All Meat Diet: Is It Healthy? Benefits and Result [Meal Plan] (2024)

Highlights

What Is an All Meat Diet?

The first thing to know about the all meat diet, aka meat-only diet, is its main principles. As its name suggests, an all-meat diet focuses on consuming different kinds of meat.

Remember that an all-meat diet is not just one diet, and every dietary approach excluding plant-based products and concentrating on consuming animal products, especially meat, can be considered an all meat diet.

An all-meat diet, also known as a zero-carb diet, excludes all plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, and includes various types of meat, like beef, pork, poultry, fish, and organ meats.

Different all-meat diets have different rules, and individuals can make some minor changes to meet their needs based on the main rules of the diet. For example, some dieters use animal-derived products like eggs and dairy, while others only consume meat.

But why have some people realized they should omit plants and focus on meat consumption? What is the logic behind an all meat diet? The following section will reveal the ideas underlying this diet.

What Is the Logic Behind the All Meat Diet?

Many people assume we need to eat vegetables and plant-based foods as they’re considered healthy. But why have some others chosen meat and excluded plants?

• Evolutionary Adaptation: Followers of the all-meat diets believe that humans have evolved as carnivorous or omnivorous beings, i.e., they have been meat eaters, and our bodies are also adapted to processing meat and deriving nutrients from animal products.
• Nutrient Density: Animal foods contain high levels of nutrients and can provide the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats necessary for optimal health.
• Bioavailability: Nutrients found in animal-based sources (including vitamins A, D, and B12) are believed to be absorbed more easily than plant-based sources.
• No Antinutrients and Allergens: Some components found in plant-based foods, including lectins, phytates, and oxalates, contain potential antinutrients and allergens, which may cause digestive issues for some individuals, so removing them is good for the body function.
• Potential Therapeutic Effects: Some dieters claim that an all-meat diet has helped them fix some health problems like autoimmune conditions, digestive issues, and metabolic disorders by removing carbohydrates and plant compounds, which can result in better metabolic and hormonal performance.
• Weight Loss Effects: Some all-meat dieters believe that such diets promote weight loss, digestion, energy levels, and even mental clarity. The reason for all this is to exclude carbohydrates and plant-based foods, which enter the body into a state of ketosis to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs.

Speaking of weight loss, let’s dive deeper and discover how an all meat diet can help dieters lose weight.

Read More: White Meat vs. Dark Meat: Which One Is Better for You?

How Does an All Meat Diet Help You Lose Weight?

An all meat diet or meat-only diet can help you lose weight for some reasons. Let’s review the most important ones here.

• Increased Satiety and Reduced Calorie Intake: High levels of proteins and fats found in animal products create more satiety than carbohydrates. Following a diet focused on meat, you feel full for longer periods, which means you’ll take fewer calories and can lose weight faster. Also, consuming more protein and fat creates a state of ketosis, i.e., burning fat for fuel, which promotes fat melting and weight loss.
• Elimination of Highly Processed Foods: An all-meat diet doesn’t allow processed foods, refined sugars, and other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, which means lower calorie intake and weight loss.

As a small tip, you should remember that weight loss is a complicated, multi-step process affected by various factors, including individual metabolism, overall calorie balance, physical activity levels, and dietary habits. So, don’t expect everything to happen as it has for others.

Read More: Does Carnivore Diet Lose Weight? How Fast? How Much?

All Meat Diet Benefits

An all meat diet can have various health and dietary benefits. Here are the most important ones.

Simplicity and High Levels of Nutrients

An all-meat diet only allows whole, unprocessed animal products, which can help dieters avoid added sugars, refined grains, and artificial additives. Additionally, the vitamin A found in meat and beef liver has high bioavailability (source).

Also, B vitamins, such as B12 found in steak boosts the process of converting fat into energy (source), and is an effective antidepressant (source).

Zinc coming from animal sources is about 400% more bioavailable than the zinc found in plant-based foods like grains (source).

Solving Some Health Problems

Going on an all meat diet can benefit individuals with certain, including autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders, skin conditions, or mental health issues (source).

Weight Loss and Improved Body Composition

High levels of protein and fat and low levels of carbohydrates consumed on an all-meat diet lead to longer satiety, lower calorie intake, ketosis, and, therefore, fat melt and weight loss (source).

