Turns out our cave-dwelling ancestors were smarter than we give them credit for! While cavemen have a reputation for not being too bright, they hit the nail on the head when it comes to eating smart—they ate mostly meat.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet is an ultra-low-carb, high-fat, and virtually zero-plant food approach to eating. Some foods you can eat on a carnivore diet include meat (steak, bison, poultry), fish (cod, salmon, tuna), and eggs. We have a more comprehensive list here.
What are the Benefits of a Carnivore Diet?
We all know that meat is super heavy on protein, a macronutrient that is essential for good health. Protein takes on huge tasks in our bodies—things like managing repair, maintenance, growth, and even transporting oxygen through our blood.
Jumping on the all-meat bandwagon can have tons of benefits. Dr. Ken Berry, a family physician with 20 years of experience, says the carnivore diet can:
- fix fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes
- reduce insulin resistance and high blood pressure
- help you have healthier skin, lungs, and guts
- better emotional and mental health
- help with healthy weight loss and better sleep
Who wouldn’t want those benefits, right?
Carnivore Diet Popularity Growth
Although the carnivore diet has been around since, well, the caveman days, not a lot of research has been done on it. However, that might be changing as this simple way of eating becomes more popular. Shawn Baker’s book called The Carnivore Diet has more people checking out this centuries-old food plan.
In fact, there’s been so much talk about the diet that a team of Harvard University researchers decided to look into it, conducting the first mainstream carnivore diet study in 2020.
They concluded that “contrary to common expectations, adults consuming a carnivore diet experienced few adverse effects and instead reported health benefits and high satisfaction.” In other words, “carnivor-ians” noticed very few downsides, and a lot of benefits with this way of eating.
So our club-carrying ancestors knew what they were doing. Cutting into a sizzling steak or munching on crunchy bacon not only fills you up, it can make you happy and healthy too.
Can you do the Carnivore Diet on Keto?
Yes, but you don’t have to go full-on carnivore to enjoy the benefits of an ultra-low-carb diet. It’s all about finding what works best for you. For some people, that means cutting out carbs completely while others might add some grains, veggies, or fruits to the mix.
There are just as many ways to do keto as there are keto people—and no keto police are going to knock on your door telling you you’re doing it wrong. But it’s definitely worth doing the research and finding out if a more meat-heavy diet makes sense for you.
Sick of Meal Prepping on Keto?
Then check out Keto Chow! Keto Chow is a low-carb meal shake that only takes seconds to make! So if you’re on the run and need a nutritious meal to keep you full, then this shake mix is for you.
Plus, Keto Chow comes in over 30 flavors. So you won’t experience taste bud fatigue.
