The carnivore diet is a nutrition strategy that is based on a diet that exclusively consists of eating only foods derived from animals. It excludes all other foods such as vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes and nuts. If anything, it can be described as “an elimination diet on steroids”. It is a variation and a subset of the ketogenic diet but the typical ketogenic diet is centred around reducing carbs, whereas the Carnivore diet is about eliminating them completely.
Why would someone decide to go on such a restrictive diet?
The concept of such a diet came from the belief that for centuries our ancestors ate and survived on meat, organ meats and fish for their main sustenance, and only relied on fruits and vegetables when meat was scarce. In fact, fruit and vegetables were subject to the seasons, and only plentiful for short periods of time. Also, our predecessors were hunters and gatherers, and thus were always on the move. They stayed in one place temporarily and had no time to grow grain. As food was not so readily available, our ancestors had to eat those foods which were sustainable and kept them full for longer, and were available all year round through hunting, or could be dried and stored.
You also have to consider that our ancestors did not have supermarkets and definitely not those that were open 24/7, did not have access to the variety of foods we have today, many manufactured in a laboratory, and only ate carbohydrates sparingly. They also needed tons of energy, as they were physically active most of the day, not like now, where we are sitting or lying for long periods of time. Indeed, metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease were on the whole unheard of, and which have now been strongly linked to the massive increase in the intake of carbohydrates and seed oils.
When you think about it, we have relied on animal foods almost exclusively, for most of our human existence, and have only changed our diet significantly, recently. So our bodies and more specifically, our DNA, have not had time to adapt to this massive change towards a high carbohydrate, high processed, plant-based diet. Hence, there are those that now believe that we should be reverting back to older traditions for the best possible outcomes for our body and overall health.
Another reason that has influenced individuals to adopt this diet, is that plants contain anti-nutrients to protect their seeds. Especially in those that are suffering from metabolic diseases and chronic inflammation, these anti-nutrients can be highly aggravating and inflammatory.
But, can we survive without vegetables and fibre? If you consider there are people like the inuits and people in very cold areas of the world, that have survived on a purely animal diet for years, and there are proponents of the carnivore diet that have been eating exclusively animal foods for decades and are feeling much healthier than they used to on a plant-based diet, then it appears that we can survive without these food groups, and indeed, thrive.
