What to Do Instead of the Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet has taken over TikTok with numerous influencers touting the benefits of chomping on butter sticks and frying up steak for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While the idea of a glistening, butter-coated steak with a side of eggs for breakfast may appeal to some, health experts are alarmed by the uptake in carnivore-style eating. 

ICYMI, the carnivore diet is a low-carb, high-protein, high-fat eating approach that emphasizes animal-based foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, organ meats, dairy products, and animal fats such as lard. Meanwhile, fruit, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and sweeteners are all on the no-go list. The result is a diet that contains very few carbohydrates or fiber.

Why might people eat this way, you might ask? Supporters claim it helps you lose weight, improves brain fog, increases energy levels, and more. Although there are no studies on the carnivore diet, similar diets, such as the keto diet, are effective for short-term weight loss and blood glucose control. Here’s why the carnivore diet raises eyebrows among health professionals and what to do instead.

4 Reasons Experts Don’t Recommend the Carnivore Diet

While some carnivore enthusiasts will tell you that they’ve never felt better or weighed less, several issues with the carnivore diet make it unpopular with health experts. From a scientific perspective, the carnivore diet could potentially lead to chronic diseases—though its effects have not been studied.

This has left health experts scratching their heads about this viral TikTok trend and concerned about the long-term health effects of going carnivorous. Here are some of the potential pitfalls of the carnivore diet.

It’s high in fat

The carnivore diet is naturally rich in saturated fat. Eating a high-fat diet is linked with elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Although the carnivore diet has not been formally studied, the ketogenic diet shares many similarities and has been shown to increase total and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

It encourages eating a lot of red meat

High red meat consumption is a hallmark of the carnivore diet and is associated with a laundry list of health problems. People who eat a lot of red meat are at an increased risk of several forms of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and lower life expectancy. 

It is really lacking in fiber

Experts are also concerned by the lack of fiber in this carnivore diet. Fiber-rich eating offers health benefits such as cholesterol control, laxation, and protection against colorectal cancer, and ditching fiber means ditching these perks. Fiber also nourishes the microbiome and supports everything from digestion to mental health and immunity. 

It’s low in certain nutrients, like antioxidants

Finally, the carnivore diet also lacks antioxidants and polyphenols. These compounds are found in fruit, vegetables, and other plant-based foods. But, these foods are forbidden following a carnivore-style eating plan. Antioxidant and polyphenolic compounds help clean up free radical damage and fight inflammation, and a growing body of evidence suggests that they can help offset the effects of aging.

So, What Should You Try Instead?

Simply put: Don’t follow the carnivore diet. It’s a very restrictive, extremely imbalanced way of eating that experts do not recommend. That said, if you’re eager to try it for the purported benefits, we recommend trying a more balanced, moderate version (for a short period of time). Here are some things you can focus on:

• Emphasize lean proteins: Choose skinless poultry, fatty fish like salmon and trout, shrimp, and lean ground turkey to keep your saturated fat intake (and cholesterol) within reason. Limit fatty proteins such as bacon, pork belly, processed meats, and duck.
• Incorporating fiber-rich plants: Focus on adding fiber-rich plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Leafy greens, berries, apples, pears, broccoli, nuts, seeds, cauliflower, and avocado are fiber-rich and offer nutrients to support general health. 
• Limit red meat: Eat red meat one to two times a week instead of daily and choose leaner cuts such as beef tenderloin, sirloin, and filet. Grass-fed products tend to be leaner and have a more favorable fat composition than their grain-fed counterparts.
• Swap animal fats for high-quality plant-based options: Animal fats tend to be very high in saturated fat and are thought to be responsible for some of the negative health effects associated with red meat. To increase the proportion of heart-healthy fats in your diet, swap butter and other animal fats for extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, nuts, nut butter, and avocado.

One-Day Carnivore-Ish Meal Plan

Here is a meal plan with snack ideas for healthier carnivore-ish eating.

Other Lifestyle Factors to Consider

There are a few other factors to consider beyond diet if you want to make lifestyle changes. These include:

• Hydrating your body: One issue with low-carb eating (or even low-er carb eating) is water loss. As you shed carb stores and insulin levels decrease, you may lose water. This is sometimes called the “whoosh effect.” Drinking adequate fluid and eating high-water-content fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, strawberries, and spinach can help offset the whoosh effect and prevent dehydration. 
• Prioritizing sleep and stress management: Adequate sleep and stress management are important. These overlooked factors are essential for losing weight and keeping it off. Both are particularly important as your body adjusts to using fat and protein as fuel sources. 
• Exercising regularly: Exercise, particularly strength training, is important for maintaining muscle as you lose weight. Muscle loss can impair functional capacity and lead to frailty as we age, among other things. Regular, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, and cycling is crucial for keeping your heart in tip-top condition. 

Most health experts recommend against the carnivore diet because it lacks fiber and phytonutrients. Although it has not been formally studied, evidence suggests it can be detrimental to health, especially long-term.

If you’re interested in experimenting with this TikTok-famous eating approach, take steps to make it a little healthier. Try incorporating plant foods, toning down your red meat consumption, focusing on lean proteins, and cooking with heart-healthy fats.