The carnivore diet sounds wild, but it started to gain momentum in 2018. Although the carnivore diet is a blanket term for a meat-based diet, an extreme version of this diet is just meat, salt, and sparkling water: no fruits, no veggies, no grains, and no carbs of any kind. Other versions include meat along with different types of animal products including cheese, eggs, and butter. Followers of this diet argue that meat has all the nutrients you need and eschewing all other food groups will heal your depression, fatigue, arthritis, and other autoimmune disease.
However, it's no surprise that a diet that lacks whole grains, vegetables, and fruit isn't exactly healthy. You are missing key food groups and so much meat may impact your digestive system, not to mention that a diet high in red meat is inflammatory. Our experts recommend against this fad diet; "It's not necessary to cut out most food groups to drop pounds," board-certified cardiologist Luiza Petre, MD, told POPSUGAR. "I would recommend cutting out processed foods, added sugars, and simple carbohydrates and upping activity levels before trying out a restrictive diet like the carnivore diet."