What to Eat on The Carnivore Diet: Carnivore Diet Food List

In a world where dietary trends come and go with the changing seasons, the carnivore diet stands out for its simplicity. Imagine a diet focused solely on the primal satisfaction of consuming meats, fish, and animal-based products – a regimen that harks back to the most basic of human dietary needs.

But simplicity on a carnivore diet shopping list might quickly become boring and zap the zing out of that initial excitement. Having a carnivore diet food list with varied options will help ease the anxiety of always having to make sure you are getting the full range of nutrition out of your carnivore diet.

This guide is your key to unlocking the potential of the carnivore diet, offering a wealth of knowledge on how to adeptly incorporate a variety of animal-based foods into your meals. Whether you're seeking to optimize your health, streamline your meal plans, or explore delicious recipes, our comprehensive guide is designed to equip you with options.

Should you have a carnivore diet meal plan?

If you’re used to colorful, varied meals, you might fall off the carnivore wagon simply out of sheer boredom. There’s a broad spectrum of animal foods you can add to your carnivore diet food list and weekly meal plans to ensure you don’t get sick of eating the same fare every day.

Meal planning gives peace of mind and frees you up for life rather than constantly fixating on food. A thought out weekly meal plan will help ensure you have touched all your nutritional bases and add in plenty of variety to keep things exciting!

Are there different ways to eat on a carnivore diet? Which foods to eat on a carnivore diet?

A carnivore diet at its simplest is an all-meat, no-carbs (from plants) diet. But carnivores switch up and down a broad range of options based on allergies, preferences, and availability.

The major distinctions stem from whether you allow yourself some plant-based foods or the occasional piece of fruit, do you only eat red meat, would you eat organ meats, if you have allergies to shellfish, eggs, or dairy products.

Here are a few ways carnivores distinguish themselves into different groups:

Keto carnivore

Some plant-based carbs (salad, seasonings, and flavorings like avocados, olive oil, garlic, onion, herbs, etc.) and the rest is animal-based protein, fat, and dairy products.

Just red meat and salt

Like the name suggests, just red meat (beef, lamb, goat, and wild game), salt and water.

Dairy and red meat

All dairy (the fattier, the better) including soft and hard cheeses, yogurt, kefir, heavy cream, butter, ghee, red meat, salt, and water.

Nose to tail animal protein

Nose to tail ruminant meat including both muscle and offal (organ meats like brain, tongue, heart, kidneys, and sweetbreads) from beef, lamb, goat, and wild game; bone marrow, bone broth; pork, poultry, and wildfowl; eggs, seafood (fish, fish roe and shellfish), and ghee.

Dairy, if you can tolerate it and don't mind a small side of carbs (lactose), including cheeses like Brie and Parmesan, heavy cream, yogurt, and butter.

Animal fats, like tallow, lard, butter, and ghee, can be used to cook and flavor leaner cuts of meat, offal, and eggs, to increase the meal's fat content, and for fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E, and K.

Processed meats like cured ham, sausage, and bacon contain high levels of nitrites and nitrates which may harm your intestinal health, given you might end up eating more processed meats on a carnivore diet compared to a mixed diet. Although they can be eaten at any stage of your carnivore journey, it's better to avoid them or enjoy them as an occasional treat.

Which animal foods should you prioritize?

Proponents of the carnivore diet, like Dr. Shawn Baker and nutritional therapist Judy Cho, recommend maximizing ruminant or red meat in your diet, followed by pork, poultry, fish and eggs, liver and other organ meats, and dairy.

This way of eating not only ensures you avoid nutrient deficiencies, but also have access to a wide range of variety.

Carnivore Diet Food: Raw Vs Cooked

One of the advantages of the carnivore diet is that it offers a plethora of bioavailable nutrients, much more than plant-based foods. However, the downside of cooking meat seems to be that it reduces and in some cases completely loses nutrients such as B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Another argument favoring eating raw is that it's easier to digest and gives you more energy, whereas cooked meat may take longer to break down completely. The presence of steak and tuna tartar, sushi and sashimi, and a preference for rare steaks across restaurants is a testament to the fact that eating raw is possible and sometimes preferred across cultures.

Concerns arise when you don't know how old the meat is and where it’s sourced from. For instance, nutritional profiles of pasture-raised, grass-fed cattle, local free-range chicken and eggs vs. CAFO raised — cattle, goat, chicken, egg, and dairy (via concentrated animal feeding operations in densely packed facilities) — suggest grass fed cattle and free-range eggs have better fatty acid (higher anti-inflammatory effect) profiles and lower cholesterol than conventionally raised cattle and eggs. 

Similarly, frozen meats when improperly thawed become a hotbed for pathogens and food-borne illnesses. Foodborne pathogens thrive and multiply within the temperature range of 41 °F (5 °C) and140 °F (60 °C), often referred to as the danger zone. To prevent this from happening, defrost meats in the refrigerator at a temperature at or lower than 41 °F (5 °C) at the bottom shelf to avoid any drips from contaminating other food items.

Plan ahead, since it can take up to a day for smaller items to fully thaw and longer than that for larger items like a frozen turkey. Other lesser recommended ways to thaw meat are microwave defrosting, if you’ll cook immediately after or under running cold water at 41 °F (5 °C). 

If you want to try out the raw carnivore diet or simply begin adding raw food elements into your carnivore meals, it’s best to ensure that you source the freshest local meat available. And if it's frozen meat, eat immediately once it's thawed. The best method is to visit your local butcher and/or farmer and speak with them directly. Looking for a meat farmer near you? Check out the Good Meat Project for resources. If you don't have close access to local farms, check out Pederson Farms or Moink for shipping options.

