The carnivore diet, an all-meat approach to eating, has garnered attention as a back-to-basics way of eating. This diet involves consuming solely animal products, eliminating all plant-based foods. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this guide will provide a comprehensive breakdown of the carnivore diet, including what you can eat, potential benefits and drawbacks, and how to get started.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet is a high-protein, zero-carb eating plan that restricts all plant-based foods. Meals consist of meat, fish, eggs, and limited low-lactose dairy. It's an extreme but effective way of eating for some, promising weight loss, improved digestion, and simplified meals.
The carnivore diet plan is simple: focus on meal recipes and snacks. You only eat animal foods and products. Everything else is restricted. That means no fruits, no vegetables, no bread or grains, and limiting your dairy intake to low-lactose foods. While this may seem crazy at first, some people theorize that plant foods are not required to live. In fact, carbohydrates - which are abundant in plants - are the only non-essential macronutrient.
Carnivore vs. Keto and Paleo
The carnivore diet is sort of an evolution of paleo and keto. 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.
How the Carnivore Diet Works
The carnivore diet meal plan works by eliminating all carbohydrates and forcing your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. This carnivore diet meal plan triggers several physiological changes. First, your insulin levels drop significantly which promotes fat burning and can lead to rapid initial weight loss. Additionally, by eating only animal products, you're consuming high-quality protein and natural fats that promote satiety.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
The contents of a keto diet do not provide enough calories from glucose and other forms of sugar. To compensate, the body burns fat that creates ketones as an energy source. A carnivore diet is the most ketogenic diet because it allows for almost no carbs.
When you're fat-adapted - also known as being in ketosis - your metabolism can use both dietary and stored body fat for fuel. In addition, fat and protein are very satiating. You may go for several hours without thinking about food, and studies have also shown that becoming fat-adapted improves your hunger hormones, further regulating your appetite.
Carnivore Diet Food List: What to Eat
The carnivore diet meal plan only allows consumption of meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, fish, some dairy products, and water. You need to exclude all vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts.
Animal-based foods like meat, chicken, and fish make up the whole carnivore diet.
Foods Allowed on the Carnivore Diet
The list of approved foods is short because it only includes animal products.
Read also: High-Fiber Diet for Better Health
- Meat: Beef (steak, ground beef, brisket, chuck roast), chicken, lamb, pork (pork chops, bacon, pork ribs, pork shoulder), turkey, organ meats (liver, kidneys, tongue, oxtail, heart, feet, cheeks).
- Seafood: Fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines), clams, crabs, mussels, oysters, scallops, shrimp, lobster.
- Other animal products: eggs, lard, bone marrow, bone broth.
- Low-lactose dairy (in small amounts): heavy cream, hard cheese, butter.
Foods to Avoid on the Carnivore Diet
Any foods that aren’t animal-based are off the table. You can’t eat fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, or seeds.
Restricted foods include:
- Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, peppers, etc.
- Fruits: apples, berries, bananas, kiwi, oranges, etc.
- High-lactose dairy: milk, yogurt, soft cheese, etc.
- Legumes: beans, lentils, etc.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, etc.
- Grains: rice, wheat, bread, quinoa, pasta, etc.
- Alcohol: beer, wine, liquor, etc.
- Sugars: table sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar, etc.
- Beverages other than water: soda, coffee, tea, fruit juice, etc.
Seasonings
Salt, pepper, herbs, and spices are allowed on the carnivore diet plan. Stick to simple ingredients that don't contain any sugar or carbohydrates.
Sample Carnivore Diet Menu
Here’s a five-day sample menu for the carnivore diet:
Day 1
- Breakfast: eggs, bacon, sardines
- Lunch: turkey burger patty, salmon jerky, beef tips
- Dinner: filet mignon, crab, chicken liver
- Snacks: a small amount of Parmesan cheese, jerky
Day 2
- Breakfast: shrimp, eggs, a small glass of heavy cream
- Lunch: strip steak, tuna fish, beef jerky
- Dinner: lamb chops, scallops, beef liver
- Snacks: a small amount of hard Cheddar cheese, bone broth
Day 3
- Breakfast: eggs, salmon, turkey sausage
- Lunch: sweetbreads, pork chops, mackerel
- Dinner: turkey burger patty, a small amount of Parmesan cheese, bone marrow
- Snacks: hard-boiled eggs, shrimp
Day 4
- Breakfast: trout, shredded chicken, bacon
- Lunch: beef meatballs, small amount Cheddar cheese, salmon jerky
- Dinner: crab cooked in lard, filet mignon
- Snacks: sardines, beef jerky
Day 5
- Breakfast: eggs, chicken and turkey sausage links
- Lunch: lamb roast, chicken liver, pork chop
- Dinner: flank steak, scallops cooked in butter, a small glass of heavy cream
- Snacks: bone broth, turkey jerky
Carnivore Diet Recipes
Here are a few recipes based on the carnivore diet:
Read also: Foods for Pre-Diabetes
- 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
Getting Started with the Carnivore Diet
Getting started with the carnivore diet plan is extremely simple. Whether it’s a carnivore diet for beginners or experts, it doesn't get more straightforward, and there's no need to over-complicate it.
