Is the paleo diet better than the carnivore diet?

November 14, 2025 •

2 min read

While both ancestral diets emphasize whole, unprocessed foods, paleo includes plant-based foods, unlike the all-animal carnivore diet. Research indicates that ancestral human diets were omnivorous, not exclusively carnivorous, challenging the historical premise of the carnivore diet. This key difference drives the question: Is the paleo diet better than the carnivore diet?

Quick Summary

An in-depth analysis of the paleo and carnivore diets, exploring their core differences in food inclusions, nutrient profiles, health benefits, and risks, to determine which is more suitable and sustainable for health goals.

Key Points

Food Spectrum: Paleo includes plants, carnivore excludes them, leading to vast differences in food variety and nutrient profiles.
Nutrient Profile: Paleo offers more fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients. Carnivore lacks these, requiring supplementation.
Sustainability: Paleo is more flexible and easier to maintain long-term than the highly restrictive carnivore diet.
Long-Term Research: More research supports paleo than the carnivore diet, whose long-term effects are largely unknown.
Gut Health: Paleo supports gut health with fiber; carnivore lacks fiber, potentially causing digestive issues.
Professional Guidance: Most health professionals do not recommend the carnivore diet due to risks and lack of evidence.

Understanding the Paleo Diet

The paleo diet, often called the "caveman diet," imitates the foods thought to be available to early humans before agriculture. It focuses on foods that could be hunted or gathered, excluding grains, legumes, and dairy.

Paleo Food Inclusions and Exclusions

The paleo diet includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats. It excludes grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugars, and processed foods.

Understanding the Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet is an extremely restrictive plan consisting solely of animal products. It's a zero-carb approach, aiming to eliminate plant-based irritants and is fundamentally ketogenic.

Carnivore Food Inclusions and Exclusions

The carnivore diet includes all types of meat, fish, organ meats, animal fats, and eggs. It strictly excludes all plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Paleo vs. Carnivore: A Side-by-Side Comparison


Feature	Paleo Diet	Carnivore Diet
Food Variety	High. Includes meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils.	Extremely low. Exclusively animal products and fats.
Nutritional Adequacy	Generally balanced. Potential deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D if not planned well.	High risk of deficiencies (fiber, vitamin C, phytonutrients), requiring supplementation.
Dietary Fiber	Rich in fiber from plant sources.	Contains zero fiber.
Saturated Fat Intake	Can be high depending on choices.	Typically very high.
Historical Accuracy	More aligned with evidence of omnivorous ancestral diets.	Extreme and lacks supporting historical evidence.
Flexibility & Sustainability	More flexible and easier to maintain long-term.	Very restrictive and difficult to sustain.
Scientific Research	More research available, some showing benefits.	Very little reliable research.

Benefits and Risks of Each Diet

Paleo Diet Benefits and Risks

Paleo can aid weight loss, improve blood sugar control, reduce inflammation, and benefit cardiovascular health. Risks include potential nutrient deficiencies (fiber, calcium, B vitamins) and cost.

Carnivore Diet Benefits and Risks

Carnivore is simple and may offer short-term weight loss and potential elimination of inflammatory triggers. However, it poses significant risks of nutrient deficiencies, digestive issues, high saturated fat intake, and lacks long-term research.

The Verdict: Which Diet is 'Better' for You?

The paleo diet is generally considered a better and more sustainable option for most people seeking general health improvements and weight loss. Its balanced approach to whole foods and exclusion of processed items is less restrictive and carries fewer health risks compared to the carnivore diet. The carnivore diet's extreme nature leads to significant nutritional deficiencies and lacks long-term scientific support, making it difficult to sustain. Health professionals often advise against such restrictive plans. The paleo approach offers a more sensible path for those interested in ancestral eating. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting a new diet.

Conclusion

The paleo and carnivore diets differ fundamentally. Paleo provides a balanced intake including plants, aligning more with historical evidence of ancestral omnivorous diets. The carnivore diet is an extreme, restrictive plan with risks of deficiencies and limited research. Paleo's greater variety and sustainability make it the generally better choice for a healthier lifestyle.

Harvard Health

Frequently Asked Questions

Paleo includes meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, while the carnivore diet only allows animal products.

No, the carnivore diet is much more restrictive, eliminating all plant-based foods that are part of the paleo diet.

The paleo diet provides fiber from plant sources. The carnivore diet provides zero fiber.

The carnivore diet has a high risk of deficiencies (fiber, vitamin C). Paleo can also have deficiencies (calcium, vitamin D) if not planned carefully.

Yes, both can lead to short-term weight loss. Long-term results depend on adherence.

Paleo is generally more sustainable due to greater food variety. The carnivore diet is very difficult to maintain long-term.

Most health experts do not recommend the carnivore diet due to its extreme restrictions and lack of robust scientific evidence.

Paleo, which includes plants, is considered a more accurate representation of ancestral omnivorous diets than the exclusively animal-based carnivore diet.