9 Carnivore Diet Myths Debunked: Science vs Fiction

Most objections to the carnivore diet are based on outdated nutritional assumptions rather than current scientific evidence. From the belief that red meat causes heart disease to the claim that humans cannot survive without fiber, these myths persist because they have been repeated for decades — not because the data supports them. Here are nine of the most common carnivore diet myths examined against what the research actually shows.

Myth 1: The Carnivore Diet Causes Heart Disease

This is the most persistent and fear-inducing myth, and it crumbles under scrutiny when you separate unprocessed meat from processed meat in the research.

A 2010 meta-analysis published in Circulation (Micha et al.) analyzed 20 studies covering over 1.2 million participants and found that unprocessed red meat had no significant association with heart disease. Processed meats (hot dogs, deli meats, sausages with additives) did show an association, but that tells us about processing and additives — not meat itself.

The 2017 PURE study, following 135,000 people across 18 countries, found that higher saturated fat intake was associated with lower stroke risk and no increase in cardiovascular mortality. Multiple meta-analyses in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Annals of Internal Medicine have reached similar conclusions about saturated fat and heart disease.

The carnivore diet typically improves several cardiovascular risk markers: triglycerides drop, HDL increases, inflammatory markers like hs-CRP decrease, and insulin resistance improves. For a full breakdown, see our guide on carnivore diet and cholesterol and our article on carnivore diet and heart health.

Myth 2: You Need Fiber for Gut Health

The fiber-is-essential narrative is so deeply embedded in nutritional orthodoxy that questioning it sounds heretical. But the evidence for fiber’s necessity is far weaker than most people realize.

A 2012 study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology (Ho et al.) put patients with chronic constipation on a zero-fiber diet. The results were striking: patients who eliminated fiber entirely had better outcomes than those who maintained high fiber intake. Bloating, straining, and pain all improved with less fiber.

Fiber feeds gut bacteria through fermentation, producing short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. But butyrate is also produced from beta-hydroxybutyrate during ketosis — which the carnivore diet induces naturally. Your gut does not require fiber to produce the compounds it needs.

Many carnivore dieters report dramatic improvements in bloating, gas, and digestive regularity after eliminating fiber and plant foods entirely. While this is anecdotal, it aligns with research showing that many digestive issues are caused by fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs), not resolved by them. Read more in our article on carnivore diet and gut health and carnivore diet digestion.

Myth 3: You Cannot Get All Nutrients from Meat

This myth assumes that animal foods are nutritionally incomplete. In reality, animal foods contain every essential nutrient humans need — and in their most bioavailable forms.

A single serving of beef liver provides more vitamin A, B12, folate, copper, and iron than virtually any plant food. Muscle meat provides complete protein with all essential amino acids, B vitamins, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, and iron. Fatty fish adds omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Eggs contribute choline, vitamin A, and additional fat-soluble vitamins.

The nutrients people worry about most — vitamin C, calcium, potassium — are all present in animal foods. Organ meats, bone broth, and small bone-in fish (like sardines) cover every base. The bioavailability advantage is significant: heme iron from meat is absorbed at 15-35% versus 2-20% for non-heme iron from plants. Zinc from animal sources faces no phytate interference.

For a comprehensive look at what you can eat on this diet, check our complete food list and our guide on what the carnivore diet is.

Myth 4: High Protein Damages Your Kidneys

This myth originated from observations of patients with pre-existing kidney disease, where protein restriction slows disease progression. It was then incorrectly generalized to healthy populations.

A 2016 meta-analysis in the Journal of Nutrition found no evidence that high protein intake causes kidney damage or decline in renal function in people with healthy kidneys. A 2018 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition tracked resistance-trained individuals eating over 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight and found no adverse effects on kidney function after one year.

Healthy kidneys are designed to process protein efficiently. The concern about protein and kidneys applies specifically to people who already have compromised renal function — and those individuals should work with their doctor on any dietary changes.

Myth 5: The Diet Is Too High in Cholesterol

Dietary cholesterol has been so thoroughly vindicated by modern research that even the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee removed its recommended cholesterol limit in 2015, stating that “cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”

Your liver produces 80% or more of the cholesterol in your body. When you eat more cholesterol, your liver produces less — a feedback mechanism called cholesterol homeostasis. For most people, dietary cholesterol intake has minimal impact on blood cholesterol levels.

The relevant conversation is not about how much cholesterol you eat but about your metabolic health, inflammatory status, and lipid particle characteristics. A high-cholesterol meal does not translate to clogged arteries in a metabolically healthy person. For the full picture on cholesterol and this diet, read our deep dive on carnivore diet and cholesterol.

