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How to Make a Carnivore Diet Eating Plan: The Ultimate Guide

Starting a carnivore diet is an exciting step toward a healthier lifestyle. But if you’re going to do it, you need to do it right; and that involves a comprehensive carnivore diet eating plan. The only foods allowed in a strict carnivore diet are animal foods, such as pork, beef, lamb, fish, or eggs. However, […]
Josh Koop
April 9, 2020

Starting a carnivore diet is an exciting step toward a healthier lifestyle. But if you’re going to do it, you need to do it right; and that involves a comprehensive carnivore diet eating plan.

The only foods allowed in a strict carnivore diet are animal foods, such as pork, beef, lamb, fish, or eggs. However, you can eat any cut of it, including tails and organs, with a focus on fatty cuts. Other ingredients that you can introduce are salt and water. You should eat when you are naturally hungry, regardless of timings and amounts.

So, this brief list gives you an overview of what your month is going to look like. However, if you think you can't survive 30 days on a handful of ingredients, check out the guidelines below!

How often should I eat?

One of the staples of the carnivore diet is that you can eat whenever you want and in the amount, you wish until you are full. Your appetite should tell you when to eat and what you are going to have for lunch.

During the first few days on an all-meat diet, it is normal for your body to get through an adaptation period. During this time, it is common for you to experience extreme hunger and prolonged periods of fullness. 

While it might make it challenging for you to meal prep correctly or even buy the right amount of meat, you should adjust as you go through the diet.

Ideally, you should start cooking as soon as your body tells you to eat. If you are not hungry, don't force a meal on your stomach, but undereating can cause adverse side effects.

If you have tried other diets before, you might be familiar with calorie-counting and rationing. It is normal to try to cut down the amount you are eating because you are scared of gaining weight. However, not eating when hungry is unnecessary suffering to put yourself through. 

The carnivore diet aims at improving your weight loss process and no number of meals if preferable over others, as long as you are comfortable.

Close-up of man grilling lots of meat on barbecue with flames - Carnivore Diet Eating Plan

The Carnivore Menu

The menu of a carnivore might be juicy, but it is undoubtedly not varied. The ratio between fat and protein can vary depending on whether you aim to lower your body weight or gain lean mass.

 In any case, you will need to entirely cut off carbs, vegetables, grains, and other plant-based foods from your daily eating plan. Of course, this makes your weekly food shopping much more straightforward!

An all-meat diet can feel overly-restrictive and can cause you to follow it only for a month. Cravings are also part of the process and, in some people, extremely common during the first weeks.

However, given that you don't struggle with any food-related anxiety, experts suggest following the diet for at least one month.

This time frame allows your body to complete the adaptation period, go over the craving phase, and eventually be able to see results.

Moreover, digestive problems are prevalent during the first month, which might cause you to give up. In this case, eat more meat and keep yourself hydrated!

Foods

The list of foods allowed on a strict Carnivore Diet is composed purely of animal-sourced products. You can follow the guide below to get started:

  • Meat - Meat makes up almost 90% of your diet and is your primary source of energy. The good news is that any meat that is not overly processed is viable! However, since you are not eating carbs, you should include fatty meats. These ingredients allow your body to have enough fat to work on ketosis. The best cuts are chicken, steak (ribeye, chuck eye, sirloin, strip), ground beef, roasts (brisket, chuck, prime rib), T-bones, pork chops, and bacon. 
  • Organs - Considered necessary by some for their nutritional values, you can implement them as you see fit. If you would like to introduce this ingredient in your diet, aim for liver, heart, tongue, and kidneys.
  • Fish - Fish is an excellent source of Omega-3 and can help you vary your diet. Among the preferred ones, you should include trout, mackerel, salmon, sardines, and catfish as they are higher in fats.

Drinks

You should avoid consuming any sodas or alcoholic beverages during your diet. Aside from hindering the diet's result, these drinks are generally unhealthy. The go-to drinks while on the carnivore diets are:

  • Water (carbonated or not)
  • Bone Broth
  • Teas and coffees are exceptions that most users accept. However, you should avoid adding sugar and milk to it.

Additions

Is your diet getting a little monotonous and feels very restrictive? There are some options to introduce that can spice up your day! These ingredients are might not always be in the diet of the strictest carnivores but can help you make it through the month without giving in to cravings:

  • Bone Marrow
  • Eggs
  • Lard
  • Condiments such as pepper, salt, spices, and herbs - Ensure that they don't contain sugar of carbs.
  • Dairy - heavy whipping cream, hard cheeses, grass-fed butter, and milk.

Supplements for digestive issues

During the first weeks of your diet, digestive problems are widespread and can range from constipation to nausea and even diarrhea. Here are some supplements to take before your meals to ease the symptoms of gastrointestinal issues:

  • Lipase - helps with diarrhea (1 to 2 capsules)
  • Ox Bile - Increases bile amount in your stomach (1-2 tablets)
  • Betaine HCl - stops gastric reflux (1 tablet)
Benefits of Carnivore Diet - Carnivore Diet Eating Plan

Meal Plans - Examples 

Here is an example of what to eat per day. Of course, this menu can adapt to your taste, appetite, and needs. 

  • Breakfast: Bacon and eggs are standard breakfast foods for carnivores. To add flavor to it, you can cook your breakfast in butter. Alongside it, you can have coffee or tea, or just water.
  • Lunch. - Beef, salmon, or ribeye steak. It can change depending on whether you need a quick lunch snack at your desk, or you can cook your meals from scratch.
  • Dinner - If you prefer to keep your lunch meals lighter, ensure to consume enough fat to your diet through your dinners. For this task, opt for NY strips or ribeye steaks, which are fatty meat cuts.
  • Snacks - Pork chops (even pre-prepared) and bone broth are healthy snacks that can get you through your day without cheating!

Social Situations 

Even though all-meat diets are becoming increasingly popular, they still get quite a bit of criticism. And while you might be able to deal with the criticism quite handily, you’ll still have to deal with the perils of a restaurant not properly adhering to your dietary restrictions. 

Ask the waiter if you can have your meat without condiments, sauces, or spices. You can always add some salt and pepper yourself!

If you want to play it safe, try to pick a BBQ or steak restaurant, to ensure you will have a couple of dishes from which to choose. In this case, the trickiest situation is understanding what sauces are on your plate.

Final Thoughts

A carnivore diet can seem overly restrictive at first, especially if you have not been experimenting with keto or paleo diets. 

During your first month, cravings, adaptation issues, and digestive problems are common. However, you can easily add eggs, cheese, and marrow to spice up your meals.

Eventually, this diet will become your lifestyle, and you won't feel the need to introduce other ingredients in your daily eating plan.

In any case, the one unsurpassed benefit of following a carnivore diet is that you can eat as much as you want any time you want without having to count portions or calories.

If you read this far you are amazing! I would love to hear from you in the comments below if I helped you gain knowledge and useful information, additionally I would like to know if I got anything incorrect that you believe should be researched more and updated. As always to get the word out please join our new Carnivore Rx group on Facebook and share this out on social media!

Sources

To the Carniovore Dieters Who Will Settle for Nothing Less Than Quality Meats

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