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Is the Carnivore Diet a Fad?

Posted on May 4, 2024October 14, 2026 by rabebm
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The New York Times recently published an article discussing the carnivore diet, which marks a milestone – when the mainstream media covers a topic, it shows the idea is gaining traction beyond an underground following.

However, the article misses the mark by dismissing this way of eating as a fad for weight loss, tied to celebrity promotion. I want to firmly counter this misconception. The carnivore diet is far from a fleeting fad; it’s the way humans are meant to eat, based on our evolution.

Our ancestors, going back millions of years to the first humans, have thrived on meat. Eating meat is coded into our DNA. The high acidity of our stomachs shows we are adapted to be scavengers as well as hunters. An archaeologist I’ll be interviewing soon has evidence our early humans lived mostly on meat.

Additionally, I don’t know anyone who has followed this diet for over a year, experienced its benefits, and then reverted to the Standard American Diet. The positive impact is too substantial. People may evolve to animal-based or keto after some time, but they don’t go backwards.

The only reason carnivore eating hasn’t flourished earlier is that it faces ingrained establishment bias. Government nutrition guidelines wrongly favor carbs and wheat over meat and fat. The powerful sugar, cereal and snack food industries reinforce this through billions in advertising. It takes strong willpower to tune this out.

But thanks to social media, people are discovering and sharing the carnivore experience. I predict steady growth, though it may never be mainstream due to countercultural perception. That’s fine – it’s not for everyone. But evidence of vibrant health and wellbeing speaks for itself.

I welcome coverage bringing attention to carnivore eating, even when inaccurate, because it opens minds. I’ll continue showcasing positive stories. The proof is in the results we feel, not transient popularity pursuits. This way of eating is the opposite of a fad – it’s a rediscovered optimal human diet.

Let me know your thoughts! I’m happy to discuss more in the comments.

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71 thoughts on “Is the Carnivore Diet a Fad?”

  1. @roberttengler7100 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 11:32 AM

    Speaking for myself the thought of reverting back to a SAD diet means I’m going back to a life of systemic inflammation and constant pain. No thanks.

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 11:33 AM

      100%

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  2. @vaughangreen9816 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 12:06 PM

    Thanks Rabbi I love listening to you and I’m spreading the word by sharing your videos 🇬🇧👍🏻

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 12:06 PM

      Thank you!

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  3. @MarySchiros says:
    May 2, 2024 at 12:08 PM

    It is amazing how bad food has become the cultural fabric of society. Giving up the sugar and carbs is easier than stepping away from the culture of it. Worth doing but hard at first.

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 12:16 PM

      100%!

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  4. @paulettehasty5334 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 12:15 PM

    imo – the news media powers that be, should be concerned that ozempic, GLP1s, etc, are the new “fad” – long term results unknown. whereas carnivore is a proven healing way of eating, way of life…☮️

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  5. @KmusikOne says:
    May 2, 2024 at 12:41 PM

    The New York Times hasn’t been right since the 1970’s.

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  6. @kiwikim5163 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 12:59 PM

    Carnivore is becoming known through a grassroots movement. The more it becomes known the harder that Big Food will excoriate it. Having grown up a military brat I’ve tended to march to the tune of my own drummer. We are the early adopters.

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 1:03 PM

      So true.

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  7. @paulsalvaterra7615 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 1:14 PM

    Is not a fad, but not a big % of the population doing it. I do not believe a significant number of people will ever do it. The reason why is carbs are an addiction and one few can overcome

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    1. @shawnmclean7932 says:
      May 3, 2024 at 9:05 AM

      I do not care what others do. Health is my #1 priority.

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  8. @paulsalvaterra7615 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 1:16 PM

    Just saying it does not make it so

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  9. @Plant-Free_RN says:
    May 2, 2024 at 2:43 PM

    Fads don’t make the New York Times

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 2:47 PM

      Well said!!

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  10. @Wagoneerland says:
    May 2, 2024 at 3:57 PM

    Who listens to NYT?

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  11. @teknatruth says:
    May 2, 2024 at 4:04 PM

    Truth is the SAD (Standard American Diet) is a FAD diet! Its been around for less than 100 years, compared to humans eating meat for 1000s of years. There is no comparison.

    thank you for your videos and comments. Speaking Truth like a true child of Truth!

