After publishing an article about my carnivore diet experiment a few days ago I've had quite a few emails and direct messages on Instagram asking whether certain foods are allowed on the carnivore diet.
Instead of just replying to these individuals messages a carnivore diet food list will serve as a much more useful resource.
Before we delve into the foods that're deemed acceptable on the carnivore diet we need to discuss a couple of quick things...
What YOU eat on the carnivore diet is based upon WHY you decided to start the diet.
There are three big reasons why individuals begin the carnivore diet including:
1 - For Means of Elimination
The strictest form of carnivore diet.
Individuals with autoimmune issues, aches and pains that won't go away or those just lacking energy and feeling lethargic often opt to delve straight in to a strict form of elimination diet - consuming only water, grass feed beef and Himalayan sea salt for a period of time while their body heals itself, after a while they may choose to slowly reintroduce foods they were previously consuming one by one to determine which specifics foods are causing their issues.
This is essentially using the carnivore diet as a means of troubleshooting and as such will have you consuming a very, very limited group of foods.
Many individuals love the carnivore diet becasuse they can smash rashes of bacon at will, if you're performing the carnivore diet for means of elimination that will not be the case for you.
2 - To Solely Consume Animal Products
Those that're simply following the carnivore diet to eliminate processed rubbish foods from their diet and consume solely animal products will likely not be anywhere near as strict as those following an elimination diet.
Different types of meat, eggs and dairy are a go if this is your reasoning.
From baked salmon to medium rare eye fillets, crispy bacon and scallops - so long as it's an animal food source you're good to go.
3 - To Shred Fat & Build Lean Mass
Bodybuilders of the Golden Era back on Venice Beach used to follow the carnivore diet prior to competitions and shoots as they knew this was a sure-fire way to shred those last few percentile of body fat.
If shredding fat is your primary reason for following the carnivore diet you'll essentially be following Vince Gironda's steak and eggs diet which consists of... you guessed it! Steak and eggs.
The quality fats your body will derive from your steak and eggs is also excellent for boosting your Testosterone levels.
Higher Testosterone results in increased lean muscle mass, increased confidence and increase recovery between workouts just to name a few benefits.
Strict Carnivore Diet Food List
- Grass feed beef
- Water
- Himalayan sea salt
- Butter
Flexible Carnivore Diet Food List
- Fatty cuts of beef
- Turkey
- Organ meat
- Lamb
- Pork
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Trout
- Eggs
- Bone marrow
- Bone broth
- Milk
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Himalayan sea salt
- Hard cheese
Fat Burning Carnivore Diet Food List
- Steak
- Eggs
- Himalayan sea salt
- Butter
How 'Bout Dairy On The Carnivore Diet?
Dairy is deemed OK in small to moderate quantities on the carnivore diet, however many individuals opt to eliminate it as a large amount of the population becomes intolerant eventually.
A small amount of yogurt or a bit of hard cheese with your eggs in the morning is fine as long as your body doesn't react adversely - this is a matter of trial and error. I recommend starting your carnivore diet without dairy, seeing how your body feels and how you perform and then if you wish slowly re-introduce it and see if it makes a difference. If you feel the same then great, keep it in your diet... if not then remove it once again.
Avoid The Following...
Regardless of which level of carnivore diet you deem to best suit you ALL carnivores should avoid the following...
- All vegetables such as brocollo, beans, potatoes
- All fruits such as bananas, apples, oranges, plums, peaches
- Beans and lentils
- Pasta, rice, oats, quinoa
- Any beverage other than water (although some individuals do consume coffee and sugar free electrolyte beverages)
- Any sugary or sweet processed foods