If I placed the major ways of eating on a straight line, I would put carnivore on the far left and vegetarian on the far right.  On the carnivore end, the plate is almost entirely meat and animal products. On the vegetarian end, meat disappears completely and the plate is built around plant foods.  Those approaches seem like complete opposites.

Then, sitting somewhere in the middle, we have the Standard American Diet—appropriately abbreviated SAD.  That middle position might sound balanced, but I don’t necessarily mean that as a compliment. The Standard American Diet often combines the least helpful parts of everything: refined carbohydrates, sugar, processed oils, fast food, packaged snacks and ingredients that require a chemistry degree to pronounce.

Strangely enough, the two opposite ends of my imaginary line may both represent improvements over what many Americans eat every day.

Vegetarian Does Not Automatically Mean Low-Carb

Before the vegetable lobby begins mailing me angry heads of cauliflower, I should clarify something.  A vegetarian diet does not automatically eliminate carbohydrates.  Vegetarians may eat bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, fruit, cereal, desserts and numerous other carbohydrate-heavy foods. Someone can technically be vegetarian while living on french fries, cookies and soft drinks.  Removing meat does not automatically make a diet healthy.

However, a thoughtful whole-food vegetarian diet may eliminate or significantly reduce many of the ultra-processed foods found in the Standard American Diet. It can emphasize vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and minimally processed foods.  That is where I see some common ground between a whole-food vegetarian diet and carnivore.  The foods on the plates may be completely different, but both approaches ask people to become intentional about what they eat.

Carnivore Eliminates the Decision Entirely

Carnivore takes a different route.  Instead of carefully deciding which carbohydrates belong on the plate, carnivore removes virtually all of them. Meat and other animal foods become the entire meal.  That approach sounds extreme because it is extreme.  But extreme does not necessarily mean complicated.

If I am following the carnivore diet, I do not need to stand in the grocery store comparing the carbohydrate content of fifteen different foods. I do not need to calculate how much bread, pasta or dessert I can squeeze into the day.  I eat meat. I may include eggs and certain dairy products. I avoid nearly everything else.  Whether someone agrees with that approach or not, it is difficult to call it confusing.

Ketovore Is My Practical Middle Ground

I am not currently following a perfectly strict carnivore diet. I describe my approach as ketovore because meat and animal foods form the foundation, but I still allow some low-carbohydrate extras.  That might include cheese, limited vegetables, salsa, sauces, avocado or pork rinds.

Ketovore gives me much of the simplicity of carnivore without requiring every meal to meet a flawless, meat-only standard.  For me, that matters.  I own a business. I attend meetings, football games, school events and client lunches. I regularly find myself eating somewhere other than my own kitchen.  A plan that only works when I control every ingredient would be difficult for me to sustain.

Ketovore gives me a simple starting point wherever I happen to be:  Find the meat first.  Then I can decide whether any of the available extras fit what I am trying to accomplish.

Why Meat First Works Better for Me

I understand why someone might prefer a vegetarian diet. People choose it for health, ethical, environmental, religious and personal reasons.  This is not my attempt to convince every vegetarian to abandon the produce aisle and sprint toward the nearest steakhouse.  I am only explaining why ketovore makes more sense for me.  The biggest reason is satisfaction.

Meat and eggs fill me up. When protein is the center of my meal, I am less interested in searching the pantry for something else an hour later.  That has always been one of my problems with diets built around eating smaller portions of many different foods. I may finish the meal, but I do not always feel finished eating.  Ketovore feels different.  A satisfying plate of meat gives my meal a clear beginning and end. I can eat, feel full and move on with my day.

At least, that is the plan. I have already demonstrated that I am perfectly capable of eating too much of the right foods, so ketovore does not magically remove the need for reasonable portions.  Apparently, steak does not come with an automatic shutoff switch.

Fewer Choices Help Me Make Better Choices

Ketovore also reduces the number of food decisions I must make.  I do not need to evaluate every food individually. I already know that sugar, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, chips, desserts and sugary drinks are outside my normal plan.  That eliminates a large portion of the restaurant menu before I ever begin reading it.

During my recent business lunch, I steered the meeting toward Wingstop because I knew I could build the meal around chicken. It may not have been a perfectly strict carnivore meal, but it was a deliberate choice that kept me closer to my goals.  That is what I need from a sustainable way of eating.  Not laboratory perfection.  A reliable system for making better decisions in ordinary life.

Both Approaches Can Be Done Well—or Poorly

It is possible to follow a healthy, carefully planned vegetarian diet.  It is also possible to follow a terrible vegetarian diet filled with sugar, refined carbohydrates and heavily processed foods.  The same principle applies to low-carbohydrate eating.  Someone can build meals around meat, eggs and simple ingredients, or use the “low-carb” label as permission to overeat processed products with questionable ingredient lists.

The name of the diet does not guarantee the quality of the food—or the wisdom of the person eating it.  Current nutrition guidance recognizes several potentially effective dietary patterns, including carbohydrate-restricted and vegetarian approaches. That suggests there is no single eating plan that automatically works best for every person.  The better question may be:  Which approach helps me consistently remove the foods causing my biggest problems?

My Biggest Problem Was Never Broccoli

When I look honestly at how I gained weight, broccoli was not the culprit.  Neither was an occasional salad, tomato or serving of green vegetables.  My biggest problems were sugar, bread, pasta, chips, desserts, oversized portions and eating simply because food was available.  Ketovore gives me clear boundaries against those foods while allowing enough flexibility to function in real life.

It also centers my meals on the foods I find most satisfying.  That is why I personally land near the carnivore end of my imaginary dietary line.

The Best Diet Is the One I Can Continue

I began this restart at 197.0 pounds and recently reached 186.0. I am encouraged by that progress, although I know early weight loss can include water and that one number does not prove a diet is universally superior.  What it does tell me is that my recent choices are producing movement in the right direction.  A whole-food vegetarian diet may work very well for someone else. I respect anyone who intentionally removes ultra-processed food and takes responsibility for improving their health.

For me, however, carnivore and ketovore are easier, simpler and more filling.  I do not have to force myself to enjoy the food.  I do not spend the day feeling deprived.  I do not need a complicated formula every time I build a plate.  I start with meat, keep carbohydrates extremely low and make the best decision available in the situation.  Carnivore and vegetarian may occupy opposite ends of the dietary spectrum, but both can challenge the Standard American Diet and its dependence on heavily processed food.  I simply know which end works better for me.

Pass the steak.