Myth 6: The Carnivore Diet Causes Scurvy

The scurvy argument sounds compelling on the surface: vitamin C is found primarily in fruits and vegetables, the carnivore diet eliminates both, therefore scurvy is inevitable. But this logic has a critical flaw.

Fresh meat does contain vitamin C — roughly 1.6 mg per 100g in muscle meat, with higher amounts in organ meats (36 mg per 100g in beef liver). These are modest amounts, but the vitamin C requirement drops significantly when carbohydrate intake is near zero.

Here is why: vitamin C and glucose compete for the same cellular uptake pathways (GLUT transporters). When glucose is low, vitamin C is recycled more efficiently and less is needed. Additionally, vitamin C’s primary role is as an antioxidant, and the lower oxidative stress on a ketogenic/carnivore diet reduces the body’s requirement.

Historical evidence supports this. The Inuit and other traditional Arctic peoples ate virtually zero plant food for much of the year and showed no signs of scurvy. European explorers who developed scurvy were eating dried, preserved, and heavily cooked provisions — not fresh meat.

No documented case of scurvy has been reported in a modern carnivore dieter eating fresh meat.

Myth 7: The Carnivore Diet Is Environmentally Unsustainable

This myth conflates industrial feedlot agriculture with all animal farming. The environmental picture changes dramatically when you look at regenerative agriculture.

Regenerative grazing — where cattle are rotated through pastures mimicking the natural movement of wild herds — has documented benefits. It sequesters carbon in the soil (potentially offsetting or exceeding the animals’ methane emissions), builds topsoil rather than depleting it, increases biodiversity including insects, birds, and soil microorganisms, restores degraded and desertified land, and requires no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

Meanwhile, industrial monoculture farming of crops like wheat, corn, and soy destroys topsoil at unsustainable rates, relies heavily on chemical inputs, kills billions of small animals through harvesting, and creates dead zones through nitrogen runoff.

The question is not “meat vs. plants” but “how is the food produced?” Well-managed ruminant agriculture on appropriate land can be regenerative. Poorly managed agriculture of any kind is destructive.

Myth 8: Meat Lacks Antioxidants

Plants get all the antioxidant credit, but animal foods contain powerful antioxidant compounds that are often overlooked.

Carnosine is found exclusively in animal muscle tissue. It is a potent antioxidant that protects against glycation (sugar damage to proteins), buffers acid in muscles, and may protect against neurodegeneration. Vegetarians and vegans have significantly lower carnosine levels.

Taurine is abundant in meat and seafood. It functions as an antioxidant in the heart, eyes, and brain, and plays critical roles in bile acid production, calcium signaling, and immune function. Humans synthesize limited amounts of taurine; dietary intake from animal foods is the primary source.

Glutathione, often called the “master antioxidant,” is found in high concentrations in fresh meat, especially organ meats. While the body can synthesize glutathione from its amino acid precursors (cysteine, glycine, glutamate — all abundant in meat), direct dietary intake supports optimal levels.

Selenium in animal foods acts as a cofactor for glutathione peroxidase, one of the body’s most important antioxidant enzyme systems. A single serving of beef provides a significant portion of daily selenium needs.

The antioxidant conversation has been dominated by plant polyphenols for decades, but animal-based antioxidants are arguably more important for human physiology given their direct bioavailability and the body’s reliance on them for core protective functions.

Myth 9: The Carnivore Diet Is Too Restrictive to Sustain

This is the most subjective myth, and it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes a diet sustainable.

Most diets fail because of complexity: counting points, measuring portions, preparing elaborate meals, resisting foods that are technically allowed but should be limited. The carnivore diet eliminates all of this. You eat meat when hungry and stop when full. There are no macros to calculate, no recipes to follow, and no willpower battles with “sometimes foods.”

Many long-term carnivore dieters — people who have eaten this way for years — report that the simplicity is precisely what makes it sustainable. Decision fatigue around food disappears. Grocery shopping takes minutes. Meal preparation is straightforward.

Is the variety of foods limited? Absolutely. But variety within the diet is wider than people assume: beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, bison, venison, fish, shellfish, eggs, organ meats, and dairy (for those who include it). The carnivore diet benefits that people experience — improved energy, reduced inflammation, mental clarity, weight loss — provide ongoing motivation that willpower-based restrictive diets cannot match.

The question is not whether the food list is short. The question is whether the diet produces results that make you want to continue. For thousands of people, the answer is yes.

These nine myths represent the most common barriers that prevent people from trying or continuing the carnivore diet. When you examine the actual evidence rather than the conventional wisdom, the case against an all-meat diet is far weaker than it appears. That does not mean the carnivore diet is right for everyone — but it does mean the decision should be based on science and personal results, not on myths.

For more evidence-based carnivore diet education, visit our Carnivore Diet Guide hub page.