The Carnivore Diet: Why Going All Meat is NOT the Way to Go for Vibrant Health, By Mrs Vera West and Mrs Abigail Knight (Florida)

In a world obsessed with quick-fix diets, the carnivore diet, eating only animal products like meat, fish, eggs, and sometimes dairy, has gained a cult following. Promoted by figures like Dr. Shawn Baker and vocal supporters on X, it promises everything from reduced inflammation to mental clarity. For Aussies battling a cost-of-living crisis, where steak costs $15/kg and grocery bills sting, the idea of simplifying to meat alone might sound appealing. But dig deeper, and the carnivore diet's limitations, particularly around fibre, gut health, and vitamin C, reveal why this extreme approach may not deliver long-term health or savings.

The carnivore diet eliminates all plant foods, meaning zero dietary fibre. Proponents argue fibre isn't essential, claiming it can irritate the gut and that a meat-only diet resolves issues like bloating or IBS. Users boast "perfect digestion" with less frequent bowel movements, suggesting the gut adapts to low waste from highly absorbable animal foods.

Science tells a different story. Fibre, found in foods like beans or oats, feeds beneficial gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which reduce inflammation and protect against colon cancer, according to a 2021 Gut Microbes study. A 2018 Science review linked low microbial diversity, common in zero-fibre diets, to poorer health outcomes. Carnivore diets shift the gut microbiome toward protein-digesting bacteria, potentially increasing compounds like trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), tied to heart disease risk in a 2019 European Heart Journal study.

Adding fibre supplements, like psyllium husks, to fix this undermines the diet's core "animal-only" philosophy. Without fibre, carnivore dieters risk long-term gut health issues, unlike Blue Zone populations (e.g., Sardinians eating fibre-rich fava beans) who enjoy low chronic disease rates and long lives. For Aussies, swapping pricey meat for a $1 can of chickpeas, which a 2025 USDA study showed cuts cholesterol by 15 points, makes more sense for both health and budget.

The carnivore diet also raises concerns about vitamin C, critical for immune function and collagen formation. Australia's Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) is 45 mg/day, but most meats offer far less, beef liver has ~2 mg/100g, per USDA data, and cooking degrades it further. Advocates on X claim the diet's low-carb nature reduces vitamin C needs, citing a 2013 Medical Hypotheses article suggesting glucose competes with vitamin C uptake. They also point to Inuit populations, who avoided scurvy on low-plant diets by eating raw organ meats.

However, modern carnivore dieters often stick to cooked muscle meats, not raw seal liver like the Inuit. A 2022 Nutrition Reviews analysis warns of subclinical vitamin C deficiency risks, which may impair immunity or tissue repair without causing overt scurvy. Taking supplements, often plant-derived, contradicts the diet's ethos, creating another catch-22. Meanwhile, affordable foods like tomatoes ($4/kg) or oranges ($3/kg) provide ample vitamin C and antioxidants, as seen in Mediterranean diets linked to longevity.

For Australians, where food prices rose 3.8% in 2024 (per the Australian Bureau of Statistics), the carnivore diet's reliance on meat is a budget-killer. A kilo of beef mince costs $10-$15, while dried lentils or canned beans cost $3-$4/kg and deliver fibre, protein, and micronutrients like potassium. The 2025 USDA study found black beans slashed inflammation markers by 27%, offering heart health benefits without the financial or nutritional risks of going all-meat, as Vera covered in her bean article.

Carnivore advocates lean on anecdotes and selective historical examples, but the lack of long-term studies leaves their claims shaky. The diet's elimination of fibre starves beneficial gut bacteria, and its low vitamin C content risks deficiencies unless organ meats are a staple, an impractical ask for most. Adding supplements to patch these gaps admits the diet's flaws, undermining its "meat-only" purity.

In contrast, balanced diets rich in affordable whole foods like beans, veggies, and fruits, staples in Blue Zones like Okinawa, support gut health, heart health, and longevity, backed by decades of research. As Vera said in her bean article, for Aussies (and Americans too) feeling the economic pinch, a $1 can of chickpeas or a bowl of lentil soup offers more bang for your buck than a pricey T-bone, as nice as that is. The carnivore diet may sound bold, but its limitations make it a risky bet for our health and wallets/purses.