The carnivore diet, a highly restrictive elimination diet, aims to reduce inflammation, boost energy levels, and improve overall health. It primarily consists of meat and animal products, excluding fruits, vegetables, grains, and processed foods. This article explores the carnivore diet, focusing on the role of fried meat, suitable snacks, cooking methods, allowed and disallowed foods, and potential benefits.
Introduction to the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet is essentially a zero-carb approach, emphasizing the consumption of animal products like meat, eggs, fish, and some dairy. By focusing on nutrient-dense foods, individuals often experience increased satiety, which can naturally lead to intermittent fasting. Many people eat once a day about 8 o'clock at night.
Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
There are many benefits to the carnivore diet. Three primary benefits are a healthier body, a sharper mind, and weight loss. The health benefits include a healthier gut, lower blood sugar, a healthier heart, and less inflammation. One surprising benefit for many people is having a sharper mind throughout the day. People who switch to a meat-centric diet will get additional vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B12, zinc, and iron. And when they're combined with lower sugar intake, you won't experience afternoon slumps from blood sugar crashing. Finally, many people who switch to this diet experience weight loss. This is especially true in the beginning. These calories are not providing substance or nutrients and, more often than not, contribute to fat buildup and, thus, weight gain. This is a big reason why many Americans lose weight after this dietary shift.
The Role of Fried Meat in the Carnivore Diet
Given that meat is the cornerstone of the carnivore diet, understanding how to cook it is essential. Fried meat, cooked in animal fats like butter, lard, tallow, or ghee, is a permissible and palatable option. Frying can be a quick way to cook steaks, burgers, pork chops, fish, and seafood on the stovetop. Bacon and thinner cuts are best for frying.
Searing
Searing is a crucial technique for cooking meat on the carnivore diet. Using high heat and a suitable skillet (stainless steel, cast iron, or pure ceramic) with a bit of fat, the meat is arranged in a single layer and cooked until a golden-brown crust forms on one side. Then, it's flipped to repeat the process on the other side. A steak usually cooks for 2-4 minutes per side, depending on how thick it is and how rare or cooked you like it. You can also reverse sear steak.
Read also: Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Carnivore Diet-Friendly Snacks
Finding snacks for carnivore diet eating is easy if you know what to look for. The trick is to rely on fresh meat and grass-fed and finished meat products instead of canned, overly processed, or other low-quality beef products. When searching for the best snacks to eat on carnivore diet plans, focus on simple and minimally processed options. Snacks on carnivore diet meal plans should be excellent sources of essential vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B12, zinc, and iron. Focus on thoughtfully-sourced protein options such as grass-fed and finished beef products, cured meats like salami, and nutrient-dense choices like bone broth or liver pate. These carnivore diet snack ideas give you the satisfying crunch without compromising your eating principles.
Here are some examples of carnivore diet snacks:
- Pork Rinds: Fried pork skins are a great "grab-and-go" option. For the healthiest choice, make your own rinds. Pork rinds can be healthy snacks on carnivore diet meal plans when you choose high-quality options that aren't cooked in vegetable oils. However, they are high in sodium and lower in beneficial vitamins compared to other animal products.
- Tuna: Tuna is packed with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin B12. It can be enjoyed with salt and pepper right out of the can.
- Eggs: A staple for many, eggs are versatile and nutritious. I always have some around so I can whip two up when I'm feeling snacky. Hard-boiled eggs make perfect grab-and-go options, while scrambled eggs with a bit of salt and pepper create a quick, filling snack.
- Grass-fed Meat Sticks: Choose meat sticks without preservatives, MSG, or other additives.
- Beef Jerky: Nutritious beef jerky is a convenient, protein snack that you can take pretty much anywhere.
- Deli Meat: Chicken, turkey, and beef are all good options. Look for natural, grass-fed options and avoid any products that contain unnatural flavorings or added sugars.
- Bone Broth: It's made from beef, chicken, or fish bones, and these bones are rich in vitamins and nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
- Biltong: A South African take on dried meat, biltong is air-dried and made from both fatty and lean cuts. Biltong is usually beef and is pure meat, so it is a great resource for iron, zinc, vitamin B, and selenium.
- Aged Cheeses: Hard, aged cheeses like swiss, parmesan, feta, and other low-lactose dairy products including cottage cheese, kefir, and ghee are permissible. Just remember to avoid overly processed and finished cheeses.
- Cured Meats: Cured meats are high in protein and fat and offer a good range of minerals.
- Salmon Crisps: Salmon crisps are one of the newer snacks for carnivore diet eaters taking the world by storm.
- Beef Liver: Beef liver is one of our favorite snacks on carnivore diet meal plans because of how nutrient filled it is. Because livers act as our body's nutrient filters, they have an extremely high nutrient profile. The nutritional profile for liver is exceptional.