Reduced Food Sensitivities

Avoiding plant-based foods for those experiencing food sensitivities or intolerances can help alleviate the symptoms.

Psychological and Cognitive Benefits

There have been reports of improved mental clarity, increased focus, and reduced anxiety or depression in those on an all-meat diet.

Despite all the benefits, an all-meat diet can have some downsides, like any other diet or concept worldwide! It’s good to know the disadvantages beforehand to take precautions and avoid possible problems.

Downsides of the All Meat Diet

• Nutritional Deficiencies: An all-meat diet says no to all nutrients coming from plant-based foods, such as fiber, certain vitamins (like C and E), minerals (e.g., potassium, magnesium), and phytonutrients. Although the proponents believe they don’t need some of them and can receive others from animal-based foods, it may cause deficiencies and imbalances in some individuals over time.
• Low Variety: Avoiding plant-based products means avoiding many food options and lower dietary variety.
• Increased Saturated Fat Intake: Animal products, especially fatty cuts of meat, include high amounts of saturated fat. Consuming saturated fat in excess can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease.
• Social and Practical Challenges: Going on an all-meat diet can be socially challenging, as it restricts food choices in different social settings, like partying, dining out, or travelling. How to Travel on a Carnivore Diet?
• Lack of Extensive Research: There has been limited research on the effects of an all meat diet, and further studies need to be conducted.

Now that we know the general advantages and disadvantages of an all-meat diet let’s find out about different types of all-meat diets, their specification and details to decide which one can be the best. The following two sections will help us find the answers!

Carnivore Transformation Results

Types of Meat-Only Diet

The most common types of meat-only diets include:

• Carnivore Diet,
• Lion Diet,
• BBBE Diet, and
• Steak and Egg Diet.

Let’s learn about the basics of each one and find out their main differences.

The Carnivore Diet

The Carnivore diet, aka the all-meat diet or zero-carb diet, wants dieters to consume only animal products and exclude plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and even processed foods.

Animal products allowed on the Carnivore diet include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and some dairy products, such as butter and cheese.

The Carnivore diet prioritises meat and animal products as maximising protein and fat and minimising carbohydrates is believed to boost weight loss, improve mental clarity, increase energy levels, and solve some health problems.

As an all-meat diet, the Carnivore diet is based on the belief that our ancestors were meat eaters and consumed animal products rather than plants, so our bodies are basically adapted to these foods.

Also, Carnivores believe you don’t need plant-based nutrients as all the necessary nutrients, including proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, can be received from animal products.

All in all, it’s no secret that you need to consult a healthcare professional before making drastic changes to your dietary habits. Also, you need to consider your body composition, health status, goals and preferences to choose the best diets, reach your health and fitness goals and avoid any health concerns.

Learn More about The Carnivore Diet: What Is The Carnivore Diet? Myth vs Fact

The Lion Diet

Another famous all-meat diet or meat-only diet is The Lion Diet, which is inspired by the natural eating habits of lions. Like the Carnivore diet, the Lion diet prioritises animal products and excludes plant-based foods.

Lion diet also tries to maximise the intake of healthy protein and fat and minimise carbohydrates to lead the body into a state of ketosis to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs, which promotes fat melt and weight loss.

Although the Carnivore diet and the Lion diet are both all meat diets, they have some differences, as the following list shows.

• Origin: The Carnivore diet has its roots in the eating habits of our human ancestors. However, the Lion diet follows the eating patterns of lions.
• Animal Products: The Carnivore diet allows various animal products, including meat, poultry, seafood, animal fats, cheese, etc. However, the Lion diet is a bit more restrictive, and as its name suggests, it offers what lions mainly eat, which is meat. But it can also contain organs, bones, and other parts lions consume.
• Plant-Based Foods: Although both diets are against plant-based foods, the Carnivore diet removes them entirely, i.e., no fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes are allowed. However, some versions of the Lion diet may allow for some limited plant-based foods, as lions have been observed consuming grass or plant material in some cases.

Learn More: Lion Diet: Result, Menu and 30-Day Meal Plan [Expert Guide]

The BBBE Diet

BBBE diet is a simple and easy version of an all meat diet, containing only four main ingredients, i.e., Beef, Bacon, Butter, and Eggs, whose initials give the diet its name.

