Beyond Bathroom Blues

6 CRITICAL Things You NEED to Know About the Carnivore Diet & IBS

• CharlieJeane • Season 2 • Episode 49

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The Carnivore Diet – an all-meat diet that’s been growing in popularity with claims of not only helping people with weight loss, but also reversing various physical and mental health conditions. 

But is that true?

And what impact does it have on your IBS, your gut and your health? 

Tune in and find out!


P.S. As promised, here’s the link CharlieJeane mentions in today’s episode.  


Men's IBS Mastery®





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increased the person's total cholesterol levels and their LDL, or their bad cholesterol levels, by 10% compared to before they started, and they also found a 20% increase in fat in the liver. And this was only after 24 days 24 days of following that diet, and that's the impact that it had. This podcast, beyond Bath and Blues, is our way to document the lessons we've learned on growing our business, men's IBS Mastery, towards helping one million men. Our hope is you use the lessons and wisdom for your own journey and maybe someday soon, partner with us to achieve IBS Mastery and dominate in your personal and professional life. We hope you share and enjoy. Welcome to Beyond Bathroom Blues.

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So today we're talking about six critical things you need to know about the carnivore diet and IBS. So the carnivore diet is an all meat diet that's been growing in popularity for a while, with claims of not only being able to help people with weight loss, but also reverse and various physical and mental health conditions. Now some people swear by cutting out all plant foods to rid themselves of bloating, gas and diarrhea. But what's actually happening to your gut on an all-meat diet? Before we dive in, though, I want to just quickly go off topic for a moment, because what I'm about to say is super important. So just let me be totally clear If you have a health condition, whether that's mental or a physical health condition, please speak with your doctor or dietitian before making any drastic dietary changes, like switching to an all-meat diet, because various conditions like diabetes, various gut conditions, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease and medications can be affected. And I'm sharing this because it's not something to be taken lightly, because what you eat can affect various health conditions and how medications work. So it's super important and I could give you loads of examples, but to save time and because I want to help you to understand where I'm coming from, take tom, for example.

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So he's been taking warfarin, a prescription medication, since his long-haul trip to Australia Very nice which most of it was spent in a hospital in Melbourne because of DVT, so deep vein thrombosis, and DVT is basically a blood clot in a vein, hence DVT deep vein thrombosisosis which is usually in the leg, which is where his was. He had it in his right leg and this can be dangerous, so it requires medical treatment asap. So for a long time, tom has been eating loads of green leafy veg, like spinach and broccoli, because he had read that these are superfoods and, by the way, superfoods is a whole episode in itself, so I'm not going to cover that now. So he's been eating all these green leafy veg and these are high in vitamin K, and vitamin K is involved with blood clotting, so it helps with wound healing. But because he's taking warfarin because it helps to reduce blood clotting which is why you often hear it being called a blood thinner it has the opposite effect of vitamin K. If he switched from eating a mix star that contains fruits, veg as well as meat to a carnivore all meat diet, then his intake of vitamin k will dramatically drop.

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Does that make sense? So what does this mean? It means that his warfarin dose will now be too high for his now low vitamin k dietary intake, so he's at risk of bleeding. Plus on top of that, because the carnivore diet is claimed to help with weight loss. If tom did actually lose weight while following this diet, then this can also have an impact, because it can exaggerate the effect of warfarin, because tom's body weight would have been considered when they worked out his warfarin dose. So weight loss would mean he's also taken too much warfarin, so it would then be double bubble, with his low vitamin K intake and the weight loss, and then, as a result, he would be having far too much warfarin and therefore it would put him at higher risk of bleeding. And another quick example is levodopa, because protein can interfere with the effects of this medication and reduces its absorption. And then, obviously, the carnivore diet is high in protein, because all that meat, fish and poultry and I could sit here and rattle off loads of possible issues and considerations when it comes to foods and medications and health conditions. But let's get back on track with the six key things you need to know about the carnivore diet and IBS. And there are some serious risks, as well as the ones I've already covered, that you might not have considered. So let's jump in One.

