In his book "The Carnivore Diet", author Dr Shawn Baker describes how he eats primarily meat, eggs, internal organs (such as liver) and bacon, as well as fish (such as sardines or salmon). Yet he appears to be healthy. Yes, the author looks like an athletic, muscular man. The book introduces people who only eat meat and who have thus made their bodies healthy. The book also answers environmental questions. When he has a craving for something sweet, he eats some fried bacon. In the beginning you have to be disciplined about eating meat in large quantities, but then, according to the author, it works itself out. The author states that he has been eating only meat for the last few years. He has eaten no vegetables and fruit at all, no wholemeal products and no fibre. No phytonutrients or plant antioxidants have entered his belly. And although he hasn't been eating these things, only meat, he feels healthier than ever before. The problems he thought were a natural consequence of ageing have gradually disappeared. His athletic performance has improved dramatically to the point that he has broken three world rowing records and his strength has increased significantly. You will have doubts when you start reading this book, but it becomes more and more interesting as you read on. Incidentally, the author also refutes the claims that rearing animals is so bad for the climate. Why not plants? The chemical weapons of plants: oxalates, lectins, glycoalkaloids, goitrogens, cynogenic glycosides, phytic acid, protease inhibitors, flavonoids, saponins, salicylates. Yes, we eat all this with our fruit and vegetables. My opinion? Dr Gundry's lectin-free diet is not the only one to point out that plants can be unhealthy, e.g. by attacking the immune system. In this respect, I was very interested in this "carnivore book", also because I know some people with severe allergies and autoimmune diseases. What's so healthy about meat? Meat contains carnosine, carnitine, creatine, taurine, zinc, vitamin B12 and haeme iron. According to the author, these are supposed to be healthy. And why are plants unhealthy? Most products from the supermarket bear no resemblance to the plants from the field. As I have a vegetable garden myself, I know what this means. Prehistoric man primarily ate meat, then at some point plant cultivation began and cereals were grown on a large scale. After that, prehistoric man became smaller, some experts assume that this was also due to the lectins in the cultivated plants. A random sample study was carried out in Australia with 250,000 people over the age of 45. This proves that a plant-based diet has no advantage in terms of mortality. (Source and all other sources are given in the appendix of the book). In India, for example, little meat is eaten. But there are many cardiovascular diseases and many diabetics. And India has the highest burden of mental illness in the world. The author Shawn Baker also mentions other studies and points out that in the blue zones (places where people live for a long time) people often do not smoke. They also tend to live in groups where people of an older age are valued. Of course, all of this plays an important role, because when you get old, it's not just nutrition that matters. You enjoy company. Now back to the "plant toxins": Since 1990, toxicologist Bruce Ames has been researching the use of pesticides in food production. He compared plant-based pesticides with pesticides used in food production. He came to the conclusion that 99.9 % of the toxins come from the plants themselves. These are all defence chemicals of the plant, which we then naturally eat. What can be found in meat? Humans survived an ice age and there were hardly any plants, so theoretically it must be possible to survive on meat alone. Meat consists of the same basic material that we are made of. Meat has B12, D3 and K2 vitamins. Fruit is healthy? At the same time, eating more fruit and vegetables is supposedly associated with better health. Unfortunately, I can't see more health in German hospitals. (I work in one). Thirty years ago, people were healthier all round when they came to us, and also less fat. Also: fewer tantrums, less anxiety, less depression. In this respect, I wouldn't think it out of place to give the carnivore diet a try. More energy, less weight is also said to have worked in the case studies. I'm not convinced by eating lots of fruit. As I work in a hospital, I can say that there is a real issue facing us all: there are more and more heavy people who can only be lifted out of bed by two or three people. And experience shows that they often eat fruit. How will the meat-eating diet work in practice? A 6-week transition phase is described, which should make it easier to switch completely to meat and water. There is good information on the protein and carbohydrate content of all types of meat. I have to say, after reading the book in English, I actually ate more meat. So now I wanted to read it in German. Overall, I can recommend the book, although I wouldn't go on an all-meat diet myself. CONCLUSION Ethically motivated vegans will not like this book. This is because the author advocates eating meat, and lots of meat at that. I find the book interesting. No, it grabbed me more and more as I read it. I lived vegan myself for a long time and I can say that I was constantly underweight, even though I made everything fresh and had a garden. I don't know whether eating only meat is the right thing for me. But if you only want to eat meat a few times a week, you could give it a try. I definitely recommend this book. And don't forget the arguments in favour of eating meat. In the environmental debate vegan versus carnivore is also the grazing management of ruminants, which work the soil in such a way that the grassland is preserved and the earth does not increasingly turn into a desert landscape.

A different take on the usual dietary dictates.