While keto has established itself as the diet powerhouse of the past decade, the carnivore diet is relatively new, first gaining prominence in 2018 via the endorsements of athlete Shawn Baker and intellectual personality Jordan Peterson.
This has made many people curious about the debate between the carnivore diet vs. keto.
Because these two diets have a lot of overlap, the terminology can get a bit confusing. Today, we’re going to explain keto vs. carnivore through the similarities and differences between the two — that way you can make the best diet decision for yourself.
By understanding the specifics in the carnivore vs. keto debate, you’ll gain insight into which diet aligns best with your nutritional needs and lifestyle preferences.
What is the keto carnivore diet?
The keto carnivore diet, also known as the carnivore diet, is a zero-carb elimination diet that eliminates all foods except for animal products such as meat, eggs, and fish.
That means no vegetables, no fruits, no seeds — just animals and the products they create. Some who follow carnivore vs. keto diets may opt-out of dairy altogether as well because milk and cheese have lactose and other natural sugars, but all keto carnivores eat an extremely limited diet.
Keto carnivore is an extension of the keto and paleo diets. Proponents argue that some hunter-gatherer tribes of old ate exclusively meat, although all typically referenced groups like the Mongolian nomads and Sioux took advantage of plants and berries when they could.
Keto vs. carnivore — are they the same thing?
In exploring the difference between keto and carnivore, you can think of carnivore as a subcategory of keto. Because the carnivore diet is zero-carb, it is by definition a type of keto diet. If you just eat meat, you’ll almost certainly end up in ketosis.
So while you can say that carnivore is keto, you can’t say that keto is carnivore. Simply put, carnivore is a more extreme keto diet.
Because carnivore is derivative of keto, many dieters report similar benefits such as weight loss, improved bowel movements, and increased energy and focus.
What can you eat on the keto carnivore diet?
If it is or is from an animal, it’s fair game. That means beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, eggs, bone marrow, bone broth, lard, and more.
For a complete list of eligible foods and an easy, 7-day keto carnivore diet meal plan, go here.
Potential benefits of the keto carnivore diet
While these aren’t backed by the scientific community yet, there are plenty of anecdotes touting the benefits of the keto carnivore diet. This is key when considering the debate between carnivore diet vs. keto.
Weight loss, skin health, reduced inflammation, and more
There aren’t long-term studies on carnivore vs. keto diets yet. But people frustrated with a lack of progress with keto, those suffering from autoimmune diseases or other chronic pain, and hundreds of others on carnivore have reported benefits such as faster weight loss, less eczema, better muscle growth and retention, and a reduction in inflammation.
Easier to follow than keto and other diets
In the debate between keto vs. carnivore, the simplicity of the carnivore diet wins out. You don’t have to count calories, track your macros, worry about what meals are okay, wonder if you’re over your carb limit — none of that. You just eat meat and go on with your day. This makes thinking about what you’re eating and shopping an absolute breeze.
Muscle growth due to high protein intake
Shawn Baker reported significant breakthroughs in his workout routine after switching to the keto carnivore diet. This is presumably due to a practically exclusive intake of protein and fats. His example demonstrates the benefits of the carnivore diet vs. keto in supporting muscle development and maintenance.
Downsides of the keto carnivore diet
Potential for nutrient deficiencies
Because there isn’t a lot of hard science around the keto carnivore diet, it’s hard to make educated claims about the nutritional upsides and downsides.
For example, one prominent difference between keto and carnivore diets is the potential drop in your Vitamin C in the latter. But there is evidence that by eliminating your intake of glucose (which competes with Vitamin C in your body), your Vitamin C needs to drop as well.
Or take fiber, another contentious point in the carnivore diet vs. keto debate. Fiber has been misconstrued by cereal companies and supermarket brands for decades, and the connection between fiber and digestive health is widely disputed. If we, as some studies are starting to show, don’t actually need fiber, then you should be fine.
Potential gut microbiome damage
While many keto carnivores report improved digestive health, some nutritionists fear that those benefits are temporary and mainly a result of eliminating inflammatory foods (i.e. eating a healthier diet in general).
This carnivore vs. keto concern centers around the long-term ramifications on gut health. If in a year or so you accidentally eliminate all of the good bacteria in your gut, you could be in for a nasty recovery process.
This potential downside highlights another pivotal difference between keto and carnivore diets. It underscores the necessity for sustained research and individual caution when considering adopting such restrictive dietary patterns.
Potential for excess sodium and saturated fats
Eating only meat products and dairy can increase sodium intake, which can lead to headaches, swelling, and kidney disease.
