OnCore Nutrition - Two Peas in a Podcast

Episode 27: The Carnivore Diet - The real reason you may feel better on the carnivore diet

Episode Summary

You don't make friends with salad...The real reason you may feel better on the carnivore diet and the pros and cons of restricting your food options

Episode Notes

Carnivore Diet

• Diet consisting only animal products
• The belief is centered around that the optimal fuel source should come from animal products rather than plants.
• Excludes all other food groups including fruit, veg, wholegrains, processed foods
• Allowed meat (fatty meats are endorsed), poultry, fish, offal (kidney, liver), eggs, ghee, lard and small amounts of low lactose dairy products (e.g. butter, cream and hard cheeses).
• Include water and bone broth.
• No tea, coffee or any other fluids, as they are derived from plants.
• No supplements.
• Goal is to aim for no carbohydrate intake (no fibre)
• Variation of the keto diet, however they are not the same. On keto you are allowed low calorie vegetables, nuts, tea, coffee, dairy and sugar free products, where on CD you are not. 
• The belief is that you will achieve ketosis as no CHO’s are consumed, however this may be unlikely given protein load and gluconeogens 
• There is no guidance around calories or portion sizes, but rather to eat as you feel
• The is a central focus that plants are not put on this earth to serve as food for humans. Rather they produce toxic compounds in our bodies and can result in a number of negative hea;th consequences. 
• There is also the belief that we can get all our vitamins and minerals from animal products, meaning there is no need for plants. As well that the CD can prevent and reverse a number of chronic health conditions.

Nutrition and health implications of Carnivore diet 

Mood and mental health

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4940663/

https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y

Cancer risk

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1470204515004441?via%3Dihub

Inuits literature

Compared with general Canadians, Inuit had higher prevalence of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. However, Inuit had better blood lipid profile.

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/139/12/2322/4670601

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/349/6254/1343

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1438463918306539?via%3Dihub

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29685826

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10943329_Low_incidence_of_cardiovascular_disease_among_the_Inuit_-_What_is_the_evidence