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 4:56 PM

      Well said! Yes!

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  12. @amitkoren948 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 4:53 PM

    It can’t be a fad because most people go to an extreme diet (in their eyes at the time) is because of auto immune issues and if they stop the disease will come back. So they can’t stop hence it cannot be a fad

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  13. @johannamiklos4352 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 5:01 PM

    More and more of my friends are becoming carnivore-curious, which is a good thing. I am just back from lunch at the local Waffle House. The waitress had no problem with my order of bacon, and two scrambled eggs without the usual sides. I also had a good experience at Georgia Bob’s BBQ yesterday. I agree with you and the other comments. It may not “sweep the nation,” but it is contributing to the conversation on nutrition and the role that it plays in our health.

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 5:03 PM

      Excellent!

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  14. @ychannelwhy says:
    May 2, 2024 at 6:16 PM

    Thank you friend! Peace!

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  15. @douglashenson4793 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 8:38 PM

    From recent videos I have watched, including Carnivore Rabbi’s interview with Mitch, I have come around to believing that we are a product of evolution. Yeah, imagine that. I think we ate primarily meat. I think our normal state is in ketosis. If we consumed carbs, that was a sign to our body that meat was scarce or unavailable. Better store fat to carry us through until we can find meat. Our brains are human and full of emotions; some times irrational. Our bodies are animal and programmed for survival.

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  16. @jonathanlance2166 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 8:48 PM

    MSM will always lie to the American people. Do the oppositte of MSM reports when it comes to health issues. MSM is owned by the people who have no interest in your health and wellness.

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  17. @madelineveggie3931 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 8:58 PM

    You can go to Burger King and order 1 whopper sized burger for $2 each. Get 2 for $4. The stupid french fries are over $3 now, and whopper sandwich is $6 for 1 burger, tomatoes etc. Just get the burgers, grilled yum

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    1. @emsea1658 says:
      May 4, 2024 at 12:56 PM

      I definitely prefer McDonald’s over Burger King for that. Burger King burgers are precooked and look weird to me. McDonald’s might be frozen but not a big deal it’s ground anyways and cooked fresh

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  18. @garyglynn9945 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 10:28 PM

    I read it, too. What bugged me was that the Times writer was saying it was mostly a manly-man, masculine influenced diet. On the contrary, i almost think there are more female carnivore influencers than men.

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 2, 2024 at 11:44 PM

      Yes!!!

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    2. @carnivoroussarah says:
      May 7, 2024 at 9:33 PM

      As a woman, I find this diet to be very womanly. It has made me feel more in touch with my femininity than any other way of eating.

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  19. @tezzanewton says:
    May 2, 2024 at 11:22 PM

    Of course it’s a fad, the very same way paleo and keto was a fad. But let’s hope it sticks.

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  20. @Miraak1868 says:
    May 2, 2024 at 11:27 PM

    I started the carnivore diet, after much internet research, in June. I started it because my diabetes 2 was turning my feet blue. Losing weight was not even in my mind. I have lost 22 pounds, but mainly, I have self cured my diabetes 2 by being carnivore. Here is an 80 year old carnivore for life.

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  21. @fkn16v says:
    May 3, 2024 at 2:39 AM

    New York Times is one of the biggest fads going around.

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  22. @shawnmclean7932 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 3:40 AM

    Yes, it’s 2000 year old fad.

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  23. @MadPick says:
    May 3, 2024 at 4:38 AM

    You nailed it, Rabbi. Ignore the NYT . . . I ignore them for other topics too, so this won’t be too hard. 😆

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  24. @puggirl415 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 7:00 AM

    When I told my friends that my partner and I were going to do the carnivore diet they were skeptical and full of questions. My best friend just got back from a road trip and she was visiting some of our mutual friends and when we talked about the trip she told me that 2 of them, who don’t know each other, are on the carnivore diet.

    One because she was dx’d with bone marrow cancer and following Seyfried and the other who had gout for a long time and went carnivore to cure it. My partner and I wanted to get our metabolic system better and deal with our pain from arthritis among other things.

