What you need to know about the Carnivore Diet!

You may have seen the name 'Carnivore Diet' while surfing the internet, especially on social media. Many people are talking about this latest method that claims to help you lose weight by eating only meat. Some say that this has led to amazing weight loss and cures for diseases. But what is it really? Is eating only meat good for our bodies? Today, let's look at this from a strictly medical perspective.

What is the Carnivore Diet?

Simply put, this means completely eliminating carbohydrates from your diet and eating only animal products like meat, fish, chicken, and eggs. The basic idea is that when carbohydrates are eliminated, the body starts burning fat for energy, which leads to weight loss. Those who follow this diet also say that it reduces inflammation in the body, controls blood sugar levels in diabetics, and improves mental health.

This may seem similar to the popular ketogenic diet and the Atkins diet, but it is much more restrictive. The other two diets only restrict carbohydrates. However, the carnivore diet completely forbids not only carbohydrates, but also vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and legumes.

This isn't really new. Even in the 1700s, people tried to treat diabetes by giving only meat. It's recently become popular again thanks to a former doctor named Shawn Baker. But it's important to know that the doctor's medical license was suspended for professional incompetence, and then reinstated with conditions.

How does this diet work inside the body?

Normally, our body's main source of energy is carbohydrates. When we eat carbohydrates, our body converts them into a sugar called glucose and uses it for energy. The remaining glucose is stored in the liver and muscles. The rest is then stored as fat.

But when you stop eating carbohydrates completely, your body has to find another way to get energy. It then burns fat and creates a substance called ketones. These ketones are then used for energy.

The proponents of this diet claim that it helps you burn fat faster, lose weight, and reduce your hunger pangs. But remember, everyone's body is different, and each person responds differently to this type of diet. There is still very little solid medical evidence to support its claims. So, before you start a diet that eliminates entire food groups, be sure to talk to your doctor. Otherwise, you could end up missing out on essential nutrients and becoming ill.

What foods can and cannot be eaten?

The food list on this diet is very short, as you can only eat animal products. You can get a good idea of ​​this by looking at the table below.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Supposed Benefits

Although this diet claims to help with weight loss, heart health, immune system health, blood sugar levels, and mood, there is no scientific research to back this up. There is only personal experience from those who have done it.

In one survey, about 2,000 people who followed this diet reported lower body mass index (BMI), increased energy, and improved sleep. However, a major weakness of this survey is that it did not include medical tests to determine what they actually ate or their nutritional status. Therefore, these results cannot be completely trusted.

Serious Cons and Risks

This is the part we need to be most careful about .

• Nutritional deficiencies: Vegetables and fruits are a storehouse of essential nutrients like fiber, potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin C. When these are completely lacking, the body can develop serious nutritional deficiencies.
• Constipation or diarrhea: Severe constipation can occur because fiber is completely eliminated from the diet. Also, the high fat and protein content can alter the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, causing diarrhea in some people.
• Heart disease risk: Red meat and processed meats are high in saturated fat. These raise the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
• High blood pressure: Processed meats like bacon and sausage are high in salt, which can increase blood pressure.
• Harmful to the kidneys: A person with kidney disease may not be able to tolerate such high amounts of protein. It can damage the kidneys.

So isn't this diet the best thing to do?

My advice as a doctor is that this is not a safe or suitable diet to follow in the long term. It is very restrictive. And after a while, you get bored with this diet. You can't stop wanting to eat a piece of bread, a piece of rice, a piece of fruit again.

If you want to lose weight, the most sustainable and healthy way is to eat a balanced diet, reduce sugar, oil, and flour, and exercise regularly, rather than resorting to extreme methods like these.

The following people in particular should not even try this diet:

• Pregnant and lactating mothers.
• People with kidney disease.
• People with diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure.
• People who have had eating disorders in the past.

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