29/08/2025
As I share my new qualification in Carnivore Nutrition,
I fully expect pushback from those advocating for vegan or plant-based diets, often framed as the “ethical” or the “climate-friendly” choice.
I want to address these concerns head-on—using history, nutritional science, and ecological reality as my guides.
Firstly let me explain how I found carnivore.
As a medical herbalist generally patients come to me when they have tried everything else.
I am often the last resort.
Because of this I tend to consult with patients with chronic ill health and often a slew of auto-immune diseases.
This let me down the road of low carbohydrate nutrition and finally the carnivore diet.
Before I can recommend a diet to anyone I always do a huge amount of research. Eventually trying the diet for myself.
I was only going to do a month which has ended up being almost two years!
So lets get the most important question out the way.
No you do not need fibre to p**p! I p**p just fine ok I poo less but I am never constipated TMI? sorry guys but I know you were all thinking this!
The second question no vitamin C? Your teeth will fall out and you will develop scurvy.
Well actually my teeth and gums are fine. So fine in fact my dentist complimented me last visit on my dental hygiene.
Now lets get into the "science" Plant based diets have been long promoted for ultimate health. Not a week goes by without another exotic plant based Super food being touted across the media. However:
1. Nutritional Deficiencies in Plant-Based Diets are extremely common and unavoidable.
A vegan diet excludes all animal products, which inevitably means it is devoid of several essential nutrients unless supplemented. These include:
* Vitamin B12, only naturally available from animal sources, deficiency of which can cause irreversible neurological damage .
* Heme iron, the most bioavailable form of iron, found only in animal foods .
* Creatine, taurine, and carnosine, compounds critical for muscle, brain, and cardiovascular function, found exclusively in animal products .
* Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which are most efficiently obtained from fatty fish and ruminant animals.
Long-term adherence to vegan diets has been associated with increased risks of deficiencies that can negatively impact bone health, mental health, and overall vitality .
2. Plant Toxins and Gut Health
While plants can be medicinal, (I am a medical herbalist and have been for almost 20 years, I know the power of medicinal herbs prescribed at the right time in the right combination for the individual) they also produce natural defense chemicals—oxalates, lectins, saponins, phytates, and others—these plant phytochemical can impair nutrient absorption, irritate the gut, or contribute to inflammatory responses in sensitive individuals .
For those struggling with autoimmune conditions or gut disorders such as IBS or leaky gut, removing these compounds via a carnivore approach has been shown to bring symptomatic relief. Not just in gut conditions but I have seen it work in patients with severe inflammatory skin conditions and other chronic inflammatory diseases.
3. The Climate Argument: Ruminants Are Not the Enemy
A common critique is that ruminant livestock, such as cattle, are driving climate change via methane emissions. This is misleading:
* Methane (cow farts, lets be real) from ruminants is part of the biogenic carbon cycle, unlike CO₂ from fossil fuels, which adds new carbon into the atmosphere .
* The role of ruminants in regenerative grazing systems is essential. Properly managed cattle help restore soil health, sequester carbon, and improve biodiversity .
In fact, ruminant animals are crucial for maintaining the fertility of grassland ecosystems, which cover a large portion of the earth’s surface.
4. The Real Environmental Culprit: Monocultures
Soya, corn, and wheat monocultures—largely grown for plant-based foods are a leading cause of soil depletion, erosion, and biodiversity loss .
* These crops require chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and fungicides that contaminate water systems, degrade soil microbiomes, and have been linked to chronic human health conditions, including cancer and gut disorders .
* Glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide, is now recognised as a probable human carcinogen and disruptor of gut health .
By contrast, regenerative animal agriculture builds soil, reduces reliance on chemicals, and restores ecosystems .
Conclusion
The argument that veganism is “better for the planet” or “more ethical” does not hold up when we look at the complete picture. A vegan diet risks long-term nutrient deficiencies; plant-based foods often carry anti-nutrients that can worsen gut health; and monoculture agriculture—required to sustain plant-based diets at scale—causes severe ecological harm.
Ruminant animals, when raised regeneratively, are not only sustainable but essential to soil and ecosystem health. Choosing a carnivore or animal-inclusive diet is not only ancestrally appropriate, it is scientifically defensible—for human health and for the planet.
If you have got this far I salute you. Thank you for staying with me until the end.
Please leave your comments on the topic.
Please be respectful it is a very emotive topic lets strive to be kind.
References
1. Allen LH. “Causes of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency.” Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 2008.
2. Hurrell R, Egli I. “Iron bioavailability and dietary reference values.” Am J Clin Nutr, 2010.
3. Brosnan JT, Brosnan ME. “Creatine: endogenous metabolite, dietary, and therapeutic supplement.” Annu Rev Nutr, 2007.
4. Brenna JT et al. “Docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids in human nutrition.” Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids, 2009.
5. Iguacel I et al. “Veganism, vegetarianism, bone mineral density, and fracture risk.” Nutrition Reviews, 2019.
6. Liener IE. “Implications of antinutritional components in soybean foods.” Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 1994.
7. O’Hearn M, Feldman M. “Therapeutic potential of a carnivore diet in autoimmune disease.” Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes, 2021.
8. Beauchemin KA et al. “Nutritional management for enteric methane abatement.” Animal, 2020.
9. Teague R et al. “The role of ruminants in reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint.” J Soil Water Conserv, 2016.
10. Foley JA et al. “Solutions for a cultivated planet.” Nature, 2011.
11. Aktar W et al. “Impact of pesticides use in agriculture: their benefits and hazards.” Interdiscip Toxicol, 2009.
12. Guyton KZ et al. “Carcinogenicity of glyphosate.” The Lancet Oncology, 2015.
13. Lal R. “Regenerative agriculture for food and climate.” J Soil Water Conserv, 2020.
