Pediatricians Say ‘Carnivore Babies’ Trend May Mean Kids Miss Important Nutrients

Some healthcare professionals have expressed concern that the “carnivore babies” trend could cause children to miss out on essential nutrients at a pivotal developmental stage.

However, while certain pediatricians and doctors have urged caution, carnivore parents and pro-carnivore public figures have spoken positively about the trend.

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The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently spoke to a parent who said she fed her “carnivore baby” raw egg yolk and pureed chicken liver once they were ready for solid food. She then introduced sardines, butter, bone broth popsicles, and leg of lamb on the bone.

Mark Corkins, a pediatric gastroenterologist at the University of Tennessee and chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on nutrition, told WSJ that vitamin C and fiber are essential for healthy development and rare in a carnivore diet.

Vitamin C, for example, supports the formation of healthy cartilage and connective tissue, while fiber aids digestion and gut microbiome function. Proper nutrition during infancy supports long-term health, while youth malnutrition can increase the risk of a variety of potential physical and mental health issues later in life.

Dr Shireen Kassam, founder and director of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, told Plant Based News (PBN): “It makes no sense to raise children on a diet that prioritizes animal-sourced foods. We know that the foundations of poor health are often laid down in childhood, with family norms and the food environment shaping lifelong eating habits.”

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The carnivore diet debunked

Dr Ken Berry, creator of the ‘Proper Human Diet’ and an advocate for carnivore and keto-style living, praised the carnivore babies trend in a recent appearance on Fox News.

He dismissed pediatricians’ concerns and described it as a return to traditional infant diets. He added that carnivore is the “original” way humans fed their babies 100 years ago, 500 years ago, and 5,000 years ago. There is no credible historical basis for this, and even late Stone Age humans are generally thought to have cooked their meat, supplementing it with wild plants, vegetables, berries, and nuts.

Regardless, the carnivore diet and its claimed health benefits have been widely debunked. In contrast, several studies from this year alone support switching out animal foods for plant-based ones to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, gut issues, and the risk of premature death.

“Diets high in animal-sourced foods are associated with increased risks of overweight and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and early death,” continued Kassam. “A diet devoid of fiber-rich plant foods goes against international consensus and all dietary guidelines which recommend a plant-rich diet for optimizing physical and mental health outcomes, for all ages and stages of life.”

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