March 17, 2025 • 29 mins
We examine why the carnivore diet—an eating pattern eliminating all plant foods—poses serious health risks despite its trending popularity. This restrictive approach creates dangerous nutritional gaps that develop gradually over time, potentially leading to severe long-term consequences.
• The carnivore diet eliminates all plant foods, creating critical nutrient deficiencies
• Complete absence of fiber increases colorectal cancer risk substantially
• Vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy symptoms including fatigue and poor healing
• Lacking antioxidants and phytonutrients leaves cells vulnerable to oxidative damage
• Without prebiotic fiber, gut microbiome becomes compromised, increasing inflammation
• High meat consumption classified by WHO as carcinogenic or probably carcinogenic
• Increased animal protein consumption places significant stress on kidney function
• Heart health suffers from increased saturated fat intake without fiber's protective effects
• There are no long-term studies showing carnivore diet safety, but significant evidence of risks
• Monitoring labs regularly helps track internal health markers before problems become serious
Check your labs regularly to understand your health trends—especially kidney function, which declines long before symptoms appear. Work with a registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes to ensure your nutritional needs are met while supporting your specific health goals.
Assessing the nutrient composition of the carnivore diet
Long Term Concerns of the Carnivore Diet
Dietary fibre, whole grains, and risk of colorectal cancer: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, hey, welcome back to another episode in the
Simple Nutrition InsightsPodcast.
I am your host, leonila Campos,registered Dietitian, and today
I want to talk about a topicthat I talked about last year,
probably around this time, maybeearlier, but it is interesting
(00:22):
how trends work.
It is interesting how dietswork because they do go through
phases, right, like you have aphase where, like, a ton of
people are doing it and then itdies out, right, and then next
year comes around and the samething.
So I've been seeing more andmore about this diet
(00:42):
specifically, and more people,more of my clients, have asked
me.
So I said you know what?
It seems like it's trendingagain and that is the carnivore
diet.
So if you haven't heard aboutit, that's probably a good thing
.
But the carnivore diet basicallyeliminates all plant-based
foods and it's just all animalproducts.
(01:06):
Right, it might sound simple,but is it safe?
As a dietician, I have seriousconcerns, especially regarding
nutrient deficiencies and thelong-term health risk of cutting
out fiber, including anincreased risk of cancer.
So let's break it down.
I'm going to give you theinformation that you need, the
(01:30):
knowledge that you needresearch-backed information,
because I want you to make aninformed decision and in order
to do that, you have to have theright information, not
information that a friend gaveyou or an influencer gave you,
or someone that says you knowgives you these claims that are
(01:52):
probably not true, right?
So you have to know, you haveto have the right information to
really, really and truly makean informed decision.
Ultimately, in the end, it'syour decision, so you do
whatever you want to do.
Ultimately, in the end, is yourdecision, so you do whatever
you want to do.
So, for those unfamiliar, thecarnivore diet is an all meat
diet, strictly animal-basedfoods like beef, chicken, fish,
(02:13):
eggs and some dairy.
It's missing your fruits, yourvegetables, your whole grains,
nuts, seeds and legumesbasically every source of fiber
and wide variety of essentialvitamins and minerals.
Many people claim they feelgreat on this diet, but
short-term benefits do notoutweigh long-term consequences.
Without fiber and keymicronutrients, this diet may
(02:38):
actually put people at a higherrisk of serious health issues,
including colorectal cancer.
Now, oftentimes we focus on theshort-term wins, right?
I don't even know if I callthem wins, but on the short-term
effects, right.
So if we're looking at a dietbecause we want to lose weight,
we look at how fast we do it,right?
(03:00):
Or we look at the short-termresults but we don't look at the
long-term right, like, if Icontinue to do this for the rest
of my life, what are the healthconsequences?
Right, what are the healthrisks?
And I don't think that you wantto find out being on a
carnivore diet, because thatmeans that you can potentially
(03:20):
develop cancer, colorectalcancer.
Of course you don't want tomess with that, right.
But your deficiencies you don'tsee those happening right away.
Right, like, it's not going tohappen in a year, it's not going
to happen in two years.
You'll start to see it longerand a longer period of time.
Right, because you're notadding these nutrients that your
(03:41):
body needs and it goes.
Adding these nutrients that yourbody needs and it goes,
literally goes againsteverything we have learned in
nutrition, right, and all theresearch that has been done to
back up the five food groups,right.
I know some people have saidthat my pyramid, bro, that has
been phased out many years ago.
(04:01):
Right, we don't use the pyramidas dietitians.
We haven't used the pyramid inso many years.
It's the MyPlate, it's thefive-food groups, it's, you know
, making these balanced meals,because it shows that when we do
add those five-food groups, weget the nutrients that our
bodies need without having tosupplement if we don't need to.
I have also heard oh well, ifyou just go into the carnivore
(04:25):
diet, you can supplement.
Okay, that is.
You know.
We want to do that.
Imagine how many pills you haveto take to be able to
supplement everything thatyou're not getting from all the
other four food groups thatyou're eliminating right Now.
What I always tell my clients asupplement is just that.
(04:46):
Right, it's going to fill inthe gap that you're not getting
from your food, for whateverreason.
Right, it shouldn't be asignificant amount, because we
should be getting the nutrientsfrom food, and the supplement is
just in case you're not gettingit.
Right Now.
The other thing, too, is thatsupplements your body's not
going to absorb everything 100in the supplement, right, it's
(05:07):
just going to absorb whatever itneeds and that is it.
But you're only getting what'son the supplement, right?
So, for example, if you're like, well, I just take a fiber
supplement, okay, that is itright.
If we add the actual food,right, your plant sources,
they're going to give you morethan sources.
They're going to give you morethan the fiber.
They're going to give youantioxidants and vital chemicals
(05:29):
and prebiotic fiber right, andsome are going to give you some
probiotic.
So it gives you a wide varietyof other nutrients and just
taking a fiber supplement orjust taking a vitamin B
supplement whatever or justtaking a vitamin B supplement
whatever so the food will giveyou so many other nutrients
(05:50):
other than just the specificnutrient right Macronutrient
that you're not getting.
