I’ve read that the carnivore diet is the next best thing for treating my PCOS and losing weight. How can I convince my parents to let me eat only meat and eggs? They say it’s a bad idea.

As with any “diet” you hear about, you’ll want to do some research and decide if what you’re reading is observation (ie, one or two people saying how well it worked for them with theories on why it might have worked) versus scientific evidence. Simply put, the carnivore diet approach to eating is far too restrictive and not medically safe. It eliminates all fiber from the diet which is important for digestion, and does not have any of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need from fruits and vegetables. Additionally, eating a diet of only animal products would likely be quite high in saturated fat, which can lead to elevated cholesterol levels and heart disease. If you’re interested in how food can affect your PCOS symptoms, please refer to our guides or ask your health care provider for a referral to a registered dietitian.


Our health guides are developed through a systematic, rigorous process to ensure accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness. Written and reviewed by experienced healthcare clinicians from Boston Children's Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital and consistently ranked as a top hospital by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, these guides combine clinical expertise, specialized knowledge, and evidence-based medicine. We also incorporate research and best practices from authoritative sources such as the CDC, NIH, PubMed, top medical journals, and UpToDate.com. Clinical specialists and subject matter experts review and edit each guide, reinforcing our commitment to high-quality, factual, scientifically accurate health information for young people.