June 28, 2024 – Steak and eggs within the morning, salmon at lunch and turkey burgers within the evening may sound like a typical menu for a fitness enthusiast. But for a growing group of girls who select the carnivore food regimen,, These meals are a part of a strategic approach to constructing muscle mass through targeted nutrition and rigorous training.
This animal-based food regimen also includes small amounts of cream and hard cheese, said Gabrielle Lyon, DO, a family physician who advocates for optimizing muscle health to forestall diseases corresponding to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. “It's an elimination diet that really preserves skeletal muscle health because of its high protein content.”
Victoria Ferraz, 24, has been on a carnivorous food regimen for 2 years and says it has “changed her life for the better in every way.” After suffering severe health problems including fatigue, extreme bloating and hypothyroidism — a condition during which the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough thyroid hormones — The Atlanta-based lifestyle entrepreneur says she noticed an improvement in her health after 6 yearsmonths on a meat-based food regimen.
“My lab work on carnivores showed that my thyroid levels were all normal, vitamins were good, total cholesterol was high and triglycerides were low,” saidFerraz. “Everything looked great and better than ever. All of these problems and symptoms disappeared.”
Ferraz says a meat-based food regimen has also helped her achieve her “dream body,” with more energy within the gym and feeling fuller for longer.
“I noticed that I gained muscle mass again, not fat,” Ferraz said. “When I was eating only plants, I lost all my muscle mass. The gym and the carnivorous diet keep my body lean and fit. That's easy to maintain.”
Jennifer Funk, 47, has also noticed health improvements since starting the carnivore food regimen. Previously, she suffered from a painful autoimmune disease that attacked the tissue in her mouth, causing constant bleeding sores. Funk, a life coach in Canada, has been on a carnivore food regimen for nearly 90 days and said the disease has gone into remission. She has also noticed fewer cramps and bloating after meals and clearer skin with less pimples.
Although it's a comparatively recent food regimen and the long-term effects are still being studied, a carnivore food regimen will be used cyclically and intermittently, says Lyon, writer of Forever strong: A recent, science-based strategy for good aging.
“The human body is incredibly flexible and can do well on several different diets over several periods of time,” Lyon said. Certain groups of individuals could also be genetically predisposed to deal with various diets that exclude them – corresponding to meat or plant-based foods. But for most individuals, “a one-dimensional eating plan is not ideal in the long term,” she said.
And eliminating all plant-based foods out of your food regimen is usually a cause for concern, in accordance with many health experts. An all-animal food regimen can deprive your body of essential nutrients present in vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains, says Mascha Davis, a registered dietitian and writer of Eat your vitamins. For example, fiber – a carbohydrate found exclusively in plants – plays a Key role in our digestive health.
“On a carnivorous diet, it is extremely difficult to achieve the recommended daily fiber intake (25 to 30 grams per day), which is critical for maintaining proper bowel function,” Davis said. “Fiber feeds the ‘good bacteria’ in our gut, and without it, serious disruptions to the microbiome occur, which can have a cascading effect.” Nutritional Guidelines for Americans recommend that saturated fats should make up lower than 10% of every day calories, which might make it very difficult to follow the carnivore food regimen, she noted.
A Mediterranean food regimen wealthy in healthy fats like olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids present in fresh fish — together with fruits, vegetables and legumes — is an optimal eating plan, Davis said. But don't forget lean beef, which research shows is useful — and will even improve total cholesterol and LDL levels of cholesterol — when included with the Mediterranean food regimen, Lyon said.
Even for those who don’t eat an animal-based food regimen, specializing in protein can significantly help women who wish to construct or maintain muscle, Lyon said, mentioning thatA “high protein” meal plan together with strength training just a few times per week is right. She encourages women to let go of their fears of “getting too bulky” or “looking masculine” because these are only myths.
“I think that's one of the reasons why we are experiencing and will continue to experience an unprecedented epidemic of sarcopenia and osteoporosis,” Lyon said. “The good news is that all of this can be prevented through education.”