    So now my friend has 3 friends on the carnivore diet who have begun to cure themselves and give themselves a better healthier life. My friend is now convinced that it’s a good thing and recommending it to her family and friends. That’s how these things build. People hear about it. They know some people succeeding on it. They start either recommending it or doing it themselves. That’s what makes people think it’s a fad or trend despite it’s long history. Our dietary literacy has gotten so twisted people just can’t remember that carnivore is the first human diet.

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 3, 2024 at 10:43 AM

      So true.

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  25. @stephenarkless9444 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 8:31 AM

    It’s not even a diet it’s the way we’re supposed to eat

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  26. @gregrarata1042 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 8:41 AM

    Thank you Rabbi. Very useful and needed stuff! BTW, started carnivore autumn last year – and guess the best decision so far – feeling much healthier and also lighter, as lost 3 stone and 6.5 lb…! 🙂

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  27. @YZXRYDR says:
    May 3, 2024 at 10:07 AM

    If ‘a fad’ is the best they can do, they know there’s something to it.

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  28. @tinknal6449 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 11:20 AM

    I bet you can go back 10 years and find a NYT article that claims keto is a fad diet too.

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  29. @tinknal6449 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 11:25 AM

    I don’t know if you have covered Maggie White but she is an 82 year old rancher from Alberta Canada who has been carnivore for 65 years. She still works every day on her ranch and looks like a young 50.

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  30. @Pep_82 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 9:12 PM

    I’d love to go carnivore, but meat In the uk is expensive and to feed a family of 4 is something we can’t currently afford to do.

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 3, 2024 at 10:24 PM

      Get the best meat you can afford.

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    2. @ianstuart5660 says:
      May 4, 2024 at 7:17 PM

      Once you stop buying all or most of the Carbage, you’d be surprised that it can be done. Just buy the best you can afford. Even if it’s just, eggs, cheese and hot dogs for the present time!

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  31. @brianmcnary3960 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 10:28 PM

    Carnivore will save the human race . The strong will survive and we will produce humans the correct way from then on . We will become the best versions of ourselves along the way . Let’s take our power back .

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  32. @dannyc9784 says:
    May 3, 2024 at 11:28 PM

    If the whole of human history is a fad, then I guess it is…….

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  33. @teslinjoe5938 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 1:05 AM

    So many people went to carnivore to HEAL with weight loss being a happy “side effect” of giving the body what it needs for that healing. Healing debilitating illnesses isn’t a fad, it’s life saving.

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  34. @Meathead-10810 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 2:49 AM

    haha, 5+ years carnivore now with no plans to change anything.
    I fixed all of the following health problems and I don’t want any of them back again 🙂
    obesity, prediabetes, loose teeth, bleeding gums, sensitive teeth
    cold sores, blocked sinuses, mouth breathing, left eye twitches (tetany)
    heartburn, calf cramps, yellow stool, blood in stool
    edema below the knees, painful feet when walking, sunburn is less
    shoulder, back and neck pain after waking, lower back pain and stiffness

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    1. @ianstuart5660 says:
      May 4, 2024 at 7:12 PM

      Wow, but other than all the problems you listed, you were fine, otherwise?
      Dr. Berg sarcasm!
      😂😂

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  35. @ThomasRSA says:
    May 4, 2024 at 2:56 AM

    I have a question. Would it been possible to be vegetarian in biblical times? Is that why Moses wandered the dessert so long because they had to stop and grow some spinach for smoothies? I can understand India going vegeterian due to the tropical climate and more fruit being available and easier to obtain than hunting but most of the world is not tropical. Could people from biblical times have had the luxury of going vegan?

