You might not typically associate the strict carnivore diet with a 37-year-old mum of three - but Dr Sarah Zaldifar isn't your typical mum of three.
She has followed the controversial diet, usually associated with muscle bound men who feast on raw liver and work out in the gym three times a day, for the past seven years and credits it with changing her life.
So, what exactly is a carnivore diet? Essentially, it’s a highly restrictive eating plan that includes only animal products—meat, fish, eggs, and limited dairy. Some also incorporate raw honey, salt, and a few spices, but fruits, vegetables, sugar, carbs, and alcohol are strictly excluded.
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Sarah, from Miami, Florida, decided to try the carnivore diet after hearing about its potential benefits on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. According to her, it has had a transformative impact on her life.
"I started following a carnivore diet in 2017, albeit very imperfectly at first," she told WalesOnline. "But the longer I've been on it, the more I've realised how much better I feel when I stick to a stricter version."
Before going full carnivore, Sarah had already experimented with the keto diet, which similarly restricts carbs. The model, influencer, and musician explained, "I’d been struggling with anxiety, and after seven days on keto, I experienced a mental clarity and physical energy I’d never known before. It was incredible. I didn’t even know I had brain fog until it lifted."
However, Sarah still battled a binge-eating disorder, which led her to search for more answers. That’s when she discovered an episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" featuring Dr. Shawn Baker, who introduced her to the idea of harmful plant toxins.
"I was in total shock. After years of training in nutrition, no one had ever mentioned the evidence about plant toxins. What if fruits and vegetables aren’t as good for us as we think? It blew my mind."
The concept behind the carnivore diet is rooted in the idea that it's what humans have eaten for millennia. Sarah elaborates: "It’s our natural diet. Just like meat is a lion's natural diet and bamboo is a panda’s, our genes expect animal fat and protein."
She claims the diet can heal autoimmune diseases, gut health issues, skin conditions, and even mental health problems. "A carnivore diet is the most anti-inflammatory diet for humans," she insists. "When my husband cured his decades-long lower back pain simply by cutting out spinach—the only plant he ate—it confirmed my belief that this was the best diet for me and my family."
On a typical day, Sarah eats mostly red meat—brisket, ground beef, ribeye, pork belly—and enjoys seafood, butter, ghee, and cheese.
"For me, the results have been huge!" she says. "Five big things have changed since starting this diet, all of which have improved my life."
Sarah explains that her skin cleared up after years of struggling with acne, her painful period cramps vanished, and she no longer feels constantly hungry, helping her maintain a 30-pound weight loss. She also describes how she’s gained “food freedom” and no longer deals with bloating.
Additionally, Sarah says the carnivore diet has saved her money. "It only gets expensive if you insist on buying grass-fed or organic meat," she said. "You can still get 99% of the benefits with store-bought, conventionally raised meat."
When asked if she misses any foods, she firmly states she doesn’t. "That’s the beauty of curing food addiction. If you ‘miss’ certain foods, it’s like craving a drug. If I ever indulged in carbs, I’d definitely start craving them again—like an alcoholic having a drink."
Typical carnivore diet daily meal plan
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs, glass of full-fat milk
Snack: Salted biltong jerky
Lunch: Tuna steak with side of shrimp, mineral water
Dinner: Rump steak with blue cheese sauce, side of fried bacon chips, milk/water
Is a carnivore diet healthy?
Advocates of the carnivore diet, such as Dr. Shawn Baker and Dr. Anthony Chaffee, highlight its potential health benefits by sharing case studies, personal experiences, and anecdotal evidence. However, research on the diet remains limited.
Dr. Chaffee, referencing the defense chemicals found in plants, which carnivore diet followers claim can cause gut inflammation in humans, told The Guardian: "Plants are trying to kill you. We have some defenses, and that's why some plants are edible, but they still cause harm with long-term exposure over years and decades."
On the other hand, many experts hold the opposite view. For example, Prof. Tim Spector, a professor of epidemiology at King's College London and co-founder of the science and nutrition company Zoe, encourages people to eat at least 30 different plants each week. According to him and other scientists, far from containing "poison," plants provide a wide range of nutrients essential for maintaining overall health, particularly for gut health.
While some doctors acknowledge that a carnivore diet may offer short-term benefits, such as weight loss, they caution against long-term adherence. Kathleen Zelman, a registered dietitian nutritionist, explained: "You just can't stay on it very long." Regarding claims that the diet reduces gut inflammation and boosts energy, she added: "There's no evidence whatsoever. There are no controlled studies to support these claims."
Most experts do not recommend eliminating fruits and vegetables from the diet. The carnivore diet has also been linked to high cholesterol levels. Dietician Danielle Shine, who has worked with patients affected by social media-induced eating disorders, shared an example with The Guardian: "I've had people sit in my clinic and tell me they 'feel so much better,' but when I look at their blood test results, I see clinical signs and symptoms that tell me the exact opposite, and it's being ignored."
Shine recalled a patient who followed a carnivore diet and came to her clinic, saying, "I'm only here because I have to tick a box. You can tell me whatever, but I'm not stopping eating butter, and I'm not going to stop eating steak." She added, "I’d never seen cholesterol levels so high. I have so much empathy for people who think it's working, but I would challenge whether it truly is."
Additionally, producing red meat is widely recognized as one of the most environmentally damaging forms of food production. The United Nations estimates that livestock contributes over 14% of all man-made greenhouse gases.
As for the NHS's stance on a carnivore diet, their guidance recommends meat as a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. However, they advise against excessive consumption of red, processed, or fatty meats. The NHS advocates for a balanced diet, including a variety of proteins (meat, fish, eggs, beans, and pulses), alongside fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, and high-fiber foods. Consuming too much red or processed meat, particularly those high in saturated fats, can increase the risk of health issues such as bowel cancer.
