Yes, with close monitoring. The carnivore diet removes carbohydrates. So it lowers blood glucose and reduces weight, the two common aims of diabetes control. Blood glucose has to be checked constantly so medication can be adjusted as sugars drop.
Diabetes has taken the world by storm. Processed foods are easy to get and people sit too much, so obesity has become all too common. As with many chronic diseases, people are always looking for a cure. Many diabetics are often under treatment. Yet it is well understood that conventional medicine only manages diabetes. It offers no hope of reversal or a cure. Is the carnivore diet the missing piece in this puzzle? How can the carnivore diet start reversing the effects of this disease? In this article, we look at these questions and shed some light on how the carnivore diet can actually help.
- What about the carnivore diet that would make it ideal for reversing Type 2 Diabetes?
The carnivore diet is very effective at two common aims of diabetes control: lowering blood glucose levels and reducing weight.
The all-meat diet, also called the carnivore diet, is exactly what its name suggests: a diet of 100% meat. Think of the keto diet without any salads or low carb vegetables.
People have claimed the carnivore diet has many benefits, including:
- lower blood pressure
- improved insulin sensitivity
- reduced dependency on medication
- reduction in weight
- improvements in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, without adding to low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol
- a drop in insulin
Fans of the diet say it can aid in weight loss, cure autoimmune diseases, ease digestive issues, and improve heart health.
The idea with this diet is to stay away from carb-rich foods that could spike insulin levels. Usually, carbohydrates are removed from a carnivore diet completely.
The carnivore diet should include these types of food:
- Meats: Fatty meats are fine. Red meat is good protein for our patients. Also, be careful not to eat too much protein. High protein with low carbohydrates may cause the liver to turn the protein into glucose. This would raise blood sugar levels.
- Eggs: Eggs are low in carbohydrates. They are also an excellent source of protein.
- Fish: This is a good source of protein.
- Poultry: Also a good source of protein.
- Organ parts: Apart from giving nutrition, they also have nutrients the body needs
- Cheese: Not everyone on a carnivore diet takes cheese but it can be included.
There is anecdotal evidence (personal stories) that people with diabetes have been able to stabilize their blood sugar on this diet. From a biochemistry standpoint, if you eat only meat, you take in very little glucose. So your blood glucose levels are likely to be stable.
- What are the effects of Carbohydrates on a diabetic?
Foods with carbohydrates, such as bread, rice, pasta, milk, and fruit, are the main fuel for many body processes. The body uses insulin to help move glucose from the blood into the cells for energy.
Type 2 Diabetes is a disease of insulin resistance. People with this condition make too much insulin, and their receptors don’t work. This upsets the body’s ability to use carbohydrates well. In turn, it causes high blood sugar levels.
When a person with Type 2 Diabetes eats a high-carb meal, this can lead to a spike in blood glucose.
Because the carnivore diet removes carbohydrates completely, glucose spikes are avoided. In fact, the body starts using stored fat for energy. This leads to weight loss and stable sugars.
In a nutshell, the carnivore diet might:
- reduce the risk of diabetes in people who do not yet have it
- improve glycemic control in people with diabetes
- help people to lose excess weight
- What impact would the carnivore diet have on a diabetic’s medication?
The carnivore diet may help lower blood sugar levels. So some people with type 2 diabetes who start this diet may be able to reduce their need for medication. Your blood glucose levels should be monitored constantly so medication can be adjusted to match.
Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar levels fall to 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less.
- What is the impact of a carnivore diet on weight loss?
People on a carnivore diet tend to lose weight because:
- They remove carbohydrates and sugar completely, and these turn into fat very easily.
- Their bodies start burning fat for energy. Naturally, this leads to reduced weight.
Diabetes has been linked to obesity. One thing that helps prevent and manage this disease is keeping your weight within a healthy BMI range. So this part of the carnivore diet can go a long way in managing, and even reversing, Type 2 Diabetes.
Does the Carnivore diet have side effects?
The Carnivore diet may be a workable glucose management option for some people with type 2 diabetes. However, it means switching to a different source of energy. So it can lead to some unwanted effects.
Short-term side effects
The change in diet might cause symptoms like withdrawal from a substance, such as caffeine.