But the other thing, too, isthat is your body really
absorbing it right and to whatextent?
So definitely keep those thingsin mind.
Now let's focus a little bit onthe danger of nutrient
deficiencies.
Let's talk about what's missingwhen you eliminate plant-based
(06:14):
foods Vitamin C deficiency.
Vitamin C is crucial for immunefunction, collagen production
and iron absorption.
Without fruits and vegetables,you risk developing scurvy, a
disease of vitamin C deficiencythat leads to fatigue, gum
disease and poor wound healing.
There was a case I mean this ismany years ago, but there was a
(06:37):
case when I think a ship wastraveling from like Europe to
America and they didn't have anyfruits and vegetables right.
They were essentially eatingthe carnivore diet and they were
trying to figure out when theyarrived.
They were trying to figure outwhy it says that they were
having impaired wound healingand they were having gum disease
(06:58):
and it was because of vitamin Cdeficiency, scurvy, right.
That's how it came about, andso just by adding some of those
fruits and vegetables, that wasresolved.
So you can look it up, look at,look up scurvy, and you know
the history behind it.
I'm not making this up, and sothat can absolutely happen.
Now you might say, well, I'lljust take a vitamin c supplement
(07:21):
, right, and your body willabsorb whatever it needs.
But too much vitamin c, right,let's say, from a supplement you
really usually don't worry fromfood sources, right, because
your body is so efficient atmetabolizing that, using what it
needs and then getting rid ofit through the urine, through
your kidneys.
But a high dose of vitamin C ona consistent basis, right, can
(07:48):
lead to kidney stones, right.
So I don't think you wantkidney stones.
And then, on top of that, ifyou are increasing your meat
intake, right, that can alsoincrease your uric acid, which
can lead to gout but also cancause kidney stones, right?
So see where I'm going here,versus getting it from your food
(08:14):
sources.
Folate deficiency Folate isfound in leafy greens, beans and
fortified grains.
Folate is essential for DNAsynthesis and cell repair.
Now, folate is extremelyessential for women of
childbearing age or for womenthat are hoping to get pregnant.
(08:38):
Right, there's usually, in thiscase, there is a need for a
supplement of folic acid becauseit helps with neural tube,
prevents neural tube defects.
Right, like spina bifida,because there's a fast
turnaround in DNA.
Right, you're creating a humanbeing and so sometimes we're not
(09:00):
able to get enough from foodand so you have to supplement.
But you know, for the generalpopulation, getting it from
these food sources, again,you're not only going to get the
folate right Well, you're goingonly going to get the folate
right.
Where you're going to get othernutrients, but low folate
levels, you know having linkedto higher risk of cancers,
(09:21):
particularly colorectal cancer.
So think about that.
Antioxidant deficiencies yourantioxidants, such as vitamin A,
e and phytonutrients fromplants, help protect cells from
damage.
Without them, the body is moresusceptible to oxidative stress,
which can contribute to chronicdisease, including cancer and
(09:42):
heart disease.
Now, vitamin A and E are yourfat-soluble vitamins.
There is a risk, right, ofgetting too much from a
supplement.
Again, because usually in asupplement, especially if it
goes over 100% of the dailyvalue basically what you need in
a day it stores in your fatcells and the more that you take
(10:05):
, the more you store and itcould get into toxicity levels,
right?
So, versus with food, again,your body utilizes what it needs
and then you get rid of it, butyou also store some of it in
your fat cells, but notsignificantly.
Versus when you take asupplement, that is a higher
amount.
Now, your antioxidants, whichis your vitamin A and E, and
(10:25):
your phytonutrients there are somany other ones, but these are
just a few from plant sources.
Think of it as like a littlefighter, right?
Antioxidants that areprotecting your cells from
damage.
So this is at a cellular level,right?
There's a lot of oxidativestress because of actual chronic
(10:48):
stress because of theenvironment, because of other
toxins, chronic stress becauseof the environment, because of
other toxins, and so thosenutrients, right, those
antioxidants are healing andprotecting your cells from that
increase in oxidative stress.
Free radicals, right, thatdamage the cells.
So we need them, right?
(11:09):
These are things that we needon a day-to-day basis coming
from food, right, because we getthese phytonutrients right from
our plant sources.
Lack of prebiotics for guthealth Prebiotics are found in
fiber-rich foods that feedbeneficial gut bacteria or your
(11:29):
gut microbiome.
Without them, the gutmicrobiome is compromised,
leading to inflammation and anincreased risk of metabolic
disorders.
I did an episode on microbiomeand the importance of it.
These little microbes, right,the bacteria that we have in our
gut.
They protect us, right, theyhave so many functions that we
(11:55):
have in our gut.
They protect us, right, theyhave so many functions, but
specifically with inflammation,right, they keep inflammation
down, they fight inflammation,they help with the oxidative
stress, but they need fuel,right, and the fuel is going to
come from plant sources, it'sgoing to come from the prebiotic
fiber, right, and so withoutthat right, if we're not feeding
the microbiome, it starts todie out.
(12:17):
But it also, some of them,start to eat on that lining of
the stomach right and thatmucosal lining of the stomach,
which is the protective barrierright that protects from the
lining of the stomach into thebloodstream.
So that increases inflammation.
But there's also a higher riskof getting more infections, of
(12:38):
getting more diseases, you knowmetabolic conditions and so, and
it's because we're not feedingthem right, the prebiotic fiber
that we get from plant sources,and that is dangerous, right,
because we have all these thingshappening and again, they're
not going to happen right away,it's going to be a progression,
it's going to be chronic, right,long-term.
(13:00):
And when you do catch it,sometimes it's too late, right,
and why do we want to mess withthat?
Let's focus a little bit more onthe critical role of fiber in
cancer prevention.
One of the biggest red flagswith the carnivore diet, as we
mentioned, is the completeelimination of dietary fiber.
Here's the risk, or here's thewhy fiber is not a
(13:24):
non-negotiable for long-termhealth, specifically for colon
health and cancer prevention.
