Carnivore diet

The carnivore diet (also called a zero carb diet) is a fad diet in which only animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy are consumed.[1][2][3] The carnivore diet is associated with pseudoscientific health claims.[1] Such a diet can lead to deficiencies of vitamins and dietary fiber, and increase the risk of chronic diseases.[2][3][4][5] The lion diet is a highly restrictive form of the carnivore diet where only beef is eaten.

For actual carnivore diets, see Carnivore. For actual low or zero carbohydrate diet, see Low-carbohydrate diet. For the diet of lions, see Lion § Hunting and diet.
Steak is heavily consumed by many on the carnivore diet.

History

The idea of an exclusive meat diet can be traced to the German writer Bernard Moncriff, author of The Philosophy of the Stomach: Or, An Exclusively Animal Diet in 1856, who spent a year living on only beef and milk.[6] In the 1870s, Italian physician Arnaldo Cantani prescribed his diabetic patients an exclusive animal-based diet.[7][8] In the 1880s, James H. Salisbury advocated a meat diet consisting of 2 to 4 pounds of lean beef and 3 to 5 pints of hot water daily for 4 to 12 weeks. It became known as the meat and hot water diet, or Salisbury diet.

In 2018, the carnivore diet was promoted on social media by former orthopaedic surgeon Shawn Baker, who has a written a book titled The Carnivore Diet.[9] Jordan Peterson and his daughter Mikhaila Peterson were also vocal adherents of this diet.[2][10][11] Peterson and his daughter follow a strict type of carnivore diet termed the lion diet, in which only beef, salt, and water are consumed.[11][12][13] Lion diet, which became a viral fad on TikTok,[14][15] is described by experts as "being potentially very unhealthy, [it] is difficult to follow and unsustainable in the long term".[16]

In April 2023, skeptic and neurologist Steven Novella described the carnivore diet as the latest fad diet to have achieved popularity.[1] On account of its cost Novella described the diet as one for "select elites", adding what he said was a further unsavory aspect to its harmful and pseudoscientific basis.[1]

Diet

People following a carnivore diet consume animal-based products, such as beef, pork, poultry, and seafood.[2][17] Some may eat dairy products and eggs.[17] All fruits, legumes, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds are strictly excluded.[17]

The carnivore diet is often confused with Inuit cuisine. Primary differences include a high proportion of organs in the Inuit diet, high seafood content, and consumption of raw meat, all of which are not typical for the fad carnivore diet.[18]

Health concerns

There is no clinical evidence that the carnivore diet provides any health benefits.[2][12][13] Dietitians dismiss the carnivore diet as an extreme fad diet,[2][3] which has attracted criticism from dietitians and physicians as being potentially dangerous to health (see Meat § Health).[10][12][13]

It also raises levels of LDL cholesterol, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.[3] While carnivore diets exclude fruits and vegetables which supply micronutrients, they are also low in dietary fiber, possibly causing constipation.[3][5][17] A carnivore diet high in red meat increases the risks of colon cancer and gout.[5][19][20]

Environmental impact

Criticism also derives from concerns about greenhouse gas emissions associated with large-scale livestock farming required to produce meats commercially, and the potential for such emissions to worsen climate change (see environmental impact of meat production).[10][12][13]

See also

References
  1. Novella S (19 April 2023). "Skeptical of the Carnivore Diet". Science-Based Medicine.
  2. "Popular Diet Trends: Today's Fad Diets By Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN, CD". Today’s Dietitian. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  3. Rachel Hosie (2018-08-13). "New 'carnivore diet' condemned by health and nutrition experts". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  4. R.D, Abby Langer (7 August 2018). "I'm a Registered Dietitian and I Really Don't Want You to Eat a Carnivore Diet". SELF. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  5. Jonathan Jarry (15 November 2018). "The Carnivore Diet: A Beefy Leap of Faith". Office for Science and Society, McGill University. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  6. McLaughlin, Terence. (1979). If You Like It, Don't Eat It: Dietary Fads and Fancies. New York: Universe Books. p. 62. ISBN 0-87663-332-7
  7. L'Esperance, Francis A; James, William A. (1981). Diabetic Retinopathy: Clinical Evaluation and Management. Mosby. p. 118. ISBN 978-0801629488
  8. Gentilcore, David; Smith, Matthew. (2018). Proteins, Pathologies and Politics Dietary Innovation and Disease from the Nineteenth Century. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1350056862
  9. "What Is The Carnivore Diet?". Forbes Health. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  10. Olivia Solon (11 May 2018). "They mock vegans and eat 4lb of steak a day: meet 'carnivore dieters'". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  11. Adam Gabbatt (11 September 2018). "My carnivore diet: what I learned from eating only beef, salt and water". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  12. Sutton, Malcolm (2019-12-05). "The beefed-up diet 'changing lives' but health experts not so sure". ABC News - Australia. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  13. James Hamblin (28 August 2018). "The Jordan Peterson All-Meat Diet". The Atlantic. ISSN 1072-7825. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  14. Abdou, Anouare. "What Is the Lion Diet and Is It Ever a Good Idea?". AskMen. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  15. Trepany, Charles. "Carnivore, lion diets called life-changing online. But is eating only meat really good for you?". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  16. Scanlan, Rebekah (2022-12-20). "Experts slam controversial 'cure-all' TikTok trend, The Lion Diet". news.com.au.
  17. Emer Delaney (20 October 2020). "What is the carnivore diet?". BBC Goodfood, Immediate Media Company Limited. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  18. Tegan Taylor (21 October 2020). "Carnivore diets can tick boxes when it comes to nutrients, but that doesn't mean they're optimal". ABC News.
  19. Farvid MS, Sidahmed E, Spence ND, Mante Angua K, Rosner BA, Barnett JB (2021). "Consumption of red meat and processed meat and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies". Eur J Epidemiol. 36 (9): 937–951. doi:10.1007/s10654-021-00741-9. PMID 34455534. S2CID 237343954.
  20. Li R, Yu K, Li C (2018). "Dietary factors and risk of gout and hyperuricemia: a meta-analysis and systematic review" (PDF). Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 27 (6): 1344–1356. doi:10.6133/apjcn.201811_27(6).0022. PMID 30485934.
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