[RD] The all-meat diet.

[Mouthwash]

The title is only slightly exaggerating; this isn't an all-meat diet but an all-animal diet (meaning eggs and cheese are also eaten). Here are the basics, taken from the zero-carb website:

• Eat only from the animal kingdom.
• Eat nothing from the plant kingdom.
• Do not eat milk and yogurt
  
• Cook beef rare to preserve nutrients.
• Eat plenty of animal fat.
• Eat the fattiest parts first.
• Organ meats are not necessary.
• Supplements are not necessary.
• Do not eat vegetable oils.
• Do not eat salt or salted butter.
• Spices are okay for flavoring.
• Drink plenty of plain water.
• Eat as often as you are hungry.
• Do not worry about calories.

Owsley Stanley claimed to have eaten this for over fifty years (< this is the best quick introduction to the idea). The only medical assessment of it that I know of was done almost a century ago (here, towards the bottom of the page), and it isn't even a proper study. Regardless, I think there's enough evidence to prove that humans can subsist on this and be reasonably healthy, at least in the short term.

 

[cardgame]

That's literally a recipe for scurvy. Owsley Stanley is a bald-faced liar.

 

[Mouthwash]

That's literally a recipe for scurvy. Owsley Stanley is a bald-faced liar.

Aaaand the argument-free mockery commences.

(If you had actually read anything I linked to, you would know that this isn't a high-protein diet.)

 

[Synobun]

Aaaand the argument-free mockery commences.

(If you had actually read anything I linked to, you would know that this isn't a high-protein diet.)

It's not argument-free. Getting enough vitamin C strictly from meat is extremely difficult.

 

[Old Hippy]

you could probably survive on it like Inuit's do on seal and fish meat BUT how happy would one be without fried potatoes and tomatoe sauce with their steak it could lead to an early death from suicide.....

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Do not eat milk and yogurt

How are these not from animals?

 

[Synobun]

you could probably survive on it like Inuit's do on seal and fish meat BUT how happy would one be without fried potatoes and tomatoe sauce with their steak it could lead to an early death from suicide.....

It's my understanding that the Inuit did it by eating organs (something the proposed diet says isn't necessary) and by eating the raw skin of whales.

 

[Mouthwash]

It's not argument-free. Getting enough vitamin C strictly from meat is extremely difficult.

The zero-carb site has a refutation of that, the study I linked to also explicitly contradicts it, and I'm pretty sure I recall Stanley addressing it as well (I'm not sure where, it's a pretty big collection of quotes). You will develop scurvy if you eat mainly protein but that's not what this is.

How are these not from animals?

They are, but they contain carbs. Apparently the process of making cheese removes them.

 

[Synobun]

The zero-carb site has a refutation of that, the study I linked to also contradicts it explicitly, and I'm pretty sure I recall Stanley addressing it as well (although I'm not sure where, it is a pretty big collection of quotes). You will develop scurvy on a high-protein diet but that's not what this is.

It is interesting to note that all of the refutations specifically about Vitamin C are unsourced, the only one of which that has a citation is simply another blog post. It makes reference of a few old studies but comes up empty, lacking the usual "and here is that study".

A meat-only diet is explicitly a high-protein diet, dude.

 

[Mouthwash]

It is interesting to note that all of the refutations specifically about Vitamin C are unsourced, the only one of which that has a citation is simply another blog post. It makes reference of a few old studies but comes up empty, lacking the usual "and here is that study".

It's not exactly as if this is a hot topic in academia, so the lack of studies isn't really their fault. But the fact that even one person could live on this kind of diet without developing scurvy is sufficient to prove you wrong.

A meat-only diet is explicitly a high-protein diet, dude.

You can also eat fish, eggs, and cheese, dude. And it's possible to find higher-fat versions of almost any kind of meat (which aren't too popular because most people assume fat is bad).

 

[Old Hippy]

It's my understanding that the Inuit did it by eating organs (something the proposed diet says isn't necessary) and by eating the raw skin of whales.

that's definitely a reason to have a Greek salad with my steak

 

[Gigaz]

Most people in the world are pretty much adapted to a high carb diet, so it is entirely reasonable to feed mostly on bread, potatoes and noodles, and to eat little meat. I think that meat diet would make me puke a lot.