Fiber helps keep the digestivetract moving, reducing the time
waste that sits in the colon.
Right, because when you thinkabout constipation, that means
that when you don't go to therestroom for number two to have
(13:46):
a bowel movement, that meansthat they waste.
Right, because you continue toeat and your body continues to
metabolize and digest food andit creates waste.
That waste travels to the colon.
Right, because you continue toeat and your body continues to
metabolize and digest food andit creates waste.
That waste travels to the colon, right Into the large intestine
, into the colon, to be, youknow, removed.
If that is not happening daily,I'm telling you daily you have
(14:07):
to go poop daily.
If that is not happening daily,that waste is just sitting in
your colon, in your largeintestine, right?
So these toxins are just, youknow, just there, getting
absorbed, just there, right,essentially damaging the colon.
And so if you have constipation,you have to look at your fiber
(14:27):
intake and your hydration, right, and if that doesn't improve,
right, working with your GIspecialist to figure out why.
Right, because we have to behaving a bowel movement daily,
unless if you're, you know, noteating very much or there are
other, you know, healthconditions that you know you
(14:49):
don't go to the restroom asoften, but when you do go it's
not actual constipation, youstill have, you know, a form
such as like bowel movement.
There's no straining, you know.
Then we're okay.
If you're having issues not somuch with that but using your
pelvic muscles to be able toeliminate, then work with a
(15:12):
pelvic floor specialist, becausethat's more so of a and I'm
sure my physical therapistfriends are going to kill me for
that, but I don't know theright word right, but that is
the structural part of yourpelvic floor, right?
So there are resources therethat they can help you with that
if that is the problem.
(15:32):
Resources there that you canhave that they can help you with
that if that is the problem.
So the world cancer researchfund in the american institute
of for cancer, researchconfirmed that high fiber intake
lowers the risk of colorectalcancer.
You know, as it makes sensebecause if you're having fiber
and you're drinking enough waterand you're using the restroom
daily, right, having thosenicely formed bowel movements,
(15:57):
and essentially you'reeliminating the waste, right,
whatever, your body is not usingthe dead cells through your
digestive tract.
Whatever toxins are in yourdigestive system, you remove
them.
When you have a bowel movement,right, and that's perfect
because it's out and you don'thave to worry about it.
Without fiber, harmful toxinsand carcinogens have prolonged
(16:20):
contact with the intestinallining, increasing the risk of
DNA damage and tumor formation.
So again, I can't emphasizethis enough If you have
constipation, if you have issuesor trouble going to the
restroom, if you don't go to therestroom daily and have a nice
form bowel movement, please talkto your doctor, talk to your
(16:40):
dietician, talk to your GIspecialist, your pelvic floor
specialist, to try to figure outwhy that is the case.
Short-chain fatty acid andinflammation.
When fiber ferments in the gut,it produces short-chain fatty
acids like butyrate, which haveanti-inflammatory and
anti-cancer properties.
(17:01):
A fiber-free diet, meaning thatyou're not adding any fiber,
like in the carnivore diet.
It reduces butyrate production,leading to increased
inflammation and potential tumorgrowth.
Reduces butyrate production,leading to increased
inflammation and potential tumorgrowth.
Gut microbiome and immunefunction Fiber feeds good gut
bacteria, as I mentioned,helping maintain a balanced
(17:25):
microbiome.
Diets high in red meat and lowin fiber shift the microbiome
toward inflammation and diseaserisk.
So when we remove fiberentirely, we're removing one of
the strongest natural protectorsagainst colorectal cancer.
That is powerful.
So when you think about notadding your fiber, think about
that risk right.
And if you already have risk orhistory of cancer or colorectal
(17:49):
cancer, you don't want to messwith that right Because you're
removing something that is sopowerful and that is protecting
you.
It's protecting your system.
It's protecting your entirehuman being, human body.
So who should be concerned?
This isn't just abouttheoretical risk.
(18:10):
Studies have shown realconsequences of low-fiber,
high-meat diets.
A 2015 study from the WorldHealth Organization classified
processed meats as a group 1carcinogen, meaning that there's
strong evidence they causecancer.
Red meat is classified as aprobable carcinogen, with
(18:31):
excessive intake linked tohigher colorectal cancer risk.
A 2023 study in the Lancetconfirmed that fiber-rich diets
lower risk of many chronicdiseases, including heart
disease and colorectal cancer.
So I didn't really talk aboutthe risk of heart health or
(18:54):
cardiovascular health.
When you increase your animalproducts, naturally you're going
to increase respectively you'regoing to increase the amount of
saturated fat that you'reconsuming, the amount of trans
fat that you're consuming andthe amount of cholesterol that
you're consuming, consuming theamount of trans fat that you're
consuming and the amount ofcholesterol that you're
(19:15):
consuming.
So if you already have issueswith cholesterol, you're
multiplying that by a lot.
Right, because now you areincreasing that intake but also
eliminating the fiber, which thefiber helps to lower
cholesterol.
So imagine how much work, howmuch a risk you're putting your
heart and your cardiovascularhealth by doing that.
Right, and I know there's somany influencers, there's so
(19:36):
many people, even a doctor thatsays don't worry about your
cholesterol.
Oh my gosh, I don't even know, Ican't even talk about that.
But if someone says don't worryabout your cholesterol and your
heart health, you should notlisten to them.
Right, because there's so muchresearch and so much literature
(19:59):
that shows that we should worryabout our cholesterol and our
bad cholesterol and our totalcholesterol when it comes to
cardiovascular health andgetting a heart attack or a
stroke.
Right, because there's so muchresearch that shows that.
And so if we have highcholesterol, we are at a higher
risk of having a heart attackand a stroke.
(20:19):
And then you eliminate fiber,you eliminate your plant sources
, you eliminate yourphytochemicals right, and those
you know, your vitamin, yourantioxidants that are helping
you with protecting your cells,right.
We're almost like a tickingbomb here.
So that's, you know, overall,in our bodies, in just general.