These symptoms may include:
- keto-flu, a short-term group of symptoms that resemble those of flu
- noticeable changes in bowel habits, such as diarrhea
- uncomfortable leg cramps
- a noticeable loss of energy
- mental fogginess
- frequent urination
- headaches
- loss of salts
In most cases, the side effects are temporary. People often have no long-term health problems.
- Are there any long-term side effects?
Measuring blood sugar looks at the short-term, immediate effect of food. But over time, eating a diet of mostly or only meat can have long-term health effects.
Long-term effects might include kidney stones. They might also include a higher risk of bone fractures due to acidosis (too much acid in the body).
Other complications include the risk of dyslipidemia (unhealthy blood fat levels) and a possible increase in hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) episodes.
A low-carb diet often involves extra fat. Because of this, some animal studies have suggested there might be a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), due to a buildup of fats in the arteries. People with diabetes already have a higher risk of CVD.
There is a lack of evidence about the long-term safety and effectiveness of the carnivore diet. Researchers have called for more primary studies and more evidence before recommending this diet.
- Are there alternatives to this diet?
A doctor may recommend a specific meal plan rather than suggesting a diet. The carnivore diet is one of many eating plans that might help people manage their weight.
However, most health professionals do not recommend the carnivore diet for managing diabetes. There are many other nutrient-dense diets. They aim to balance carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake, control body weight, and keep blood sugar in a healthy range.
- What are the Criticisms of this diet?
Critics of the carnivore diet focus on the harmful effects. These include the possibility of kidney damage, CVD, and hypoglycemic episodes.
This diet can also be hard to keep up over the long term, because it is highly restrictive.
This may lead to weight gain later on. That is most likely if a person starts to eat unbalanced levels of carbohydrates once they switch back to a regular diet.
Critics also note that there is no evidence to support the long-term benefits of the carnivore diet.
- So, is it advisable for a diabetic to go on a carnivore diet?
Unlike other diets, the carnivore diet is easy to track and keep up. That is because it involves eating all kinds of meat in any amount. So it is easier to follow, and much harder to fall off the wagon, than diets such as keto and others that need careful monitoring and measuring.
Much remains to be learned about how this way of eating affects our health. But it’s certainly worth a try if you’re struggling with autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes or psychiatric issues. Going on a carnivore diet as a short-term experiment is reasonable and safe, though socially challenging.
So for now, there are no scientific studies to back the safety of this diet. There is also not much anecdotal evidence about long-term success. So there isn’t really any way to say for certain if the all-meat diet is good for people with diabetes. One thing it won’t do, however, is raise blood sugar levels. And that’s a good thing!
Frequently asked questions
What can you eat on the carnivore diet?
Meat is the core of it, fatty cuts included. Eggs, fish, poultry and organ meats are all on the list, and some people include cheese. Carb-rich foods such as bread, rice, pasta, milk and fruit are left out, because they spike blood glucose. Watch your protein too. The liver can turn very high protein with no carbohydrates into glucose.
Does the carnivore diet lower blood sugar?
Yes. If you eat only meat, you take in almost no glucose. So blood sugar stays stable, and the spikes that follow a high-carb meal do not happen. The body starts burning stored fat for energy instead, which brings weight down as well. That mix of stable sugars and weight loss is what makes it useful in type 2 diabetes.
Will I need less diabetes medication on the carnivore diet?
Some people with type 2 diabetes do, because the diet lowers blood sugar. That is exactly why your blood glucose has to be monitored constantly after you start. That way, medication can be adjusted as sugars fall. Hypoglycemia is blood sugar at 70 mg/dL or less. That is the level to watch for while your sugars come down.
Related reading
References:
- A sweet life (2018): Is the All Meat Diet Good for People With Diabetes? Retrieved from https://asweetlife.org/is-the-all-meat-diet-good-for-people-with-diabetes/
- Nutrita (2019): The ultimate guide to the carnivore diet. Retrieved from https://nutrita.app/guide-to-the-carnivore-diet/
- Healthline (2019): All Meat, All the Time: Should People with Diabetes Try the Carnivore Diet? Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/carnivore-diet-for-diabetes#1
- NCBI (2017): Effects of Ketogenic Diets on Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Evidence from Animal and Human Studies. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5452247/
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