 

[Synobun]

It's not exactly as if this is a hot topic in academia, so the lack of studies isn't really their fault. But the fact that even one person could live on this kind of diet without developing scurvy is sufficient to prove you wrong.

The study about Vilhjalmur is fairly clear about the requirements for a scurvy-free existence while subsisting entirely on meat, and entails what I said above about how the Eskimos and Inuit avoided scurvy. In theory, it is possible, but the study confirms that such a diet does not work for everyone and that forcing an adult to switch can have horrible impact on their long-term health. That aside, the main issue I have with the specific diet proposed in your OP is that the advocate enjoys his lack of scurvy by eating raw meats and organs but his guidelines for the diet for other people says organ consumption is optional and that meat should be cooked. Both of these suggestions are dangerous to any follower of the diet (assuming their digestive system can handle raw meat to begin with).

Beyond the basic dietary issues with a full-meat diet, the guy goes on a bunch of diatribes that are intellectually and scientifically bankrupt. I find it difficult to believe his philosophy to be legitimate when he says all vegetables are horrible and cravings don't exist, that eating at a caloric surplus won't create fat. Most of what he writes is either nonsense or completely incorrect. In theory, yes, eating just meat is survivable. In application, there is a reason why Eskimo cultures weren't advanced and why their population counts struggled even without colonial encroachment. There is a reason why humans are omnivorous. We know humans are at a rare disadvantage when it comes to Vitamin C production. There is no reason to intentionally go out of your way to cripple yourself in the name of "natural living" or some weird sense of superiority over those darned agriculturists. You can survive off just meat or just vegetables, but not without making some bodily sacrifices or incorporating a modern supplement of some kind to pick up the slack. Since this diet focuses so strongly on the ketogenic process, you're better off just following that diet and not bothering at all with the "all vegetables are evil" mumbo-jumbo. Even with that in mind, there are many people where a keto diet is explicitly harmful to their body. I can't see a scenario where this exact diet would be a good idea for someone to randomly pick up. Maybe in an obscure health scenario while supervised by a dietitian and doctor.

 

[Samez]

I once saw a TV show about the Inuit and their diet. They claimed that getting enough Vitamin C and beta carotin was an issue. They have to eat enough raw liver and eye liquor to have an at least somehow healthy diet. As sheep eyes seem to be a specialty in nomadic cultures this seems to be reasonable. As environmental poisons like heavy metals or strontium tend to accumulate in wild animals organs a wild animal only diet is survivable but probably not the healthiest thing to do.

 

[Mouthwash]

The study about Vilhjalmur is fairly clear about the requirements for a scurvy-free existence while subsisting entirely on meat, and entails what I said above about how the Eskimos and Inuit avoided scurvy.

Why? I'm talking about the year-long experiment in Bellevue Hospital. I'm unable to find specific information on what they ate, so on what basis are you claiming that they ate liver and whale skin?

That aside, the main issue I have with the specific diet proposed in your OP is that the advocate enjoys his lack of scurvy by eating raw meats and organs.

"I have eaten nothing but sirloin steaks for months on end, but I do like eggs cheese, many cuts of meat, even organs like liver, tongue, kidneys, and brains."

but his guidelines for the diet for other people says organ consumption is optional and that meat should be cooked. Both of these suggestions are dangerous to any follower of the diet (assuming their digestive system can handle raw meat to begin with).

Where does he say that he eats all his meat raw? There's a big difference between rare and raw. Anyway, quite a few of the interviewees cook their meat to medium doneness, so unless you're claiming that some people can naturally synthesize it...

I once saw a TV show about the Inuit and their diet. They claimed that getting enough Vitamin C and beta carotin was an issue. They have to eat enough raw liver and eye liquor to have an at least somehow healthy diet. As sheep eyes seem to be a specialty in nomadic cultures this seems to be reasonable. As environmental poisons like heavy metals or strontium tend to accumulate in wild animals organs a wild animal only diet is survivable but probably not the healthiest thing to do.

