SIDE EFFECTS OF THE CARNIVORE DIET?

No diet comes without it's side effects and that's also true of the carnivore diet. Luckily, the human body does extremely well on an animal based diet and any negative side effects are only temporary. Here are a few carnivore diet side effects and how to manage them.

INTRO | ADAPTION | LEG CRAMPS | DIARRHEA | BAD BREATH | HEART PALPITATIONS | PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE | CHOLESTEROL

COMMON CARNIVORE SIDE EFFECTS

Carnivore is usually a big leap from your existing diet and that means your body will need some time to adapt to digestive, hormonal and nutritional changes in your body.

The main adaption your body will need to adjust to is the zero carbohydrate aspect of the carnivore diet. Even a Ketogenic diet has some carbohydrates and going from some to zero can take just as much adjusting as going from high carb to low carb.

For some of the most common problems like headaches and flue like symptoms during the adaption phase, the solution might be to increase the intake of water and salt to replace what your body is losing. As your insulin levels go down, so do your electrolyte levels which can wreak havoc on your fluid levels.

ADAPTION: Headaches, nausea, irritability, lack of focus

Even if you're coming from a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet you'll more than likely experience what is referred to as the Adaption phase. During adaption you'll experience some adverse symptoms and side effects due to your body’s natural response to carbohydrate restriction and the removal of excess additives and chemicals.

Some of these adaption phase symptoms include: Brain fog, headache, chills, muscle soreness, sore throat, digestive issues, dizziness, irritability, bad breath/smells, bad taste in mouth, dry mouth, cravings, nausea, diarrhea, poor focus, decreased physical performance, cramping, rapid heart rate, insomnia and night sweats.

These symptoms are a result of your body undergoing major metabolic and hormonal changes.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?
When you drop from a lot or even a little carbohydrate in your diet to zero carb carnivore diet, your insulin levels will drop. Insulin helps your body retain sodium so less insulin causes a drop in sodium. Water follows sodium so you'll likely see a significant loss of water weight in just a few days.

As your muscle glycogen levels begin to drop due to lack of carbohydrate intake, your body will need to re-learn how to use fat as a source of energy. This "switch" takes time and during that time you feel low energy, get intense cravings and feel irritable. Depending on how metabolically flexible you are will depend on how much you suffer.

As if that wasn't enough, you may also experience gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea while your pancreas and gallbladder respond to the extra fat intake.

Finally, as your body re-balances fluids, minerals and energy sources, your hormones will take a hit. In particular, T3 and cortisol. T3 is a thyroid hormone that relies on carbohydrate intake to regulate your metabolism and Cortisol is a stress hormone.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
It's possible to reduce or even eliminate most of the symptoms of adapting to the carnivore diet using a few simple tricks:
  • Eat more - a carnivore diet is naturally high protein and high fat which means you'll feel full for a very long time. Unfortunately this might mean your daily calorie intake is much lower. Work out how many calories you need to survive and then factor that in when deciding on food quantities.
  • Drink more - it's normal to lose a lot of fluids, especially in the first few days, but these fluids will need to be replaced if you don't want to suffer the symptoms.
  • Electrolytes - if more food and water don't help, you may need more electrolytes. To start with, try adding some extra salt into your diet but if you need to, consider an electrolyte supplement.
  • Sweat more - sweating is a great way to get rid of excess toxins and naturally re balance your electrolyte levels.

Leg Cramps On Carnivore Diet

Leg cramps are a common complaint among new carnivores but they do usually subside with time. With that said, there are a few things you can do to prevent or eliminate leg cramps on the carnivore diet altogether.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?
Muscle cramps are cause by a mineral imbalance, specifically magnesium. Although it's also not uncommon to get leg cramps because of low sodium or potassium intake.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
The cure for leg cramps on the carnivore diet is to balance out your sodium, potassium and magnesium levels. You can do that in the following ways:
  • Increase sodium - perhaps the simplest way of balancing your mineral levels is by adding more salt to your diet to prevent loss of minerals. When sodium levels decrease, potassium and magnesium levels usually follow.
  • Supplement - in some instances, where more sodium doesn't help, try supplementing with magnesium
  • Slow down - in a worst case scenario where nothing works, you may just need some more time to adapt. While it's possible to push through, it's also OK to add in more carbs and then reduce them slowly over time to give your body time to adapt.

