Ep. 316: Is the Carnivore Diet Healthy?

In this episode, Stacy and Sarah are worried about the growing popularity of the carnivore diet. Where did this bizarre idea come from and why is it that people claim that it makes them feel good? And why is Sarah pulling out her hair in frustration about this topic?
 
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The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 316: Is the Carnivore Diet Healthy?

Intro (0:00)
News and Views (0:40)
Welcome back! Sarah is steamed like a veggie and ready to climb onto a soapbox!
We thought that we had this covered when we emphasized how important veggies were to your health is shows like Episode 281 and Episode 286
But the carnivore trend has been persistent, so we thought we should address it directly
We've been hearing about it for a while, but it first came to our attention with a viral video about a man who only fed his family steak.
Stacy was shocked! How are those kids getting their nutrients?!

Question from Anna: "My husband has heard from several successful people who swear by a carnivore diet (Zooko Wilcox for example). It's a diet that cuts out plant foods, which to me sounds absolutely horrendous, but he wanted to try it because he has a much higher need for protein than I do and is usually craving red meat. I told him he was crazy, but spent the next 2 days essentially shoving red meat down his throat. This convinced him that consuming only meat was maybe a little much and he's back on the green wagon with me. It did leave me wondering though as to the potential for a carnivore diet to work with some people. Meat has all 20 amino acids and if you include organ meat, then I wonder if that would cover all your bases for vitamins and minerals. I'm curious, is there is any validity to such a diet if done right? Or if it is just slowly breaking down the body by depleting the consumer of some (or several) things?"
Stacy questions Anna's consumption of Oreos, while Sarah is totally on board.
Stacy recommends Trader Joe's Jojos, while Sarah prefers the dairy-free Glutino chocolate sandwich cookies.

Question from Janet: "I've been on the AIP for quite a while now, and was on a more general paleo diet for years before that. I think I know *a bit* about healthy eating at this point, and understand the general concepts. But, I've been hearing about the carnivore diet lately, and it's leaving me stumped. I've heard anecdotes about it curing autoimmune issues (I'm assuming because it cuts out the same foods AIP does, plus a whole lot more), making people feel younger, people losing weight, and somehow also still feeling healthy. Someone close to me (no, this isn't a "a friend wanted me to ask you…" question) is considering it, and before I scream "NO!" I thought I'd see if you ladies had any input… What's the science? Is there any? Shouldn't they all have scurvy? How can they not be incredibly sick, without any vegetables in their life?"
Diet was pioneered by Shawn Baker who will sell you the Carnivore Diet System coaching. That's a red flag!
Check out our Insulin show about why at least some carbs are important as well as our show about the dangers of ketogenic diets.
Shawn Baker had his medical license revoked in 2017 in part for incompetence.'
He was taken seriously because he was a good athlete (records in indoor rowing) and so seemed to "prove" that it worked
Only one study, a case study, from the 30s investigated a carnivore diet. A man attempted to copy the Inuit diet and Belview hospital observed him. Back then, though, our ability to measure health wasn't as advanced. He was eating a lot of organ meat, including raw organ meat.
He didn't get scurvy, but that's probably due to the raw organ meat, which has Vitamin C.
Meanwhile, Shawn Baker isn't eating organ meat and hasn't done any bloodwork to check in on his health at all! He's also spending so much time attacking science and claiming outlandish claims about mineral demands