I don't buy everything he says about primitive cultures eating only meat. Why do I have to?

 

[dusters]

I guarantee, a person living like this is not likely to reach age of 110. Unless the said person has superhuman genes. Too lazy to dig the facts, but I will later today due to this being RD thread.

 

[warpus]

No salt? How is anything you are eating going to have any flavour? I couldn't do that, salt is the main ingredient in any cooking, if you don't use it your food is likely going to suck.

Unless the meal design is for the salt to come from some of the meat? Like the pork maybe?

Most people in the world are pretty much adapted to a high carb diet, so it is entirely reasonable to feed mostly on bread, potatoes and noodles, and to eat little meat. I think that meat diet would make me puke a lot.

You would be amazed how good you can feel if you cut out a lot of carbs out of your diet. At least that's what happened to me, I was feeling a lot more energetic and started losing weight and feeling healthier. And I don't mean go extreme either, have some bread and rice here and there.. Just don't drink much pop, don't go out of your way for potatoes, etc.

I wouldn't say we are adapted to eating a lot of carbs. We only really started doing that a couple thousand years ago. That's not really enough time for evolution to adapt our stomachs and bodies to this radically different type of diet that farming allows us to eat.

 

[Kozmos]

Salt is the main murderer of flavour IMO.

 

[Samson]

I think you probably could live on this, but you would have to really know what you are doing. If you get it wrong there are serious connotations for health. Some issues I see are:

Protein poisoning. The human body has a limit to the amount of protein it can denature, ie. turn from protein to carbohydrate like chemicals. I learnt this was about 30% of your calorie intake. If you eat more than you can denature then you get nitrogenous compounds building up in your body, IIRC it is the ammonia that kills you, at lower levels gout is possible consequence.

Vitamin C. As mentioned above there are sources in animal products, but it is hard to get enough. Enough does not just mean not getting scurvy, vitamin C along with the other antioxidants such as vitamin E are very important for removing free radicals, and free radicals give you cancer.

Ketosis. These diets tend to advocate ketosis as a benefit. It may have beneficial effects, but it also has negative effects such weakening teeth and making you smell.

The environment. Eating meat is generally bad for the environment. In the west most meat is produced from food that humans could eat, and you are doing well to get back 10% of the calories you put in.

Why? This diet will be expensive, not that enjoyable, difficult to do and may well have health implications.

I used to do the Atkins diet, until the consequences of long term ketosis became obvious. Now my dietary theory is basically: Replace the caloric staple in any meal with low calorie vegetables if I am cooking myself, otherwise do not worry about it. It works well for me. Caloric staple means the rice, pasta, potatoes, bread or whatever you generally have with your meal.

 

[Mouthwash]

No salt? How is anything you are eating going to have any flavour? I couldn't do that, salt is the main ingredient in any cooking, if you don't use it your food is likely going to suck.

Unless the meal design is for the salt to come from some of the meat? Like the pork maybe?

Yeah, I'm a salt lover as well, but I've never had a problem eating unsalted beef or chicken (can't speak for pork since I've never had it).

You would be amazed how good you can feel if you cut out a lot of carbs out of your diet. At least that's what happened to me, I was feeling a lot more energetic and started losing weight and feeling healthier. And I don't mean go extreme either, have some bread and rice here and there.. Just don't drink much pop, don't go out of your way for potatoes, etc.

Is your advice to recovering heroin addicts to just have a snort here and there? Nothing major?

Vitamin C. As mentioned above there are sources in animal products, but it is hard to get enough. Enough does not just mean not getting scurvy, vitamin C along with the other antioxidants such as vitamin E are very important for removing free radicals, and free radicals give you cancer.

Then just have some liver every other day.

Ketosis. These diets tend to advocate ketosis as a benefit. It may have beneficial effects, but it also has negative effects such weakening teeth and making you smell.

The site mentions bad breath but claims it is only in the transition period. Also worth noting that Inuit had very strong bones.