What Is the Carnivore Diet?
Can you eat pepper on a Carnivore diet? To answer this question for chili lovers, we need to know the rules of the Carnivore diet and its aims.
The Carnivore diet tries to help you lose weight and have a healthier body by removing carbohydrates and maximizing fat and protein. Why?
Because carbs are the main source of energy, and removing them makes the body look for substitute energy sources, i.e., fats.
This situation is called ketosis, and when we reach it, our body burns fat instead of carbs, which means fat melting and weight loss.
To reach this state using a Carnivore diet, we need to omit all plant-based foods, which are the main carbohydrate sources. Instead, we must rely on animal-based products, like meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and limited dairy.
Wait a minute! What happens if someone wants ketosis but can’t quit carbs altogether? Let’s find the answers in the next section.
Learn More: What Is The Carnivore Diet? Myth vs Fact
Dr. Paul Saladin, Author of "The Carnivore Code":
"The strict Carnivore Diet usually excludes all plant foods, including spices like pepper. However, some people use small amounts of seasonings to make their meals more palatable without significant negative effects."
Can You Eat Pepper on a Carnivore Diet?
Well, if you add carbohydrates to your Carnivore diet, you may not get the fat-loss results as fast as you first thought.
But there’s also an important point that it’s not easy for beginners to avoid everything all at once, and they may get cold feet and leave the diet because of disappointment.
To avoid this, you can start the Carnivore diet but consume limited amounts of the foods you can’t avoid, like pepper. The important point is to know that carbs can kill the results, so you need to minimize carb consumption gradually.
Is there a difference between different kinds of pepper? I mean, does the Carnivore diet have exceptions about varying kinds of pepper?
Learn More: The 20 Best Carnivore Diet Websites [Free Carnivore Sources + Blogs]
Black Pepper on a Carnivore Diet
Black pepper is a spice from the dried berries of the Piper nigrum plant, containing piperine, a compound that creates flavor and health benefits.
Black pepper contains low levels of carbohydrates and calories, so it doesn’t significantly break the rules of the Carnivore diet.
However, the strict Carnivore diet excludes all plant-based foods, including spices and seasonings. The reason for this is to minimize plant toxins, allergens, and anti-nutrients. So, the strict Carnivore diet may consider black pepper off-limits.
Cayenne Pepper a Carnivore Diet
Cayenne pepper is a spice made from dried and ground chili peppers containing capsaicin, which produces heat and health benefits.
Cayenne pepper contains low levels of carbohydrates and calories, making it somehow compatible with the principles of a Carnivore diet.
However, the strict Carnivore diet excludes plant-based products like spices to achieve the best and fastest fat loss results.
Learn More: How to Start a Carnivore Diet? When Should I Start? [Expert Guide]
Shawn Baker, Author of "The Carnivore Diet":
"While the pure Carnivore Diet avoids all plant-derived foods, including pepper, many find that using minimal amounts of spices can enhance flavor and help with diet adherence."
How Many Peppers Can I Eat on Carnivore?
It’s no secret that if you want to make the most of the Carnivore diet, you need to stick to the rules of the strict version. But sometimes, it’s hard for beginners to be a true Carnivore.
If you can’t avoid peppers and need to have them on a Carnivore diet, try to avoid overeating them, minimize your consumption over time, and monitor the results and your body’s reactions.
The exact number of peppers you can consume depends on your goals and preferences, but keep the carbohydrate intake at a minimum to see the real results of a Carnivore diet.
How to Eat Pepper on a Carnivore Diet?
If you finally decide to include peppers on a Carnivore diet and cannot exclude them, you need to consider the following tips.
- Minimize Consumption: Try to eat minimal amounts of pepper for flavor.
- Ground Pepper: You can add small amounts of ground black pepper or cayenne pepper to your meat dishes or scrambled eggs.
- Pepper Oil or Butter: You can make pepper oil or butter by adding some ground pepper to animal fats or oils.
- Pepper-Based Rubs: You can add tiny amounts of ground pepper to steak or other cuts of meat to improve the taste.
- Pepper-Flavored Meat: You can make pepper-crusted meats by pressing ground pepper onto the surface of the meat before cooking.
The Benefits of Having Pepper on a Carnivore Diet
You can do completely fine on a Carnivore diet without any plant-based food like spices. Anyhow, let’s take a look at the benefits of having small amounts of pepper on a Carnivore diet.
Shawn Baker, Author of "The Carnivore Diet":
"Some followers of the Carnivore Diet use pepper and other spices in moderation. It's about finding a balance that works for your body while staying close to the diet's principles."
Metabolic Syndrome
Studies suggest that red pepper and capsaicin can help control metabolic syndrome and its related disorders, such as obesity, disrupted lipid profile, and diabetes [1].
Gastrointestinal Stimulation
Piperine found in black pepper can trigger the secretion of digestive enzymes, streamlining the digestion of protein-rich Carnivore foods.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Studies on the effects of red pepper indicate that it is one of the key materials that can help decrease the risk of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases [2].
Anti-Inflammation
Piperine can also have anti-inflammatory impacts.
Nutrient Absorption
Piperine can improve the absorption of different nutrients, like curcumin, from turmeric.
Flavor
Pepper can bring a pleasant taste to your animal-based meals.
Pepper Can Improve Food Taste
A study in "Nutrients" highlighted that while the strict Carnivore Diet led to improvements in gut health for many participants, those who included minimal amounts of spices like pepper did not report significant digestive issues and often found their meals more enjoyable.
Variety
Pepper can bring some variety to Carnivore foods, which do not usually contain seasoning, and this may create a better feeling in dieters.
Learn More: How to Get Vitamin C on a Carnivore Diet? [Best Meat to Avoid Scurvy]
Pepper Nutrition
Nutritional Content (per 100 grams of black pepper):
- Calories: 251 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 64.81 g
- Dietary Fiber: 25.3 g
- Sugars: 0.64 g
- Fat: 3.26 g
- Protein: 10.95 g
- Vitamins and Minerals:
- Vitamin K: 163.7 µg
- Iron: 14.44 mg
- Calcium: 443 mg
- Potassium: 1259 mg
- Magnesium: 171 mg
Summary
All in all, you do not need pepper or other plant-based foods in your Carnivore diet as they do not have specific positive impacts and may even hinder the fat loss results.
However, it may be hard for some individuals, especially beginners, to change their eating habits drastically and get used to new tastes.
Pepper can bring a distinct and favorable flavor to many meals, and many individuals can’t do without it. But if you want to go on a Carnivore diet, it’s better to consume small amounts of pepper to get the best results.