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The carnivore diet removes common IBS triggers, but it's not always a good thing, as we'll see in a bit. If you've got got IBS, you've probably found that certain plant foods and maybe people have told you to avoid this and that, like onions, garlic, beans, lentils because they don't sit well in your gut and trigger symptoms. You think they trigger symptoms and other people have said, oh, I can't tolerate this. You know they're a nightmare. So then you follow what they're saying and because the carnivore diet removes all plant foods, it sounds like a winner of a diet, especially when you're told things like you'll feel younger, chronic aches and pains will go away, you'll have better mental health and chronic health conditions will be cured or they'll significantly improve. Not that I'm agreeing with these claims, by the way, but these can make you think oh yeah, you know, the carnivore diet is is a winner. So, yes, there are many foods that can trigger IBS symptoms, and many of these fall into the plant-based group. So by removing these foods, symptoms should improve. So you could be thinking happy days. But here's the catch just because something reduces symptoms doesn't mean to say that it's healing your gut, and it also doesn't mean that it's healthy in the short term or the long term, and I'm going to get into that now.

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Number two the carnivore diet excludes two whole food groups and some people even avoid three. So the carnivore diet excludes fruits and vegetables, so that's one food group, and the other one is starchy carbs like potatoes, bread, rice and pasta, and and then some people also avoid dairy, so that's three food groups gone. Obviously, this depends on which version of the carnivore diet that you're following and how strictly you follow it, because there are different versions that allow certain things, and it might be that you're following one that doesn't allow any dairy and another one doesn't allow eggs or dairy. So it depends on, obviously, which one you're following, but you will be still missing out loads of various foods and an entire food group, and by cutting out an entire food group, you're also cutting out the variety of nutrients that these foods provide, and then, as a result, you can suffer the associated health consequences of this. And then, on the flip side, to the carnivore diet, if you're following a strict vegan diet, you can become deficient in vitamin b12, unless you're taking supplements, because vitamin b12 is only found in animal, animal-based foods like meat, fish, eggs and dairy, and it is an important vitamin because it helps your body make red blood cells and keeps your nervous system healthy. And there are also other nutrients that we would need to be mindful of if you are following a strict vegan diet, like calcium and iron, for instance, but there are plenty of plant sources of those. And then going back to the carnivore diet, yeah, you're getting more than enough protein and vitamin B12. And the type of iron that you get from meat sources is more easily absorbed than the form of iron that you get from plant sources, for example, like beans and spinach and nuts, missing out on fiber and I'll come on to that in a moment but also the various beneficial vitamins and minerals and plant compounds, like antioxidants, that are found in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, so you're missing out on them.

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And then, looking at it from a practical perspective really, of only having meat, fish and pou, this is going to get really boring after a while and your plate is going to look pretty dull versus a plate loaded with colourful veggies and beans and stuff, or I don't know yoghurt with a load of various fruits that looks like you know, a rainbow of colourful fruits and stuff. So which looks better? Because they say you eat with your eyes first, and if you're constantly seeing a plate of lonely meat every meal, every day, how dull is that? Week one? Day three what's for dinner? Love, steak, awesome, fantastic, looking forward to that. Love a bit of steak. Week four, day 24 what we having to eat? We've got steak, remember? Oh yeah, hmm, steak again. Hmm, huffing like a grumpy teenager.

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So, moving on three fiber feeds gut bacteria. Carnivore diet starves them. By removing plant-based foods, you also eliminate vital fibers and prebiotics that feed the good bacteria in your gut. So while you may feel better for a while, long term you might actually be causing yourself more harm than good. And your gut is home to trillions of microbes, including bacteria that are key players in digestion, immunity and even mental health. And guess what? Your gut bacteria loves fibre, and fibre ferments in the gut to produce short-chain fatty acids like acetate, propionate and butyrate. And these short-chain fatty acids have lots of various benefits, including their food for the cells. So they fuel the cells lining the gut because we want to keep them nice and healthy. They can help with getting things moving along in the large intestine. It can help, or they can help with getting things moving along in the large intestine. It can help or they can help with regulating blood fats and blood sugars, reduce inflammation, support immune function and they may play a role in reducing the risk of various conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer and depression.

