Does the Carnivore Diet Make You Smell Bad?

Do you want to try an all-meat diet, but worry about stinking the place up? Then you must have heard of buzzwords like Keto Crotch and Keto Breath haven’t you?

When it comes to body odor and diet there are some things that can, in fact, make you smell bad but it’s not what you think, and the headlines you’ve read probably click baited you!

What’s the deal?

Yo, bro, your breath stinks sooooooo bad… I look forward to your farts.

Said no one to me ever, and trust me I have friends who would take great joy in telling me if I did. Not many of them smell my crotch though!

I am no Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, but I look at some articles in the press and wonder how they get away with such utter crap. Fake news all day.

I have seen articles claim things like a new study says a slice of bacon is more deadly than an AK-47 when on the rare occasion they link the full study, it says no such thing.

Or a walnut is good for the brain because it is shaped like the brain, according to the dietician Mrs. Walnut who works for the Walnut factory!

So does a carnivore diet make you smell bad? Well like the best stories, they have taken a little bit of truth and rumor, turned it up to a 10, and ran with it.

I cannot believe I am saying this, but let’s look into it a little further.

Keto and Carnivore vs Carnivore against Keto

First off Ketogenic Diets and Carnivore Diets can be hugely different but also very similar. They can be lumped together under Low Carb High Fat, and many Keto Dieters will naturally transition from keto to carnivore and back.

Yet some people on keto could be horrified by the thought some people are only eating meat, and a lot of carnivores see the amount of kale some people eat on keto as the devil’s food.

Technically a Ketogenic Diet is any diet that results in you producing ketones, and a Carnivore Diet is one where you just eat animal products. They could be very similar or worlds apart.

Hope that makes sense haha.

The funny thing is the above often doesn’t make sense to people who are taking shots at either diet. They often get both diets mixed up or use bits and bobs from any low carb diet to create whatever monster they want.

Here is a prime example from the “no longer cool” vice.com.

Your Meat-Heavy Diet Might be Giving You ‘Keto Crotch’

They “cleverly” validate the title of the article by saying, “Doctors have confirmed that changing your diet can create new and interesting smells…. down there”

That’s enough to put you off trying Carnivore and Keto isn’t it?

Well it shouldn’t, it is clearly a click bait article.

Here are the problems with the article

• It’s not even their own work; they just rehash the linked Women’s Health article.
• “Doctors have confirmed” – it’s a couple of gynecologists.
• There are no studies or papers to back anything up.
• “Your meat-heavy diet” – suggesting the writer is taking aim at the Carnivore Diet, but all evidence comes from Reddit users, in r/xxketo and r/keto. No anecdotes from any of the Carnivore groups I see.
• So they are using examples of “keto crotch” from keto groups to tarnish keto, ketocarnivore, and carnivore diets. Yet on a “traditional” Ketogenic Diet that a lot of people in keto groups will be on, the vast majority of their calories come from fat, and the vast majority of the quantity of food on their plate will be low carb vegetables. A traditional keto diet is low-ish to moderate protein, not meat-heavy in the slightest.

Anyway, you know what the main takeaway is? It’s this – “any diet—not just the keto one—can change a woman’s vaginal pH, which might affect the way it smells”!!!

So any change of diet whether vegan, vegetarian, weight watchers, paleo, keto and carnivore COULD POSSIBLY MAYBE result in a “smelly crotch” depending on personal variables.

So yes Carnivore makes you stink, we have conclusive proof haha.

The hilarious thing is I remember when this article came out, and some vegans thought it was amazing and would be the final nail in the coffin of the Carnivore Diet. Some people even said it causes hair loss!

Even though as we can see, it had nothing to do with the carnivore diet really.

The best stories start with a sliver of truth

A good writing tool, for the writer to get someone to believe something: Is to take something that a person is likely to believe or knows, is true to validate what you are saying then turn it into something new.

That is all the above article is.

However, like the article says it could happen to some people.