The BBBE diet uses these four foods as its main source of nutrition and limits or excludes other food groups. Containing beef, bacon, butter, and eggs makes this diet a high-protein, high-fat dietary approach with minimal carbohydrates.

The combination of protein and fat and lack of carbohydrates is the key principle of the BBBE diet, making it ideal for those aiming to melt fat and lose weight in a short time and speed up the process.

The BBBE diet does so by providing longer satiety and fullness, which reduces calorie intake and results in weight loss. But again, it’s important to remember that this version of the meat-only diet needs to be followed under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Emphasising the role of healthcare professionals doesn’t mean these diets are dangerous. Still, we need to take caution as a small previous health issue can lead to a big problem under certain conditions, so it is safe to consider all factors before making extreme changes in our eating habits.

Learn More about The BBBE Diet: What Is BBBE Diet? Meal Plan, Side Effects, and Food List

The Steak and Eggs Diet

Maybe the simplest version of an all-meat diet is the "Steak and Egg" diet, which focuses solely on consuming steak and Eges as the primary sources of nutrition. This diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate approach popular among bodybuilders and fitness communities.

This diet is simple because it only allows for steak and egg and limits or excludes other food groups, particularly carbohydrates. The reason this diet focuses on these two specific foods is that lean protein and healthy fats found in steak and eggs are necessary for muscle growth, satiety, and sustained energy levels.

Followers of the Steak and Egg diet believe that consuming these two foods can provide the vital amino acids, vitamins, and minerals needed for muscle recovery and overall health.

The diet also removed processed and high-sugar foods, common causes of weight gain and unhealthy eating patterns.

The main differences between the Steak and Egg diet and other all meat or only meat diets, including Carnivore, Lion, and BBBE, are as follows.

• Food Selection: The Steak and Egg diet provides the necessary nutrition from steak and eggs. But the Carnivore diet allows a wider range of animal products like meat, fish, poultry, and organs, with no plant-based foods. The Lion diet aims to imitate the natural eating habits of lions. The BBBE diet mainly relies on beef, bacon, butter, and eggs.
• Macronutrient Ratios: These four all meat diets have different macronutrient ratios. The Carnivore diet focuses on a high-fat and moderate-protein approach. The Lion diet and BBBE diet may have similar macronutrient profiles but differ based on individual interpretations. The Steak and Egg diet prioritises high protein and moderate fat consumption.
• Diet Philosophies: The Carnivore diet is based on the idea that humans can dine merely on animal products. The Lion diet aims to mimic the dietary routines of lions. The BBBE diet and Steak and Egg diet are simpler versions of an only-meat diet, which focus on meat and exclude many other foods.

Now that we’ve learned about the most common all-meat diets, the question is which one can be the best. The following section will help us get our heads around this matter.

Learn More about the Steak and Eggs Diet: Is It Good for Losing Weight? [Tips for Females]

What Is the Best Type of All Meat Diet?

Choosing one diet as the best depends on various factors, especially current health status, personal goals, needs, and preferences. However, knowing the following key factors helps you make informed decisions about going on an all-meat diet.

• Choose Nutritious Foods: Choose nutrient-dense animal products to provide the necessary nutrients. Opt for high-quality, lean cuts of meat, seafood, and poultry to gain protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
• Eat Diverse and Healthy Foods: Diversify foods by including different types of meats, organ meats, and seafood, and choose organic, grass-fed, and pasture-raised options.
• Consulting a Healthcare Professional: It’s necessary to consult a healthcare professional or registered dietitian to avoid health problems and make sure you choose based on your goals and needs.

Another point that can help us choose the best all-meat diet is knowing if the specific diet is backed by academic studies. The following section gives us insights into the research conducted in this area.

Learn More: Carnivore Diet vs Keto Diet: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?

What Do Academic Studies Say About An All Meat Diet?