In choosing the former versus the latter in the carnivore diet vs. keto debate, you’ll also be eating more saturated fats. This is especially true if you eat a lot of red meat.
While fat is inherently healthy and not damaging like 20th-century diets claimed, eating an excess of saturated fat has been linked to an increase in the risk of a stroke. This aspect illuminates another significant difference between keto and carnivore diets, emphasizing the need for balance in your eating habits.
Social alienation
Nutrition aside, eating a keto carnivore diet can be socially difficult and expensive. In the keto vs. carnivore debate, the latter is an incredibly restrictive diet. You can’t even have olive oil!
This means you essentially eliminate people cooking for you, going out to eat anywhere, and it means cooking separate meals for you and your family.
Strong cravings and boredom
In the carnivore vs. keto debate, another aspect of such restrictive eating is cravings. Your community won’t change their habits with you, and not being able to have any fruit or vegetables is difficult. Chances are you will repeatedly have to push back against wanting an apple or some spinach.
And yes, this is true for any diet. But when it comes to the difference between keto and carnivore, eating only meat is boring, it’s as simple as that.
May be overkill
If you haven’t tried other diets that are more widely studied, like the traditional keto diet, I recommend starting there. In the battle between keto vs. carnivore, the carnivore diet is intense, and if you can get similar results from eating a less restrictive diet, why wouldn’t you?
Eating only meat is taxing and boring. You give up a lot of freedom and can’t enjoy food in the same way. So if you feel like you’ve tried everything and are at a dead end, then it may be worth a shot, but if you’re not there yet, it’s probably worth looking into more conventional options.
Best practices for trying the keto carnivore diet
So we’ve looked into the difference between keto and carnivore diets. Now, if you’re sold on trying keto carnivore, then keep these best practices in mind as you begin.
- Eat grass-fed and finished meats. Grass-finished and pasture-raised meat means the animal eats more grass, which has more nutrients, which are absorbed into the meat, and then passed onto you when you eat the meat. For the best nutritional content, opt for higher-quality meats from a reputable company. Plus it tastes better, anyway!
- Include offal and other organ meats. Offal and organ meats such as liver, heart, and sweetbreads are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Adding them into your diet will give you a bit more variety and make sure your body is getting its essential nutrients.
- Listen to your body. The difference between keto and carnivore diets might manifest in how your body reacts. Nutrition is confusing, and if one thing is certain, it’s that people react differently to different diets. Your best bet is to pay close attention to how you feel. If it works for you, great, but if you are miserable, feel weak, and aren’t getting any of the benefits, then move on.
- Expect a bumpy start. Many people report an odd week of bowel movements before getting regular again. So with such a drastic change to your diet, expect things to get a bit weird. You may also get the famous meat sweats, which are when your body spends a lot of energy to break down all of the meat you’re eating.
- Treat it as a trial. Because we don’t have hard evidence on the long-term effects about the impact of the carnivore diet vs. keto, there are risks to keep in mind. Carnivore may be healthy for 2-3 months but detrimental for longer periods of time. It could also be healthy in perpetuity. We really don’t know. With this in mind, give it a measured, careful shot and track how you feel — ideally alongside a health professional.
- Get your blood work on a regular basis. On that note, getting monthly or periodical check-ups on your blood would be smart. This will make sure you catch any alarming spikes (or benefits!) that may arise from switching your diet so dramatically.
- Work with a professional. With any big nutritional change, it’s best to consult a professional. They can monitor your health and nutritional progress to see if it’s worth it. Plus, having those check-ups can be their own source of motivation. It’s safer, smarter, and always worth it.
- When in doubt, take a multivitamin. If you don’t want to wonder if you're getting all of the minerals and vitamins you need, then you can always take supplements to make sure. This adds a bit of cost to the experiment, but if you’re going through all the trouble, it’s not a bad idea to spend a few extra dollars to make sure your bases are covered. It’s also one way to avoid nutrient deficiencies characteristic of the difference between keto and carnivore diets.
The bottom line on keto vs. carnivore
The keto carnivore, or simply carnivore diet, is a more restrictive version of the keto diet and is one of the most intense diets out there.
In the carnivore vs. keto debate, there is no doubt many people report amazing results from carnivore. Its heavy-handed elimination of many known irritants and foods can be helpful for certain folks.
But at the same time, we simply don’t have the science to make a call either way. That means there are risks, but that’s the case for many experimental diets.
As always, it’s best to determine what works for your body through thoughtful experimentation and professional guidance.
