Get Prehistoric with the Carnivore Diet
In case you’ve managed to dodge every recent health buzz, allow me to introduce the monster stealing the diet stage, the carnivore diet. Outraged by veganism and bored with keto? Not to fear! Paleo was so last millennium, anyways. Now it’s time to strip down your nutritional intake to one potent core – meat. Juicy, protein-rich, Sinatra-loved, be it Eleanor-Roosevelt-hated, meat.
The Carnivore Creed
No, a carnivore diet doesn’t mean eating a vegan for breakfast. It’s about turning back the clock (we’re talking way, way back) and dining like our cave-dwelling ancestors did. Eat meat, drink water, aim for the woolly mammoth – that’s the carnivore creed. Beef, poultry, pork, and fish fill the lineup with eggs, high-fat dairy, and certain seafood as supporting cast. Your dinner plate gets a hard pass on fruits, veggies, nuts, and well….anything that can’t moo, cluck, or bleat.
What’s On the Menu
Being an adventurous omnivore at heart, the thought of banishing anything remotely green from my plate sent shivers of uncultivated fear down my carb-loving spine. But then again, diving into a 100% grass-fed, perfectly seared steak? Not a hard sell. Working through wheels of cheese? Downright dreamy.
Does It Work?
With an uptake in protein and fat, your body gets down to brass tacks, focusing on maintaining muscle mass and burning fat for fuel. Preliminary studies suggest improved cardiovascular health, leading cholesterol crusaders to scratch heads. Plus, the limited food choices can simplify meal planning, until you hit day four of rib-eye steak and may be begging for a Brussels sprout.
The Double-edged Sword
Is this meaty menu too good to be true? Possibly. Critics (often the same ones humbly massaging their kale salads) point to pitfalls of vitamin deficiencies, constipation, and high cholesterol levels. Naturally, before you start clubbing your dinner, take it up with your MD.
Metabolic Meet-up
Anything that gets your metabolic gears grinding deserves consideration. While the carnivore diet might not suit a committed leaf lover, it could be the ticket for those looking to improve digestive health, reduce inflammation, or shed stubborn weight. Plus, the carnivore diet mayhaps could curb the retail therapy by ruling out grocery aisle detours.
Finding Your Inner Caveperson
Feeling the call of the wild? Ready to embrace your inner Flintstone? You could become part of a growing community of health buffs who cut down on the plants to stack up on the meats. Like every way of eating, the carnivore diet comes with its own host of pros and cons, but it definitely goes against the (whole) grain.
The Meaty Conclusion
Life is a banquet, according to Auntie Mame, and I guess that could also mean a steak banquet. As with any diet, what suits one person may not suit another. The carnivore diet is an intriguing chapter in humanity’s ongoing saga to understand what, exactly, we should be eating. And who knows, your inner carnivore could be waiting eagerly to be unleashed. Or it could be politely raising its hand, asking where the green beans are.