I’ve been asked lately about the “Carnivore diet” and the “Lion Diet.”
The carnivore diet “is a high-protein fad diet in which only animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy are consumed” (Wikipedia). From surfing the various websites that promote it and offer “plant-free” menus, according to Carnivorestyle, it has “the potential to (help you) lose weight, get rid of unnecessary body fat, and gain a little muscle without losing the necessary micronutrients.”
Because it excludes all fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, I can’t imagine how anyone is not going to lose necessary micronutrients without the use of a lot of supplements, including fiber.
According to liondiet.com, “The Lion Diet is basically the closest thing you can get to a whole food elimination diet. It can help the gut to heal the leakiness that can be caused by years of accidental abuse. It also avoids allergens that can bother people who have nervous system and immune system damage. Classically, leaky gut is caused from a standard American diet, medications, biotoxins in the environment, and/or a dysbiotic microbiome that can occur if you’re born through a c-section or you take antibiotics. The Lion Diet is a healing elimination diet.” It eliminates everything but red meat.
With this diet, I don’t know how anyone could even survive without LOTS of supplements, especially fiber. Due to the now well-established link between diets high in red meat and saturated fat with colorectal cancer (e.g., see Journal Club below). It is especially concerning that rates of colorectal cancer are already increasing, notably among young people, who may be more exposed to social media sources such as TikTok where this diet is being promoted.