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But the carnivore diet is zero fiber. There is no fiber in meat, unless, of course, you eat processed meats like sausages especially like cheap sausages, where you'll get maybe one to two grams of fiber per hundred gram because they've added in fillers like wheat rusks to bulk it up. Like, for example, richmond sausages, a cheap brand of pork sausages that we've got in the UK. They only contained 42% pork I think it's a bit necky calling them pork sausages actually with less than 50% pork compared to more expensive ones that contain 93% or more of pork, and so these more expensive ones contain less carbs and fiber than the cheap ones, which makes sense, really, because you pay more because you're getting more actual meat, whereas processed meats they they cost less than complete meats. So I can understand why people may opt for more processed foods because it's cheaper than like, a proper beef steak or a proper piece of turkey or a chicken breast or whatever, and you could argue.

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While being on the carnivore diet, it's nice to have some sausages now and again to mix things up and get a bit more variety. But the thing is with this well, there's a few things really. One, there's the salt content of processed meats, like sausages, salami, bacon, ham, not to mention the preservatives as well, actually, and eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and kidney disease, and in the uk it's recommended that we have no more than six grams of salt per day. But if you're a goblin down a pack of sausages like there's no tomorrow, because you're following the carnivore diet, or even if you're not following the diet but you've got a you know bit of a big appetite eating six sausages or maybe even eight, well, if you're eating six sausages you're getting six grams of salt, because there's about a gram per sausage, let alone if you're eating other processed meats that day or adding salt to a bland bit of meat. You might add salt at the table.

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And then two, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is the cancer agency of the world health organization. Well, they've looked at the scientific evidence of the risk of cancer of eating processed meats and red meats, and the evidence for this has been stacking up for over a decade. And, to quote them, processed meat was classified as carciogenic, which means cancer causing to humans. Group one, based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meats causes colorectal cancer. And they state red meat was found to be a probable cause of cancer. And because of this it's recommended that we have no more than 500 grams a week or 70 grams a day of red or processed meat.

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So to get back to the fiber bit that we were talking about just now, by following the carnivore diet, it means your gut bacteria are missing out on their ideal fuel source, fiber, and although they can survive on nutrients like protein which obviously you'll be getting a lot of on the carnivore diet on nutrients like protein, which obviously you'll be getting a lot of on the carnivore diet but there's a big difference between surviving and thriving, and protein is not your gut bacteria's ideal food. And when you eat excess protein, not only can you get smelly farts yes, protein farts is a real thing it can also affect the diversity of those bugs in the gut and this can lead to a decrease in those helpful short-chain fatty acids that I just now mentioned. And the amount and type of fibre you eat affects the composition of bacteria in the gut and therefore the amount and types of short-chain fatty acids that are produced. So, while cut and out fibre might offer some short-term relief of symptoms because maybe you think fibre is a symptom trigger for you, it's not something you want to be relying on long term, and here's why. So with fibre, there isn't just one type of fibre, it isn't just a single nutrient, so you just avoid that one and that's it, job done. And it's not just soluble fibre and insoluble fibre, because there's way more to it than that. So, because there's lots of different types of fibre, so it's a matter of finding what works for you.

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Because with fiber, there's mountains of scientific research into fiber, which of course there is, because it's been studied for over a hundred years wow, over a hundred years of evidence where they've been looking at what it is, what it does in the body, its impact on the body and its impact on our health. And in the UK we're recommended to have 30 grams of fiber a day, but many people fail to achieve this and the average is less than 20 grams a day. But why do they recommend that we have 30 grams a day? Well, there's high quality studies showing that high fiber intake reduces the risk of constipation, cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers such as colorectal cancer and breast cancer and yes, men can also get breast cancer, but it's more rare. And regarding constipation, I'm going to quickly just mention I've come across countless people who suffer with constipation when they're following the carnivore diet and you see them chatting and going on about which they think is the best fiber supplement or which is the best laxative to take, which just seems nuts because they're avoiding it.

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But um yeah, moving on, and there's also a large study that's published in a top science journal, the lancet, where researchers they pooled data from numerous studies and clinical trials, using over 4,600 people, and they found that there's a dose response. So meaning, the more fiber you have, the more health benefit, and the less you have, the less benefit. And, to quote the study, our findings from randomized control trials. So these are high quality studies and prospective studies, together with the dose response effects that I just mentioned, supported by much experimental work, show that diets characterized by a low content of dietary fiber, so a low fiber diet, contribute to various non-communicable diseases.