(20:44):
Now we haven't even talked aboutthe load that it puts our
kidneys right as you increaseyour protein, your animal
protein.
It puts a kidneys right as youincrease your protein, your
animal protein.
It puts a huge load on thekidneys right, because your
kidneys are the ones that haveto.
They have to eliminate thewaste of meat by the waste of
(21:04):
animal products, and that youknow and it turns into blu-ray,
nitrogen and creatinine, and soin creatine, creatinine that's
what I meant to say.
And so if you already havekidney issues, which the
majority of the population haveno idea what their kidney
function is.
So here is a call to action foryou you need to know what your
(21:30):
kidney function is and what thetrends have been for the past
five years longer if you need to, but at least for the past
three to five years.
Because if your kidney functionhas been declining which it
does it does 1% every so often,natural.
But if it's 5%, 10%, that issignificant, right, because now
(21:54):
we're going to get into chronickidney disease.
And if that is the case, right,going into the carnivore diet is
not going to help your kidneys.
On the contrary, you are goingto damage your kidneys to
dialysis.
Pay attention to your labs, payattention to what your body is
telling you and don't go intothese extremes.
(22:15):
Right, I know I'm giving itsounds like you know on the
opposite here and you're likethis is so biased, but it is not
.
I'm giving you the informationthat is available.
As a dietician, I don't supportthe carnivore diet at all.
When my clients ask me, I givethem this information and we go
(22:36):
and we talk about the research.
We talked about what it hasshown.
We don't have, you know, longstudies yet, right, of the risk
that it has for someone that hasbeen on the carnivore diet for
a long period of time.
But even influencers thatstarted saying, oh, follow that
(22:58):
and whatever and whatever.
They started to add plantsources because they were
feeling sick, right, and theyneeded to add antioxidants
blueberries, strawberries,whatever.
They needed to add these plantsources to be able to feel
better, because our bodies needthat.
Right?
These are nutrients that ourbodies need to function properly
(23:21):
and heal and repair.
So don't just focus on what youwant to do short term.
Think about the long-termconsequences.
Think about your health riskalready.
If you already have familyhistory or issues with cancer,
don't mess with it.
Right?
You don't want to find out oryou don't want to say I wish
(23:45):
I've known right, or I wishsomeone would have told me, or I
wish I have known the risk,right.
I'm telling you the risk rightnow so you can make an informed
decision.
As I mentioned at the beginning,ultimately it's going to be
your choice, right, but I wantyou to really really think about
the long-term consequencesInstead, right, what we can do.
(24:09):
It really comes back to,instead, right, what we can do.
It really comes back to havingthese balanced meals right,
adding a variety of these fivefood groups and making sure that
you're getting the nutrientsfrom your foods right and adding
a variety whenever you can,instead of focusing on something
so restrictive, just like anyother diet.
(24:29):
Right?
We know that they're not goingto work long term Once we stop
doing them.
Whatever results we got, right,we're going to lose them, and
then it's going to be twice asmore, twice as harder, right to
deal with it and have to startsomething new again.
So save yourself some time.
Save yourself your money rightfrom any supplements that
(24:51):
whoever is trying to sell you,because you know that's how they
have an agenda and that's howthey are going to get their
money.
So, although, while thecarnivore diet might seem like
an easy way to eliminatequote-unquote bad foods, I don't
like that word.
There's not a good or bad food,it's just the amount that we
consume.
It comes at a cost, withnutrient deficiencies, just the
(25:13):
amount that we consume.
It comes at a cost, withnutrient deficiencies, increased
disease risk and potentiallong-term health complications.
And I don't want you to takethis also in the opposite way.
Right, I'm saying you shouldnot have red meat, you should
not have animal products.
No, again, the work here is howare we going to balance these
(25:33):
meals?
How are we going to make surethat we're adding our plant
sources to help with the fiber,to help our heart health, to
help our brain function right,to help with healing and
recovering and repairing?
Right?
It is truly a balance withoutcomplicating it.
Right?
If we add all these foods fromthese five food groups and we
(25:56):
make these balanced meals,that's all we really need to
focus on, right?
Essentially, if you'reconsidering a restrictive diet
like that, like the carnivorediet, I strongly urge you to
speak with a dietitian orhealthcare professional first.
Right, we are going to look atdeeply into your labs, right?
(26:20):
I always ask my patients checkyour labs.
Right, if I know there isdiabetes or high blood pressure,
I encourage them to check theirkidney function and to make
sure that they check the trends.
Right, because I often get andI'm going a little bit off topic
(26:40):
here, but I often get thesecomments you know, I didn't have
chronic kidney disease or Ididn't know that my kidneys were
failing and all of a sudden Iam in renal failure.
That is not the case.
There are signs.
If there's chronic kidneydisease, it's chronic for a
reason.
It has been happening for awhile now.
(27:02):
If it's acute kidney injury,that is different, because that
happens fast, right, andoftentimes we'll recover.
But if it's chronic kidneydisease, that has been happening
for years, right, and either we, you know, sometimes we don't
know.
We don't know what to ask.
If we don't know, we don't know, but usually the labs will tell
you that, right, okay, yourkidney function has been
(27:23):
declining for the past fiveyears.
Right, you had a GFR,glomerular filtration rate,
which measures kidney functionone of them.
It was at 100 five years ago.
It's been, you know.
Now we are, I don't know, weare a 50, right, so now we're in
chronic kidney disease stage.
So you really have to look atyour labs.
(27:47):
Don't just go and do labs andbe like, oh okay, I did the labs
.
My doctor said everything wasokay.
Go and do labs and be like, ohokay, I did the labs.
My doctor said everything wasokay and that is all.
You have to ask questions right, okay, how were my labs the
year before?
Or you have to compare them.
Right, now that you have mychart or a way to look at your
labs, compare the trends ofevery single lab that you get
right, just to see how you aredoing internally, and that can
(28:11):
give you a lot of information.
You can make changes based onthat.
Or you can work with adietician and your healthcare
provider to make the necessarychanges to improve your health.
Okay, this was a quick one, butI think it will.
