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Four chicken eggs and six duck eggs, boiled. Seven hundred grams of minced beef, fried in lard. This is what popular influencer Bella Ma, aka Steak and Butter Gal, eats in a day. She doesn’t eat breakfast, lunch or dinner and her diet consists entirely of animal products. Ma’s diet is a proponent of the carnivore diet.
The popularity of the diet, which excludes all plant-based foods, was fueled by Canadian psychologist and anti-woke protester Jordan Peterson. In 2018, he explained on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast how life as a carnivore had freed his daughter Mikhaila from her rheumatism and depression.
In addition to health claims, proponents of the carnivore diet often point to our ancestors. The ancient people ate mainly on meat that they caught through hunting, which is why today’s digestive system is programmed for an animal diet.
Is there anything in the carnivore diet? Five questions – and answers.
Did humans evolve to eat meat?
The archaeologist Amanda Henry can say without hesitation: “No.” Henry is a member of Leiden University and researches the diet of our ancestors. “Many of our ancestors were able to hunt, but how much varied depending on the group and living environment.”
According to Henry, the flexibility of the human diet is unique. “When you consider what we need to survive, it’s actually particularly important to eat enough and not too much. If your life depends on it, the exact ratio of nutrients makes little difference.”
Scientists see the first evidence of this flexibility in our ancestor Homo erectus. This great ape initially spread around the world and had to adapt its diet to different environments.
If you put the teeth of a prehistoric human under the microscope, you will see tiny plant particles. Henry analyzes these particles and determines their origin. Other archaeological finds such as spears and tools as well as analyzes of the bone structure of prehistoric people can also provide information about what our ancestors ate. This diet seems to vary greatly depending on human species, location and time period, but plants have always been a part of it.
Can a meat diet help you lose weight?
Generally, yes. The fact that you can lose pounds is not due to the amount of protein or the lack of carbohydrates. Scientific studies show that basically any diet can help you lose weight. It is particularly important that you consume fewer calories than you burn. The body then burns fat to provide the energy it needs, and you lose weight.
What is particularly important with a low-calorie diet is that it is sustainable. The nutrition center therefore advises against diets that are too strict, one-sided or impractical.
How does such a carnivore diet affect the rest of your health?
According to Frank Visseren, epidemiologist and professor of vascular medicine, eating a lot of meat significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Visseren is jointly responsible for the European guidelines to limit this risk, and the motto there is: eat as plant-based as possible.
Red meat – “meat from animals with hooves” – and dairy products contain mostly saturated fats. “This is horrible stuff,” says Visseren, it leads to elevated cholesterol levels. If you still want to eat animal products, make sure you eat a lean diet: chicken, white fish or low-fat yogurt contain less saturated fat.
In addition to increased cholesterol, eating too much red meat can cause you to consume too much iron. This can also lead to cardiovascular problems, says Visseren. In addition, it irritates the intestinal wall. And that in turn increases the risk of colon cancer, according to Ellen Kampman, a nutritionist at Wageningen University and an expert in the field of nutrition and cancer.
If you only eat meat, you don’t eat sugar. Isn’t that actually healthy?
Fast sugar in sweets and soft drinks is actually not beneficial to your health. But whole grain products, which according to the nutrition center are an important source of fiber, also have no place in the diet of carnivores. According to proponents of the meat diet, vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts as well as other foods rich in fiber are also prohibited.
A varied diet with enough fiber is crucial for the composition of the microbiome, the intestinal mucosa, says Kampman. This microbiome is then important for bowel movements, the immune system and even the brain.
If almost all scientists advise against this diet, how can it be so popular with some?
“Meat is something special,” says Hans Dagevos from Wageningen University. According to the consumer sociologist, meat often has associations with celebration, connection, luxury, masculinity and robustness. The fact that the diet is so attractive to some probably has to do with these associations. But, says Dagevos: “Eating so much meat not only has consequences for your own health, but also for the environment and animal welfare. It’s a self-centered decision.”
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In the “Better/Life” section, we work with experts to answer practical questions in the areas of health, money and sustainability.
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