The carnivore diet works by cutting out high-glycemic carbohydrates and fructose, which raises insulin sensitivity. It also fills you up with protein so you eat less, which lowers insulin and triggers autophagy. And it acts as a low-residue elimination diet that gives the gut a rest.
The carnivore diet has been praised for stunning results in a very short time. What about it causes such change? It is said that the people who could benefit most from an all-meat carnivore diet are those with some already existing autoimmune disorders, allergies, severe inflammatory diseases like arthritis, depression, or IBS. Going carnivore can be a very effective way to go through a short phase of healing the gut and regaining the intestinal lining. This will help you deal with future exposures. In this article, we discuss why this diet has such big wins.
- The Carnivore Diet Mimics Fasting
Protein is known to be very satiating. It fills you up and sends signals to your brain that you’ve eaten enough food. So people report not feeling very hungry and start eating less often when they get onto an all-meat diet.
Eating the same thing every day may lead you to eat less food. This may result in unintentional caloric restriction. Caloric restriction sets off a number of processes. When calorie intake drops, levels of insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and growth hormone are significantly reduced. This triggers autophagy, which literally means “self-eating”. Autophagy is an internal process of cleaning up old cells and repairing damaged ones. It is also induced during fasting.
This may be why caloric restriction is so effective at reducing inflammation and easing symptoms of autoimmune disease. Naturally, caloric restriction also results in weight loss. These are arguably the main reasons that people seem to be drawn to the carnivore diet. It is important to note that simple caloric restriction can also achieve these effects.
- The Carnivore Diet is the Best Way to Reverse Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is an energy overload problem. Your cells become unresponsive to insulin’s action. They refuse to take more energy into the cells, and so insulin levels stay persistently high. Insulin resistance is related to almost every chronic disease.
The carnivore diet is the most effective way to reverse insulin resistance because:
- It cuts out the highly glycemic carbohydrates which power your body off of ketones and increases insulin sensitivity.
- Cutting out fructose also increases insulin sensitivity.
- Certain plant antinutrients like lectins can bind to insulin receptors and make you more insulin resistant. Removing plants from your diet gets rid of this issue.
- The intermittent fasting that often accompanies the carnivore diet also increases insulin sensitivity.
- It Is a Low-Residue Diet
Residue can be defined as the undigested food that makes up stool. A low-residue diet is one that limits high-fiber foods like whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. It is often prescribed for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The goal is to ease symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.
Meat is made mostly of protein and fat, which are absorbed high up in the GI tract. That leaves little residue to irritate or inflame the gut. In other words, an all-meat diet is effectively a very low-residue diet and gives the gut a rest.
- It is an elimination diet
The carnivore diet works like an intense elimination diet. You remove all the potential foods and allergens from your diet that may potentially be causing some gastrointestinal stress, weight gain, brain fog, autoimmune disorders or bloating.
By removing all the “danger foods”, you let your body take a break from chronic bouts of nutritional inflammation. That lets you function better. If you’re not putting inflammatory stuff into your gut, then your body has the chance to start healing itself.
Constantly eating processed foods, trans fats, allergens, and environmental toxins damages the lining of your gut wall. This eventually leads to intestinal permeability, or leaky gut. This may lead to undigested food particles entering the bloodstream. This condition promotes brain fog, GI disorders, and more inflammation.
According to Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, “All disease begins in the gut”. Your gut can be called the first brain, since it connects the nervous system and brain with the rest of the body. Most of your immune system is located in the gut. So keeping your gut healthy is essential for overall longevity.
The elimination diet reduces some foods and environmental stressors. These could potentially damage the gut and cause inflammatory responses. We will look at the most common ones:
- Gluten and grains are responsible most for leaky gut, arthritis, bloating, IBS, brain fog, diabetes, and weight gain. Avoid bread, pasta, cereal, pastries, oatmeal, cookies, etc.
- Legumes and beans can lead to intestinal permeability by promoting digestive issues and bloating. Peanuts and soybeans are also legumes.
- Nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, potatoes, and peppers have a lot of lectins. Lectins are compounds that attach sugar molecules to proteins and damage the gut walls again…
- Eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, and seeds aren’t unhealthy foods, quite the opposite, but they may cause some allergic reactions in some people
- Dairy is a potential allergen and it’s also pro-inflammatory. That tends to promote skin disorders, weight gain, and inflammation. Avoid commercial pasteurized milk and limit your cheese intake.
- The Carnivore Diet can get you into ketosis
Say you’re eating large amounts of meat but only once or twice a day, and you add extra fat to the meat. Then your diet is likely ketogenic. A ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein diet.
The carnivore diet does not have strict ratios. Still, it’s likely that some of the benefits of eating meat alone are due to the body being in a state of ketosis.
Ketosis has been known to help in conditions including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.
- The Carnivore Diet Changes the Gut Microbiota
Changing to an all-meat diet can also swiftly change the gut microbiota (the microbes living in your gut). A 2014 study put healthy human volunteers on an animal-based diet. It found significant changes to their gut microbiota in less than 48 hours. The animal-based diet increased the abundance of bile-tolerant organisms. It also decreased the levels of microbes known to metabolize different plant fibers.
The gut microbiota has been linked to virtually every chronic inflammatory disease that has been studied. So it’s no surprise that a drastic change to the gut microbiota could have significant implications for health.
- Happy tummy, happy life
Once you get your digestion in order, your entire life will change. That is because you’ll be able to free yourself from the chronic inflammation most people are suffering from.
All disease does begin in the gut. To get better, you need to allow your body to self-repair and self-renovate.
An all-meat carnivore diet can work as a short-term fix for promoting intestinal rebuilding. But you’d be much better off still eating at least some plants, vegetables, and different hormetic foods. The best remedy would be a fasting-focused lifestyle built around periods of eating and fasting. This is sure to promote general health and longevity, and keep inflammation in check.
Much remains to be discovered about how eating only meat affects our health. However, if you’re struggling with autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes or psychiatric issues, it is definitely worth a try. Going on a carnivore diet as a short-term experiment is sensible and safe.
Related reading
References
- Siim Land (2018): Why Does the Carnivore Diet Work. Retrieved from http://siimland.com/why-does-the-carnivore-diet-work/
- Carnivore Aurelius (2019): Carnivore Diet | 16 Reasons It Works. Retrieved from https://carnivoreaurelius.com/carnivore-diet/
- Chris Kresser (2019): The Carnivore Diet: Is It Really Healthy? Retrieved from https://chriskresser.com/the-carnivore-diet-is-it-really-healthy/
- Nutrita (2019): The Ultimate Guide to the Carnivore Diet. Retrieved from https://nutrita.app/guide-to-the-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