You know lots of information.
I will link the resources andthe research that I quoted on
the show notes resources and theresearch that I quoted on the
(28:34):
show notes.
So you have it right Again.
Please consult with a dietitianwith any nutrition change that
you want to make or that youfeel that you need support with,
because you know we will giveyou the support that you need.
If the dietitian that workswith you doesn't, is not
aligning with your goals oryou're feeling that you're not
(28:56):
connecting, find another one,right, you definitely have that
right, just like when you havethat.
Just the way that you have thatright when working with a
doctor, right, or any otherprofessional.
All right, until next time,take care of your health and
fuel your body wisely.
Bye-bye for now.
Hey, hey, welcome back to another episode in the
Simple Nutrition InsightsPodcast.
I am your host, leonila Campos,registered Dietitian, and today
I want to talk about a topicthat I talked about last year,
probably around this time, maybeearlier, but it is interesting
(00:22):
how trends work.
It is interesting how dietswork because they do go through
phases, right, like you have aphase where, like, a ton of
people are doing it and then itdies out, right, and then next
year comes around and the samething.
So I've been seeing more andmore about this diet
(00:42):
specifically, and more people,more of my clients, have asked
me.
So I said you know what?
It seems like it's trendingagain and that is the carnivore
diet.
So if you haven't heard aboutit, that's probably a good thing
.
But the carnivore diet basicallyeliminates all plant-based
foods and it's just all animalproducts.
(01:06):
Right, it might sound simple,but is it safe?
As a dietician, I have seriousconcerns, especially regarding
nutrient deficiencies and thelong-term health risk of cutting
out fiber, including anincreased risk of cancer.
So let's break it down.
I'm going to give you theinformation that you need, the
(01:30):
knowledge that you needresearch-backed information,
because I want you to make aninformed decision and in order
to do that, you have to have theright information, not
information that a friend gaveyou or an influencer gave you,
or someone that says you knowgives you these claims that are
(01:52):
probably not true, right?
So you have to know, you haveto have the right information to
really, really and truly makean informed decision.
Ultimately, in the end, it'syour decision, so you do
whatever you want to do.
Ultimately, in the end, is yourdecision, so you do whatever
you want to do.
So, for those unfamiliar, thecarnivore diet is an all meat
diet, strictly animal-basedfoods like beef, chicken, fish,
(02:13):
eggs and some dairy.
It's missing your fruits, yourvegetables, your whole grains,
nuts, seeds and legumesbasically every source of fiber
and wide variety of essentialvitamins and minerals.
Many people claim they feelgreat on this diet, but
short-term benefits do notoutweigh long-term consequences.
Without fiber and keymicronutrients, this diet may
(02:38):
actually put people at a higherrisk of serious health issues,
including colorectal cancer.
Now, oftentimes we focus on theshort-term wins, right?
I don't even know if I callthem wins, but on the short-term
effects, right.
So if we're looking at a dietbecause we want to lose weight,
we look at how fast we do it,right?
(03:00):
Or we look at the short-termresults but we don't look at the
long-term right, like, if Icontinue to do this for the rest
of my life, what are the healthconsequences?
Right, what are the healthrisks?
And I don't think that you wantto find out being on a
carnivore diet, because thatmeans that you can potentially
(03:20):
develop cancer, colorectalcancer.
Of course you don't want tomess with that, right.
But your deficiencies you don'tsee those happening right away.
Right, like, it's not going tohappen in a year, it's not going
to happen in two years.
You'll start to see it longerand a longer period of time.
Right, because you're notadding these nutrients that your
(03:41):
body needs and it goes.
Adding these nutrients that yourbody needs and it goes,
literally goes againsteverything we have learned in
nutrition, right, and all theresearch that has been done to
back up the five food groups,right.
I know some people have saidthat my pyramid, bro, that has
been phased out many years ago.
(04:01):
Right, we don't use the pyramidas dietitians.
We haven't used the pyramid inso many years.
It's the MyPlate, it's thefive-food groups, it's, you know
, making these balanced meals,because it shows that when we do
add those five-food groups, weget the nutrients that our
bodies need without having tosupplement if we don't need to.
I have also heard oh well, ifyou just go into the carnivore
(04:25):
diet, you can supplement.
Okay, that is.
You know.
We want to do that.
Imagine how many pills you haveto take to be able to
supplement everything thatyou're not getting from all the
other four food groups thatyou're eliminating right Now.
What I always tell my clients asupplement is just that.
(04:46):
Right, it's going to fill inthe gap that you're not getting
from your food, for whateverreason.
Right, it shouldn't be asignificant amount, because we
should be getting the nutrientsfrom food, and the supplement is
just in case you're not gettingit.
Right Now.
The other thing, too, is thatsupplements your body's not
going to absorb everything 100in the supplement, right, it's
(05:07):
just going to absorb whatever itneeds and that is it.
But you're only getting what'son the supplement, right?
So, for example, if you're like, well, I just take a fiber
supplement, okay, that is itright.
If we add the actual food,right, your plant sources,
they're going to give you morethan sources.
They're going to give you morethan the fiber.
They're going to give youantioxidants and vital chemicals
(05:29):
and prebiotic fiber right, andsome are going to give you some
probiotic.
So it gives you a wide varietyof other nutrients and just
taking a fiber supplement orjust taking a vitamin B
supplement whatever or justtaking a vitamin B supplement
whatever so the food will giveyou so many other nutrients
(05:50):
other than just the specificnutrient right Macronutrient
that you're not getting.
But the other thing, too, isthat is your body really
absorbing it right and to whatextent?
So definitely keep those thingsin mind.
Now let's focus a little bit onthe danger of nutrient
deficiencies.
Let's talk about what's missingwhen you eliminate plant-based
(06:14):
foods Vitamin C deficiency.
Vitamin C is crucial for immunefunction, collagen production
and iron absorption.
Without fruits and vegetables,you risk developing scurvy, a
disease of vitamin C deficiencythat leads to fatigue, gum
disease and poor wound healing.
