A Complete Guide To The Carnivore Diet: Benefits, Risks & Food List

What To Eat: Foods On The Carnivore Diet

Followers of the carnivore diet believe that the increase in carb-heavy processed foods in our modern diets has contributed to the rise of health problems like diabetes and obesity.

Their solution is to eat mostly animal products similar to our ancestors, including foods like:

• Meats: Any cuts of meat, including red meat, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, and organ meats like liver and kidneys.
• Fish and seafood: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, shrimp, lobster, and other fatty fish high in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Animal products*: Eggs, lard, bone marrow, bone broth, ghee, and raw honey.
• Dairy*: Hard cheeses, heavy cream, and butter, preferably from grass-fed animals.
• Water and bone broth: Pure water and bone broth are the main sources of hydration, with bone broth providing essential minerals.

*Depending on the variation of this diet that you follow, some people don’t eat eggs, ghee, honey, or dairy products.

What Not To Eat: Foods To Avoid On The Carnivore Diet

As you can see from the list above, the carnivore diet isn’t just about meat — any animal product is on the table. All of the following foods must be avoided:

• All plant-based foods: Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes (beans, lentils, peanuts, etc.).
• Processed foods: Anything that contains additives, preservatives, or artificial ingredients.
• Sugars and sweeteners: All forms of sugar, syrups, and artificial sweeteners.
• Dairy products (for strict carnivores): Milk, soft cheeses, and yogurts, which contain lactose and may disrupt digestion for some individuals.
• Alcoholic beverages: Beer, wine, and spirits, especially those high in sugars and carbohydrates.
• Other beverages: Coffee, tea, juice, and soda.

When it comes to herbs and spices, including salt and pepper, there is a grey area as to what’s acceptable. While extremely strict followers of the carnivore diet eliminate these completely, others use herbs sparingly or stick to salt to enhance flavor and ensure electrolyte balance.

The Carnivore Diet Meal Plan

Now that you know what you can eat, let's talk about what a day in the life of a carnivore dieter might look like. The great thing about the carnivore diet is that it’s packed with comfort foods.

Here’s a sample meal plan to get started.

Breakfast: Bacon And Egg Omelet

Cook up a couple of cage-free eggs with nitrate and sugar-free bacon for a classic breakfast that’s also carnivore-friendly. If you include cheese in your carnivore plan, add some in for a salty zing.

Lunch: Buttered Salmon

Wild-caught salmon is a delicious source of healthy fats essential for hormone and brain health. Line a pan with foil, place the salmon skin side down, top with a slice of butter, and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Snack: Jerky

Any type of jerky — salmon, beef, or turkey — is a great snack choice on the carnivore diet. It’s portable, packed with protein to keep you full, and has a long shelf-life.

Dinner: Bone Broth Chicken Soup And Liver Pate

End your day with a gut-soothing soup made with nourishing bone broth. Throw some chicken breasts in a crockpot with the bone broth and seasonings (if you choose). Once cooked, shred the chicken, and save any leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.

Serve with a side of liver pate. Bringing in organ meats like grass-fed organic liver is a great idea from a mineral and nutrient density standpoint.

Risks Associated With The Carnivore Diet

I hope it’s no surprise that the carnivore diet comes with some drawbacks you should discuss with your healthcare professional before getting started.

Here are some of the potential risks associated with this meat-centric approach, including nutritional deficiencies, heart health concerns, and other challenges worth considering:

• Nutrient deficiencies: Exclusive consumption of animal products can lead to shortages in essential micronutrients such as fiber, vitamins C and E, and certain minerals.
• Increased risk of heart disease: The increase in saturated fat associated with high meat consumption can cause elevated LDL (bad cholesterol) and may contribute to higher levels of heart disease in susceptible individuals. While short-term studies show an improvement in cholesterol levels, there’s also research to suggest that red meat consumption (specifically, non-organic red meats) aren’t great for heart health.
• Potential for kidney damage: Excessive protein consumption over a long period could strain the kidneys, especially in those with pre-existing kidney conditions.
• Impact on gut health: The lack of dietary fiber may negatively affect the gut microbiome, potentially leading to constipation and other digestive issues.
• Social and practical limitations: Strict dietary restrictions can make social dining challenging and may increase food preparation time. Eating a balanced diet is the most socially sustainable and likely comes with more health benefits.
• Changes in bowel movements: The carnivore diet may lead to watery stool or constipation.

The carnivore diet may not be safe for certain people, including:

• Those with chronic diseases like diabetes and kidney disease
• People with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or any history of stroke or cardiovascular disease
• Individuals with gut issues who need a large amount of fiber to sustain healthy bowel movements

If you do choose to try a carnivore diet, the type of meat and animal products you consume matters a lot. For example, conventional processed meats have been linked to cancer when consumed in high amounts (2).

Conventional dairy products are also at the top of most people’s food intolerances due to the extremely inflammatory nature of genetic modification, cross-breeding, and hormone and antibiotic overuse.

So if you are going to try the carnivore diet, it’s really important to go for high-quality organic, grass-fed, and wild-caught animal products. They typically taste better, have lower health risks, and their beneficial nutrients are more bioavailable to your body.

My Thoughts On Carnivore As A Healthcare Provider

Overall, I think the carnivore diet can be a great tool in the short term. I often suggest it as an elimination diet for patients with health issues due to multiple food sensitivities or those in active autoimmune-inflammatory flare-ups.

While they follow the carnivore diet, I work with my patients to heal their gut, rebalance their immune systems, and reduce chronic inflammation.

The carnivore diet does two things at once: It infuses the gut with bone broth's gut-healing benefits while eliminating harder-to-digest vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds.

In other words, it still allows a person to get beneficial nutrients while giving the gut a break from working so hard.

Emerging research shows what I have seen firsthand with my patients. This 2021 study found that men who ate a high-fat, high-protein carnivore diet for 14 months experienced significant improvement in their overall health and wellbeing with very little side effects (3).

That said, the research surrounding the carnivore diet is still extremely limited on its immediate effects, let alone how it holds up long-term as a sustainable diet. Therefore, once my patient’s symptoms improve, I still work with them to slowly reintroduce plant-based foods.

With what we know now about nutrition and our biochemistry, I don’t believe anyone should cut out plant foods from their diet long term because of their content of polyphenols, antioxidants, and fiber that just isn’t available in animal foods.

After all, studies have shown time and time again that a diet rich in plants has intensive detoxification properties, can help fight cancer, and also keep blood sugar under control (4, 5, 6).

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