The latest diet trend consisting of just three things could give you scurvy, experts warn.
The carnivore diet is sweeping across social media, with almost 95 million videos dedicated to it on TikTok.
It consists of eating only meat, butter and eggs and some believe it has cured everything from acne to PCOS. Some even say it’s helped them lose weight.
But Jane Clarke, a Confidence Club nurse, has shared the risks of this extreme diet on the body’s kidneys, immune system and gut health.
She said: “Meat, eggs, and butter all contain a whole heap of essential vitamins, that much is true. However, what these meatfluencers are leaving out are all the things your body needs that this restrictive diet doesn’t contain.”
She added: “There is a reason that for years health professionals have been telling patients to follow a balanced diet, and that’s because this is the only way you are going to get the right mix of vitamins and nutrients to keep you healthy.
“When you restrict yourself to just animal products, you are missing out on a whole bunch of vital nutrients from plant foods and other non-animal sources.”
A diet this high in protein and fat is likely to put a strain on the kidneys and heart respectively, which over time can lead to kidney damage and increase the risk of heart attacks.
Cutting out crucial sources of vitamin C is likely to damage your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and other viruses.
Vitamin C is essential for both collagen synthesis and immune function. An absence of vitamin C in the diet can lead to scurvy. Scurvy will leave you exhausted and could lead to you losing your teeth.
A diet lacking in fibre will result in a fibre deficiency, most often characterised by serious constipation. Long-term, this can increase your risk of colorectal cancers, not to mention being extremely uncomfortable.
The link between a diet high in red meat and bowel cancer has been known for some time now. This risk can be made worse when you combine red meat with cooking methods such as frying, grilling, and barbecuing.