The ‘carnivore’ diet is picking up steam in Silicon Valley – but can eating primarily meat and water ever be good for you?
Well, it had to happen eventually. With veganism on the rise – thanks, Liam Hemsworth! – and the paleo diet refusing to die quietly, one more eating trend’s picking up steam, and it’s the one absolutely most likely to make your doctor furious. The Carnivore Diet, advocates explain, is based on the idea that our bodies have adapted to run best on meat, with claims that everything from performance and body composition to Lyme and Crohn’s disease can benefit from going meat-only.
Can this possibly make any sense? It’s tricky: carnivorous diets are certainly rich in protein, and it’s difficult to overload on calories when grabbing a quick snack means frying up a steak. Going ‘zero carb’ – as fans call it – also pretty much eliminates insulin spikes, which might cut down on body fat storage. But on the flipside, cavemen (and Inuits, often cited as an example of a mostly-meat culture) weren’t eating cage-reared, antibiotic-laden steaks – and plenty of nutritionists have expressed concerns about what a lack of fibre might mean over the long term.
Hardcore carnivore Shawn Baker – who sets indoor rowing records fuelled only by steak – is conducting his own study at nequalsmany.com, but in the meantime your best bet is probably the same as ever – eat a bunch of dark leafy greens, as much other veg as you can handle…and if you’re buying steaks, go grass-fed.
