The latest diet trend sweeping social media has been slammed by a nutritionist. The 'Lion Diet' sees people eat only meat, salt and water in a bid to improve their health, but not everyone is convinced of the apparent health benefits.
The restrictive diet has gained widespread attention on TikTok, with some users explaining the apparent benefits they have found from following it. Avid followers of the diet have reported improvements in their mood, the alleviation of allergies and intolerances and relief from issues like insomnia or headaches.
The diet sees people eat meat from ruminant animals - animals with rumens - including cows, deer, lamb and goat, and nothing else. The Lion Diet creator, Mikhaila Peterson, says she managed to heal years of health issues by following the strict rules.
She claims the processed foods, grains, alcohol, antibiotics, and medication that many people consume every day can cause damage to the gut, leaving people feeling unwell. TikTok user RorysKitchen, who suffers with food intolerances, has been trialling the diet for 30 days and he claims to have seen big improvements in his health already.
While there is no clear timeframe for how long you should follow the diet, Peterson says you may need to continue it for several weeks before slowly starting to reintroduce other foods back into your diet to help identify which specific foods may be causing issues.
Despite the popularity of the strict diet on social media, there are concerns it is not healthy or sustainable. Claudia Le Feuvre, a nutritional therapist and eating psychology coach at Goldster, said there is a risk people will be missing out on vital nutrients which could lead to a deficiency in the long-term.
She said: "Beef is a very low allergenic food so while the Lion Diet might feel like an easy and good solution for people with IBS, underlying food intolerances, and inflammation triggered by the food allergens, it is not a long-term or healthy solution.
"The biggest risk is that if you're only eating beef, you are missing out on other nutrients like healthy fats, fibre and all the vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetables. In the long run, you could develop a significant nutrient deficiency.
"We don’t know the long-term consequences of this diet, but we know that salt is not helpful for fluid retention and blood pressure, so I wouldn’t recommend people to try out this trend. I understand that people are doing it because it provides temporary relief from some of their symptoms, but there are far more superior ways of identifying and addressing underlying food intolerances and what the triggers are.
"If you’re still unsure, please speak to your GP and ask them if they have a dietician or nutritionist that they work with and seek expert help, because this is a fad diet. The long-term results and consequences from this are likely to include: halitosis (bad breath), piles, high cholesterol, constipation, haemorrhoids and very low energy because they’re missing a lot of the fibre and good nutrients from carbohydrates.
"So, in short I'm not a fan and would highly recommend people skip out trying this TikTok trend.”
Claudia's concerns have been backed up by Healthline, who said: "There have not been any studies on the Lion Diet specifically, and it’s not recommended as a treatment for any health condition. In fact, consuming large amounts of red meat may lead to flare-ups in people with certain conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
"It’s best to talk with a healthcare professional before trying an elimination diet to ensure you’re getting enough nutrients and avoid negative health effects."