There can be transition issues from any diet to another. The Keto and Carnivore diets are big shifts for a lot of people.

So it is reasonable to believe that changing to Keto or Carnivore could make transitional issues more likely and more extreme. Simply because it is a bigger change than most diets would be.

This doesn’t mean it is set in stone though.

For example the dreaded Keto Flu – is actually rather easily prevented by simply making sure you drink enough water and consume enough salt.

We go way deeper on the keto flu in this artlce:

• Keto Flu vs. Carnivore Diet Flu & 7 Possible Remedies
• Do You Need More Salt on a Carnivore Diet?

Keto Breath

Whilst this isn’t as funny or horrifying as the term “Keto Crotch,” it is more common and has a bit more science behind it. People can experience bad breath, in the transition phase.

Fuel Source

Some diet changes maybe just a little more of this and a little less of that, and they can still cause microbiome and digestive distress for example.

Going from a standard western diet to a low carb diet means you are shifting from a sugar burning fuel system to a fat fuelled system.

Efficiency

This change in fuel source means that the body has to learn to produce enough ketones from fat to provide you with enough energy.

It can often overshoot this and produce too many ketones and they “spill” into your urine, blood, and breath. This is why you can buy monitors to test for ketones, to prove you are in ketosis. (1) (2)

You can buy a ketone tester here. The blood tests are way more accurate. the pee strips are not so much.

Acetone

This is a ketone body that spills into the mouth and can cause the bad breath you have heard about. (3)

Temporary

It is usually temporary because your body is damn impressive, and is a master in efficiency. It will quickly learn to produce the ketones more efficiently.

So it will better manage how many ketones are produced. So the extra spill will subside, and your so-called horrid breath will return to normal.

We are all the same yet different

Personally I had no bad breath when I first went low carb. I did however get a metallic taste in my mouth, which on and off lasted a couple of weeks.

The point is, everyone may get some form of transition issue but they usually pass. If not seek medical attention. If fact, if you are considering any diet you should speak with a doctor.

Tips

If you do get bad breath, you may just have to stick it out for a couple of weeks and don’t whisper any secrets to anyone.

If it is playing on your mind, just make sure you drink enough fluid and you consume enough salt (which will likely be more than you think), brush a bit more regularly, use mouthwash and breath freshener or have some zero sugar mints handy. Like I said it should pass pretty quickly.

But when it comes to salt, not all salt is created equal. Stay away from manufactured table salt and stick to the carnivore and keto diet recommended brand Redmond Real Salt. Plus our readers get a 15% discount when they use “wild” at checkout. (They also have very effective toothpaste!)

Sum it up

When you see articles like; “Your underparts stink like a sewage pipe because of Keto Crotch”, they are often pushing an agenda and should be ignored.

I see it time and time again, Keto and Carnivore help people lose weight, and keep it off, as well as helping with ailments and reversing certain diseases.

It is unlikely that by making your body healthier and fitter, that your body is going to reward you with stench breath and a horrendous smelling crotch!

Generally, really bad body odor is due to an unhealthy lifestyle and diet.

In my opinion, Keto and Carnivore are healthy diets, resulting in healthy bodies and lovely smelly armpits!!!

So eat lots of meat and let people smell your crotch freely!

Conclusion

If you are over the smear campaign and ready to dive into a healthy lifestyle then I suggest getting your education going. I recommend you add three carnivore diet books to your bookshelf:

• The Carnivore Diet by Dr. Shawn Baker
• The Carnivore Code by Dr. Paul Saladino
• The Carnivore Cookbook by Jessica Haggard (For a limited time, use ANDY5 at checkout for $5.00 off)

And also, check out our Wild Lumens YouTube channel! Here you will find carnivorous motivation, tips, and cooking recipes. Be sure to subscribe today!

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. Consult with and ask your doctor about any diet or medical-related questions. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.

Resources:

1. What Are Ketones and Their Tests?
2. Ketones in Urine
3. What Is Acetone Breath, and Is It Tied to Diabetes?