Are you struggling to stay consistent on the carnivore diet? Are you ready to optimize your diet with the best cuts? The carnivore diet has been gaining popularity as a simple yet effective way to improve health, increase energy, and fuel your body with high-quality animal protein. High-quality beef is the foundation of a successful carnivore diet. Not all beef cuts are the same. Some offer the perfect fat-to-protein ratio, while others provide essential collagen and nutrients. Eating the right beef cuts in a structured way helps you stay on track with the carnivore diet while maximizing nutrition and flavor.
Understanding the Carnivore Diet
As the name suggests, a carnivore diet is one that only contains animal foods and products. The carnivore diet is a high-protein, high-fat diet that consists entirely of animal-based foods. It is somewhat a combination of the paleo and keto diets. It aims for zero carb intake and believes human bodies only need fats and protein to thrive and survive. The carnivore diet aims to put your body in a state of ketosis, where your body is burning fat instead of carbohydrates.
While there isn’t a lot of research or statistics to prove the success or effectiveness of the carnivore diet, it’s believed to be a potential anti-inflammatory diet for those with autoimmune diseases. The diet has also made its way around the globe as a popular weight loss diet because you’re completely eliminating carbohydrates from your body and replacing it with protein.
The Importance of High-Quality Beef
Nutrient density matters; grass-fed, pasture-raised beef offers superior protein, healthy fats, and essential micronutrients like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Poor-quality, grain-fed beef often contains inflammatory omega-6 fats and lower nutrient levels, compromising your diet’s effectiveness. Fat content is also crucial. Well-marbled cuts provide sustained energy and promote ketosis, while collagen-rich options support joint health and digestion. High-quality beef provides the essential nutrients necessary for strength, energy, and overall well-being.
Since meat is the core of your diet, it’s smart to buy in bulk and stock your freezer.
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Top Beef Cuts for the Carnivore Diet
Since your main calorie source is coming from red meats, you should aim to eat fatty cuts of steaks. Here are some of the best beef cuts to incorporate into your carnivore diet:
1. Beef Mince
Beef mince is essential to a carnivore diet, offering a balanced ratio of protein and healthy fats. Rich in B vitamins, iron, and zinc, beef mince supports energy production, immune health, and muscle maintenance. Great for making burgers, meatballs, or scrambled mince bowls.
2. Ribeye
Ribeye is one of the best beef cuts for the carnivore diet due to its high-fat content and rich marbling. This cut also contains omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and vitamin B12, promoting cardiovascular health and brain function. Choose ribeye for its rich fat content.
3. Short Ribs
Short ribs are an exceptional source of collagen and healthy fats, making them perfect for gut health, joint support, and skin elasticity. These slow-cooked cuts release essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, ensuring optimal nutrient absorption. Incorporate slow-cooked cuts for collagen.
4. Eye Fillet
Eye fillet is one of the leanest yet most nutrient-dense beef cuts, making it ideal for those looking to increase protein intake without excess fat. Include eye fillet for high-quality protein.
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5. Porterhouse Steak
Porterhouse steak offers the best of both worlds, a combination of tenderloin and strip steak in one cut. Packed with high-quality protein, iron, and B vitamins, porterhouse steak helps support muscle recovery and metabolic health. Include porterhouse steak for high-quality protein.
6. Wagyu
Wagyu is renowned for its intense marbling, making it an elite choice for high-fat carnivore meals. Wagyu’s buttery texture and rich flavour make it a luxurious yet highly nutritious option. Choose wagyu for its rich fat content.
7. Chuck Roll
Chuck roll is a collagen-rich, high-fat cut ideal for slow cooking. Its dense connective tissue breaks into gelatin and amino acids, aiding in joint health and digestion. Incorporate slow-cooked cuts for collagen.
Other Great Options
- Tenderloin (Black Angus): The most tender cut, as its hiding behind the Loin and sirloin it has almost no movement and will be the most tender piece available.
- Tomahawk Steak (Black Angus): A tomahawk steak is a bone-in ribeye steak that has been trimmed to resemble the shape of a tomahawk, cut from the beef rib.
- Striploin (Black Angus): Striploin comes from the back part of the cow, behind its ribs but ahead of the rump area.
