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Eating vegan and carnivore are opposite ends of an extreme spectrum. A vegan diet consists entirely of plant-based foods and excludes everything that’s even animal-based; a carnivore diet, on the other hand, consists only of animal-based foods and has nothing plant-based. They are so far apart that it almost sounds difficult to compare them, but that’s what Enrike Maree set out to do.
Maree is the face behind AgreetoThisAgri, where she dispels myths about farming and other hot agriculture topics like sustainability and technology.
Maree decided to put her diet to the test by doing a comprehensive evaluation of her bloodwork and health on her normal, omnivore diet, before trying the carnivore diet for six weeks and then trying a vegan diet for six weeks. After the completion of each diet, she did more bloodwork and testing to see if there were any statistically significant results — whether good or bad.
First she tried a carnivore diet. Some people take the carnivore diet very seriously and eat only meat, but Maree allowed herself to eat meat and fish, eggs, a limited amount of dairy, coffee, tea, and some herbs and spices just to keep her meals interesting. Then she switched to the vegan diet, eating only fruits and vegetables and doing her best to eat whole foods instead of more processed vegan items.
In both diets she tried to avoid taking any supplements so she could see the true results and not skew her blood work.
Before trying either diet Maree spent time going over her blood test results with a dietician. Her HDL, “good” cholesterol, levels started out good, and her LDL, “bad” cholesterol, was high, however her ratio between them was good. Her vitamin B12 was also high.
Beginning with the carnivore diet: Cholesterol was a big concern, and while her LDL cholesterol went up, so did her HDL cholesterol. Her vitamin B12 levels also decreased to a normal level. As far as feeling went, Maree says, “I’ve never felt as good as I did in those six weeks doing carnivore.” She felt great, having no digestive issues, she lost 2 kg of fat and gained some muscle, her cravings decreased, she slept deeper and better than ever, and her focus was great.
Overall, the carnivore diet made her feel amazing. But why? According to Maree, “People do well not so much because of what’s in the diet, but what’s not in the diet.” The carnivore diet, she observed, eliminates inflammatory and processed foods that she says can have negative impacts on people without them even realizing it.
What happened with the vegan diet? As far as blood results go her cholesterol levels (both LDL and HDL) decreased, her iron levels decreased, and vitamin B12 decreased. As far as feelings go, Maree describes feeling horrible. She says she felt the need to take supplements to get some of the vitamins and minerals that her body was missing, her digestive health greatly suffered, and overall it was not a good experience. But again, Maree says this is not because of the vegan diet itself, but instead, she shouldn’t have switched straight from carnivore to vegan because this was really hard on her body.
All in all, she didn’t determine that one of these diets is better than the other, but she did learn a lot about herself and what type of diet is best overall.
To this day she says that when she needs a break or is lacking time she will go back to the carnivore diet for a week or two at a time. Moving forward, she has decided to eat an omnivore diet where she prioritizes whole foods. It’s extremely difficult to compare these drastically different diets because each person is so unique, and there are many things she could have tried differently if she wanted to continue comparing them.
“I learned I should be getting back to the basics of food, actual food, not packaged stuff.” she says.
She has no intent in trying this experiment again since this was actually the second time she’d tried veganism and she still goes back to the carnivore diet every once in a while. One of her biggest takeaways is that eating a balanced omnivore diet that incorporates all different types of foods provides a diverse and nutrient dense diet.
Maree’s advice to others? “My key take away is whole foods, listen to your body, focus on nutrient density and being in touch with your food.”
This small experiment goes to show just how important it is to eat a balanced, nutrient dense diet. There is a lot of stress that can go along with figuring out the best diet for you and your family. Food labels are confusing (and often wrong) and there are so many “trendy” diets that tempt us. Some of the healthiest diets have been proven to be those that prioritize whole foods and a variety of diverse, nutrient dense options.
If you’re interested in hearing some more of the science and findings of Maree’s experiment, check out her YouTube videos about her experience.
Michelle Miller, the Farm Babe, is a farmer, public speaker, and writer who has worked for years with row crops, beef cattle, and sheep. She believes education is key in bridging the gap between farmers and consumers. Find more about Michelle on her website.
