar and A1c levels have since normalized since he re-checked 1 year later after starting his carnivore diet journey – so he no longer meets the criteria for pre-diabetes. Yay!
Digestive improvement
As a gut health dietitian nutritionist, most of the clients I encounter in my clinical practice have suffered from longstanding digestive disorders such as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Celiac disease (with subsequent gluten allergy)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease or colitis
- Sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (genetic or acquired)
- Diverticular diseases
- Subsequent carbohydrate intolerances (roughage/fiber intolerance, FODMAP intolerance, fructose intolerance, lactose intolerance, sucrose intolerance, starch intolerance)
Recommended reading: Low Fiber Foods List With Free Downloadable PDF
And in about 90% of cases, people with at least one of those disorders reported feeling significantly better on a carnivore elimination diet by reducing the frequency and severity of the following symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea/vomiting
- Heartburn
- Bloating
- Gas
- Abdominal pain
Psychiatric remission
Several of my 1-1 clients reported going into remission from severe depression and bipolar disorder while following a carnivore diet.
Reported side effects of the carnivore diet
Constipation
About 10% of my carnivore-curious clients reported that eliminating all fruits, vegetables, and starches made them feel “a lot worse”, specifically by amplifying their symptoms of constipation.
Increased uric acid levels
A few people I know who tried the carnivore diet experienced significant increases in their blood levels of uric acid which is associated with gout.
Joint pain
My husband reported experiencing worsening foot and ankle pain in his bones since going on the carnivore diet.
(While his doctors believed this was gout, and his uric acid levels went up, he was able to resolve this issue by adding supplemental omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, and magnesium to his regimen.)
Higher cholesterol and/or triglycerides
The carnivore diet has the potential to be very high in saturated fat, since most people anecdotally appear to be leaning more on red meat and less on seafood and poultry. (Meat is more satiating since it’s very high in fat.)
For this reason, it’s no surprise that many people have reported experiencing higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels since going carnivore.
Nutrient deficiencies
Some people on a carnivore diet have reported symptoms that turned out to be related to nutritional deficiencies.
Symptoms resolved when the nutrients were repleted with certain plant foods, nutritive herbs, and/or supplements.
Carnivore diet, demystified: Holistic dietitian insights
Now that you’ve got context, let’s tie all of this together!
Below I’ll share my holistic insights on the carnivore diet’s pros and cons, both short-term and long-term.
Weight loss
I think it’s safe to say the carnivore diet seems promising, at least short-term, as a way to jump-start weight loss goals.
However, it’s also low in key nutrients and may be unnecessarily restrictive / not sustainable.
For example, I’ve seen people lose weight and keep it off, without cutting out so many foods and food groups.
- To learn more about how I approach healthy weight management with my clients, feel free to check out my holistic eating framework which is nutritionally balanced, high quality, customized, and – most importantly – sustainable.
Weight restoration
This diet may or may not be beneficial for folks desiring to gain weight.
On the one hand, I witnessed some of my clients experience unintentional weight loss.
However, on the other hand, according to the 2021 study, the majority of participants who reported being underweight / trying to restore weight were able to achieve improvement or resolution.
So, while the jury is still out here, I recommend leaning on more nutrient-dense and nutritionally balanced foods for healthy and sustainable weight restoration.
- If you’re on a weight restoration journey, feel free to grab your own copy of my go-to list of whole, nutrient-dense, minimally processed, high-calorie low-volume foods and tips for healthy weight restoration here.
Diabetes and blood sugar management
Between the overwhelming number of individuals from the research study who were able to reduce or even discontinue their diabetes medication, and my husband’s experience with going from pre-diabetic to normal blood sugar and A1c levels, I believe the carnivore diet is likely effective for diabetes and blood sugar management.
Still, I would love to see more research being done to further investigate this.
- Full transparency: I’m concerned it may be difficult to access enough funding for more research here, since the carnivore diet may present as a potential “threat” to pharmaceutical industries which sadly profit from repeat customers relying on medication for blood sugar management.
Digestive disorders
Many people with digestive disorders are finding relief on the carnivore diet, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence!
However, I believe this is the result of the extreme elimination of all carbohydrates, which may not be necessary and could be potentially detrimental.
Unnecessarily restrictive
By default, of course, somebody with celiac disease will get immediate relief on a carnivore diet – because it has cut out all grains (including all grains which contain gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, triticale and sometimes oats).
But do people with celiac disease NEED to be on the carnivore diet to maintain symptom relief?