There was a case I mean this ismany years ago, but there was a
(06:37):
case when I think a ship wastraveling from like Europe to
America and they didn't have anyfruits and vegetables right.
They were essentially eatingthe carnivore diet and they were
trying to figure out when theyarrived.
They were trying to figure outwhy it says that they were
having impaired wound healingand they were having gum disease
(06:58):
and it was because of vitamin Cdeficiency, scurvy, right.
That's how it came about, andso just by adding some of those
fruits and vegetables, that wasresolved.
So you can look it up, look at,look up scurvy, and you know
the history behind it.
I'm not making this up, and sothat can absolutely happen.
Now you might say, well, I'lljust take a vitamin c supplement
(07:21):
, right, and your body willabsorb whatever it needs.
But too much vitamin c, right,let's say, from a supplement you
really usually don't worry fromfood sources, right, because
your body is so efficient atmetabolizing that, using what it
needs and then getting rid ofit through the urine, through
your kidneys.
But a high dose of vitamin C ona consistent basis, right, can
(07:48):
lead to kidney stones, right.
So I don't think you wantkidney stones.
And then, on top of that, ifyou are increasing your meat
intake, right, that can alsoincrease your uric acid, which
can lead to gout but also cancause kidney stones, right?
So see where I'm going here,versus getting it from your food
(08:14):
sources.
Folate deficiency Folate isfound in leafy greens, beans and
fortified grains.
Folate is essential for DNAsynthesis and cell repair.
Now, folate is extremelyessential for women of
childbearing age or for womenthat are hoping to get pregnant.
(08:38):
Right, there's usually, in thiscase, there is a need for a
supplement of folic acid becauseit helps with neural tube,
prevents neural tube defects.
Right, like spina bifida,because there's a fast
turnaround in DNA.
Right, you're creating a humanbeing and so sometimes we're not
(09:00):
able to get enough from foodand so you have to supplement.
But you know, for the generalpopulation, getting it from
these food sources, again,you're not only going to get the
folate right Well, you're goingonly going to get the folate
right.
Where you're going to get othernutrients, but low folate
levels, you know having linkedto higher risk of cancers,
(09:21):
particularly colorectal cancer.
So think about that.
Antioxidant deficiencies yourantioxidants, such as vitamin A,
e and phytonutrients fromplants, help protect cells from
damage.
Without them, the body is moresusceptible to oxidative stress,
which can contribute to chronicdisease, including cancer and
(09:42):
heart disease.
Now, vitamin A and E are yourfat-soluble vitamins.
There is a risk, right, ofgetting too much from a
supplement.
Again, because usually in asupplement, especially if it
goes over 100% of the dailyvalue basically what you need in
a day it stores in your fatcells and the more that you take
(10:05):
, the more you store and itcould get into toxicity levels,
right?
So, versus with food, again,your body utilizes what it needs
and then you get rid of it, butyou also store some of it in
your fat cells, but notsignificantly.
Versus when you take asupplement, that is a higher
amount.
Now, your antioxidants, whichis your vitamin A and E, and
(10:25):
your phytonutrients there are somany other ones, but these are
just a few from plant sources.
Think of it as like a littlefighter, right?
Antioxidants that areprotecting your cells from
damage.
So this is at a cellular level,right?
There's a lot of oxidativestress because of actual chronic
(10:48):
stress because of theenvironment, because of other
toxins, chronic stress becauseof the environment, because of
other toxins, and so thosenutrients, right, those
antioxidants are healing andprotecting your cells from that
increase in oxidative stress.
Free radicals, right, thatdamage the cells.
So we need them, right?
(11:09):
These are things that we needon a day-to-day basis coming
from food, right, because we getthese phytonutrients right from
our plant sources.
Lack of prebiotics for guthealth Prebiotics are found in
fiber-rich foods that feedbeneficial gut bacteria or your
(11:29):
gut microbiome.
Without them, the gutmicrobiome is compromised,
leading to inflammation and anincreased risk of metabolic
disorders.
I did an episode on microbiomeand the importance of it.
These little microbes, right,the bacteria that we have in our
gut.
They protect us, right, theyhave so many functions that we
(11:55):
have in our gut.
They protect us, right, theyhave so many functions, but
specifically with inflammation,right, they keep inflammation
down, they fight inflammation,they help with the oxidative
stress, but they need fuel,right, and the fuel is going to
come from plant sources, it'sgoing to come from the prebiotic
fiber, right, and so withoutthat right, if we're not feeding
the microbiome, it starts todie out.
(12:17):
But it also, some of them,start to eat on that lining of
the stomach right and thatmucosal lining of the stomach,
which is the protective barrierright that protects from the
lining of the stomach into thebloodstream.
So that increases inflammation.
But there's also a higher riskof getting more infections, of
(12:38):
getting more diseases, you knowmetabolic conditions and so, and
it's because we're not feedingthem right, the prebiotic fiber
that we get from plant sources,and that is dangerous, right,
because we have all these thingshappening and again, they're
not going to happen right away,it's going to be a progression,
it's going to be chronic, right,long-term.
(13:00):
And when you do catch it,sometimes it's too late, right,
and why do we want to mess withthat?
Let's focus a little bit more onthe critical role of fiber in
cancer prevention.
One of the biggest red flagswith the carnivore diet, as we
mentioned, is the completeelimination of dietary fiber.
Here's the risk, or here's thewhy fiber is not a
(13:24):
non-negotiable for long-termhealth, specifically for colon
health and cancer prevention.
Fiber helps keep the digestivetract moving, reducing the time
waste that sits in the colon.
Right, because when you thinkabout constipation, that means
that when you don't go to therestroom for number two to have
(13:46):
a bowel movement, that meansthat they waste.
Right, because you continue toeat and your body continues to
metabolize and digest food andit creates waste.
That waste travels to the colon.
Right, because you continue toeat and your body continues to
metabolize and digest food andit creates waste.
That waste travels to the colon, right Into the large intestine
, into the colon, to be, youknow, removed.
If that is not happening daily,I'm telling you daily you have
(14:07):
to go poop daily.
