High-protein diets are all the rage, but one outdoes all the rest. It’s aptly named the carnivore diet, and it focuses on meat, just meat.  Unlike other high-protein, low-carb diets, the carnivore diet allows zero carbs. It includes only foods that either walked, swam, or flew.  A nose-to-tail carnivore diet certainly includes high quality red meat (preferably grass fed but it also includes organ meats, connective tissue (a good source of collagen), and some consideration of the fat to protein ratio.  In general terms, most carnivore diets consist of animal products without any plants. The animal foods are things like fatty cuts of meat grass-fed ground beef, eggs, seafood, sources of animal fat like butter, tallow or suet (beef kidney fat) and for some people, dairy. 

Foods to Eat on the Carnivore Diet

Here’s what you’ll be eating: Red meat (beef, pork, lamb), with an emphasis on fattier cuts of meat so you'll take in enough calories.

Other options include:

• Organ meats

• Poultry

• Fish

• Eggs

• Lard

• Bone marrow

• Butter

• Salt and pepper

• Water

• Bone broth

• Sauces or gravies, provided they are made only with meat drippings mixed with butter or ghee and no binders such as flour

Foods That May Be Okay on the Carnivore Diet

Foods that might be acceptable, as some people interpret the “comes from an animal” part of the carnivore diet include:

• Milk

• Yogurt

• Cheese

• Coffee and tea: These are plant-based, but some people keep these in the diet.

Foods Not Allowed on the Carnivore Diet

• Vegetables

• Fruit

• Seeds

• Nuts

• Legumes

• Bread

• Pasta

• Grains

• Alcohol

Anything else that isn’t meat, poultry, or fish, or derived from one of those, is not allowed on the carnivore diet.

Carnivore Diet Meal Plan: 1 Day of Eating

Breakfast Three eggs cooked in butter, bacon and cheese (optional)

Lunch Rib eye steak

Dinner Hamburgers patties - No bun

Notice there are no snacks here. One of the benefits of a carnivore diet is the fullness factor of high protein consumption, so people are usually not hungry in between meals. Some people also opt to skip breakfast.

Proposed Health Benefits of the Carnivore Diet: What Jordan Peterson and Mikhaila Peterson Say

Fans of the carnivore diet say it has a range of benefits from weight loss to higher testosterone levels, but there is no evidence for this. The carnivore diet has also gained some attention for its potential as an anti-inflammatory diet that may benefit people with autoimmune conditions. These claims were fueled by press coverage of the lifestyle guru Jordan Peterson and his daughter, Mikhaila Peterson, who have both publicly stated that a diet of beef, salt, and water relieved them of ailments including rheumatoid arthritis, depression, anxiety, gastric reflux, and psoriasis.

Again, no scientific evidence supports those claims, and anti-inflammatory diets traditionally tend to be plant-based, research shows.

The carnivore diet can be seen as an extreme form of an elimination diet. Because people following this eat only a few different foods, they eliminate many of the items that commonly cause food sensitivities.

Carnivore Diet Results: Will the Meal Plan Help With Weight Loss?

There’s no arguing that all that protein is highly satiating, which could help curb calorie intake (as might the monotony of eating the same foods over and over). And as previously mentioned, there's no snacking on this diet. It eliminates mindless eating, says Schmidt. “You don’t mindlessly eat chicken breasts. It’s a very palatable diet, but you don’t lick your plate,” she says.

You may also enter into a state of ketosis on the carnivore diet, says Schmidt. In that state, your body is burning fat for fuel rather than carbohydrates. That’s not a guarantee, though. It’s a misconception that all you need to do is to severely limit carbs to get to ketosis — protein matters, too. “In excess, protein can lead to an increase in blood sugar and insulin levels, and it can kick you out of ketosis,” says Schmidt. If ketosis is your goal, having some fat with your protein, for example with eggs, butter, and cheese, may help. Bear in mind that these additions may not have the greatest impact on your health in other ways.

Who Should Eat a Carnivore Diet? And Who Shouldn’t Eat a Carnivore Diet?

If you believe you have food intolerances, the carnivore diet can serve as a short-term elimination diet to uncover foods that potentially don’t agree with your system. You may try this diet for six weeks and then reintroduce new foods slowly (one potential intolerance at a time) to see what does or does not agree with you.

But if you’re looking at an elimination diet of any sort, first consult a registered dietitian with knowledge of your health concerns and medical background.

A Final Word on the Carnivore Diet: Should You Try It?

While this diet may sound crazy to some people, try to be as open-minded as possible.  There is no research into the short- or long-term effects of this diet, which makes it risky.

As with any diet, “it’s okay to experiment with getting your nutrition, but make sure it doesn’t harm you. Be realistic about your health, and if your health is suffering, it’s time to look at another solution.