Diets like carnivore have been popping up all over the place. People who go carnivore aim to eat nothing but a select few animal products, like meat and eggs.

So why are some people turning to an all-meat diet? And why do they say they feel good doing so?

On this episode of Cooked, we sift through some of the counterintuitive findings around carnivore — the scientific pitfalls you need to be aware of when reading the research — and the health effects in the short and long term.

Guests:

Mick and JennyNew South Wales, Australia

Dr Jacob MeyAssistant Professor and Registered Dietitian, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana

Dr Richie KirwanLecturer, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Janet ChrzanNutritional anthropologist, University of PennsylvaniaAuthor, Anxious Eaters: Why We Fall For Fad Diets

Credits:

• Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett
• Producer: Carl Smith
• Senior Producer: James Bullen
• Sound Engineer: Angie Grant

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

Behavioral Characteristics and Self-Reported Health Status Among 2029 Adults Consuming a "Carnivore Diet" - Current Developments in Nutrition, 2021.

Limitations of Self-Reported Health Status and Metabolic Markers Among Adults Consuming a “Carnivore Diet” - Current Developments in Nutrition, 2022.

Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mortality: Results from Two Prospective Cohort Studies of US Men and Women and a Meta-Analysis of 26 Cohort Studies - Circulation, 2021.

Long-Term Consumption of 10 Food Groups and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies - Advances in Nutrition, 2022.

Association of changes in red meat consumption with total and cause specific mortality among US women and men: two prospective cohort studies - BMJ, 2019.

Anxious Eaters: Why We Fall For Fad Diets - Columbia University Press, 2022.

What is the carnivore diet? - Harvard Health Publishing, 2024.