If that is not happening daily,that waste is just sitting in
your colon, in your largeintestine, right?
So these toxins are just, youknow, just there, getting
absorbed, just there, right,essentially damaging the colon.
And so if you have constipation,you have to look at your fiber
(14:27):
intake and your hydration, right, and if that doesn't improve,
right, working with your GIspecialist to figure out why.
Right, because we have to behaving a bowel movement daily,
unless if you're, you know, noteating very much or there are
other, you know, healthconditions that you know you
(14:49):
don't go to the restroom asoften, but when you do go it's
not actual constipation, youstill have, you know, a form
such as like bowel movement.
There's no straining, you know.
Then we're okay.
If you're having issues not somuch with that but using your
pelvic muscles to be able toeliminate, then work with a
(15:12):
pelvic floor specialist, becausethat's more so of a and I'm
sure my physical therapistfriends are going to kill me for
that, but I don't know theright word right, but that is
the structural part of yourpelvic floor, right?
So there are resources therethat they can help you with that
if that is the problem.
(15:32):
Resources there that you canhave that they can help you with
that if that is the problem.
So the world cancer researchfund in the american institute
of for cancer, researchconfirmed that high fiber intake
lowers the risk of colorectalcancer.
You know, as it makes sensebecause if you're having fiber
and you're drinking enough waterand you're using the restroom
daily, right, having thosenicely formed bowel movements,
(15:57):
and essentially you'reeliminating the waste, right,
whatever, your body is not usingthe dead cells through your
digestive tract.
Whatever toxins are in yourdigestive system, you remove
them.
When you have a bowel movement,right, and that's perfect
because it's out and you don'thave to worry about it.
Without fiber, harmful toxinsand carcinogens have prolonged
(16:20):
contact with the intestinallining, increasing the risk of
DNA damage and tumor formation.
So again, I can't emphasizethis enough If you have
constipation, if you have issuesor trouble going to the
restroom, if you don't go to therestroom daily and have a nice
form bowel movement, please talkto your doctor, talk to your
(16:40):
dietician, talk to your GIspecialist, your pelvic floor
specialist, to try to figure outwhy that is the case.
Short-chain fatty acid andinflammation.
When fiber ferments in the gut,it produces short-chain fatty
acids like butyrate, which haveanti-inflammatory and
anti-cancer properties.
(17:01):
A fiber-free diet, meaning thatyou're not adding any fiber,
like in the carnivore diet.
It reduces butyrate production,leading to increased
inflammation and potential tumorgrowth.
Reduces butyrate production,leading to increased
inflammation and potential tumorgrowth.
Gut microbiome and immunefunction Fiber feeds good gut
bacteria, as I mentioned,helping maintain a balanced
(17:25):
microbiome.
Diets high in red meat and lowin fiber shift the microbiome
toward inflammation and diseaserisk.
So when we remove fiberentirely, we're removing one of
the strongest natural protectorsagainst colorectal cancer.
That is powerful.
So when you think about notadding your fiber, think about
that risk right.
And if you already have risk orhistory of cancer or colorectal
(17:49):
cancer, you don't want to messwith that right Because you're
removing something that is sopowerful and that is protecting
you.
It's protecting your system.
It's protecting your entirehuman being, human body.
So who should be concerned?
This isn't just abouttheoretical risk.
(18:10):
Studies have shown realconsequences of low-fiber,
high-meat diets.
A 2015 study from the WorldHealth Organization classified
processed meats as a group 1carcinogen, meaning that there's
strong evidence they causecancer.
Red meat is classified as aprobable carcinogen, with
(18:31):
excessive intake linked tohigher colorectal cancer risk.
A 2023 study in the Lancetconfirmed that fiber-rich diets
lower risk of many chronicdiseases, including heart
disease and colorectal cancer.
So I didn't really talk aboutthe risk of heart health or
(18:54):
cardiovascular health.
When you increase your animalproducts, naturally you're going
to increase respectively you'regoing to increase the amount of
saturated fat that you'reconsuming, the amount of trans
fat that you're consuming andthe amount of cholesterol that
you're consuming, consuming theamount of trans fat that you're
consuming and the amount ofcholesterol that you're
(19:15):
consuming.
So if you already have issueswith cholesterol, you're
multiplying that by a lot.
Right, because now you areincreasing that intake but also
eliminating the fiber, which thefiber helps to lower
cholesterol.
So imagine how much work, howmuch a risk you're putting your
heart and your cardiovascularhealth by doing that.
Right, and I know there's somany influencers, there's so
(19:36):
many people, even a doctor thatsays don't worry about your
cholesterol.
Oh my gosh, I don't even know, Ican't even talk about that.
But if someone says don't worryabout your cholesterol and your
heart health, you should notlisten to them.
Right, because there's so muchresearch and so much literature
(19:59):
that shows that we should worryabout our cholesterol and our
bad cholesterol and our totalcholesterol when it comes to
cardiovascular health andgetting a heart attack or a
stroke.
Right, because there's so muchresearch that shows that.
And so if we have highcholesterol, we are at a higher
risk of having a heart attackand a stroke.
(20:19):
And then you eliminate fiber,you eliminate your plant sources
, you eliminate yourphytochemicals right, and those
you know, your vitamin, yourantioxidants that are helping
you with protecting your cells,right.
We're almost like a tickingbomb here.
So that's, you know, overall,in our bodies, in just general.
(20:44):
Now we haven't even talked aboutthe load that it puts our
kidneys right as you increaseyour protein, your animal
protein.
It puts a kidneys right as youincrease your protein, your
animal protein.
It puts a huge load on thekidneys right, because your
kidneys are the ones that haveto.
They have to eliminate thewaste of meat by the waste of
(21:04):
animal products, and that youknow and it turns into blu-ray,
nitrogen and creatinine, and soin creatine, creatinine that's
what I meant to say.
And so if you already havekidney issues, which the
majority of the population haveno idea what their kidney
function is.
So here is a call to action foryou you need to know what your
(21:30):
kidney function is and what thetrends have been for the past
five years longer if you need to, but at least for the past
three to five years.
