Carnivore diet

Cows are the dumbest animal In earth and we are doing them a favor by eating them. There were many times that I would wake up in the middle of the night with arrhythmias and I thought that I was going to die from this.

The Carnivore diet (also known as the meat only or zero-carb diet) is a pseudoscientific fad diet popular on social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube. You can only eat meat on the diet and you have to dogmatically avoid all carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables because they are apparently evil.🇱🇮

The carnivore diet has been condemned by medical experts as dangerous and unscientific; any supposed benefits are based on anecdotal evidence. Eating only meat deprives the body of necessary nutrients and causes vitamin deficiencies. The carnivore diet is in direct opposition to science by condemning the consumption of all vegetables. Most advocates of the carnivore diet end up giving it up as it is not sustainable long-term. There is strong evidence that diets high in red meat increase risk of colorectal cancer.

The diet is basically the opposite of veganism, but instead of vegetables, its followers have a hard-on for meat. Carnivore dieters are known to mock vegans on social media. Some critics see it as a troll diet, used to piss people off.

Carnivore dieting is associated with cholesterol denialism and (oddly) Bitcoin. The carnivore diet has also been associated with online alt-right communities.

Carnivore ancestors?
Carnivore dieters like to claim they know beyond doubt that the earliest humans ate a strict meat diet. There is no dispute that our early ancestors ate meat, but a meat only™ diet is clearly bullshit. Our earliest ancestors, who lived millions of years ago in Africa, were omnivores and we do not know the frequency or proportion of meat in the diet of any early human species.

Anthony Warner has spent much of his time debunking the nonsense of fad diets:

That said, there is still some scientific debate about the diet of Neanderthals, who are partly ancestral to some humans. There are some exceptionally high levels of δ15N in some Neanderthal remains, which would indicate high levels of meat eating: perhaps high levels of rotten meat eating or perhaps not.

Anthropological evidence contradicts what carnivore dieters claim about early humans not eating carbohydrates. For example, our paleolithic ancestors ate grains and legumes. In his book Diet Cults, Matt Fitzgerald quotes anthropologist

Inuit and Maasai
There are historic human populations who survived almost exclusively on meat. The Inuit (Eskimos) of the Arctic survived on a diet that was very high in meat and fish. However, the Inuit diet also includes berries, roots, and seaweed, so it is not a strict carnivore diet. It is likely that other ice-age cultures would've had a similar diet, with the only source of nutrition being seals, birds, mammoths, giant sloths, fish, etc. However, they didn't live particularly healthy lives, and this diet is more a testament to the ability of humans to adapt to some of the most extreme conditions on the planet rather than any particular ideal for human health.

Carnivore diet advocates who quote mine Weston A. Price like to claim that the Maasai people of Kenya in Eastern Africa eat a strict carnivore diet of raw meat, blood and milk and no vegetables. However, a 2010 investigation into the Maasai diet found that more than 50% of their diet consists of vegetarian food. The Maasai consume a lot of fermented milk, but they also eat cornmeal. Another study found that the stable foods of the Maasai are cow's milk (fresh or boiled) and ugali. Ugali is a maize flour porridge which the Maasai consume daily. The study found that over 58% of the Maasai diet is plant-based. This does not fit the definition of a carnivore diet.

Anti-fibre nonsense
Carnivore dieters reject and ridicule dietary fibre, which they claim is unhealthy and not necessary. They quote anti-fibre quack author Konstantin Monastyrsky.

In reality, greater dietary fibre intake has been shown to lower the risk of both cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers, including bowel and colon cancer.

There are many other health benefits from fibre consumption including improvements in digestive health and weight management. Lack of dietary fibre is dangerous to the bacteria in the colon. Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine has commented that "Growing evidence suggests that in the absence of adequate fibre, the bacteria in the colon consume and thin the protective mucus lining, which then leads to impaired immune function and inflammation."

Avoidance of fruit and vegetables
There are no health benefits to avoid absolutely every single kind of fruit or vegetable. Based on reliable scientific data, public health organizations recommend to increase fruit and vegetable intake for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature mortality. Fruits and vegetables have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

A 2014 review found that "higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of all cause mortality, particularly cardiovascular mortality." Recent reviews have found that fruit and vegetable intake is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer and bone fractures. Consuming fruits and vegetables may significantly reduce the risk of biliary cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Carnivore diet advocates do not discuss this evidence.

Negative health effects

 * High levels of LDL cholesterol which can increase the risk of heart disease. However, carnivore dieters such as Shawn Baker are cholesterol denialists so they are not bothered by this.
 * High levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) which increase risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).
 * Constipation from lack of dietary fibre.
 * Folate (vitamin B9), Vitamin C, and Vitamin E deficiencies.
 * Scurvy

Eating a high quantity of red meat is not a good thing to do long-term as it increases all-cause mortality and risk of many diseases:


 * Increased risk of mortality, including all-cause mortality.
 * Increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
 * Increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
 * Increased risk of colon cancer.
 * Increased risk of high blood pressure.
 * Increased risk of kidney failure.
 * Increased risk of endometriosis.
 * Increased risk of gastric cancer.
 * Increased risk of stroke.

Meat-only diets that are predominantly lean meat can cause protein poisoning, leading to nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, and death because the human body is unable to process above a certain level of protein.

Alt-right connections
The carnivore diet is promoted by alt-right online communities and social media platforms. The Gab social network hosts multiple groups for carnivore dieters. Gab’s founder, Andrew Torba, practices a version of the diet. In America, the diet also has popularity among conservatives who associate vegetarianism and veganism with the left and liberalism. Some far-right cranks embrace the diet in an attempt to piss off liberals.

Notable proponents

 * Bodybuilder Shawn Baker, nicknamed the "Carnivore King". In 2017, his medical license was revoked in part for "incompetence to practice as a licensee".
 * H. L. Newbold
 * Jordan Peterson and his daughter Mikhaila claim to live on a meat diet that consists of only beef, salt, and water.
 * Celebrity doctor
 * Travis Statham, software engineer and admin for several online carnivore communities. Claims to eat four to six quarter-pounder burgers for lunch. Statham appears to support a weaker version of the carnivore diet, as he also eats cheese and eggs.
 * Brian Johnson, piggybacking off the media success of Shawn Baker with the internet pseudonym "Liver King", is known for his promotion of an especially outlandish nearly total-carnivore, raw-organ diet, and promotion of "ancestral tenets" which are claimed to promote health and bodybuilding results. After making multiple claims that his bodybuilding results were fully "natural" with no steroid or hormone use, he was revealed to be taking a large number of hormones and steroids in a series of leaked e-mails.

Supporters

 * Edward Dutton
 * David Duke — supportive of the carnivore diet, but has admitted to eating vegetables.
 * Anatoly Karlin has written articles supportive of the carnivore diet but personally eats a ketogenic diet.
 * Malcolm Kendrick
 * Abd ul-Rahman Lomax is supportive of the diet, but personally eats an Atkins diet.
 * Tim Noakes, a supporter who describes his own diet as "predominately carnivore".
 * RaceRealist, a former carnivore diet supporter, has now come out against the diet.
 * Joe Rogan
 * Paul Saladino, aka CarnivoreMD, who has added fruit and sweet potatoes to his "carnivore diet".
 * Vinnie Tortorich