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And non-communicable diseases are basically diseases that aren't spread from person to person, you can't catch them, and these include chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes. Non-communicable diseases are collectively responsible for about 75 percent of all deaths worldwide. So so these researchers, they found the greatest benefit comes from having more than 30 grams a day. Hence we're recommended to have at least 30 grams a day to benefit our health and reduce the risk of these health conditions. There's also another interesting high quality study where researchers found that, going above 30 grams and actually in the study they had about 50 grams of fiber a day from having a modified Mediterranean diet which included a range of plant-based foods so whole grains, fruits, nuts, veggies, beans, pulses, that kind of thing and they found it significantly reduced depression symptoms after 12 weeks on this diet. So not only did it help their mental health, but it would have also benefited their physical health as well.

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And although it's only early days really, there's growing research suggesting that our gut microbiome so the community of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in our gut that they can affect our mental health, as I touched on with that study with the 50 grams of fiber. So by nourishing those trillions of microbes that live in our gut with the plant-based foods, we may be able to prevent and help treat certain mental health conditions, alongside medication and therapy as needed. Obviously so fiber comes from plants and obviously the carnivore diet gives you none. But there's research that was carried out using more than 10 000 people, showing that it's more than just getting five portions of fruit and veg a day, as recommended in the UK and other places around the world, although many of us struggle to achieve it, like the fiber, and it's more than just hitting 30 grams of fiber a day. So with the 30 grams of fiber, you could easily achieve this by taking one supplement, not that I'm suggesting you. Do this mind and boom done, you've got your 30 grams of fiber down the range. Happy days.

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But what this research has found is that variety is key. So getting fiber from one food source isn't as beneficial and could actually reduce the diversity of the gut microbiome, that community of bugs that live in your gut. Because you could say, the bacteria are like people really, so we all have different taste preferences and so do these different types of bacteria. So it's like if you eat only one type of plant, then you're going to encourage growth of bacteria that likes that particular food. Does that make sense, compared to getting 30 different types of plants in your diet, which encourages lots of different types of bacteria, and different bacteria perform a different job? I suppose you could say it's a bit like you're a builder and you want to build a house and everyone in the area everyone is a builder as well, but you have no clue about plumbing, electrics, plastering, nothing. So you could build a house, but without having other people with other skills involved, then that house you're just going to have a shell. Basically, does that make sense? So, based on this research, the more diverse your gut microbiome, which means the more diverse range of different bugs that you've got, the more different skills between all these bugs that they've got, means the more diverse range of different bugs that you've got, the more different skills between all these bugs that they've got, means the greater the benefit to the health because, for example, they play various important roles in the body, including train our immune cells, of which 70% lives in our gut, produce vitamins b and k, influences gut movement and function, regulate our hormones, breaks down medications, produces short chain fatty acids that I spoke about earlier and balance our blood sugar, lower blood fats and help prevent against many diseases. So we need to look after our gut bacteria so they can look after us.

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And number four, high salt diets could disrupt your gut microbiome. And so, speaking of looking after your gut bacteria, remember I mentioned about salt and processed meats like bacon, sausages, cured meats like smoked chicken or smoked salmon or whatever, and then beef jerky. These are all high in salt and actually beef jerky, I bet you can easily tan a hundred gram pack in one go. It doesn't look like much there in one little packet, does it? And these babies? These are typically over four grams of salt per 100 grams. So you're in one sitting, one little, maybe snack. That's four grams gone. In the uk it's recommended that we have no more than six grams of salt a day. And the world health organ. But it's not just processed foods, because you can also add salt to your food when you're cooking it and before you eat it, so at the table. And I mentioned about how high salt intake can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, which is why they have that recommendation. So there's that side of things. But there's also research, recent scientific evidence showing that eating a lot of salt can negatively impact your gut microbiome. And research shows that a high salt diet can reduce not only the diversity of gut microbes and remember how I said, the more diverse the better but a high salt diet can actually reduce the amount of gut friendly bacteria and increase potentially harmful ones, which is linked to inflammation. And then high salt diet as well as no fiber how are those poor little gut bugs getting on? Yeah, they're not going to be thriving on that environment. That's something for you to consider as well.

