peptides on carnivore diet FAQ

Question: What is the carnivore diet, and is it safe? Answer: The carnivore diet meal plan only allows consumption of meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, fish, some dairy products, and water. You need to exclude all vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts. That's why it is sometimes referred to as the "zero carb" diet. The carnivore diet is a type of "keto," or ketogenic, diet. Keto diets work like this: The contents of a keto diet do not provide enough calories from glucose and other forms of sugar. To compensate, the body burns fat that creates ketones as an energy source. Ketones are released into the bloodstream, which lowers the normal acid-base balance in blood to make it more acidic, a state known as ketosis. A typical keto diet plan suggests approximately 70% to 75% of daily calories come from fat, 20% from protein, and no more than 10% from carbohydrates. A carnivore diet is the most ketogenic diet because it allows for almost no carbs. Fat content is not specified; it's whatever fat is contained in or consumed along with the meat, fish, poultry, and dairy.

While some keto diets can emphasize the intake of healthier mono- and polyunsaturated fats, that's not the case with carnivore diets. Animal fat is mostly saturated fat, which is the unhealthiest type of fat because it raises levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. The disadvantage of all keto diets is they tend to raise LDL cholesterol levels in both the short and long term. Other longer-term concerns about keto diets, especially the carnivore diet, include the increased risk of kidney stones, gout, and osteoporosis. Also, the very high protein intake associated with the carnivore diet can lead to impaired kidney function. Because keto diets induce the body to burn fat, all keto diets can jump-start a weight-loss program. But I would never recommend a carnivore diet for this purpose.

This diet doesn’t require much prep work other than grocery shopping. To start, you might want to rid your pantry and refrigerator of any foods that contain carbs, so you won’t be tempted to eat them. Then make a shopping list. You’ll do most of your shopping in the meat, poultry, and seafood sections of the grocery store since those are the only foods that you can eat on the carnivore diet.

On the carnivore diet, you cut carbohydrates and eat nothing but meat and other animal products, like beef, chicken, pork, fish, and eggs. The idea is that by cutting all carbs, your body will burn fat for energy and you’ll lose weight. Other claims of this diet are that it can fight inflammation, lower blood sugar in people with diabetes, and improve mental health. The carnivore diet is similar to the ketogenic (keto) and Atkins diets. The difference is that the keto and Atkins diets only limit carbs. The carnivore diet cuts out all carbohydrates and other food groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes. Eating a carb-free diet isn’t a new idea. Scottish military surgeon John Rollo, MD, first used a meat-only diet to treat patients with diabetes in the late 1700s. Cutting carbs helped lower his patients’ blood sugar levels. Former orthopedic surgeon Shawn Baker, MD, popularized this way of eating with the release of his 2019 book The Carnivore Diet. (Baker lost his medical license in 2017 for incompetence. It was reinstated in 2019 with the restriction that he had to be supervised.) An endorsement from comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan gave the diet even more exposure. In 2019, Rogan ate nothing but meat for 30 days and claimed that he “lost 12 pounds and gained a lot of energy.” The carnivore diet is a very restrictive way of eating. It doesn’t align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains along with lean protein from animal sources. Cutting out entire food groups could leave you short on the nutrients you need to stay healthy.

Carbohydrates are your body’s main energy source. When you eat carbs, your body turns them into sugar (glucose) to use for energy. The extra glucose is then stored in your muscles and liver. After that, your body converts any extra glucose to fat. When you don’t eat carbs, your body instead turns fat into ketones to use for energy. The creator of the carnivore diet claims that by cutting carbs, you’ll speed fat burning and weight loss and you won’t feel hungry. He also says a carb-free diet will improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. And because you cut out inflammatory foods like french fries, doughnuts, and pasta, this diet is also supposed to reduce inflammation (although red meat promotes inflammation, too). It's important to note that everyone responds differently to diet plans. Claims of the carnivore diet are not backed by WebMD. Talk to your doctor before starting any new diet, especially one that cuts out entire food groups. It could leave you low in certain nutrients.