- Sardines: Sardines are definitely an acquired taste, but they are a great option among our list of carnivore diet snack ideas.
- Steak Bites: Buy some steak in bulk, cook an extra one or two when making dinner one night, cut it into cubes, and ta-da!
Cooking Methods for the Carnivore Diet
Besides frying, several other cooking methods are suitable for the carnivore diet:
- Braising: Ideal for tough, collagen-rich meat cuts like shoulder, rump, chuck roast, and brisket.
- Slow Cooking: Using an electric crockpot or slow cooker is ideal to prep overnight and eat hot in the morning.
- Roasting: Cover the meat with fat and a generous seasoning of salt.
- Boiling: Boiled meat is relatively easy, very frugal, and simple enough to make a regular practice in your weekly carnivore diet meal prep routine.
- Grilling: Grilling meat is a nice reason to get extra time in the fresh air.
- Air Frying: You can also air-fry pork chops and other meats.
Foods Allowed on the Carnivore Diet
As you may know, the carnivore diet consists primarily of meat and meat products.
Beef: High in protein, vitamins, and minerals, beef can aid with muscle growth and maintenance. Beef can be prepared in many ways, including cooking with a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or air fryer. You can also grill, roast, bake or fry it.
Read also: Healthy Keto Fried Rice
Chicken: Chicken is usually a popular meat because it is lower in fat, high in protein, and can be prepared in many ways. Cooking chicken is like starting with a clean palette as it can taste different depending on how you cook it.
Pork: Pork does have a lot more fat than chicken, but it is still high in protein. It also is an excellent source of iron, zinc, niacin, and vitamins B6 and B12.
Fish: Different types of fish can have different macronutrients, just as different preparation can change the fat content. This makes fish a great choice if you are trying to lose weight.
- Canned Tuna: This one is popular as it can be used as a snack throughout the day!
- Tuna Filet: If you prefer eating a filet, you can do this too.
- Salmon: This is another popular type of fish. It is often served fried, grilled, roasted, or baked.
- Tilapia: This is another popular white fish.
- Haddock: Haddock is one of the most popular types of fish.
- Cod: Cod is one of the most affordable types of fish you can buy, so it is a good choice if you are watching your budget.
- Other Seafood: Of course, you can add in other seafood.
Eggs: One of the benefits of eggs is that they are quick and easy. They can be enjoyed in numerous ways, including hard or soft-boiled, scrambled, or fried.
Bone Marrow: Bone marrow has a high-fat content, which contributes to its creamy, buttery flavor. When cooked, it has a sweet and savory flavor.
Read also: Low-Carb Fried Cheese Sticks
Animal Fats: You should only use animal products. This is why you will switch to cooking your foods in butter, lard, tallow, or ghee.
Low-Lactose Dairy: Low-lactose items include butter, sour cream, hard cheese, regular yogurt, and sherbet.
Meat Chips
Meat chips are a high-quality meat snack made by Carnivore Snax. Unlike other meat-based snacks, our snacks only have two ingredients â meat and salt.
- Ribeye Chips: Ribeye Chips melt in your mouth with the distinctive flavor of aged meat. Ribeye chips are made with 1 pound of ribeye and salt.
- Steak Chips: The steak chips are made from NY strip steaks, another favorite cut of meat for many people. Steak chips are made for 16 ounces of a New York strip steak.
- Lamb Chops: These chips are made from grass-fed lamb.
- Pork Chips: Pork slider chips are coin-sized and crunch like a chip.
- Brisket Chips: Brisket chips are made with grass-fed and finished beef brisket.
- Chicken Chips: Chicken chips are salty, rich, and buttery.
- Beef Chips: Beef slider chips are grass-fed.
Foods Not Allowed on the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet is meat and meat products. You can not eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds, grains, bread, or pasta. When you commit to this diet, you will also be giving up all processed foods, this includes processed meats. Processed foods are bad for you for many reasons. Any food that has been heavily processed is unhealthy. Processed foods can lead to weight gain and health concerns, from serious diseases (like diabetes) to just feeling horrible all the time. So, just because something appears to be a meat or meat-based product, that does not mean you should be eating it.
Tips for Starting the Carnivore Diet
- Plan Your Meals: Understand which meats are your favorites and design from there. It is helpful to write out a weekly menu and shop ahead of time for everything you need.
- Stay Motivated: Start with the basics. When someone switches their diet, there is a reason they did this.
- Connect with Others: Reach out to others who are on the carnivore diet. If you do not know anyone personally on this diet, use the power of the internet.
- Snack Smart: Although most people on a carnivore eat fewer times a day, most still have a snack or two.
- Stay Hydrated: Remember to drink plenty of water. How much water you drink will depend on your needs.