Butter nutters are spreading the word

The carnivore diet just took a nauseating turn for the worse.

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The lengths that some folks will go to in order to eschew evidence-based science in favour of the brain farts of a social media influencer never ceases to baffle your Back Page scribbler.

Never is this more so the case than when it comes to batshit crazy diet trends, such as the “carnivore diet”.

This regime of eating animal products only, no carbs or plants, is reportedly going viral on the video-sharing app known as TikTok, particularly among men.

Proponents of the diet reckon that excluding plant-based foods from the dinner plate is an excellent way to lose weight. And given that the reported side-effects of the carnivore diet include nausea, diarrhoea and hair loss, who’s to say this might not be so?

If that doesn’t sound off-putting enough, it gets worse. The most recent idiocy being perpetrated by the TikTok peddlers is the practice of snacking on sticks of butter.

Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently chowing down on a large chunk of saturated fat and calories is absolutely a brilliant way to slim down, and according to the interestingly named @steakandbuttergirl a great way to promote “happy hormones, great skin, energy and mood”.

Now your scribe is by no means a qualified dietitian, and in truth can be quite partial to a moderate consumption of dairy products, but not even the most patriotic of Frenchmen would consider this idea to be an appropriate use of foodstuffs.

The thinking behind the butter snacking is the deluded belief that consuming a hugely calorie-dense nutrient will provide the eater with a feeling of satiety. The reality is, without the fibre provided by carbohydrates, any feeling of fullness will be short-lived. Not to mention the ongoing desire to vomit up your stomach lining.

On the other hand, a fully committed carnivore diet does present the long-term possibility of developing scurvy. Now that really is a fail-safe strategy for melting away those unwanted kilograms.

Send lentil soup recipes and story tips to penny@medicalrepubic.com.au.