Given social media's increasing popularity, it doesn't take long before you find yourself scrolling through or being sent videos of different challenges and trends. Some are great, while others are best left alone. The fitness world is no different, like the T-shirt challenge that went around a while back in which you performed a wall-facing handstand while attempting to put on a shirt. Trends in wellness tend to stick around a little longer than those fast-fading challenges. One such trend to have been gaining traction in the past five years or so happens to take place every January and is known as World Carnivore Month.
World Carnivore Month is a global group challenge in which participants consume a carnivore-based diet for all of January. Proponents say it's a great New Year's resolution to get a jumpstart on your overall health heading into the new year. It's grown substantially over the past three years, thanks in large part to popular podcaster Joe Rogan of "The Joe Rogan Experience," who has either done a strict carnivore diet for the month or, as he chose to do this year, a more adjacent version with some supplemental carbs.
A lot of people end up searching for information about this diet each year as it starts to trend come January 1, leading to even more questions: What is World Carnivore Month? How do you do the carnivore diet? What are the pros and cons of the diet? Should I join the World Carnivore Month challenge?
We'll answer all of those, but first, let's start with the basics.
World Carnivore Month is a global challenge to consume a meat-based diet for the entire month of January.
Anyone who wants to try to get their health back on track can participate for the full 31 days and potentially beyond. The goal is to build consistent habits that can translate to long-term lifestyle changes. Sticking with a diet for a full month is a small step towards that change, but one that can lead to a lifetime of better overall health.
While there are no definite strict rules when it comes to carnivore diet food lists, there are variations to how strict you need to be with the diet. This will ultimately come down to a matter of preference or what your overall goals are, as well as what you want to see in your carnivore diet meal plan.
Here are a few tips to bear in mind if you decide to try out the diet for yourself. By following these guidelines, you can get the most out of the diet for the month or beyond.
While everyone's goals will vary, the overall aim is to get back to a more ancestral way of eating. The diet in and of itself, if only followed for the month of January, is a semi-elimination-based diet.
The primary goal of these diets is to remove almost all inflammatory food triggers to help people better maintain their health and see what foods might actually be negatively affecting their wellness. This can ultimately help people learn what to eat and the foods that will help them thrive for the rest of their lives.
For years, the majority carnivore diet benefits have mostly been anecdotal evidence through personal results. With more and more studies publishing results, there is now a better understanding of some of the diet's benefits. Here are some of the top reasons to try it out, and some potential drawbacks.
At the end of the day, this is going to be totally dependent upon you as an individual and your wellness goals. Participating in World Carnivore Month is a great way to dip your toes into an elimination-based diet and see how it affects your health. The best advice is to start with the animal-based carnivore diet first, as carbs have been shown to be very beneficial for the overall quality of health and wellness. Occasionally adding in grains, legumes, and vegetables won't do you any harm, either. Sometimes the best option is to maintain a well-balanced approach.
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