Diarrhea On Carnivore Diet

If you have diarrhea, feel uncomfortable on the toilet or get urgent signals from your digestive system, your gastrointestinal tract may be going through some changes.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?
Diarrhea can occur when food passes through your digestive tract too quickly. If you've been eating plant foods, transit times are usually slower to allow time for your body to deal with the excess fiber and draw nutrients from the food. When you transition to a zero fiber diet, transit time can be disrupted and Diarrhea occurs.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
The cure for diarrhea on the carnivore diet is to:
  • Allow time for your body to adapt to a zero fiber diet - at first, food will pass through the large intestine too quickly for the large intestine to pull water from the food.
  • Reduce consumption of rendered fats - rendered fats are usually liquid fats like cream and tallow. These types of fats can pass through your system too quickly.

Bad breath on the Carnivore Diet

When you switch from a high carb diet and using glucose as your main source of fuel, to a low carb diet and using ketones as a source of fuel, one of the side effects is bad breath. Sometimes referred to as "keto breath".

WHAT'S HAPPENING
The change in the smell of your breath comes from a compound called acetone. Acetone is created from the breakdown of acetoacetate, a ketone body and is the simplest and most volatile of the different types of ketones. During ketosis, acetone diffuses into the lungs and exits the body when you exhale.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
Some people don't even get keto breath, but for those that do, it usually goes away on its own in time. While you do have it, there are several things you can do to reduce bad breath while on the carnivore diet.
  • Wait - if it isn't that bad it's OK to sit it out and wait until it goes on its own.
  • Drink more - Ketones can also leave the body when you urinate so drinking more fluids can often get rid of excess ketones in the urine.
  • Stay fresh - keep your mouth, teeth, tongue and gums clean so that the air you exhale doesn't mix with any other bad smells.

Heart Palpitations on the Carnivore Diet

Heart palpitations, pounding heart and flutters are a common side effect of the carnivore diet but in most cases it's usually temporary and nothing to worry about.

WHAT'S HAPPENING
When you first embrace a carnivore diet, it’s common to notice your heart rate has become elevated or your stroke volume increases. This is usually due to a lower blood volume and the of low blood volume may be dehydration as well as a lack of electrolytes. The heart then has to work harder to maintain your blood pressure, which is where you feel those pounding heart beats.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
The simplest solution is drinking enough water and ensuring that you maintain the salt that your body needs can help to combat those heart palpitations. Other solutions include:
  • Take some magnesium - up to 400mg per day is the recommended daily allowance and safe for most people.
  • Get your salt intake on point - too much or too little can cause heart palpitations. It's certainly more likely that you're having too little instead of too much.
  • Add in carbs - if your heart palpitations don't go away after a few weeks, you may need to add in more carbs to increase blood volume.

Physical Performance on the Carnivore Diet


WHAT'S HAPPENING
The Carnivore Diet is popular for increasing physical and athletic performance. Athletes use high levels of protein to prime their performance and reduce their recovery times. Being in ketosis offers better athletic performance; however, some people report diminished performance initally while thebody becomes fat adapted. 

Until your body improves its ability to use ketones as a source of fuel, you may feel weak because your body is trying to learn how to use a new fuel source.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
Reduced physical performance is usually just a phase that you go through until your body becomes a ketone burning machine. But there are a couple of things you can do to stay on top of your game:
  • Ensure that you drink more water to keep your blood volume up.
  • Eat every 3-4 hours on days you're physically active.
  • Drink bone broth and electrolyte drinks to help you manage fluid balance.

High Cholesterol on the Carnivore Diet


WHAT'S HAPPENING
The Carnivore Diet is high in fat, sodium and cholesterol and perhaps one of the most significant worries of the diet is the elevation of your cholesterol levels. The increase in saturated fat does in fact raise your cholesterol levels over time. However, cholesterol isn't the evil it's been made out to be in the media and new research shows that low carb and higher fat diets can lead to an improved lipid profile.

WHAT'S THE CURE?
First and foremost, get your cholesterol levels checked before you start the carnivore diet so you have a baseline to work from. If you get a concerning lipid profile on a carnivore diet there are a few things you can do:
  • Reduce liquid fat intake. This can often improve your lipid profile on its own.
  • Consider fasting for at least 12 hours per day. There's good evidence to suggest that this will reduce overall cholesterol levels.
  • Consult with your doctor. Most doctors, especially younger ones, are willing to talk to you about your carnivore way of life and offer suggestions.