I’ve been hearing a lot about the Carnivore Diet recently – it sounds a pretty extreme! What is it and do you recommend it?
Me too Nicky! The next hot new diet seems to be the Carnivore Diet, and I’ve been doing some research to find out what it is all about…
So, the Carnivore Diet is basically as it sounds, a diet based predominantly on animal proteins. It seems to be the next evolution of a Keto diet, which was the evolution of the Paleo diet! All animal, fish and seafood proteins are recommended (basically if it ran, swan or flew), as are eggs and fats from animal sources (think ghee, tallow and lard).
What, no vegetables? Yep, no vegetables, fruit, nuts or seeds and not even an avocado! Its pretty much a zero carb diet, and is incredibly restrictive.
Are there any benefits? Well, yes – devotees have reported reduced inflammation, decreased body fat, improved gut health and increased mental cognition.
Would I recommend it? Mostly, no. It is a super restrictive way of eating, and as it is so new there really isn’t any clinical research as yet. All of the benefits can be attained by using less extreme diet styles, so I would probably only recommend this style of eating to a client with gut health challenges who has exhausted every other approach.