Who follows the carnivore diet in New Zealand?

Jessica Persing's 3-year-old daughter Winter is one of the younger members of New Zealand's carnivore community, those who eat an almost entirely - or entirely - meat diet.

Winter's first foods were slow cooked beef and tiny pieces of steak. Other than eggs, cream and other high-fat meat like lamb and pork, not much has changed.

"She's had a little bit of pumpkin. She's had some pickles. She's had - I'm trying to think- she's had fruit maybe, two or three times in her whole life. She's had a tiny bit of blueberries," said Persing, who lives in Tauranga and hasn't eaten a vegetable in four years.

It's a lifestyle she shares through Instagram to almost 6000 followers @thecarnivoremummy.

"I don't believe there is a more superior diet on the planet," she said.

Yes, what Persing said is controversial. It goes against a stack of scientific evidence that a diverse plant-based diet free from unprocessed foods with some lean meat protein is the ideal way to eat.

But that hasn't stopped Persing and other so-called "meatfluencers" from evangelising the carnivore diet online and in person with radical claims of healed diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. And their message is being believed, at least by some. The NZ Carnivore Facebook group with about 3000 members is growing exponentially and businesses with carnivore-friendly products are reporting a surge in customers.

'No high-quality scientific evidence'

Let me tell you, a morning of interviewing carnivores will make you want to rip out your vegetable garden. It's a lifestyle that requires a high level of conviction.

However, there is "no high-quality scientific evidence" to support eating large quantities of meat, said Lily Henderson, a New Zealand registered dietician.

Rather, platefuls of high-fat red meat preferred by carnivores can increase your risk of a stroke or heart disease by 16 percent.

"When it comes to diets, we've got really good evidence, both from clinical trials and from long term observational studies, showing that there's a benefit to our health if we consume a dietary pattern that's primarily around plant food," she said, pointing to the well-studied Mediterranean diet.

Some carnivore dieters refer to vegetables as "poisonous," citing anti-nutrients like oxalates as a plant's natural defence against being eaten and proof they weren't meant for human consumption. Henderson said that while some vegetables and plants have these compounds in higher quantities often, as is the case with rhubarb, they can be reduced by cooking. And the benefits of eating them far outweigh any detriment.

A day in the menu of a carnivore

The carnivore diet can range from lion (only red meat) to those who eat mostly animal-based with some fruit in season. Either way, the key isn't so much animal protein as animal fat, like 80 percent of calories typically come from fat.

On a recent Sunday, Rachel Chalmers, 44, who started NZ Carnivore Facebook group four years ago, ate a frittata made from eggs, cured bacon and cheese. This was quickly followed by a beef burger patty spread with butter and sour cream, and a side of bone broth.

"I'll have a massive breakfast and then I can go all day at work and I don't have that hungry feeling and I don't have lows and high in energy," said Chalmers.

She had a fatty piece of rib eye steak for dinner.

Cured bacon to cure diabetes?

Chalmers came to the carnivore diet five years ago when, despite following the dietary directives of doctors, her kidneys were shutting down with Type 1 Diabetes.

Her husband read about the carnivore diet online and suggested she try it, against doctor advice. After several months of eating only animal-based products, she began reducing her insulin medication against further advice from doctors, but they agreed to supervise her (stopping insulin medication can be deadly for those with Type 1 Diabetes). She no longer needs insulin.

Professor Jim Mann from Otago University has studied heart disease, diabetes and carbohydrates since the 1970s. He's seen a lot of radical dietary claims in that time that eventually crumble against dietary science that he says has been largely consistent for decades (however, that science has often been misconstrued by food marketers and now social media, giving a sense of nutritional whiplash).

Mann said stories like Chalmer's suggest she likely had Type 2 Diabetes, which can be reversed with weight loss. "It is not inconceivable that somebody could go on a very high meat diet and not eat any carbohydrate, a moderate amount of fat and they can lose a lot of weight," he said. "But that doesn't mean it's the meat, it's the weight loss."

From vegetarian to carnivore

Adam Shand, 51, is a tech guy with a vegetable garden. He has little in common with carnivore diet pinup boy Brian Johnson, aka Liver King, other than they both eat an animal-based diet. (Liver King also admitted taking steroids for his ultra-muscle physique after previously denying it.)

Shand developed psoriasis in his 20s and later psoriatic arthritis. He had been largely vegetarian his adult life, but started experimenting with his diet in his 40s as his quality of life shrunk.

He reluctantly tried the carnivore diet in 2020. In the four years since, his regular days-long migraines disappeared, the pain in his joints went away and his libido made a welcome return. However, the psoriasis on his bum stubbornly remains as he details on his blog.

Then, an odd thing happened last summer. He started reintroducing a small amount of fruit plucked straight from his orchard. The flair ups that would normally follow such a treat didn't happen.

"I mean, amusingly I've actually been very-not carnivore for the last month," Shand said. "I've been eating everything. I've been eating everything and have been totally fine."

'A zebra in a pack of unicorns'

Some of the carnivore dieters RNZ spoke to said their lifestyle had been frowned on by friends and family, while others had a lot of support. The school that Persing had her oldest daughter Mia in did not support her putting her child on a strict carnivore diet. It meant no cake or lollies during class birthday celebrations.

"I thought I was going to stand out like a zebra in a pack of unicorns," said Mia, 12, who is now home schooled. "Yes, for a couple of months when we went carnivore, I felt really odd, but after a few months I stopped caring."

Mia said the pain that prevented her playing from hypermobile joints is now gone. She wants to travel when she is older and plans to eat anything, but intends to stick largely with the carnivore diet as an adult.

The carnivore community lives largely online with US-based Facebook groups attracting hundreds of thousands of members and Liver King broadcasting to three million followers. Now, many are connecting in real life too, said Janet Stott, who is in her 60s and shares her life on Instagram @homegrownprimalnz.

Eating a carnivore diet is as much a lifestyle that looks to ancestral ways such as getting good sleep, enough sun and human bonds.

"They are eating together, sharing their hunted food and also sharing information around health and wellness," said Stott.