Have you ever eaten a butter stick? That means biting into a plain stick of butter, rather than putting it in pie crust or spreading it on toast. Or maybe you’ve ever browned butter, frozen it, made it into “popsicles” and enjoyed it as a snack?
Any of these options may sound shocking or even daring to most people, but they make sense to people who follow a carnivore diet and their online audience. Often there is.
The idea of an animal-based diet has been around for centuries. 1856 book by German author Bernard Moncrieff The philosophy of the stomach; or that an animal-only diet is the healthiest and suitable for humans We outline arguments for why men can and should eat animal-only diets. Throughout the 19th century, James Salisbury, a physician and inventor of the Salisbury Steak, advocated a diet that was low in fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates and centered around beef. In 1979, a Scottish doctor John Rollo began prescribing a meat and fat-only diet to diabetics. This practice also became popular among other doctors until insulin was discovered.
However, it is only in the last few years that the term “carnivore diet” has become popular, and social media’s ability to foster subcultures has created an ideal space for carnivore communities to form and grow. Born. Simply put, there’s never been a better time to be a carnivore diet content creator. Carnivore influencers can now leverage Instagram and TikTok to reach other like-minded people interested in eating only animal products, but part of their success is due to , thanks to the controversy this type of content causes. If someone bites into a stick of butter, it will definitely stop you in your tracks. And that will either get your attention in a good way or leave you with potentially unpleasant comments. Either way, you’re creating engagement, which is what drives the algorithm’s success.
For someone like me who makes it a point to eat carbs and vegetables throughout the day, it can seem easy to ignore the carnivore diet community. But it could become increasingly prominent and poised for more success as the “Make America Healthy Again” effort amplifies belief in scientifically dubious health claims. This does not deny the fact that it is high. (With 18.9 million subscribers on YouTube and one of the most listened to podcasts in the world, Joe Rogan currently holds the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s most popular podcasts list in the U.S.) Masu. Featured carnivore experts I appeared on his show and tried his diet. )
As with hotly contested areas in the food world, such as seed oils, there are differing opinions on whether a carnivore diet is good or bad for you. While carnivore diet enthusiasts may claim that it can cure hormonal imbalances and chronic gastrointestinal problems, Conventional medical common sense directly opposes these notions, stating that consuming too much red meat can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and even cancer. But whether harmful or not, the carnivore diet has a growing presence online. Ignoring this part of the food world doesn’t mean carnivores don’t exist.
First, it’s important to note that a carnivore’s diet doesn’t look the same for everyone. One of the most extreme interpretations is the lion diet, which dictates the consumption of only ruminant meat, salt, and water. (Ruminant meat comes from animals with ruminant digestive systems, such as cows, sheep, goats, bison, and deer). Although this degree of restriction is less common than other animal-based diets, it has a unique digital presence. influencer mikhaila fullerThe daughter of right-wing author and psychologist Jordan Peterson, she has won many supporters with her promotion of lion eating.
Many other variations of the carnivore diet are more permissive and allow the intake of any animal-derived products. That’s why carnivores often refer to their diets as “animal-based.” This includes all or part of pork, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, and dairy products. (While quite a few carnivorous content creators have come under fire for touting the benefits of raw milk, food safety experts have repeatedly said that raw milk is more likely to carry foodborne pathogens than pasteurized milk.) ) Other subtle choices, such as whether to use spices or not. The method used to season meat may vary depending on the person practicing this way of eating.
While the journey each content creator takes to arrive at a carnivore diet is similarly individual, there are common experiences among those who eat animal-based diets. Bella, better known as @steakandbuttergal Online (a handle that pinpoints two of the staples of her diet), she switched to a carnivore diet after being vegan for six years in hopes of curing her hormonal health and skin issues . “I started the carnivorous diet because I felt sick and fed up with it. So I really had a lot of healing to do,” Bella told Food & Wine. “I stopped having my period… So I was looking for answers on how to get it back and heal my skin. At the time, I was suffering from cystic acne, psoriasis, and eczema. I was there.”
