The Carnivore diet has recently surged in popularity for its simplicity and results. Many people report feeling clearer, leaner, and less inflamed, and for good reason.
Compared to the standard American diet, which is loaded with processed seed oils, additives, and low-quality carbohydrates, a meat-based approach can be a massive improvement. By removing common irritants and inflammatory foods, the carnivore diet often gives the digestive system and immune system a much-needed break.
In the short term, a meat-based diet can:
- Stabilize blood sugar by removing refined carbs and insulin spikes
- Reduce inflammation and autoimmunity by eliminating plant toxins, gut irritants, and endotoxin levels.
- Provide essential nutrients like protein, B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, selenium, etc. all crucial for cellular energy, mood, and muscle health
These benefits explain why so many experience clearer thinking, improved digestion, better satiety, and even pain relief.
But over time, it can push the body into a stress metabolism, one that relies more on stress hormones than on efficient cellular energy production.
Why restriction feels good at first:
When carbohydrates are removed, the body compensates by increasing fat oxidation, Gluconeogenesis, (using protein to make carbohydrates) and stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, parathyroid hormone, and glucagon to maintain blood sugar.
This stress-driven metabolism can temporarily heighten alertness and reduce inflammation, but long-term it tends to suppress thyroid function, slow metabolism, and increase stress.
The drawbacks
Glucose is the body’s preferred fuel. Every cell, especially the brain, thyroid, and reproductive organs, prefer glucose. In fact some cells cannot use fat, they have to use glucose (cells in the kidney, retina, brain). So no matter what, the body always needs some glucose available for these tissues. Without dietary carbohydrates, the body breaks down muscle tissue to make sugar (gluconeogenesis), leading to muscle loss and faster aging.
Chronic fat burning creates stress. Relying primarily on fat for energy increases free radical production and mitochondrial damage, processes tied to fatigue, fibrosis, and degenerative disease. Further, burning fat produces less CO2 and ATP (when standardized per carbon) making it a less desirable fuel source.
Low-carb diets lower active thyroid hormone (T3). Carbohydrates are needed for the conversion of T4 to T3. Without them, the body struggles to maintain energy and mood.
Stress hormones rise. Long-term carb restriction increases cortisol, which may reduce inflammation initially, but suppresses thyroid function, sex hormone production (especially progesterone) and energy production over time.
The Calcium/Phosphate imbalance problem:
One of the most overlooked issues with the carnivore diet is its high intake of muscle meat and low intake of calcium. Muscle meats are rich in phosphorus and sulfur amino acids (methionine and cysteine), but without calcium-rich foods like dairy, bone broth, or eggshell powder, this creates a high phosphate-to-calcium ratio.
That imbalance triggers the parathyroid gland to release parathyroid hormone (PTH), which pulls calcium from bones and teeth to normalize blood levels. Chronically elevated PTH contributes to:
- Bone loss and dental problems
- Soft tissue calcification
- Increased inflammation and fibrosis
- Sluggish mitochondrial function
Meat is a nutrient-dense food, but it simply doesn’t provide enough calcium to maintain mineral balance on its own. In traditional diets, people naturally offset this with calcium-containing foods like milk, cheese, small fish with bones, or mineral-rich broths.
What about autoimmunity?
In this state of low energy and high stress, inflammatory mediators like serotonin, histamine, nitric oxide, and estrogen rise. The carnivore diet can temporarily reduce autoimmune symptoms by lowering these inflammatory signals (through lower endotoxin and gut irritation), but without restoring carbohydrate metabolism and thyroid function, the underlying issues persist, and problems can begin to pop up again.
True healing means:
- Lowering stress hormones (cortisol, serotonin, estrogen)
- Supporting glucose oxidation and CO₂ production
- Restoring thyroid function and mineral balance
- Providing protective nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and saturated fats
Our goal shouldn’t be to eliminate food groups, (even though it may be necessary at times) but to improve the body’s resilience and energy production.
Practically that can mean:
- Pairing muscle meats with gelatin, collagen, or bone broth to balance amino acids and lower inflammatory load.
- Including quality calcium-rich foods to maintain a healthy calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and reduce PTH activation.
- Reintroducing fruit, root vegetables, or honey to restore glycogen stores and support thyroid-driven metabolism.
- Favoring saturated fats (like butter and coconut oil) while minimizing polyunsaturated fats that block thyroid hormone action.
I do think certain diets can be therapeutic during a healing phase, a way to calm inflammation or restore balance when the body is under stress. But the long-term goal should be a diet that incorporates the best of both worlds: nutrient-dense animal foods and metabolically supportive carbs.
Our bodies were designed to use all three macronutrients, protein, fat, and carbohydrates, in harmony. Each one serves a distinct purpose:
- Protein builds and repairs tissues.
- Fat supports hormone production and cellular structure.
- Carbohydrates fuel the brain, support thyroid function, and spare protein from being used for energy.
Healing happens when the body has the full spectrum of nutrients it was designed to thrive on, not just one part of nature’s design.