24/11/2025
The Carnivore Diet
Your metabolism becomes a fat-burning reactor, not a carb-burning campfire.
The carnivore diet is basically your metabolism going, “Ah, yes… the Ice Age menu. Classic.”
But here’s what’s actually happening under the bonnet:
1. Carb Intake Plummets → Insulin Drops
With almost no carbohydrates, blood glucose stays low.
Low glucose = low insulin.
Low insulin = your body stops storing energy and starts releasing it.
Like a stage manager finally turning off the fog machine: things calm down.
2. You Switch From Glycolysis to Lipolysis
Since there’s little glucose to burn, the body pivots to its backup plan: fat.
Stored fat gets broken into fatty acids and glycerol, then into ketone bodies.
This is nutritional ketosis — not “I haven’t eaten all day” chaos-ketosis but a deliberate fuel shift.
3. Protein Steps Up
Protein becomes your go-to for:
• Gluconeogenesis (your liver turning amino acids into the tiny trickle of glucose your brain and red blood cells still need)
• Muscle repair and maintenance
Because you’re eating loads of protein, you may have higher thermogenesis: the body literally burns more energy processing it. Like a metabolic wood-burner.
4. Hormonal Shifts
• Insulin ↓
• Glucagon ↑ → stimulates fat breakdown
• Cortisol stays steadier because blood sugar fluctuations flatten out
• Leptin + Ghrelin may normalise for some people, affecting hunger signals
It’s less “I’m starving!” and more “I’m oddly fine… should I be concerned?”
5. Gut Microbiome Adjusts
Fiber vanishes. Meat proteins and fats become the main digestive workload.
This shifts gut bacteria composition (not always bad, not always good — more like the cast list changes between seasons).
6. Effects on Inflammation & Energy
Some people report:
• Reduced inflammation (ketones can be anti-inflammatory)
• Steady energy (no carb peaks and crashes)
• Better satiety (protein + fat is filling)
Others feel:
• Sluggish early on
• Constipation (the bathroom equivalent of a dramatic pause)
• Nutrient balance challenges depending on food variety
So Metabolically…
It’s essentially:
High fat oxidation + high protein metabolism + low insulin + steady ketones.
Your body becomes a full-time fat-burning, protein-processing engine — a bit like giving your metabolism a very strict, very meaty script with no improvisation allowed.
Here are the pros, cons, risks, and comparisons of the carnivore diet, laid out cleanly and without the usual evangelism from people who think ribeye is a religion.
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Pros (Metabolic & Practical)
1. Stable Blood Sugar & Energy
No carbs = no spikes.
People often describe their energy as “flat in a good way” — like switching from a rollercoaster to a bullet train.
2. High Satiety
Protein + fat keeps you full for hours.
Many people accidentally do intermittent fasting because they forget to snack (the snack cupboard weeps softly).
3. Reduced Inflammation (usually)
Ketones have anti-inflammatory properties.
Also: removing foods that commonly trigger reactions — gluten, seed oils, additives — can dramatically reduce symptoms in sensitive individuals.
4. Simple and Compliant
No counting, no weighing, no colours-coded food pyramids.
Eat meat, drink water, go on with your day.
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Cons & Risks
1. Micronutrient Gaps
Vitamin C, manganese, folate, potassium, magnesium — these can drop if the diet isn’t varied (e.g., eating only muscle meat).
Organ meats fix this… but not everyone fancies liver for breakfast.
2. Gut Microbiome Simplification
No fibre → fewer fibre-fermenting bacteria.
Some people thrive; others get constipation or bathroom existentialism!
3. LDL Cholesterol Can Rise
This varies wildly by individual.
Some people’s numbers look like they’re trying to write a sequel to Everest.
4. But Socially… it can be chaos!
Restaurants: Difficult. Multiple substitutions
Dinner parties: Awkward - peeling the meat out of sandwiches.
Vegan friends: distressed!
5. Adaptation Period
The “keto flu” (fatigue, headaches, irritability) may hit early on while electrolytes shift. Difficult to plough through it.
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Who Benefits?