- Brisket: Batch cook brisket for easy meal prep.
Tips for Incorporating Beef into Your Carnivore Diet
- Prioritize High-Fat Cuts for Energy: Choose ribeye, wagyu, and short ribs for their rich fat content.
- Balance with Leaner Cuts for Protein: Include eye fillet and porterhouse steak for high-quality protein.
- Use Beef Mince for Quick and Easy Meals: Great for making burgers, meatballs, or scrambled mince bowls.
- Incorporate Slow-Cooked Cuts for Collagen: Chuck roll, brisket, and short ribs support joint health and digestion.
- Optimise Cooking Methods: Grill, pan-sear, or slow-cook to retain nutrients and enhance flavour.
- Plan Your Meals for Convenience: Batch cook brisket, chuck roll, and short ribs for easy meal prep.
- Adjust Portions Based on Your Needs: Eat fattier cuts when more energy is required (e.g., during workouts).
- Stay Hydrated and Balance Electrolytes: Drink plenty of water to support digestion and metabolic function.
- Listen to Your Body’s Signals: Increase fat intake if experiencing low energy or cravings.
Sample Carnivore Diet Menu
A sample menu for a carnivore diet indicates that you should have one piece of steak a day. This should be supplemented with other kinds of meat like fish, chicken, seafood, pork, and turkey.
A typical carnivore diet menu might look like this:
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- Breakfast: Eggs and bacon
- Lunch: Burger patties
- Dinner: Salmon
Carnivore Diet Recipes
Here are a few recipes based on the carnivore diet:
- Scrambled eggs with turkey: Cut 1/2 pound turkey breast into small pieces. Cook in a skillet until browned. Whisk three large eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Move the turkey to one side of the skillet and pour the eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs and mix them with the turkey until the mixture is cooked through.
- Salmon patties: Cook three slices of turkey bacon and crumble. Mix bacon, two cans of salmon, 1 teaspoon of salt, and two whisked eggs in a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of dill. Form into burger-sized patties. Cook in butter until browned.
- Carnivore chicken casserole: Put 1 pound of cubed rotisserie chicken into a food processor and process until chopped very fine. Add 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1 cup of sour cream, and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Process until fully combined. Add 1 tablespoon of taco or Cajun seasoning and mix again. Put the mixture into a baking dish and bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes
Carnivore Diet Snacks
If you get hungry and want a snack, here are some ideas:
- Cheese sticks
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Salmon jerky
- Sardines
- Skinless chicken wings
Considerations and Potential Benefits
The carnivore diet is similar to the ketogenic (keto) and Atkins diets. The difference is that the keto and Atkins diets only limit carbs. The carnivore diet cuts out all carbohydrates and other food groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes.
Other claims of this diet are that it can fight inflammation, lower blood sugar in people with diabetes, and improve mental health.
One study surveyed more than 2,000 people who said they’d followed a carnivore diet for nine to 20 months. People in the study reported improvements like:
- Lower body mass index (BMI)
- More energy
- Better sleep
- More strength and endurance
- Improved memory and focus
Most people with diabetes in the study were able to lower the dose of their diabetes medicine or go off it entirely. Overall, they said they were happy with this way of eating.
Risks and Side Effects
Cutting out entire food groups could leave you short on the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
For example, vegetables are sources of fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C, and folate. Not getting enough fiber from your diet could cause constipation. Interestingly, people who have tried this diet reported the opposite side effect: diarrhea. A high-fat, high-protein diet may cause loose poop because it changes the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. People who eat this way also complain of headaches, nausea, and a lack of energy.
Animal-based diets are high in saturated fat, which can raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. That’s the unhealthy kind of cholesterol that increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. And processed meats, which the diet allows, are high in salt, which can raise blood pressure.
Who Should Avoid the Carnivore Diet?
This diet isn’t safe during pregnancy or while breastfeeding because it will leave you short on the nutrients that both you and your growing baby need. If you have kidney disease, the high protein content may be too much for your kidneys to process. Also avoid this diet if you have diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure because of the high saturated fat and sodium content. Fad diets are never a good idea for people who have had eating disorders. Such a restrictive diet could trigger unhealthy eating patterns.