In most cases, no. They just need their own customized version of a holistic gluten-free diet, possibly alongside some gut repair supplements and lifestyle interventions as needed.
The same goes for people with other carbohydrate intolerances, including but not limited to: FODMAPs, fructose, lactose, sucrose, and starch.
For example, if you have a sucrose and/or starch intolerance, you may benefit from a sucrase-isomaltase deficiency diet which entails eliminating foods high in sucrose/starch and leaning on low sucrose, low starch carbohydrates.
- Recommended resource: Low Sucrose Low Starch 7-Day Meal Plan & eCookbook
The carnivore diet may also be appealing for folks with inflammatory bowel disease who often experience a roughage (fiber) intolerance since it contains little to no fiber.
In a nutshell: The carnivore diet eliminates all potentially reactive carbohydrates.
And it serves as a potentially helpful short-term elimination and reintroduction diet for people seeking symptom relief who aren’t finding relief on other less restrictive elimination diets.
However, I believe there should be some food testing/reintroduction stage with enzyme replacement therapy as needed, at a certain stage of healing journies (celiac disease and genetically inherited intolerances/allergies aside) to help reduce/minimize the need for unnecessary dietary restriction.
Lacking fiber
The carnivore diet is essentially lacking fiber, a type of roughage shown to support healthy bowel regularity and gut microbial diversity.
For this reason, some people have reported constipation as an unwanted side effect of the carnivore diet.
On the other hand, you’re among the many with a type of inflammatory bowel disease who feel better on a low-fiber diet, it may be helpful temporarily but you should consult with a qualified practitioner to help you resolve the inflammation so that ideally your gut will be able to safely tolerate fiber again down the road.
Low in prebiotics
In many cases, a carnivore diet has the potential to be very low in fermentable carbohydrates (aka prebiotic foods).
While this may be beneficial short-term for folks with an intolerance to FODMAPs, such as in many cases of IBS and SIBO, a diet low in prebiotics is detrimental to our gut microbiome if followed long-term.
How it works: Low gut microbial diversity (caused by antibiotics and/or not getting enough fiber diversity and fermentable prebiotic carbohydrates in our diet over time) creates a breeding ground for “bad” unhealthy gut microbes to overgrow… especially if we ever eat any type of processed sugar/starch again down the road.
(Think: “cheat days”, holidays, off-seasons, etc.) For most people, I think this needs to be taken into consideration, realistically.
When bad microbes (aka functional gut pathogens) start growing out of control in our gut, it actually makes IBS symptoms and autoimmune disorders WORSE.
That’s because when gram-negative microbes die off, they release an inflammatory substance called lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which is ironically associated with conditions such as:
- Metabolic syndrome
- Type 2 diabetes
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Leaky gut
A few ways to integrate carnivore-friendly prebiotic foods into your regimen would be to use herbs and spices like garlic and onion powder, as well as some raw honey (as tolerated) and probiotic fermented foods like raw sauerkraut.
But I also highly recommend consulting an expert if you plan on going on any kind of elimination diet to help you fill in these types of nutritional gaps.
Autoimmune disorders
The carnivore diet removes all food sources of fuel for pathogenic, dysbiotic (unhealthy) gut microbes associated with many types of autoimmune disorders, which may help explain the symptom relief so many are experiencing.
However, I believe staying on the carnivore diet too long may be unnecessarily restrictive if you plan on addressing your autoimmune disorder holistically.
Some less restrictive diets shown to benefit the carnivore diet (alongside a holistic, multi-dimensional 5R protocol) include but aren’t limited to:
- The Autoimmune Paleo diet (AIP)
- The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
- The Gut And Psychology Syndrome diet (GAPS)
- The Whole30 diet
- Other variations of the Paleo diet
Psychiatric disorders and cognitive improvements
According to Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride (founder of the Gut And Psychology Syndrome / “GAPS” diet), psychiatric disorders begin in the gut, stemming from functional gut imbalances such as dysbiosis and leaky gut.
In her GAPS diet protocol for patients with bipolar disorder, ADHD, and schizophrenia, she recommends an all-animal food elimination diet with little to no sugar or starch until symptoms resolve.
In my opinion, this may explain why folks with psychiatric disorders feel better on a carnivore diet.
However, again, this type of diet should not come without holistic interventions such as the addition of functional foods, nutraceutical supplements, enzyme replacement therapy, and supportive herbs, as well as nervous system regulation and therapy, as needed.
Skin health
While I haven’t seen any first-hand testimonials related to dermatological improvements from a carnivore diet, the 2021 study noted that ~92% of participants found improvement or complete resolution in their dermatological issues.
