Plant-based food is now very popular, but there are still people who have no interest in green food. They choose to eat only meat: the carnivore diet.
What is the carnivore diet?
The carnivore diet is an extreme variant of the ketogenic diet, but is a broad term for many different forms of the diet. This gives you the most intense form, the lion diet: you only eat beef and salt and drink only water. Many people prefer to opt for a less extreme form and also eat other types of meat and fish. You can also add dairy and eggs to meals, but plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables are absolutely not included in this diet.
Advantages
Why would you take fruits and vegetables out of your diet? Proponents of the carnivore diet do this because, according to them, it has an anti-inflammatory effect if you no longer eat green food. Fruit and vegetables contain substances that some people consider anti-nutrients. These substances are produced by plants to protect themselves against insects and diseases. These substances could lead to inflammation in the human intestine. So if you do not consume these substances, you are less likely to get inflammation. People with an autoimmune disease also experience fewer complaints, according to proponents.
Several experts say that this theory is incorrect, because our bodies are built to handle these plant substances. There is no further evidence that anti-nutrients from plants have negative effects on the human body. There is even evidence from other studies that a versatile plant-based diet actually has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Hazards
No scientific research has yet been conducted into the health benefits of the carnivore diet, but various studies have shown that people who follow this specific diet often mainly eat pork or beef. This falls under the red meat category, which in large quantities is associated with a higher risk of colon cancer. Red and processed meat is also said to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is still unclear whether the diet has any health benefits, because scientific research must first be done.
Health
So eating only meat and animal products may not be as healthy as some people think. So what is a good way to eat healthy? According to various studies that focused on the relationship between nutrition and aging, it appears that flexitarian or vegetarian eaters live the healthiest lives. That means lots of vegetables and legumes, but little red meat. We can also conclude that not eating too much helps with a healthy lifestyle, especially vegetable products and occasionally some fish.