• The All Meat diet was somehow started by Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, and his daughter Mikhaila Peterson, who developed this diet to solve her psychological and physiological problems. There have been reports from Jordan Peterson and Mikhaila confirming the significant improvements in their health after adopting the diet.
• Traditional societies like the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic and the Maasai of Eastern Africa have tried diets including only animal products, which further supports the viability of an all-meat diet.
• Research shows that our cavemen ancestors consumed a carnivorous diet for millions of years, and based on this, supporters of the all-meat diet believe that it is the right diet for the human race. They also believe our brain development is partly indebted to scavenging fatty bone meats from other apex predators. Additionally, some evolutionary facts in humans, like the ability to store fat easily and enter ketosis and the smaller size of our colon and cecum, suggest a genetic predisposition for an all-fatty meat diet.
• Harvard University conducted a study in 2021 to analyse the effects of the all meat diet on 2,029 people over a six-month timespan. The results indicated that the all-meat diet had different health benefits, including improvements in obesity, hypertension, diabetes-related conditions, gastrointestinal symptoms, and psychiatric symptoms.
• Also, some studies have verified the nutrient abundance of an all-meat diet, reporting that fatty meats are highly nutritious and an all meat diet can provide various nutrients, including vitamin D3, B12, retinol, creatine, carnitine, carnosine, heme iron, K2, DHA, EPA, taurine, and more. These nutrients are essential for bone health, energy metabolism, immune function, cognitive function, and fertility.
• Excluding carbohydrates and consuming animal-derived foods lets the all-meat diet address the main reasons for various chronic diseases associated with the Standard American Diet, which asserts that carbohydrates are a non-essential nutrient and consuming too much of them in modern diets causes metabolic disorders and chronic inflammation.

Learn More:

Nutrients You Can Get on an All Meat Diet

Some studies show that an all meat diet provides necessary nutrients, the most important of which are listed below.

• Vitamin D3: Found in fatty meats, it is necessary for bone health and immune function.
• Vitamin B12: Found in high amounts in animal products, it is used for energy conversion, red blood cell formation, and cognitive function
• Vitamin A (Retinol): More bioavailable than plant-based beta carotene, it helps regulate genes and stem cell differentiation and improves vision and immune function.
• Creatine: Necessary for cognitive function, athletic performance, and heart health
• Carnitine: Boosts male fertility and mitochondrial function and may be beneficial for type 2 diabetes and heart conditions.
• Carnosine: An anti-ageing compound that reduces cognitive decline, glycation and oxidative stress and acts as an antioxidant.
• Heme Iron: Found only in meat, it is essential for red blood cell formation, energy metabolism, and a strong immune system.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found in fatty fish, Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are useful for brain health, decreasing inflammation, and improving heart health.
• Taurine: As an antioxidant, taurine can help decrease glycation, inflammation, and oxidative stress, work as an antidepressant and improve well-being.
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): Found in pasture-raised meats, CLA can decrease body fat, increase lean muscle mass, improve immune system support, and prevent/ treat diabetes.
• Vitamin K2 (mk-4): Found in meat and dairy, it can activate proteins stopping the calcification of arteries and promoting calcium binding to bones and teeth.
• Zinc, Copper, and CoQ10: These minerals found in meat are necessary to produce energy, improve immune function, develop the brain, and support hormone metabolism. Zinc deficiency in children hinders motor and cognitive development, while copper helps blood vessel integrity and connective tissue formation. CoQ10 boosts energy generation in cells and has antioxidant properties.

Read More: How to Get Vitamin C on Carnivore Diet? [Best Meat to Avoid Scurvy]

Who Should Follow an All Meat Diet?

It’s no secret that understanding if an all meat diet is good for an individual or not needs professional examination, but here we can review the general groups for whom an all-meat diet can be useful.

• Individuals with Certain Health Conditions: An all meat diet can help some people with autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, or digestive issues.
• Those Seeking Short-Term Weight Loss: An all-meat diet can result in fast weight loss and fat melt as it maximises the protein and fat intake and minimises carbohydrates to create a state of ketosis and make the body burn fat instead of carbs.
• Curious Dieters: Some individuals try an all-meat diet out of curiosity or as an experiment to see how it can affect their body and overall health.

Learn More: Is Steak Good for Weight Loss? The Best and Worst Cuts of Meat

Who Shouldn’t Follow an All Meat Diet?

While an all-meat diet can help certain individuals with different aims, it may not be beneficial or unhealthy for others. Here are some groups of people who may want to avoid an all-meat diet.

