A healthcare professional who switched to an “all meat” approach around nine years ago has shared how the decision unexpectedly affected his body.
Dr. Ken Berry, who works in Tennessee, says he regularly observes changing eating habits across the US and has seen more people moving toward the carnivore diet — a plan centered exclusively on animal-based foods.
The regimen typically features meat, fish, and eggs, with some versions allowing limited low-lactose dairy, while avoiding fruits, vegetables, grains, and other plant foods entirely.
In comments to Fox News Digital, Berry said: “Meatstock continues to grow each and every year, sometimes doubling,” as he described hearing case studies from carnivore followers who report changes such as lower body fat and reduced inflammation.
“The stories you hear at Meatstock grab your heart, and they also grab your brain and make you think,” he said.
Berry has personally tried the diet and told Fox News that he lost 70 pounds while eating what he described as ‘beef, butter, bacon and eggs’.
He also claimed the eating plan helped him address a “list of maladies,” including reversing prediabetes, which he attributed to sticking with the highly specific diet.
However, while Berry and other advocates point to potential benefits, some medical professionals have cautioned that the approach may come with significant downsides.
Physicians from the Indiana University School of Medicine have previously warned that the diet could raise the risk of developing kidney stones.
Kennedy stones are small, hard deposits made of minerals and salts. They can form when urine becomes overly concentrated, allowing crystals to build up inside the kidneys.
In The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers wrote: “Due to increased animal protein, the exclusion of dairy products, and the removal of fruits and vegetables, the diet creates an optimal environment for the development of all stone types.”
As one illustration, the researchers referenced a man in his 60s who reportedly had passed two stones after starting a carnivore diet, but later experienced painful kidney-stone-related complications.
The patient was also receiving treatment for a form of arthritis, and doctors ultimately advised him to stop following the diet.
According to the report, a year after discontinuing the diet, he was said to be in far better condition, with no evidence of kidney stones.
The researchers said the case underlines the ‘potential hazards of the carnivore diet,’ adding: “The lack of literature on this and other fad diets’ safety and efficacy should be a cause for alarm among physicians.
“The advent of social media and the use of such communication for health information will make fad diets a continually growing issue.”