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    1. @theodoricsmith577 says:
      May 4, 2024 at 7:34 PM

      I think the carnivore diet is well aligned with Biblical principles and precepts, starting from Cain and Abel, However, the herb yielding seed would refer to grains and we honour the Lord by breaking bread. It wasn’t the staple (as the history books would have us believe), also because David ate the shewbread only in exceptional circumstances, but the loaves and the fishes and the reverence reserved for bread has persuaded me to add a very small amount of unleavened bread made with flour and lard, eaten once or twice a week. The fruits are given to us for food (every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food).. The only other food mentioned in Genesis 1,11 / 1.12 is grass, and we don’t eat that stuff, it is for our flocks and our herds, our primary food source.
      Like the lamb of the Passover and other sacrifices, meat is the holy food of praise, because it comes from the hand of God and the animals require only minimal care if they have good pastures, water and shelter in winter, so we don’t need to dig and toil quite so much – no works are required to be saved.
      And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission

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  36. @Meathead-10810 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 3:24 AM

    Speaking of pudding – I’m going to try black pudding sometime soon 🙂

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  37. @mka4pol says:
    May 4, 2024 at 4:36 AM

    The NY Times is a birdcage carpet.

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  38. @HelgiThorisson says:
    May 4, 2024 at 6:25 AM

    The New York Times is a fad.

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  39. @brucemaher7621 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 10:49 AM

    CARNIVORE DIET IS A FAD ITS BEEN GOING FOR Time immemorial….
    One of the best FADS EVER…

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  40. @peterstabler2321 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 11:07 AM

    The New York Times shows us that it can be safely ignored. Five years keto, two years carnivore and 14 months lion diet. 63 years old going on 32.

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  41. @garyburton7697 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 11:44 AM

    Whatever the NYT says is it’s the opposite

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  42. @emsea1658 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 12:54 PM

    The standard American diet the most fad of them all.

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  43. @SuperScottschannel says:
    May 4, 2024 at 1:19 PM

    Carnivore is not a fad. It’s a way of life.

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  44. @kennethcesarz4105 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 6:27 PM

    Since going on carnivore,a year ago I’ve completely changed my body, lost 60 lbs can see my abs!65 years old and feel great! Never going back,lot of people I know are on it now after seeing my change

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  45. @Jimbo878 says:
    May 4, 2024 at 7:15 PM

    Profit over people : Prophet over people.
    “eat the fat of the land”
    Genesis 45:14.

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  46. @kaweka260 says:
    May 5, 2024 at 12:45 AM

    Knowing what Krispie Kreme and Dunkin ingrediants are, no thanks to the poison!

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  47. @rhlang11 says:
    May 5, 2024 at 3:53 PM

    Rabbi, one question. Why are so many doctors or scientists not seeing the way you and many others see it? Is it ideology, lack of curiosity, or are they giving the company ĺine?

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 5, 2024 at 8:15 PM

      many reasons. Dr. Baker covers this well. Doctors aren’t trained much in nutrition. Much dietary advice is rooted in 7th day adventist vegetarian dogma. Meat has been demonized over the years. People get in patterns of behavior and belief that are very hard to break.

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    2. @rhlang11 says:
      May 5, 2024 at 8:30 PM

      @@CarnivoreRabbi I understand. What was I trying to get it are the larger organizations like (ie) NIH and such, not your next door GP. But I do know most doctors have little interest in nutrition or training. Thanks, enjoy your low key, calm presentations.

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    3. @rhlang11 says:
      May 5, 2024 at 8:30 PM

      @@emoffic I understand. What was I trying to get it are the larger organizations like (ie) NIH and such, not your next door GP. But I do know most doctors have little interest in nutrition or training. Thanks, enjoy your low key, calm presentations.

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    4. @rhlang11 says:
      May 5, 2024 at 8:30 PM

      @@meatprayluv I understand. What was I trying to get it are the larger organizations like (ie) NIH and such, not your next door GP. But I do know most doctors have little interest in nutrition or training. Thanks, enjoy your low key, calm presentations.

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    5. @rhlang11 says:
      May 5, 2024 at 8:30 PM

      @carnivorerabbi I understand. What was I trying to get it are the larger organizations like (ie) NIH and such, not your next door GP. But I do know most doctors have little interest in nutrition or training. Thanks, enjoy your low key, calm presentations.

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  48. @2old4allthis says:
    May 7, 2024 at 9:24 PM

    If evolution is a fad, then yes – carnivory is a fad

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  49. @franrushie.510 says:
    May 11, 2024 at 2:38 AM

    I’ve only started cutting carbs this week.. I have more energy, i sleep better, so just for those reasons I like this carnivore diet..

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    1. @CarnivoreRabbi says:
      May 11, 2024 at 3:11 AM

      Great start!

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