What are the (real) dangers of the carnivore diet? Some important contraindications to know before trying.

The carnivore diet is still little known in Europe and France, yet it can bring many benefits.

But after having taken a look at the benefits of the carnivore diet, it is time to add a little nuance...

Happy reading to you, my MOUVER!

Why is the carnivore diet so fashionable?

The carnivore diet is being revived by entertainment figures such as Joe Rogan, famous for his world-famous podcast, and Jordan Peterson, a leading Canadian psychologist.

Today, some proponents like physician Dr. Paul Saladino claim that by imitating the diet of our ancestors , you could improve your health, energy, and body composition.

In addition, there are more and more testimonials online that demonstrate the incredible benefits of a low-carb meat diet.

Indeed, the carnivore diet would present numerous benefits,

Among other things, it reduces your body fat, drastically reduces inflammation throughout the body, improves digestion and allows you to have much more energy throughout your day...

The carnivore diet, as its name suggests, is the act of eating exclusively (or almost exclusively) animal products , consumed mostly in a raw and unprocessed manner, such as meat, fish and eggs.

This dietary practice has its roots in our past as nomadic hunters in the Neolithic period .

For carnivores, our digestive system is perfectly adapted for the digestion and assimilation of meat and fish.

However, it is important to know that the carnivore diet is a strict diet and can have certain disadvantages.

So, before rushing to your favorite butcher, I recommend you read this short article which will present to you all the contraindications you need to be aware of before trying it.

But also avenues for reflection to overcome these problems.

What happens when you eat 100% carnivore for the first time?

One thing everyone can agree on is that the carnivore diet has little in common with the current Western diet...

Industrial, processed food rich in sugar .

Although there is a wide variety of meat, fish and seafood, the fact is that this diet makes you remove a large number of foods from your daily diet.

No more fast sugars, vegetables, fruits and cereals of all kinds.

As for dairy products, some levels of carnivorism accept raw milk cheese and butter.

So, if you want to transition to this eating pattern, I'm warning you... The first few days might be difficult!

Because your body will have to change its entire organization, and it works the same way as with the keto diet !

Yes, more carbohydrates to produce energy.

This adjustment period, which can last between a few hours and a few days, has a name:

The keto flu.

Nausea, headaches, fatigue and irritability may then occur.

But don't worry, it's your body that enters ketosis , that is to say that instead of using carbohydrates to function, it will use fat via ketone bodies.

After you've gone through this little test, you'll be surprised to find that you no longer feel hungry.

Additionally, blood sugar spikes will no longer exist , or will have much less impact on your energy levels.

No more naps!

Why is the carnivore diet difficult to follow?

After you've completed this first stage of transition, you'll need to maintain this lifestyle in the long term, if it suits you.

When you're alone, this type of diet isn't very difficult to maintain; you heat up your steak, your eggs, and that's it !

But often the most complicated moments when following such a diet are the group meals.

It is true that the meat-based diet is quite rare, so it is unlikely that anyone close to you shares this lifestyle.

Whether it's with Aunt Karine or a colleague's leaving party, you'll have to adapt and often show tact and pedagogy.

Because the carnivore diet can be a very divisive subject...

Unfortunately, you will have to deal with a lot of backlash and dozens of questions every time you bring up meat-based diets.

And some of your friends might suddenly become nutritionists!

Human beings, by nature, fear difference, the unknown , and this diet is far from being a known and accepted way of eating,

This is why online testimonies highlight that one of the biggest difficulties when embarking on the carnivore diet is the social aspect .

This is where dietary flexibility comes into play.

That is to say, knowing how to sometimes let go, for a moment with friends, of these dietary convictions to come together around a good couscous!

Initially, when we embark on the adventure of carnivorism, we can become quite rigid about our dietary framework.

Yet the error is there.

There is more to human life than just diet; overall health is influenced by a wide range of factors , and one of the most important aspects of well-being is social interaction.

As is often recalled in psychology, humans are above all social animals .

And as my friend Pierre Dufraisse says so well, between eating a very healthy meal alone, in a bad environment, and eating an industrial pizza surrounded by the people you love, the choice must always, and without hesitation, go towards the second option.

This is the principle of homeorhesis in naturopathy.

Which means that the environment is very important and goes beyond other parameters .

In short, you will have understood, it will be up to you to weigh the pros and cons, to know how to adapt according to your outings and your social activities.

Bring your own food or break the meat diet?

And don't forget, the carnivore diet is a means, not a dogma .

Can I have deficiencies with the carnivore diet?

This touches on one of the biggest fears associated with the carnivore diet.

Beyond the deficiencies, it is also the excess aspect that often questions nutritionists, who speak in particular of an excessive intake of saturated fat.

That being said, meat also has very interesting nutritional aspects that are often as important as the vitamins and minerals that can be found in fruit .

And this is thanks to the bioavailability of all these nutrients.

Bioavailability is an essential characteristic of food, which is all too often forgotten.

This is what allows the nutrients, especially proteins, present in your food to pass the intestinal barrier to nourish you.

And in this little game, your steak is much more effective than your plate of light food!

This trend has been confirmed by several comparative studies between foods.

And a little spoiler, the champion food for protein bioavailability is eggs.

So, it is the interaction between your physiology and the food that will nourish you , and not a measurement made outside your body.

Spinach is certainly rich in iron, but this iron is unfortunately not easily assimilated, whereas a calf's liver will allow you to have much more iron available and usable directly by your body.

But let’s get back to the possible deficiencies…

According to some nutritionists, by excluding plant-based foods, the carnivore diet can lead to essential fiber deficiencies.

For some specialists, fibers are absolutely essential for the proper functioning of the digestive system.

But here too, a study contradicts this opinion by showing that a diet without fiber of plant origin will on the contrary improve , or even eliminate all symptoms of constipation and intestinal reflux.

Some experts believe that fiber is what we call an antinutrient, meaning it limits the absorption of real nutrients in your diet.

Finally, to stay at the level of the intestines, the popular opinion would be to believe that this type of diet would change our intestinal microbiota too drastically and make it poor and not very diverse.

Here again the studies contradict each other...

Human microbes from Inuit tribes were analyzed.

The Inuit live mainly on fish and meat because their polar environment does not allow them to pick salads from their gardens.

Well, the study shows that their intestines present a significant and healthy bacteriological diversity , in addition to their body composition worthy of a high-level athlete!

For some, the risk of cardiovascular disease would be higher when one consumes a lot of meat, since it is richer in saturated fats and cholesterol.

Which can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

Another point that will need to be taken into account is the possible history of TCA, eating disorder.

People suffering from or having contracted an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, hyperphagia should be more vigilant regarding restrictive eating practices , whether in terms of the quantity or the nature of the food.

It would be better to cure the disorders upstream, or to go more gently with this dietary transition.

Finally, your feelings must always prevail!

It will be a matter of listening to your body, being aware of the changes that may occur and slowing down the experience if necessary.

For this, medical support can be useful to feel more confident.

And beyond eating disorders, anyone with a metabolic, autoimmune , or other disease needs to be more vigilant.

This is why experimentation is very important, no one knows better than you what is good for you , and in terms of food this is precisely the case.

But we can also mention the environmental aspects when we talk about the bad points of the carnivore diet, there are many things to say and prejudices to break down, I also wrote an article on this subject which could well change your mind.

So, are you ready to start eating carnivores?

It's up to you to make up your own mind, my Mouvers!

And if you want to bounce back or simply share your experience with the carnivore diet, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments section 😉

Nomad Slim
Founder of MOUVERS