When she first started eating a carnivore diet, Bella focused on a high-fat, low-variety dietary approach, explaining: [eating the highest amount of fat]. So I was just eating a whole stick of butter every day because I was low on fat. ” But now, six years later, it has expanded to include a wider range of ingredients, including cheese, kefir, chicken, seafood, pork and eggs.
If you come across a carnivore diet content creator, there’s a good chance their journey started with or was led to at some point. carnivore diet Written by Dr. Sean Baker. From how to start a carnivore diet to the ideal cooking temperatures for different meats, this 224-page book is a guide to every aspect of being a carnivore. Baker (@shawnbaker1967), who is often credited as the founder of the modern carnivore movement, is regularly featured as a spokesperson for the community, and was the first to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast to explain the details of his diet. It was.
Like Logan, Baker’s popularity is often surrounded by controversy. His medical license was revoked in 2017; returned Although he did not return to practice as an orthopedic surgeon in 2019, it is surprising to hear that a doctor recommended a diet that contradicts what we know about healthy eating. Baker believes the carnivore diet is particularly helpful in healing chronic illnesses and intestinal problems, telling Food & Wine: diabetes etc. ”
Mr. Baker now focuses exclusively on the carnivore diet, and helping others discover its benefits is central to his life. Just this month he released a video partnership The two plan to use Bella to teach the new carnivore all about animal-based living. When you talk to him, it’s clear that he has enough information to convince skeptics that the carnivore diet is beneficial, not harmful. He shares personal stories of people who have been healed by a carnivore diet, and everything from microvilli in the intestines to creatine production, all of which are hard to agree with when interviewing him at this point.
Some of these claims are more questionable. For example, Baker’s statement that people on a carnivore diet don’t get scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency historically common in sailors who didn’t have access to fruits and vegetables. But there are also more approachable ideas, such as emphasizing the carnivore diet as just one therapeutic tool that can be used to combat chronic disease. He points out that some carnivores “may think the vegetables are trying to kill you and everything.” And I think that’s a bit of nonsense. I think this is just a very powerful therapeutic tool. ”
Consumption of carnivore content can be a slippery slope. For a non-medical layperson like me, it can be difficult to understand the wordy claims that the carnivore diet is supported by scientific evidence. However, the majority of doctors consistently state that such a narrow diet carries health risks. penny chris ethertonR.D., Human Sciences Advisory Board Member, and Professor Emeritus of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University, tells Food & Wine: Primarily by providing essential nutrients for gut health, it promotes a healthy gut microbiome and reduces IBS symptoms. ”
Chris Etherton also mentioned the potential cardiovascular effects of a carnivore diet as one of the biggest concerns. “There is a lack of research on the health effects of carnivore diets, which include only animal foods (primarily meat, eggs, and low-carbohydrate dairy products such as butter and hard cheese) and exclude all other foods. We know that a diet that eliminates fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, most notably, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It significantly increases LDL cholesterol, which is bad cholesterol.
Chee SeungAssociate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health echoed this concern, saying, “Eating a diet high in meat may increase your risk of developing multiple chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes.” said. Heart disease, colorectal cancer, to name a few. The reasons for these associations are not completely clear, but may involve excess animal fat intake, heme iron intake, and the insulin-elevating effects of animal protein. ”
However, both Chris Esselon and Sun say more research is needed into the effects of animal-based diets. In short, there is still much to learn about carnivore diets. In the meantime, like everything else, this is not a magic panacea, so those who are practicing this should make sure they are meeting their nutritional needs and not putting their health at risk. Rest assured that you should consult your doctor for this.
What is clear about the carnivore diet is that, like it or not, it is gaining support and community through digital platforms. Bella has 408,000 followers on Instagram and Baker has 592,000 followers, not to mention the dozens of other Carnivore content creators they collaborate with. The shock factor of seeing someone eat a stick of butter and two steaks in one sitting is definitely a powerful visual hook and can draw even more people to social media.
