When you hear the word 'carnivore', do you think of lions and bears and sharks, or humans? Steak for breakfast, chicken breasts for lunch and salmon and lamb for dinner. No veg and no carbs. This is just a typical day for someone on the carnivore diet. It's a meal plan that only allows meat, poultry, eggs, fish, seafood, dairy products and water. It's animal-based opposed to plant-based. But why are some people following this diet? And what do nutritionists think about it?当你听到“食肉者”这个词时，你会想到狮子、熊和鲨鱼，还是人类？早餐是牛排，午餐是鸡胸肉，晚餐是三文鱼和羊肉——没有蔬菜，也没有碳水化合物。这就是一个典型的“食肉饮食”者的一天。这种饮食方式只允许食用肉类、禽类、鸡蛋、鱼类、海鲜、乳制品和水——完全以动物性食物为主，与植物性饮食截然相反。但问题是，为什么会有人选择这种饮食方式？而营养学家对此又怎么看？

The carnivore diet is a type of ketogenic diet. Normally the body uses glucose from carbohydrates as energy, but when there's a lack of this, the liver breaks fat down into ketones. This essentially means the body can fuel itself using fat instead of sugar. Followers of the diet may experience weight loss, especially early on. One reason for this is that protein is highly satiating, so you consume fewer calories. On top of this, cutting out sugary snacks and fizzy drinks has significant health benefits, and when our carb intake is reduced, our stored water levels fall, again helping to reduce weight.食肉饮食其实是一种生酮饮食。通常，人体会利用来自碳水化合物的葡萄糖作为能量来源，但当缺乏碳水化合物时，肝脏就会将脂肪分解为酮体。这意味着身体可以用脂肪代替糖来提供能量。遵循这种饮食的人通常在初期会出现体重下降，这部分是因为蛋白质具有很强的饱腹感，从而减少总热量摄入。除此之外，戒掉含糖零食和碳酸饮料本身就有益健康，而当碳水摄入减少时，身体储存的水分也会随之减少，从而进一步帮助减重。

Nevertheless, the carnivore diet can't be described as 'balanced' by any stretch, according to health experts. In fact, the British Heart Foundation strongly opposes it, saying there is no scientific evidence that it helps weight loss in the long term, and it's lacking in essential nutrients. They say extreme diets which are low in fibre and high in fat can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Saturated fat increases levels of LDL cholesterol and processed meat is high in salt which can raise blood pressure. Fibre, they say, is necessary andcounteracts all these issues, but it can only be found in 'banned foods' of the carnivore diet – fruits, vegetables, seeds, legumes and wholegrains, for example.然而，健康专家指出，食肉饮食无论如何都不能称作“均衡”。事实上，英国心脏基金会（British Heart Foundation）强烈反对这种饮食方式，认为没有科学证据表明它能长期有效减重，而且缺乏必需营养素。他们警告说，这种高脂肪、低纤维的极端饮食可能增加心脏病发作和中风的风险。饱和脂肪会提高“坏胆固醇”（LDL）的水平，而加工肉类中含有大量盐分，会升高血压。专家还指出，膳食纤维对人体是必需的，它能抵消这些风险，但纤维主要存在于食肉饮食所“禁止”的食物中——例如水果、蔬菜、种子、豆类和全谷物。

On social media you'll find plenty of people showing off their muscles and claiming their brain is working better than ever after weeks of fat and eggs and butter. Influencer Paul Saladino was an advocate of the carnivore diet until he started experiencing some persistent unpleasant symptoms. Speaking on a health and fitness podcast, he recounted heart palpitations, muscle cramps and sleep disturbances. He researched the diet more and concluded it was detrimental to his health and probably "not a great thing for most humans".在社交媒体上，你会看到很多人炫耀自己的肌肉，并声称在连续几周只吃脂肪、鸡蛋和黄油之后，大脑运转比以往更好。网红Paul Saladino曾是食肉饮食的倡导者，但后来他开始出现一些持续的不适症状。在一次健康与健身播客中，他提到自己经历了心悸、肌肉痉挛和睡眠障碍。经过进一步研究后，他得出结论：这种饮食对健康有害，可能“并不适合大多数人”。

Most experts recommend balance, such as the Mediterranean diet, which is full of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and seeds – it even includes meat, fish and eggs – but everything in moderation.大多数专家仍然推荐“均衡饮食”，比如地中海饮食。这种饮食富含水果、蔬菜、全谷物和种子，也包含肉类、鱼类和鸡蛋——但一切都讲究“适量”。