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Number five carnivore constipation. Constipation is generally less common in men than women, but if you struggle with constipation or ibsc, so constipation, predominant ibs, the sheer lack of fiber in the carnivore diet can make things significantly worse. Even men without ibs or history of constipation often find themselves backed up on this diet and they shed loads of comments of like I mentioned before, with people complaining about constipation and, like this guy, saying the constipation is insane. And then there's loads of comments and people recommend and not that I'm agreeing with these recommendations, by the way, just to be clear, but just to give you an idea of some of the things and some of the crazy things that people come out with, just to be able to help you have a poo or what they've tried themselves Take magnesium, but stay close to the toilet, and some people have actually said stay close to the toilet, and some people have actually said stay close to the toilet and I'm sure you can work out why.

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Um, eat loads of butter. Avoid cheese. Have lots of salt, really. Take fiber supplements. Drink at least one gallon of fluid a day, but is that us gallon or is a uk gallon, because there's a difference. So that's between about four and four and a half liters of fluids a day, which could be very excessive depending on the person's actual fluid requirements. Have a colonic, really okay. I've spoken about this on a previous episode, so I'll put the link to that episode in today's description so you can check that out.

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Use your finger, take laxatives, put castor oil in your belly button at night which is also known as navel oiling and get a detox supplement. So there's a few common suggestions from people, but most of these, I'd say, stay clear of because of either there's no scientific evidence to support their use or or they're just really risky. And I think the detox one is quite funny really, but not because there's loads of people saying that the carnivore diet is like the ultimate detox diet. So why would you then want to go and get a detox supplement? Because it contradicts itself. And also, I just want to quickly mention about laxatives because people are recommending them.

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You should never take medication advice or even health advice from random people unless they are a healthcare professional. Yeah, there's loads of different types of laxatives and some you can buy freely from your local store and then some that you need a prescription for, but there's things you need to be aware of before you dash off and get some. Obviously, if you get a prescription from your doctor, they'll assess you and they'll identify the best course of treatment for you personally, whereas if you buy laxatives yourself, you need to consider a few things because you could end up causing yourself some issues. So just because laxatives are available for you to buy over the counter, you can just go into a shop or a store and buy them yourself. It doesn't mean to say that there's no risk, that they're totally risk-free.

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Laxatives aren't suitable for everyone, and you might be one of those people that they're not suitable for, depending on your situation and your medical history and all that kind of thing. Some laxatives can interact with herbal remedies and certain medications, so you need to be mindful of that and take that into account when deciding on what laxative to take, or even if you should take it, and maybe you could assess whether you need to take those herbal remedies, certain medications. Clearly, if they're prescription medications, never stop taking those medications unless your doctor has told you to do so, and you need to know if there's specific advice for drinking extra fluids while you're taking a particular laxative, because with some, because of how they work, if you don't drink enough fluids, these laxatives can make you dehydrated. Some laxatives have to be taken at certain times of day, like before you go to bed, for instance. They can cause side effects like bloat and fart and stomach cramps and diarrhea. Laxatives shouldn't be taken for longer than a week unless your doctor has prescribed this. So if you are taking them yourself and you've been taking them for a week and you're still struggling, go see your doctor.

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Prolonged laxative use can actually be harmful to the normal function of your bowels. And then always read the products patient information leaflet first. I mean, probably hardly anyone actually reads them, but it is wise to do so and you could also speak with your pharmacist and obviously you can speak to your doctor. So why are people getting constipated on the carnivore diet? Well, it's because they're not getting fibre. There could be other reasons, like they're not active, they're not getting enough fluids, and there could be other reasons the way their body is functioning. There could be issues with that because there's different types of constipation or different causes of constipation, so it could be something else going on, but a simple answer would be that they're not getting enough fiber. Because, to put it simply, fiber helps to keep you regular and, by the way, if you go from having sod, all fiber to eating shed loads, then you can expect some gut symptoms like wind bloating and a change in bowel habits. It's like going to the gym for the first time in ages, thrashing the weights and then you're in rag and you can barely move because your muscles are so sore. So to help prevent gut issues like these, because you can start having you know, all these high fiber foods and be all excited and thinking, yeah, I'm gonna start eating loads of fiber and then get symptoms and be like, oh, sod, that I obviously can't tolerate fiber. So it's like the symptoms make you believe that fiber is bad. If you want to call it bad because you think that fiber is causing you all these nasty symptoms, and then this reinforces the decision to go low fiber or no fiber and then could point you in the direction of wanting to follow the carnivore diet.

