If you’re a fan of steak dinners and bacon, this post is for you. In today’s post, we’ll explore the benefits of carnivore diet and discuss whether or not this eating pattern can be sustained.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The Carnivore Diet is a diet that consists of only meat. People who practice the carnivore diet eat no plants or plant products like grains, legumes, fruits or, vegetables. The primary focus of the diet is to get the necessary vitamins and minerals from high-quality lean meats. Since the diet is so restrictive, it’s not a long-term lifestyle change for most people who try it.
If you choose to follow a Carnivore Diet, for the majority of your meals you will simply eat meat.
5 Benefits of Carnivore Diet
The Carnivore Diet is a diet where the only food consumed by the individual is meat. This diet carries a ton of benefits that would help to improve your health and well-being. Here are some of the benefits:
1) Insulin sensitivity
Diabetes is one the most common chronic condition in America. Most people are completely unaware of the various risks involved with this disease. Many people are ignorant about the symptoms.
But what do you know about hormone imbalance? Hormone imbalances play an important part in the development of diabetes. A carnivore diet has high protein content which decreases insulin sensitivity as well as inflammation and maintains glucose levels in the blood. In fact, decreasing insulin sensitivity could be one of the best benefits of carnivore diet.
2) Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is one of the main causes of many chronic diseases. It is mainly caused due to a poor diet. Foods like sugar and unhealthy fats can easily inflame your body leading to chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The carnivore diet is low in this type of food and thus reduces inflammation.
Chronic inflammation leads to a plethora of diseases like diabetes, dementia, heart attack, and cancer.
3) Higher testosterone
Studies have shown that eating meat can also cause a rise in testosterone. This is the right amount of testosterone that men need to live a healthy life. Having low levels of testosterone can lead to low libido, depression, and other health issues. (1)
4) Aids Weight Loss
The problem is that most people’s diet consists of eating junk food that is high in calories and carbohydrates. The carnivore diet is rich in protein and it can help you to lose weight.
When you eat meat, your protein levels go up which helps you to support your metabolism and thus reduces calories as well as fat. If a person consumes less food, he can lose weight faster and also maintain his fitness.
The carnivore picks up the essential nutrients required by the body all at once.
5) Better Digestion
Your gut is responsible for completing the digestion process of your food. The carnivore diet reduces the amount of fiber from food. This kind of diet allows you to have better digestion and a lower risk of developing many gut-related diseases like IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, etc. Consuming meat products can also lead to a better digestion system. People who believe in the carnivore diet claim that this is one of the best benefits of carnivore diet.
Hence there are several benefits of adopting this type of diet on a regular basis. It is not necessary that you have to be on a strict carnivore diet. (2)
Side Effects of Carnivore Diet
The Carnivore Diet is a great option for losing weight as well as improving your health. It can also help you to gain more mental clarity and reduce chronic inflammation.
However, there are some side effects of this diet that you should take seriously besides the benefits of carnivore diet. Here are some of them:
1) Weak Immune System
If you’re on this diet, then chances are that your immune system might be compromised and it will not work properly. You will have to keep yourself away from various infections like cold, fever, and other infections.
2) Vitamin Deficiencies
Since the diet is mainly composed of meat only, it does not provide the essential nutrients required by our bodies. You must take a good multi-vitamin supplement in order to prevent any deficiencies.
3) Energy Loss
The carnivore diet does not offer a lot of calories which can lead to energy loss. If you are on this diet for a long time, you might end up losing weight and also experiencing fatigue if your energy levels are low.
4) Low Blood Sugar Levels
Since this diet is high in protein, it can lead to blood sugar problems like low blood sugar levels and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar). The symptoms of hypoglycaemia include body heat, sweating, shakiness, weakness, and numbness amongst others.
5) Heart Problems
Including meat in your diet can lead to heart problems because it is high in saturated fats and cholesterol. So, people are advised to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits instead. As you can see, the carnivore diet does not always come with benefits. If you want to try this diet, then it is important to discuss it with your doctor first.
Conclusion
The carnivore diet could be a good option for reducing inflammation and decreasing insulin sensitivity.
But if you have any medical conditions or if you are pregnant, it would be better if you don’t try this kind of restricted diet because of the side effects. Hence, carrying out a long-term experiment on this diet is highly recommended only to those who really like meat and are dedicated to maintaining a high protein intake on a regular basis.
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