It starts, as many things in modern wellness do, with an Instagram reel.
A woman, glowing with health, thanks the carnivore diet for giving her back her energy, healing her autoimmune disease, and clearing her skin.
A middle-aged man credits ribeye steaks and eggs with restoring his libido and shedding 20kg (44lb, or 3st 2lb). Another claims that after decades of gut issues, ditching all plant-based foods cured his bloating and gave him mental clarity.
If you are desperate for relief from pain, fatigue, brain fog, weight gain or digestive distress, stories like these are powerful.
They are personal, persuasive and plastered all over social media.
It’s no wonder, really, that so many people are giving the carnivore diet a try.
What is the carnivore diet?
The carnivore diet is exactly what it sounds like: a way of eating that centres almost exclusively on animal products. It typically includes meat, fish, eggs and sometimes dairy. All plant-based foods – including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds – are off the table.
‘My diet is carnivore. I eat meat, fish, eggs…basically animal protein and fats. That is the diet that makes me feel the best,’ says British influencer Eddie Abbew
Stricter versions may exclude dairy and fish, relying solely on beef, salt and water – the so-called ‘lion diet’.
Nutritionist Faye James says the carnivore diet can work for some people – but the horror stories can’t be ignored
I understand the appeal. As a nutritionist, I have met clients who have tried everything conventional and come up short. They feel dismissed by doctors, frustrated by all-or-nothing diets, and eager for something that finally works.
When a diet promises clarity, simplicity and rapid transformation, it is tempting to believe in it.
And yes, for some, the carnivore diet does deliver results – and I’m certainly not here to doubt anyone’s lived experience. The fact is, eliminating sugar, ultra-processed foods and alcohol can enhance almost anyone’s health in the short term.
People often report reduced bloating, clearer skin, weight loss and improved energy. For those with inflammatory conditions or autoimmune symptoms, the removal of plant-based compounds like lectins or oxalates can offer genuine relief.
There are even cases of improved insulin sensitivity, mood stability, and reduced joint pain. These benefits are not fabrications. But they are not the whole story either.
The other side of carnivore
What many so-called meatfluencers fail to mention is what can happen after the carnivore honeymoon period ends.
Instagram accounts like @CarnivoreCringe document the lived experiences of real people trying the diet and they are sobering to say the least.
Behind the camera-ready abs and butter-slathered steaks are private Facebook groups filled with alarming testimonials: ‘I haven’t had a bowel movement in eight days,’ ‘My cholesterol is through the roof,’ ‘Why am I getting chest pains?’
Some people develop insomnia. Others report hair loss, mood swings or irregular heart rhythms. There are photos of ghastly rashes and admissions of erectile dysfunction. This is in stark contrast to the countless ‘alpha’ influencers who claim the carnivore diet is the secret to virility.
And perhaps most worryingly of all, I’ve seen bloodwork that looks more like a textbook case of cardiovascular risk than robust health.
Most carnivore dieters eat meat, fish, eggs and some dairy, while excluding all plant-based foods. Some, however, claim to live solely on beef, salt and water – known as the ‘lion diet’.
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Some of these issues can be chalked up to poor planning. Most people are not tracking micronutrients. They are not balancing organ meats for Vitamin A or including enough salt and magnesium.
But even the most meticulous carnivores are not immune to the side effects of a diet that excludes entire food groups, namely fibre, phytonutrients and carbohydrates.
A nutritionist’s perspective
Let’s be clear. A diet devoid of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and wholegrains is a diet devoid of fibre. That matters. Women need at least 25 grams and men at least 30 grams of fibre per day, according to Australian dietary guidelines.
Fibre feeds your gut microbiome, the community of trillions of bacteria that regulates your immunity, inflammation, hormone metabolism, and even mood. When you starve those bacteria, you do not just lose diversity – you risk the breakdown of the intestinal lining, triggering inflammation and autoimmune reactions.
Carnivore advocates like to claim we do not need fibre. But the scientific consensus tells a different story. Longitudinal studies consistently show that higher fibre intake is associated with lower risks of heart disease, bowel cancer and type 2 diabetes. We cannot simply discard this because someone on Instagram says they feel good eating only beef.
Protein and fat alone are not sufficient to meet all nutritional needs. Without plant foods, many carnivores are at risk of deficiencies in Vitamin C, Vitamin K1, polyphenols, and prebiotics. Over time, this can affect everything from skin health and collagen production to blood pressure and brain function.
Some examples of the alarming posts that can be found in private carnivore groups
One carnivore revealed they are in renal failure after they started following the diet two years ago
The real-world risks
A particularly alarming trend is parents putting their children on a carnivore diet. In theory, it is all grass-fed meat and raw milk. In practice, it can be a nutrient-deficient plan that deprives children of the variety their growing bodies require.
The diet made headlines last month when British carnivore Alex Cannon died from what his family said was a genetic heart defect
Even among adults, long-term carnivores are not benign. There have been reports of gallbladder issues, kidney stones and dangerously high LDL cholesterol.
The diet became the focus of international attention last month when British carnivore advocate Alex Cannon died from what his family said was a genetic heart defect.
A fellow YouTuber, Kerry Mann, announced his death and insisted it was ‘not linked to lifestyle’. That hasn’t stopped critics from speculating that Mr Cannon’s extreme diet – one known to elevate LDL and omit fibre, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients – may have contributed to his passing.
The culture around it
What concerns me just as much as the nutrition is the culture surrounding the carnivore diet. Much like early veganism, there is a strain of moral superiority among its loudest advocates.
They mock people who eat carbs as weak or addicted to sugar. They dismiss all critics as shills for Big Seed Oil. They equate bloating after vegetables with proof that all plants are toxic. And when someone dares to say the diet stopped working for them, they are often told they did it wrong or – worse – they are shamed.
This rigidity is not healthy.
Alex Cannon, right, who only ate meat and eggs, died on July 6, aged 66, his wife Michelle, left, confirmed
In fact, it mirrors the very orthorexic patterns that many people claim carnivore rescued them from. Healing should not require ideological purity. Nor should it require sticking with something that is clearly harming you, just to stay in the tribe.
Balance is not the enemy
None of this is to say that the carnivore diet has no place.
For someone with severe autoimmune issues or unexplained food sensitivities, a temporary elimination diet under medical supervision may be helpful.
But in the long term, we need to look at what the evidence tells us. The healthiest, longest-living populations on Earth eat diets rich in fibre, antioxidants and plants.
They do not cut out entire food groups. They do not fear bananas. And they certainly do not measure health by how many raw liver shots they can stomach.
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Listen to your body
As a nutritionist, I always encourage curiosity and self-experimentation, but not at the expense of safety, science or sanity.
Carnivore influencers often mock other diets and dismiss concerns as weakness or ignorance. But in doing so, they risk becoming as preachy, judgmental and moralising as the vegans they so often ridicule. They cannot simply cling to positive testimonials while ridiculing those who eat carbs and soy. The material downsides of the diet must be acknowledged, too.
If the carnivore diet works for you in the short term, that’s fine. But listen to your body, not your social media feed. Monitor your health markers. Be willing to reintroduce plants. And remember, feeling good for a few months is not the same as thriving for a lifetime.
We cannot cherry-pick the testimonials and ignore the damage. The human body is resilient, but it is not invincible. A diet built on extremism is not a diet built to last.
- Faye James is a Sydney-based accredited nutritionist and author of The 10:10 Diet, The Menopause Diet, The Long Life Plan and her latest book The Perimenopause Plan
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