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And I remember this guy and I'll call him Martin he was suffering with really bad constipation and stomach pains that he ended up going to A&E. So accident and emergency. If you're not in the UK. He was in that much pain and he hadn't had a poo in weeks wow, poor guy. And then, when he was in hospital, they scanned him and they found that he was so backed up that they had to give him high dose laxatives and they had to flush him out, basically, and then he was okay for a while afterwards until it happened again and it was just like rinse and repeat and Martin's been in hospital several times with the same issue, which is why he then came to me and he told me all about his lifestyle and what he usually eats. And initially he flat out refused to eat any foods with fiber and he has been doing this for so long because he said that these you know that fiber makes his symptoms worse and he'd end up being housebound because it was that bad. And by the time we finished working together, he's he's been eating a wide range of various whole grains and beans and fruits, nuts and seeds. He's got lots of different foods and he's managing to tolerate these without any issues and he's way more happier. Food is more enjoyable, he doesn't get the bad symptoms anymore and he's not being in hospital in and out of hospital anymore. So that's excellent.

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So the thing is you can tolerate fiber if you do it slowly, so slowly, increasing the amounts that you haven't, because those microbes in your gut have been trying to survive off minimal or no fiber. And then the next minute you're like, boom, have some. And then they've got like a huge buffet to feast off. So they need time to adapt. So that's why you need to do it nice and slowly and it makes me got like a huge buffet to feast off. So they need time to adapt. So that's why you need to do it nice and slowly.

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And it makes me think, like what's the point in following a diet if it deprives you, it doesn't make you feel happy about eating. You know you're not looking forward to the food. You're like, oh, it's me again. It's me again like to start off with. Guys are like, yeah me, be a man. But then after a while it's so boring, it's so dull and it messes with your gut and it can force you to feel that you know you need to spend money on supplements and medications and doing all this extra stuff and even, like martin, sending him to an a and e and having, you know, spending plenty of time in hospital getting investigated to find out what's going on. And, yeah, that's not very nice for him and all these problems you wouldn't have or he wouldn't have had, and all these people that I've seen chatting and comment and complaining of being constipated if they just ate a balanced diet, one that actually gives your body what it needs to function properly, to stay healthy and to lower your risk of chronic conditions. So there's something to think about.

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So, moving on, number six the carnivore diet lacks quality scientific evidence and I've bought a few books by some key players on the carnivore diet and one of them is an md and I've looked over his references and so many of them are old and science moves quickly. Many of them are based on rats and mice, which you can't compare to humans, and the results aren't going to be reliable, and many are low quality studies, so you can't rely on the results of these studies. But then there's loads of people singing the praises of this diet and then hunting around for research on this diet. There is hardly any research done and what is out there? It's either old, it's biased, it's poor quality or it's been done on rodents, and I'd be interested to see lab results and scans of people following the diet to see their body composition, see what that's like and what their nutritional status is like their vitamin c, potassium, magnesium, their blood fats such as total cholesterol and ldl, so the bad cholesterol levels and their inflammation markers.

Speaker 1:

And actually it'd be interesting to see high quality research on people following this diet over different time frames, how, how their health changes, what their risk is and the occurrence of conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Not because I want them to develop these health conditions definitely not but it would be good to have some solid data so we would have a clearer picture beyond just personal anecdotes of yeah, I feel amazing, the diet's awesome, I feel so good because, sure, yeah, you might feel great and maybe even look healthy, but what's really happening on the inside? Because that could be a totally different story. Because, for instance, the other day, I came across a recent article where researchers compared a high saturated fat diet to one that's high in polyunsaturated fats. And, in case you're not familiar, saturated fats mainly come from animal sources like meat and processed meats like sausages or whatever, as well as dairy products like milk, butter, ghee and lard, and then there's also palm oil and coconut oil, so they're high in saturated fats. On the other hand, such polyunsaturated fats are found in foods like salmon, sunflower oil seeds, walnuts and flax seeds, also known as linseeds.