Fat to protein ratio on the carnivore diet

A carnivore diet is a form of an extreme keto diet where you burn fat for energy. If you don't have enough fat in your meals to meet your energy needs, your body will start breaking down protein and converting it into glucose for energy. Having a higher fat-to-protein ratio is essential to make sure you remain in nutritional ketosis and enjoy its health benefits like improved lipid profiles, increased insulin sensitivity, etc.

Depending on your goals, whether it’s weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain, you could experiment with 3:1, 2:1, and 1.5:1 fat-to-protein ratios.

A general approach to go by when determining your macros is a gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass and adjusting fat intake for weight loss. 

Your electrolytes needs will change based as you begin the carnivore diet, as insulin levels drop in response to lack of carbohydrates in the body, your body will stop retaining water and sodium. These changes can lead to a cascade of electrolyte imbalance including potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc., season your meats with plenty of sea salt, consume potassium rich carnivore approved foods such as bone broth, salt cod, salmon, and clams. Consider taking an electrolyte supplement containing sodium, potassium, and magnesium to get you past the initial weeks of the diet.

How many meals a day on a carnivore diet?

Eating when you’re hungry and eating until you feel full is a good rule to live by on the carnivore diet. Once you’ve adapted to the carnivore diet, your hunger, and satiety cues will regulate themselves and direct how much and how many times you feel hungry. 

Most carnivores practice intermittent fasting or one meal a day, since protein and fat are extremely satiating and keep you feeling full for long periods. There’s no harm in eating two or three meals a day. 

Foods to Pick From on the Carnivore Diet

Here’s an ingredient list that can help you plan out your weekly meal plan!

Meats

• Beef (steak, ground beef, roasts)
• Lamb (chops, ground lamb)
• Pork (chops, ribs, bacon)
• Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck)
• Wild game (venison, bison, elk)

Organ Meats

• Liver (beef, chicken, lamb)
• Heart
• Kidneys
• Tongue
• Brain
• Sweetbreads

Seafood

• Fish (salmon, trout, tuna)
• Shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster)
• Fish roe

Dairy (if tolerated)

• Hard and soft cheeses (Parmesan, Brie)
• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Heavy cream
• Butter
• Ghee

Animal Fats

• Tallow
• Lard
• Butter
• Ghee

What does a carnivore meal plan look like?

Here are some potential examples of what a week of meals might look like.

Day 1

Breakfast: Ground beef and eggs with ghee  

Lunch: Grass-fed ribeye steak

Dinner: Grilled chicken thigh

Day 2

Breakfast: Ground lamb patties with sunny side up eggs

Lunch: Grass-fed chuck roast

Dinner: Trout and hard-boiled eggs

Day 3

Breakfast: Butter-tossed shrimp

Lunch: Grilled lamb chops

Dinner: Grass-fed T-bone steak

Day 4

Breakfast: Eggs and cottage cheese cooked in lard

Lunch: Pork shank osso buco style

Dinner: Pan-fried salmon with melted butter

Day 5

Breakfast: Beef liver and eggs casserole

Lunch: Duck confit

Dinner: New York strip steak

Day 6

Breakfast: Braised beef tongue and cheeks

Lunch: Porterhouse steak

Dinner: Pork ribs

Day 7

Breakfast: Bacon and eggs

Lunch: Chicken breast with melted butter and Parmesan cheese dressing

Dinner: Pork chops

Foods to Pick From on the Carnivore Diet

Meats

• Beef (steak, ground beef, roasts)
• Lamb (chops, ground lamb)
• Pork (chops, ribs, bacon)
• Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck)
• Wild game (venison, bison, elk)

Organ Meats

• Liver (beef, chicken, lamb)
• Heart
• Kidneys
• Tongue
• Brain
• Sweetbreads

Seafood

• Fish (salmon, trout, tuna)
• Shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster)
• Fish roe

Dairy (if tolerated)

• Hard and soft cheeses (Parmesan, Brie)
• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Heavy cream
• Butter
• Ghee

Animal Fats

• Tallow
• Lard
• Butter
• Ghee

Is it better to be a carnivore?

A carnivore diet can be nutritionally complete if you take advantage of the full range of options available to you, consuming a wide variety of animal products including fish roe (omega 3 fatty acids), anchovies (bones have calcium), offal or organ meats. 

Animal foods are highly rich in bioavailable forms of several nutrients like iron, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and copper, etc. But if you restrict yourself in terms of protein and fat intake, organ meats, or only one type of meat, it may result in nutrient deficiencies. This can potentially stop you from enjoying the full range of benefits of a carnivore diet. 

No single diet is going to work for everyone. The carnivore diet is a quintessential elimination diet and anecdotal data suggests that if you struggle with diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity, the carnivore diet might be a helpful way to initiate changes in your body. Trying out a short-term carnivore diet may help you evaluate if animal food sources work better for you. A mindfully planned carnivore diet that includes fatty cuts, dairy, eggs, fowl, seafood, etc. can potentially be a fulfilling and nutritious way to combat various health conditions. 

Looking to explore the carnivore and keto diet communities in greater depth? Here are some valuable resources and influential voices to get you going: Ketosis and keto diarrhea, Dr. Paul Saladino, a prominent advocate for the carnivore diet, along with Dr. Ken Berry, Ben Azadi, and Dr. Eric Berg.