Keto allows some carbohydrates, around 50 grams a day or less, on a 60/30/10 fat, protein and carb split. The carnivore diet is meat and animal products only, with no set ratio. Both put the body into ketosis. Both share the keto flu, weight loss and steadier energy. But keto has more clinical evidence behind it.
Among low-carb diets with amazing results, keto has been a big hit. How does the Carnivore diet compare? Which of the two has better outcomes? How are they different? Here we look at how these two diets differ and how they are alike, and why you should try one or both of them.
- What Is The Keto Diet?
The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is built to switch your fuel from glucose to ketones. It was first designed and tested by doctors to help treat patients with epilepsy. The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. It has much in common with the Atkins and low-carb diets. You cut carbohydrates hard and replace them with fat. Cutting carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body becomes very good at burning fat for energy. Your liver also turns fat into ketones, which can fuel the brain. Ketogenic diets can cause huge drops in blood sugar and insulin levels. This, along with the higher ketones, has many health benefits.
- What Is The Carnivore Diet?
The Carnivore Diet is made up entirely of meat and animal products. It leaves out all other foods. It’s claimed to help with weight loss, mood issues, and blood sugar control, among other health issues. This diet is, however, very restrictive. Also, no scientific tests have been done on it.
- What is the difference between keto and carnivore?
It might seem obvious: carnivore dieters only eat meat, while there is a little more flexibility in keto. But there are a few more details you should know, especially if you have some experience with keto and its health benefits.
- The carnivore diet is more restrictive
On the ketogenic diet, you are allowed some carbs. For the average person, this will be around 50 grams per day or lower. That lets you satisfy some food cravings, especially in the early days. It also gives you a little more room in your recipes to add some vegetables for variety. Then there is fiber, which is mostly keto friendly. It isn’t counted as a net carb, because most of it passes through your stomach undigested. So, for digestion and micronutrients, keto has some advantages.
- You experience more cravings with the carnivore diet
On an all-meat diet, you cut out all carbs and eat more fat and protein. It doesn’t take long before your body starts craving some starchy vegetables, or even a small donut for a little sugar rush. People on keto notice similar cravings. But on carnivore you have to avoid all plant foods, so your body may start reading this as a sign of starvation.
- Meal Frequencies
Someone on keto is likely to eat more often, because of the food choices and how easy the food is to get. On a carnivore diet, you have to cook the food and eat it hot. That, plus the lack of variety and the effect of eating protein, cuts meals down to 2-3 per day.
- Macronutrient Ratio
The macronutrient ratio on a ketogenic diet is 60% fat, 30% protein, and 10% carbs. This is a radical shift from the 20/25/55 ratio that conventional nutrition science recommends. On the carnivore diet, there isn’t a strict ratio to keep, since it’s all about eating meat. You can eat as much meat as you want. Only a tiny, almost accidental, amount of carbs may sneak in with some dairy products.
- Supplementation
The carnivore diet cuts out vegetables totally. So it might call for more supplements of essential vitamins and minerals than the keto diet, which allows some vegetables.
- What do keto and carnivore have in common?
The Keto and carnivore diets have a lot in common, including side effects, metabolic changes, and quite a few health benefits.
- The Keto Flu
It is called the keto flu, but it can affect people on both the keto diet and the carnivore diet. Its symptoms feel like the flu: brain fog, muscle aches, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. They generally last somewhere between 1 and 14 days.
- Constipation
One of the common questions is, “does keto diet cause constipation?” The answer is sometimes, and the same can happen on the carnivore diet. This is most often due to a lack of fiber, which you may need to supplement.
- Fat consumption and fat burning
Both diets put significant emphasis on eating a lot of fat. As a guide, this would be around 60% of your daily energy needs, which is quite a lot. But once your body switches to ketosis, all that extra fat will be turned into fuel. Ketones are a different form of energy. They lead to much better thinking and alertness.
- Metabolic Changes
On both keto and carnivore, your body will switch from blood glucose to ketones for fuel. This metabolic process is called ketosis. It is a vital function and feature of human evolution.
- Weight Loss
Work out your calorie needs and stay below your daily limit, and you will trigger weight loss. Keep the dietary fat below what you need, and your body will go into a starvation protection mode. It will then use up all those fat stores. The results can be quite dramatic. As long as you stick to the guidelines of keto and carnivore, you will see very steady, lasting weight loss.
- Increased physical and mental energy
One of the significant benefits of ketosis (whether from keto or carnivore) is that you will have a lot more ready energy. And energy from ketones doesn’t spike the way glucose does.
- Which is better, keto or carnivore?
In the keto vs carnivore debate, the question really shouldn’t be which one is better. Which one to do is a personal choice. Keto works better for some people, while carnivore works better for others. It might be wise to try both to find out which suits you best. Switching also lets you get the benefits of both. In the short term, the carnivore diet seems to have a lot of good testimonials and works much like the ketogenic diet. Still, we have to accept that the ketogenic diet now has more clinical evidence than the carnivore diet. But we can expect more studies on the carnivore diet in the not-so-distant future.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for weight loss, keto or carnivore?
Both diets switch the body from blood glucose to ketones for fuel. Both trigger weight loss as long as you stay below your daily calorie needs. Stick to the guidelines of either diet and the loss is steady. Neither is simply better. Keto works better for some people and carnivore for others, so it can make sense to try both and see which suits you.
Is the carnivore diet more restrictive than keto?
Yes. Keto allows some carbohydrates, around 50 grams a day or less for the average person. That leaves room for some vegetables and fiber. The carnivore diet is meat and animal products only, with just a tiny amount of carbohydrate that can slip in with dairy. That makes carnivore harder on cravings, especially in the early days.
Can you get the keto flu on the carnivore diet?
Yes. Despite the name, the keto flu can hit people on either diet as the body shifts into ketosis. The symptoms feel like the flu: brain fog, muscle aches, nausea, headaches and fatigue. They generally last somewhere between 1 and 14 days.
Do keto and carnivore cause constipation?
Sometimes, on both diets. The usual reason is a lack of fiber, which is why you may need to supplement fiber. Keto has an edge here because it allows some vegetables. And fiber is keto friendly: most of it passes through undigested and does not count as a net carb.
Do you need supplements on the carnivore diet?
Possibly more than on keto. Carnivore removes vegetables completely, so it may call for more supplements of essential vitamins and minerals. Keto allows some vegetables, which covers part of that gap. Fiber is the other supplement people on either diet may need.
Related reading
- Carnivore Diet for Obesity and Cancer
- Alternatives to the Carnivore Diet
- Carnivore diet cost: is it expensive?
- Carnivore diet: falling off the wagon
References
- Kiss my Keto (2018): Keto vs. Carnivore Diet: Which One is Better? Retrieved from https://www.kissmyketo.com/blogs/keto-basics/keto-vs-carnivore-which-one-is-better
- Carnivore Style (2018): Keto Vs Carnivore. Retrieved from https://carnivorestyle.com/blog/keto-vs-carnivore-diet/
- Healthline (2019): All You Need to Know About the Carnivore (All-Meat) Diet. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carnivore-diet
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