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So these researchers found that the diet high in saturated fat increased the person's total cholesterol levels and their ldl, or their bad cholesterol levels, by 10 compared to before they started. And they also found a 20% increase in fat in the liver. And this was only after 24 days, 24 days of following that diet. And that's the impact that it had on their blood fats and their liver. And you might be thinking you know why is a fatty liver an issue? Well, having a fatty liver can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis, and no, you don't have to be an alcoholic to knock your liver.

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And regarding the diet high in polyunsaturated fat, it reduced the total cholesterol levels and reduced the levels of the LDL bad cholesterol, bad cholesterol. And because the carnivore diet is high in saturated fat, what is it doing to these people's insides? And what about a few years down the line of following this diet? What impact is that going to have? Which is why I think it would be interesting to see the data on this. And then, when you compare the carnivore diet to the decades of research, countless studies and all the established guidelines emphasizing the importance of fiber fruits and vegetables for long-term health, it really makes you question the carnivore diet and how it holds up in the long run. But it's for you to decide whether or not you follow the carnivore diet. But I just wanted to help you make a more informed choice before you go ahead with it.

Speaker 1:

And yeah, there are pros to the carnivore diet, like it's easy to work out what you want to eat because you haven't got much choice and sometimes too much choice makes it difficult to make a decision. And also, initially you might not suffer from IBS symptoms because your food triggers are mostly plant-based and the carnivore diet avoids plants. But if anxiety and stress is a trigger for you, then you can still suffer symptoms, depending on your emotional state. And then also if rich fatty foods is a problem for you as well, then you can. Having a high fat, high protein diet like the carnivore diet, then you might still suffer with symptoms. So it it might sound good but in reality it might not be. But hopefully I've covered enough for you to be thinking and considering and weighing up the pros and cons.

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So here's six key takeaways. So number one the carnivore diet is very restrictive, only allowing meat, fish, eggs and some dairy. Obviously, depending on which version of the diet that you follow, so it may be even more restrictive than that. So not only is it boring, but if it's not well planned, you risk becoming low or deficient in certain essential nutrients and over time, this could compromise your health and well-being and increase your risk of long-term health complications. Two the carnivore diet removes common IBS triggers, but that doesn't mean to say that you're not going to continue to suffer with symptoms, depending on what your personal symptom triggers are. But also, just because it might seem like a good thing, because it might eliminate common IBS triggers as well, that doesn't mean to say that it's a good thing because over time, it could worsen gut sensitivity and IBS symptoms.

Speaker 1:

Three fiber feeds gut bacteria and the carnivore diet starves them. Four high salt diets can, as can be seen with the carnivore diet, can disrupt your gut microbiome that, that community of microbes that live in your gut. Five the carnivore diet can cause constipation due to lack of fiber, but there can also be other reasons or additional reasons as well as the lack of fiber, such as not drinking enough fluids or being active. Six, the carnivore diet lacks quality scientific evidence. I can't find any solid evidence to back up its health claims, and there's lots of health claims being made about this diet. And since there's no quality research on the carnivore diet, it would be wise to follow it only under the supervision of a dietitian not that they would recommend it, but they could help you manage potential risks and ensure you have regular monitoring.

Speaker 1:

So before you take drastic measures, it's important to make an informed decision about your health, and the carnivore diet might offer some quick fixes, but it could come at a much higher cost to your overall health. If you're looking for a more balanced approach to managing your IBS, then getting the help of an expert is obviously worth exploring and, as always, speak with a healthcare professional before making any major changes to your diet, especially if you've got other health conditions or if you're taking any medications. Gut health isn't just a one-size-fits-all, but with the right approach and the right support, you can feel better and you can improve the quality of your life and your overall health. So that's it for today. Thanks for listening, and I hope this has helped you to be able to make an informed decision about the carnivore diet, and please do share this with anyone that's following the carnivore diet or is considering to follow it as well. I'll catch you next time.