Because if your kidney functionhas been declining which it
does it does 1% every so often,natural.
But if it's 5%, 10%, that issignificant, right, because now
(21:54):
we're going to get into chronickidney disease.
And if that is the case, right,going into the carnivore diet is
not going to help your kidneys.
On the contrary, you are goingto damage your kidneys to
dialysis.
Pay attention to your labs, payattention to what your body is
telling you and don't go intothese extremes.
(22:15):
Right, I know I'm giving itsounds like you know on the
opposite here and you're likethis is so biased, but it is not
.
I'm giving you the informationthat is available.
As a dietician, I don't supportthe carnivore diet at all.
When my clients ask me, I givethem this information and we go
(22:36):
and we talk about the research.
We talked about what it hasshown.
We don't have, you know, longstudies yet, right, of the risk
that it has for someone that hasbeen on the carnivore diet for
a long period of time.
But even influencers thatstarted saying, oh, follow that
(22:58):
and whatever and whatever.
They started to add plantsources because they were
feeling sick, right, and theyneeded to add antioxidants
blueberries, strawberries,whatever.
They needed to add these plantsources to be able to feel
better, because our bodies needthat.
Right?
These are nutrients that ourbodies need to function properly
(23:21):
and heal and repair.
So don't just focus on what youwant to do short term.
Think about the long-termconsequences.
Think about your health riskalready.
If you already have familyhistory or issues with cancer,
don't mess with it.
Right?
You don't want to find out oryou don't want to say I wish
(23:45):
I've known right, or I wishsomeone would have told me, or I
wish I have known the risk,right.
I'm telling you the risk rightnow so you can make an informed
decision.
As I mentioned at the beginning,ultimately it's going to be
your choice, right, but I wantyou to really really think about
the long-term consequencesInstead, right, what we can do.
(24:09):
It really comes back to,instead, right, what we can do.
It really comes back to havingthese balanced meals right,
adding a variety of these fivefood groups and making sure that
you're getting the nutrientsfrom your foods right and adding
a variety whenever you can,instead of focusing on something
so restrictive, just like anyother diet.
(24:29):
Right?
We know that they're not goingto work long term Once we stop
doing them.
Whatever results we got, right,we're going to lose them, and
then it's going to be twice asmore, twice as harder, right to
deal with it and have to startsomething new again.
So save yourself some time.
Save yourself your money rightfrom any supplements that
(24:51):
whoever is trying to sell you,because you know that's how they
have an agenda and that's howthey are going to get their
money.
So, although, while thecarnivore diet might seem like
an easy way to eliminatequote-unquote bad foods, I don't
like that word.
There's not a good or bad food,it's just the amount that we
consume.
It comes at a cost, withnutrient deficiencies, just the
(25:13):
amount that we consume.
It comes at a cost, withnutrient deficiencies, increased
disease risk and potentiallong-term health complications.
And I don't want you to takethis also in the opposite way.
Right, I'm saying you shouldnot have red meat, you should
not have animal products.
No, again, the work here is howare we going to balance these
(25:33):
meals?
How are we going to make surethat we're adding our plant
sources to help with the fiber,to help our heart health, to
help our brain function right,to help with healing and
recovering and repairing?
Right?
It is truly a balance withoutcomplicating it.
Right?
If we add all these foods fromthese five food groups and we
(25:56):
make these balanced meals,that's all we really need to
focus on, right?
Essentially, if you'reconsidering a restrictive diet
like that, like the carnivorediet, I strongly urge you to
speak with a dietitian orhealthcare professional first.
Right, we are going to look atdeeply into your labs, right?
(26:20):
I always ask my patients checkyour labs.
Right, if I know there isdiabetes or high blood pressure,
I encourage them to check theirkidney function and to make
sure that they check the trends.
Right, because I often get andI'm going a little bit off topic
(26:40):
here, but I often get thesecomments you know, I didn't have
chronic kidney disease or Ididn't know that my kidneys were
failing and all of a sudden Iam in renal failure.
That is not the case.
There are signs.
If there's chronic kidneydisease, it's chronic for a
reason.
It has been happening for awhile now.
(27:02):
If it's acute kidney injury,that is different, because that
happens fast, right, andoftentimes we'll recover.
But if it's chronic kidneydisease, that has been happening
for years, right, and either we, you know, sometimes we don't
know.
We don't know what to ask.
If we don't know, we don't know, but usually the labs will tell
you that, right, okay, yourkidney function has been
(27:23):
declining for the past fiveyears.
Right, you had a GFR,glomerular filtration rate,
which measures kidney functionone of them.
It was at 100 five years ago.
It's been, you know.
Now we are, I don't know, weare a 50, right, so now we're in
chronic kidney disease stage.
So you really have to look atyour labs.
(27:47):
Don't just go and do labs andbe like, oh okay, I did the labs
.
My doctor said everything wasokay.
Go and do labs and be like, ohokay, I did the labs.
My doctor said everything wasokay and that is all.
You have to ask questions right, okay, how were my labs the
year before?
Or you have to compare them.
Right, now that you have mychart or a way to look at your
labs, compare the trends ofevery single lab that you get
right, just to see how you aredoing internally, and that can
(28:11):
give you a lot of information.
You can make changes based onthat.
Or you can work with adietician and your healthcare
provider to make the necessarychanges to improve your health.
Okay, this was a quick one, butI think it will.
You know lots of information.
I will link the resources andthe research that I quoted on
the show notes resources and theresearch that I quoted on the
(28:34):
show notes.
So you have it right Again.
Please consult with a dietitianwith any nutrition change that
you want to make or that youfeel that you need support with,
because you know we will giveyou the support that you need.
If the dietitian that workswith you doesn't, is not
aligning with your goals oryou're feeling that you're not
(28:56):
connecting, find another one,right, you definitely have that
right, just like when you havethat.
Just the way that you have thatright when working with a
doctor, right, or any otherprofessional.
All right, until next time,take care of your health and
fuel your body wisely.
Bye-bye for now.
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