Many carnivores have begun to add fruits to their animal-based diets, moving from a carnivore diet to a meat and fruit diet. In fact, this is one of the most common diets I get asked about: is the meat and fruit diet a good idea? Does it make sense to add fruit to meat? Is there anything missing from the strict carnivore diet that adding some fruit can help?
In fact, I think it’s a good idea for a lot of people. Here’s why adding the meat and fruit diet might make sense for you:
The fruit “wants” to be eaten.
The most common reason people become carnivores is to avoid the chemical antinutrients that plants produce expressly to discourage animals and insects from eating and digesting them. Seeds and grains employ lectins and other allergenic proteins that impair digestion and cause gastric upset and mineral imbalances, so the herbivore that eats them is less likely to digest them or come back for more. They cannot run or defend themselves with claws and teeth, so they opt for the chemical warfare route.
Animals can run, hide, fight, bite and wrestle. They don’t need chemical defenses. Once you get past those claws, teeth, fur, and foot speed, they are incredibly nutritious and easy to digest. Meat does not “want” to be consumed, but it is neutral in this regard once the central nervous system that presides over it has been overridden and silenced.
Meanwhile, the fruit wants to be eaten. If an animal eats fruit for sugar and nutrients and throws or defecates the seeds, the fruit wins. Seeds have the possibility of germinating and becoming another plant, so that the genes continue to flow over time. There is no reason for fruit pulp to have a robust arsenal of anti-nutrient compounds. And indeed, the fruit has a fairly low content of these compounds.
The fruit is easy to digest. Some of the more fibrous varieties can cause problems if you already have fiber issues. Some of the FODMAPs found in certain fruits can also affect digestion in susceptible people sensitive to FODMAPs.
The fruit has polyphenols.
One of my biggest criticisms of the pure carnivore has always been the lack of polyphenols, the plant compounds found in fruits, vegetables, coffee, wine, chocolate and practically every plant on the planet. Polyphenols are defense chemicals that plants use to protect themselves from diseases, fungal infections and other microbes. For example, when a plant is stressed, it tends to produce more polyphenols. Cut a purple sweet potato into vine and it will regulate the anthocyanin content. This is a common feature and is intended to fight pathogens that might invade.
But when an animal like a human ingests these polyphenols, good things happen. They are minor stressors that induce a hormetic response: we adapt to the stressor and become stronger, healthier, fitter and more robust in the process. At the cellular level, a polyphenol like blueberry anthocyanin may appear stressful in the acute time period. It “damages” the cell, but then the cell recovers. At the body level, blueberries create a rebound effect that leaves us healthier. The organism and all the cells that make it up become more robust. Purely carnivorous diets almost never contain these compounds and therefore suffer from their lack.
Some of these compounds, such as quercetin (found in apples and onions), may even show effectiveness against many of the autoimmune problems that lead people to be carnivores in the first place. Berries and pomegranates also show potential against rheumatoid arthritis.
Fruit can improve digestive health
Now, many people become carnivores because they have problems with fiber. It either makes them constipated, gives them diarrhea, or both. It can even exacerbate certain patients with digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. But fruit fiber may be different from cereal fiber. Now, some people will have different reactions, but in general fruit fiber is easier to digest than grain or vegetable fiber. Some of the more fibrous varieties can cause problems if you already have fiber issues. Some of the FODMAPs found in certain fruits can also affect digestion in susceptible people sensitive to FODMAPs.
Take the constipation. Carnivore often solves constipation, but in a considerable minority it appears to make it worse or even cause it. Some would say you’re not actually constipated, there’s just “less waste.” Very possible. But what if you really are constipated by a carnivore?
Kiwis can help. Two kiwis a day have been shown to reduce constipation. A review of kiwis for gastric disorders found that kiwis have the potential to improve gastrointestinal function through many different mechanisms.
Studies in large populations find that fruit fiber is even linked to lower levels of diverticulitis, while plant fiber is linked to higher levels. This suggests that the fiber in fruit may be gentler on the gut. Most evidence suggests that fruit is most helpful for constipation.
It’s true that none of these studies look at people on carnivore diets. They are using normal people on standard diets; the results may not apply. But if carnivores don’t seem to help your gut problems, or at least might be better, you might consider incorporating some fruit.
Fruit May Reduce Carcinogen Formation and Inflammation When Eaten with Meat
We have long known that consuming plants rich in polyphenols, such as cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens and red wine, with meals reduces the inflammatory response to eating, including reducing postprandial lipid oxidation and the formation of carcinogenic compounds in the intestine. This also applies to fruits. One found that adding fruit solids to meat sausages reduced oxidation of lipids in the food during consumption and during storage. I don’t recommend mixing fruit with meat, but eating an orange with your steak will have pretty much the same effect.
Speaking of oranges, concentrated sources of orange (orange juice) reduce the inflammatory effects of a junk food. They reduce lipid oxidation and make an otherwise unhealthy meal healthier. Imagine if you added an orange to your healthy steak dinner.
Fruit May Provide Nutrients Your Carnivorous Diet Is Missing
If you don’t eat a lot of seafood, your carnivore diet might be a little low in manganese. Eating blueberries or pineapple will put the finishing touch on it.
If you don’t eat raw meat with all the juices, your carnivore diet could be low in potassium. Eating almost any fruit will provide large amounts of potassium.
Fruits also provide vitamin C, which is often lacking in carnivore diets. Vitamin C requirements are also lower when you are a carnivore, but just in case it wouldn’t hurt to have a little more.
Fruits are rich in carbohydrates, which can be helpful if you do a lot of intense physical activity that burns glycogen. Fruit is a great way to top up your glycogen stores.
Fruit adds variety to your meat-based diet
Fruit is more than you think. Tomatoes are a fruit. Pumpkins are fruits. Avocados are fruits. Anything that has a seed surrounded by edible pulp is a fruit, although we typically treat it more like a vegetable.
That means you can eat tomato and avocado salad. You can eat pumpkin puree or roasted kabocha squash. You can eat pickles or fresh cucumbers. You can roast zucchini. You can have peppers of all kinds.
Allowing fruit into your carnivorous diet provides the opportunity for much more variety than you think. It’s not just about eating mangoes, pineapples and berries. If you find the carnivore diet boring or difficult to maintain despite the health benefits, incorporating some fruit may be just what you need to make it more sustainable.
Let’s go over a definitive complete list of fruits that qualify for the meat and fruit diet:
- Stone fruits: nectarines, peaches, cherries and apricots.
- Tropical fruits: mangoes, pineapple, breadfruit, papaya, banana.
- apples
- Pears
- Melons: cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew melon, Tuscan melon
- Citrus fruits: oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, lemons, limes.
- figs and dates
- Berries: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries
- Winter squash: delicata, walnut, kabocha, squash, acorn, honey walnut
- Summer squash, zucchini
- Cucumbers, pickles
- Avocados
- tomatoes
- Peppers: hot, sweet and intermediate
The meat and fruit diet is anything but restrictive. You can really diversify your diet by including fruit. And if you’re worried about the sugar content, you can eat low-sugar fruits like berries, avocado, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash.
Do you follow the meat and fruit diet? If so, what fruits do you include? If not, what fruits (if any) do you miss?
Thanks for reading everyone.
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