- Get your blood work done before you start a carnivore diet meal plan and again after approximately 2 months in. Everyone has different metabolic needs, so it's important to know if the diet is working well with your body.
- If you’re on a carnivore diet meal plan for beginners, you'll likely experience fatigue, headaches, and other flu-like symptoms during the first week of the diet. You'll have some days where you want to eat non-stop and other days where you won't even think about food.
- A carnivore meal plan makes your weekly grocery haul extremely easy. Your main calorie source of your carnivore diet meals should come from fatty cuts of grass-fed meat like NY strip steak, porterhouse, ribeye, 80/20 ground beef, t-bone, bacon, pork chops, and flank steak. Just like meat, aim for the fattiest fish you can purchase.
- Now for the hard part. Added sugars across the board are out in your carnivore meal plan! Even though the carnivore diet meal plan is meat-based, that doesn't mean any meat is on the table. No bread or grains across the board! Nuts, seeds, and legumes aren't allowed either. Anything else that isn't meat!
Initial Symptoms
The first week of your carnivore diet meal plan often brings "keto flu" symptoms. You might also experience initial water weight loss, changes in bowel movements, and fluctuating appetite.
Potential Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
While the credibility of the carnivore diet meal plan for beginners and experts is very much in question, there is no doubt that people credit it for substantial transformations.
When you're fat-adapted - also known as being in ketosis - your metabolism can use both dietary and stored body fat for fuel. In addition, fat and protein are very satiating. You may go for several hours without thinking about food, and studies have also shown that becoming fat-adapted improves your hunger hormones, further regulating your appetite.
Inflammation can be exacerbated when carbohydrate-rich food groups are consumed. Having less inflammation through a carnivore diet plan may result in fewer aches and pains.
Healthy fats are responsible for optimal hormonal function, including testosterone, and diets that are high in healthy fats have been shown to improve testosterone levels.
Many meat eaters have reported increased focus, energy, and mental clarity while on a carnivore meal plan. Studies have shown that ketones have neuroprotective properties and the brain actually prefers fats for energy over carbohydrates.
The carnivore diet has also gained some attention for its potential as an anti-inflammatory diet that may benefit people with autoimmune conditions.
Because people following this fad eat only a few different foods, they eliminate many of the items that commonly cause food sensitivities, like nuts, wheat, and soybeans.
Potential Downsides and Risks
The health effects of a carnivore diet meal plan remain controversial among nutrition experts. Most registered dietitians express concern about its long-term sustainability and potential nutrient deficiencies.
The carnivore diet doesn’t align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends that adults get 45% to 65% of their daily calories from carbohydrates. By cutting out entire food groups, this diet could leave you short on important vitamins and minerals.
Organ meats and eggs are about your only option apart from supplementation to get the Vitamin C you need.
Fiber is only found in plants, and it contributes to healthy bowel movements and good gut bacteria.
Many carnivore meal plan evangelists note that intestinal issues are resolved after beginning a carnivore diet plan. This may be true due to the elimination of typical inflammatory foods like sugar, lactose, or anything else your body may be sensitive too.
Eating only meat and dairy will almost certainly increase your intake of sodium and saturated fats.
A carnivore diet meal plan for beginners and experts significantly diverges from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends that adults get 45% to 65% of their daily calories from carbohydrates.
The disadvantage of all keto diets is they tend to raise LDL cholesterol levels in both the short and long term. Other longer-term concerns about keto diets, especially the carnivore diet, include the increased risk of kidney stones, gout, and osteoporosis.
Although some anecdotal reports suggest that constipation isn’t a problem on a carnivore diet, you will be missing out on fiber, a nutrient important for colonic health.
A diet high in red and processed meats has been linked to an increased risk of gastric cancer.
Extreme restriction or labeling foods “good” or “bad” can also set off disordered-eating behaviors or full-blown eating disorders.
Large amounts of meat protein can also put undue stress on kidneys. Metabolizing high amounts of protein is the cause of this.
You’ll likely miss out on disease-fighting nutrients like fiber and antioxidants like vitamins C and E.
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.