I see you're quite passionate about the carnivore diet but I'd suggest some adjustments to the diet guide that address key health concerns:
Could you add a section about kidney stone prevention? The carnivore diet significantly increases kidney stone risk due to high animal protein intake, acidic urine, and zero plant-based alkalizing compounds. Studies show 5.9% incidence rate vs 0.25-0.3% in general population: Incidence and Characteristics of Kidney Stones in Patients on Ketogenic Diet: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Could you include guidance on fiber supplementation? Since carnivore diets provide zero dietary fiber, users miss the 23% reduction in all-cause mortality and 26% reduction in cardiovascular mortality that fiber provides. Consider discussing supplementation strategies: Dietary fiber intake and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Could you include guidance on digestive health management? Since fiber feeds beneficial gut bacteria and prevents constipation, carnivore dieters may need specific strategies to maintain gut health without any plant foods: Dietary fiber intake and total mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Could you add a section on micronutrient monitoring? A nutrient analysrt in multiple essential nutrients including thiamin, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, folate, and potassium (you can even see it in the nutrient table in the guide). Regular blood work and targeted supplementation may be necessary: Assessing the Nutrient Composition of a Carnivore Diet: A Case Study Model
Could you include cardiovascular monitoring recommendations? Given the significant dietary shift, more frequent lipid panels and blood pressure monitoring could help track how individuals respond to higher saturated fat intake, since responses vary considerably between people. Meta-analyses show both processed and unprocessed red meat consumption are associated with increased CVD, stroke, and heart failure risk: Red meat consumption, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis and Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof study
Could you add a section on cancer risk awareness? A comprehensive analysis of 148 studies found red meat increases breast cancer risk by 9%, endometrial cancer by 25%, and colorectal cancer by 10%. Users should be aware of these risks for informed decision-making: Consumption of red meat and processed meat and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis
As with most highly restrictive diets there's lots of bloodwork and supplementation required to make sure you don't damage your body long term and while it may be much harder than having a more varied diet it may be useful if you don't have any other choice.
@zeezee@slrpnk.net Originally expressed these concerns in a comment but due to some federation issues outside of our control it didn't federate properly, so I'm reposting it here so it can be seen by everyone.
Thanks for generating the list! Seems very organized. I welcome these discussions, just in the future could you break out each point into a individual post and make it into the community so we can have a detailed discussion. Throwing lists around tends to drown out the details and nuance. I've done my best below.
Carnivore is not keto, the vast majority of kidney stones are oxalate based, without plants the oxalate levels will go down reducing the risk of kidney stones.
Fibre is 100% not required in human nutrition. Many people can eat fiber without issues, but it is not a essential nutrient. The only RCT I'm aware of on Fibre involves the total resolution of gut issues.
slide on Fiber intake and constipation
Here is a case study one of carnivore's gut health
Humans have been eating animal sourced food for at least 2.5 million years, we can derive all nutrition from that food. If someone is worried they can obviously monitor, but it isn't required.
There is open debate about different required vitamin levels on a ketogenic metabolism.
I strongly, and politely, disagree with this entire premise. The majority of epidemiology against meat is done in a carbohydrate metabolic context, carnivore is a ketogenic metabolism, even then the associations are small and the relative risks are not clinically significant (HR < 2) https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/red-meat#heart-disease
However, that said, I would welcome all people on any diet to periodically (every 5 years?) get calcium monitoring to see if they have developed atherosclerosis - which is the real concern.
Again - I disagree with the premise for the same reasons above.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/diet-and-cancer
This is a totally different metabolism, removing the single biggest risk factor for cancer - elevated glucose levels has a massively outsized impact greater then any of the weak associations indicated above.
This premise isn't correct, humans coevolved for 2.5 million years eating meat - no supplementation is required.
Thanks for the feedback, I'm comfortable keeping my decision tree intact as is
Well, you could make the last box list all the things carnivore appears to help, though that would probably double the length of the whole post.
Yeah, literally everything the endocrine system touches, everything the gut touches, every food allergy and sensitivity - it's a textbook.
Nutrition is foundational, every aspect of health is built upon it - so it sounds like a panacea, and is unbelievable
the list of all things it touches...so far
The normal path to Carnivore is to be sick, trying all the standard things, then trying keto... then finally end up on carnivore after running out of all other options, heh