That is significant and note-worthy! I believe it is worth exploring this further.
(My theory on why this diet helps improve skin conditions goes back to initially starving out “bad” bacteria in the gut. After all, the gut-skin axis is very powerful!)
However, as mentioned previously, I think it’s important to rebalance the gut microbiome via a 5R gut protocol long-term to avoid negative consequences (such as ongoing leaky gut, dysbiosis, and/or metabolic endotoxemia) down the road.
Miscellaneous
Not yet well-researched
Of course, a lack of research is a conditional limitation that is always subject to change.
And please know that as a licensed practitioner, of course, I will always listen with an open mind, and meet my clients where they are at!
But at the same time, I’m not ready to start prescribing the carnivore diet as a new therapeutic dietary intervention in my clinic until I have access to more research investigating the potential risks and clinical contraindications from a safety standpoint – and unless my clients have exhausted other less restrictive options already.
(Please know that in the majority of even very complex cases, my clients can achieve success with my functional nutrition approaches which are less restrictive.)
Potentially low in certain key nutrients
This diet is inherently low in certain key nutrients and could lead to nutritional deficiencies (with additional unwanted health consequences) if not executed responsibly.
Nutrients I’d recommend supplementing on a carnivore diet (from foods, herbs, and/or nutraceutical supplements) include but aren’t limited to:
- Carbs
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C
- Fiber
- Antioxidants
- Prebiotics (fermentable carbohydrates)
- Omega-3 fatty acids
Potentially too high in saturated fat
This goes without saying, but meat and animal fats are generally very high in saturated fat.
Saturated fat isn’t inherently bad but it’s important to maintain a healthy ratio of saturated to unsaturated fats in the diet. Eating seafood on a regular basis (~3 to 4 times per week) and varying your red meat with other types of protein can help to keep saturated fat intake in check.
(Too much saturated fat is shown to raise LPS levels as well as LDL cholesterol.)
On the other hand, most Western, Standard American Diets are actually too high in omega-6 fats which can be pro-inflammatory when consumed in excess! So this may explain why some experience reduced inflammation on a carnivore diet, especially among those who eat seafood.
- This is something we dive deeper into in Module 4 of my online program, the Holistic Eating Blueprint!
The bottom line
Based on the findings reported above, we have many reasons to further investigate the potential benefits of a carnivore diet as a type of elimination and reintroduction diet for people suffering from a multitude of modern-day chronic health disorders.
But is this level of restriction safe, and is it necessary?
Let’s review the pros and cons.
The pros: In some cases, a short-term carnivore-style elimination diet seems to be effective for giving people relief in the form of fast symptom relief for a wide spectrum of chronic health conditions.
That’s because by default, this elimination diet is cutting out any and all potentially unknown reactive foods for people with carbohydrate intolerances (fiber/roughage, FODMAPs, sucrose, maltose/starch, fructose, etc.) as well as gluten for people with leaky gut and/or celiac disease.
From a gut microbial standpoint, the carnivore diet is also cutting out all food sources for pathogenic gut microbes linked with dysbiosis, a common underlying contributing risk factor for irritable bowel syndrome and many autoimmune disorders – as well as FODMAPs which tend to feed small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
The cons: This diet is extremely rigid, lacking certain nutrients, and potentially unnecessarily restrictive. It can also be very high in saturated fat, which may not be ideal for heart health long-term.
In fact, a diet low in prebiotics, fibers, antioxidants and other key nutrients may be detrimental from a gut health standpoint, especially for those who don’t intend on going the rest of their lives without any sugar or starch.
Ultimately: I believe a carnivore elimination diet should be considered an initial stepping stone to consider, rather than a final destination to maintain long-term on a holistic healing journey.
Next steps
Let’s work together
If you’re looking for additional support via a holistic, multi-dimensional approach on your healing journey and you live in the United States, I’d love to support you!
(While my 1-1 private practice is full, my team and I open the doors to bring in new clients every few months.)
Apply for our 1-1 holistic & functional nutrition services here.
How it works: If what you’re looking for is in alignment with how we work with people, someone from my team will reach out to let you know once the doors open and you’ll be sent an email with instructions on the next steps when the time is right.
Sharing is caring
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this article! I’ll get off my soapbox for now. 😉
If you found this info helpful and informative, please consider leaving a comment below and/or sharing this post with family/friends who may be interested in learning more about holistic perspectives on the carnivore diet!
XX – Jenna
