What is the Carnivore Diet?

The carnivore diet, also called zero carb, is exactly what it sounds like: eat only meat . Some people are more strict than others about what counts as meat; animal products like milk, cheese, and eggs are a topic of debate. Some people salt their food which can provide some minerals, while others claim not to need it. People are most commonly following a carnivore diet to alleviate autoimmune or inflammatory issues . Critics of the carnivore diet say that it destroys the intestines and can’t provide all the nutrients the human body requires. On the other hand, people like the Maasai and Inuit eat traditional diets of almost exclusively meat [ 1 , 2 ]. But are these people true carnivores? A strict carnivore diet includes only meat, while some people eat other animal products too. Opinions on this diet are split. Generally speaking, the colder the environment, the less plant life grows there. This means that people who traditionally live in cold climates tend to eat more meat and fewer plants. The Chukotka people of Siberia and the Inuit and Eeyouch of Canada are great examples of such cultures [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. However, none of these cultures completely cut plants out of their diets; in fact, they travel great lengths to gather and eat fruits, roots, and medicinal herbs during the warmer seasons [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The vast majority of a traditional Eeyouch (northern Quebec) diet is made up of wild game like moose and caribou, goose, and fish. However, during the summer months, they gather huge quantities of wild blueberries and Labrador tea. They also make tea with white spruce needles and gather a variety of medicinal plants and mosses [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Even […]

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