> There is no clinical evidence that the carnivore diet provides any health benefits. Dietitians dismiss the carnivore diet as an extreme fad diet, which has attracted criticism from dietitians and physicians as being potentially dangerous to health[1]
> By completely eliminating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins, diets like these simply can’t provide consumers with the nutrient-dense pattern of eating associated with health benefits — including decreased all-cause mortality, heart disease, overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. In fact, dietary patterns characterized by high intakes of red meat are associated with detrimental health outcomes.[2]
First of all "dietitians" just spout the conventional wisdom and are not known for their acerbic wit.
And yes, I recommend eliminating fruite, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins. All the nutrients you need are contained in animals. Beef liver, eggs, and sardines are the three most nutrient-dense foods on Earth.
Anyone can simply try this diet for themselves (please give it at least six weeks, but ideally 12 weeks). I promise you that you will thrive.
This is irresponsible advice. Some people find that meat alleviates their symptoms while other people find more relief from going vegetarian. Recommending a single type of diet (especially a "fad" diet like the carnivore diet, rather than one with some type of scientific basis like low-fodmap or specific carbohydrate diets) as a panacea is not going to work for most people. People can and should try elimination diets instead, where you eliminate all but the most basic of foods and slowly reintroduce foods over time to see which ones are triggers.
It's entirely possible you or someone you know saw great success with a carnivore diet, but others trying it might not see the same results and need one tailored to their specific gut microbiome.
Beef-only is the ultimate elimination diet. You literally eliminate absolutely everything except beef.
And beef contains 100% of the nutrients you need in order to thrive in life.
There are people who have literally eaten nothing but ribeye steaks for over ten years now.
Also, consider the fact that agriculture is only about 12,000 years old, but human beings have been living on Earth for about 200,000 years (in our current form -- a couple million if you include Homo Erectus and the other variations). We were basically 99% meat-eaters for the vast vast majority of human history.
I follow a diet that is basically 100% beef, eggs, salmon, and milk (planning to cut out the milk) and I can assure you that it is the easiest possible diet for your digestive system. (For one thing, you completely stop farting.). You have never known poops so small, easy, and quick (because 99% of what you eat is simply absorbed - this diet has no fiber).
Note that there is no truly satisfactory "literature" on ANY diet, because double-blind randomized controlled trials that are of a long enough duration and over a large enough sample size are basically impossible to conduct. The human body is the most complex thing that we know of in the universe.
However, you can follow the work of Dr. Ken Berry or Dr. Shawn Baker to learn more about the carnivore diet -- they've been neck deep in it for years. And the anecdotal evidence is becoming overwhelming -- check ou the success stories at the carnivore.diet website.
Both of those doctors have had their medical licenses revoked, and are the exact type of guru-grifters I was referring to in another comment.
> Also, consider the fact that agriculture is only about 12,000 years old, but human beings have been living on Earth for about 200,000 years (in our current form)
Classic "appeal to nature" fallacy, with no real evidence to back up. If humans were healthier before 12,000 years ago, surely it'd be easy to prove that they had lower mortality rates and longer life expectancy?
First, Dr. Ken Berry has not had his medical license revoked.
Second, Dr. Shawn Baker got involved in a dispute with a hospital system because he began curing people through the carnivore diet rather than through extremely expensive surgery (he is an orthopedic surgeon). This led to the hospital system losing a lot of money. They insisted that he stop curing people, but Dr. Baker refused. They retaliated against him by getting a fraudulent fellow to badmouth his work and get his license revoked. He then went to court and won and his name was cleared completely.
As for your claim that there is no evidence to back up the fact that humans were healthier before 12,000 years ago, what about the fact that they were taller and had fewer dental caries and larger brains? Also, my point was not that humans were healthier then (although they were) but that the carnivore diet was the diet that human beings literally evolved on.
Yup. The diet endorsed by Jordan and Mikhaila Peterson, the 2 biggest grifters alive today? The diet with zero scientific backing or evidence of efficacy? Let's not forget about the Liver King, who it turns out was completely lying about his health, diet, and medicinal intake.
Not to mention that the purported benefits of the carnivore diet are often very similar to those claimed by staunchly vegan folks.