• Individuals with Certain Nutrient Needs: If your body needs the nutrients specific to plant-based foods, like fibre, a meat-only diet cannot be a good option for you. Also, Individuals with specific dietary needs, such as pregnant or breastfeeding women, growing children, or people with chronic diseases, may face nutrient deficiencies on an all-meat diet.
• Individuals with Cardiovascular Diseases: Consuming saturated fats in excess can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. So, those with a history of heart disease, high cholesterol, or hypertension should be cautious when considering an all-meat diet.
• Those with Kidney Problems: An all-meat diet is high in protein, which is not good for those with kidney problems as too much protein can place additional stress on the kidneys and worsen their condition.
• Individuals with Disordered Eating Problems: Following an all-meat diet that limits food groups may not suit those with a history of eating disorders.
• People Seeking Long-Term Diets: Some people tend to go on long-term, sustainable diets, but an all-meat diet may be difficult to sustain over the long run because it has a restrictive nature, limits food groups, and is socially challenging.

Read More: How Can a Carnivore Diet Cure Diabetes Type 1 and 2?

Meat-Only Diet Food List

So, what exactly can we eat on an all-meat diet? To know this, we need a meat-only diet food list. The following subsections list the foods we should eat and avoid on a meat-only diet.

Foods to Eat

• Beef: Including various cuts such as steak, ground beef, brisket, and beef liver
• Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck, and other fowl
• Pork: Different cuts like pork chops, bacon, pork ribs, etc.
• Seafood: Various kinds of seafood, including salmon, tuna, shrimp, mackerel, and shellfish like clams, oysters, etc.
• Organ Meats: Liver, kidneys, heart, etc.
• Eggs: Chicken eggs and eggs from other animals like quail or duck
• Game Meats: Venison, bison, elk, and other wild game.
• Lamb and Goat: Different cuts like lamb chops and leg of lamb
• Sausages, cured meats, and jerky
• Animal fats: Butter, ghee, lard, tallow, duck fat, etc.
• Drinks: Water, black coffee, and bone broth
• Salt

Read More: What Is The Best Butter for The Carnivore Diet? Salted, Unsalted, Ghee or Grass-fed?

Foods to Avoid

• Plant-Based Foods: Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and other plant-based ingredients
• Processed Foods: Heavily processed foods containing additives or non-animal ingredients, including packaged snacks, sugary foods, and processed meats
• Dairy Products: While some dieters avoid dairy on an all-meat diet, others consume dairy products, including butter, ghee, cheese, heavy cream, etc.
• Beverages: Alcoholic drinks

So, to wrap up the discussion of all meat diets, the following section will provide an all meat diet meal plan for one whole week. You can always substitute the foods/ ingredients with other options you prefer. But remember to choose from the foods allowed on the all-meat diet you’re following.

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All Meat Diet Meal Plan

Here’s a sample 7-day all meat diet meal plan for you to see the variety of the foods you can include even in such simple diets.

Day 1

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with bacon
• Lunch: Grilled chicken thighs with a side of beef liver
• Dinner: Grilled steak with butter and a side of shrimp

Day 2

• Breakfast: Omelette with ham and cheese
• Lunch: Roasted turkey breast with crispy bacon
• Dinner: Pan-seared salmon with butter and a side of grilled lamb chops

Day 3

• Breakfast: Beef sausage with fried eggs
• Lunch: Oven-roasted chicken wings with pork ribs
• Dinner: Grilled pork chops with a side of grilled shrimp

Day 4

• Breakfast: Omelette with ground beef and cheese
• Lunch: Grilled chicken drumsticks with beef liver pâté
• Dinner: Baked salmon fillet with crispy bacon

Day 5

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with sausage links
• Lunch: Pan-fried turkey cutlets with crispy bacon
• Dinner: Grilled lamb shoulder chops with a side of grilled shrimp

Day 6

• Breakfast: Beef burger patty with fried eggs
• Lunch: Roasted chicken thighs with pork ribs
• Dinner: Grilled steak with butter and a side of grilled salmon

Day 7

• Breakfast: Omelette with ground beef and cheese
• Lunch: Grilled turkey breast with beef liver
• Dinner: Baked pork chops with crispy bacon

Read More: Free Ultimate Carnivore Diet Food List

Summary

An all-meat diet is a dietary approach toward maximizing the intake of protein and fat and minimizing carbohydrates to create a state of ketosis and let the body melt fat and lose weight.

The all-meat does so by focusing on meat-based meals. Different versions of this meat only diet include different rules and principles, but they all have meat as their main source.

Just remember to consult a healthcare professional before changing your dietary habits to avoid possible health problems and make the most of the diet to reach your health and fitness goals.