Clinical research suggests we do have metabolic logic:
Beneficiaries include:
• People with metabolic syndrome
• Individuals with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions
• People with IBS triggered by FODMAPs
• People with strong sugar dysregulation
• Men and women who do well on higher protein/fat by nature
It’s not usually the best long-term choice for:
• Endurance athletes
• People prone to kidney stones
• People with familial hypercholesterolaemia
• People who hate chewing
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Carnivore vs Keto vs Paleo
Carnivore:
Carbs: 0–5g
Fat-burning: Max
Protein: High
Flexibility: None (monastic meat life)
Keto:
Carbs: ~20–50g
Fat-burning: High
Protein: Moderate
Flexibility: High — includes veggies, dairy, oils, nuts
Paleo:
Carbs: Moderate
Fat-burning: Moderate
Protein: High
Flexibility: Quite high — excludes processed foods but allows fruits, roots, honey
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How It Affects Performance
Strength Training:
Often good — high protein, steady energy, strong recovery.
Some lifters swear by it.
Explosive Sports:
Generally fine.
Endurance Sports:
Mixed.
Your fat oxidation becomes legendary, but many athletes miss glycolytic “turbo mode.”
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Cognition & Mood:
Many people report:
• Sharper focus
• Reduced brain fog
• Better mood stability
Often due to:
• Ketone fuel
• Lack of glucose crashes
• Reduced inflammatory load
But others feel:
• Flat mood
• Low motivation
• “Grey world syndrome”
Especially if fats aren’t high enough.
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2. Common Mistakes (Everyone Makes These)
1. Not eating enough fat
Carnivore is basically fat-powered human mode.
If you only eat lean meat, you’ll feel like a drained phone battery.
2. Not salting enough
Low insulin → kidneys dump sodium.
If you under-salt, you get headaches, fatigue, irritability…
Basically becoming a Victorian ghost.
3. Too much protein, not enough energy
Excess protein can convert to glucose.
If fats don’t keep up, ketosis limps rather than sings.
4. Over-restricting foods unnecessarily
Some people drop:
• dairy
• eggs
• seafood
• all organ meats
…and end up eating only mince and steak. That’s nutritionally thin for long-term.
5. Expecting instant magic
It takes 2–6 weeks to fat-adapt.
Your mitochondria need rehearsal time.
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3. Strict Carnivore vs “Animal-Based”
Strict Carnivore
Allows:
• Meat, fish, eggs
• Animal fats
• Salt
• (Maybe) very low-lactose dairy
Nothing else.
Pros: Anti-inflammatory, simple, predictable
Cons: Can be limiting nutritionally & socially
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Animal-Based (Paul Saladino style)
Allows:
• Meat & organs
• Dairy (if tolerated)
• Honey
• Fruit
• Some tubers
Pros: More carbs → better athletic performance & thyroid support
Cons: Less “clean” for autoimmune issues
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Hybrid (My favourite for most people)
80–90% carnivore
10–20% fruit, honey, herbs, broth, maybe coffee
Think carnivore… but with artistic flair.
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4. Deep Dive: How Ketone Production Works
Here’s the metabolic choreography:
1. Low Carbs → Low Insulin
Insulin drops
Glucagon rises
Fat cells get the memo: “We’re burning you now”
2. Lipolysis Begins
Stored triglycerides →
fatty acids + glycerol
Fatty acids head to the liver.
3. Beta-Oxidation
Inside liver mitochondria, fatty acids are chopped into acetyl-CoA units.
Think of it as molecular butchery.
4. Ketogenesis
When acetyl-CoA builds up (because carbs aren’t providing oxaloacetate), the liver converts it into ketone bodies:
• Acetoacetate
• Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)
• Acetone (the one you breathe out)
These circulate in the blood.
5. Ketones Fuel the Brain & Body
Your brain loves BHB — it’s cleaner than glucose.
Muscles happily burn it too.
Inflammation drops because ketones inhibit inflammatory pathways (NLRP3).
In short: Your metabolism becomes a fat-burning reactor, not a carb-burning campfire.
