The Ultimate Carnivore Diet Food List

What is the carnivore diet?

The carnivore diet is where you only eat foods that come from animals, and avoid any foods that come from plants. It is basically an extreme elimination diet.

Proponents of the carnivore diet say it can help with many different health issues, and that it has greatly improved their own health. They say that the diet helps with weight loss, blood sugar regulation, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, mood, energy, sleep, digestive issues, focus and more.

The carnivore diet is based on the idea that our ancestors evolved eating mainly meat and fish, and that high-carb diets and the processed foods that are commonly eaten today are responsible for many different health issues and diseases.

It is also based on the idea that the high intake of plants that is often recommended is not ideal for health. Plants naturally produce a number of different chemicals and compounds to help protect themselves from pray including things like oxalates, salicylates, phytic acid or phytates, lectins, and more. It is felt that these chemicals and compounds can be harmful to the human body by acting as anti-nutrients and by being hard on the gut, so by avoiding them your health will improve.

The carnivore diet is different from other diets such as the paleo diet or keto diet, in that the carnivore diet aims for a zero carbohydrate intake. So even though the goal of a carnivore diet isn't to put your body in ketosis, this would happen naturally given the lack of carbs on the diet.

A carnivore diet is basically a combination of an extreme ketogenic diet, and elimination diet, both of which can help with various health problems. It is essentially the opposite of a high-carb diet. However, it should be noted that so far there have been very few studies specifically examining a carnivore diet to help prove or disprove the health claims associated with it.

Potential benefits of a carnivore diet:

To date, there has only been one study that has been published on the carnivore diet. However, there have been many studies published regarding the positive effects of a ketogenic diet, so some of that information will translate to the carnivore diet too, as the carnivore diet, being a zero carbohydrate diet, will put you into a state of ketosis.

Similar to a keto diet, eating a strict animal food based diet could help you lose weight because you are shifting your main energy source from carbs to fats. 

This way of eating may also help decrease inflammation and many studies have shown that a ketogenic diet can decrease inflammation and be beneficial for different chronic diseases and health conditions which are driven by inflammation including cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, epilepsy, depression, anxiety, inflammatory arthritis, psoriasis, pain, diabetes, migraines etc.

This diet could also decrease pain and many studies in both animals and humans have shown that a low carb diet can help control pain. 

It can also help with digestion and studies have shown that a keto diet can be helpful for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Risks of a carnivore diet:

A carnivore diet can put you at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies because a meat based diet eliminates many different foods that are high in vitamins and minerals and other important nutrients.

In particular, you could easily become low in vitamin C or develop scurvy. I have actually seen a patient recently who developed scurvy after being on a carnivore diet for two years, so this is a significant risk and one that must be taken seriously. This is why some carnivore diet advocates will recommend some fruit intake while doing this diet to help prevent vitamin C deficiency. If you are on a carnivore diet you should be monitored closely for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

There is a lack of fiber on this diet. Fiber comes from plant foods, and fiber contributes to healthy bowel movements and healthy gut bacteria. A lack of fiber could lead to constipation and some studies have also shown that diets low in fiber may increase your risk of colon cancer.

It is high in red meat and some studies have shown that high red meat intake may increase the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and heart disease.

This diet can be stressful and hard to follow long term. Doing any type of strict dietary protocol, especially one that eliminates as many foods as the carnivore diet does can be very mentally taxing and stressful. We know that increased stress is not good for your health, so if the stress of doing this type of diet is more than the actual benefit you might see from the diet itself, it is likely a diet that it isn't right for you.

High-protein diets and high fat diets are not a good option for everyone. For example, certain health conditions like kidney failure or kidney disease can be made worse by low-carb diets, so the carnivore diet could actually be very dangerous for certain people to try.

The long-term effects of this diet have not been studied, and so there may be even more risks that we don't know about yet.

Due to the many potential risks, I would personally not recommend that anyone try a carnivore diet without discussing it with your doctor or other health care providers first.

Carnivore Diet Food List

In order to follow a carnivore diet, you need to stick to animal-based foods. But, not all animal products are allowed on a carnivore diet, so below I've included a carnivore diet food list that outlines which foods are allowed, and which foods aren't allowed to make following this type of diet easier for you if you decide to try it (and only with permission from your health care providers).

Foods to eat on a carnivore diet:

• Meat* - you can eat many types of meat and this includes any type of unprocessed meat including beef, lamb, pork, game meats, chicken, turkey, duck, etc. You will need to avoid processed meats like hot dogs and deli meats which include fillers, sugars and other ingredients which aren't allowed on a carnivore diet.
• Fish - any type of unprocessed fish such salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, crab, scallops, shrimp etc.
• Other animal-based products including eggs, bone marrow, animal fat, lard, bone broth (made without vegetables), etc.
• Full-fat dairy and low lactose dairy products (in small amounts) including butter, heavy cream, ghee, hard cheeses, etc. Ideally full fat raw dairy is preferred on a carnivore diet
• Seasonings including salt, black pepper, herbs and spices. Be sure to avoid any seasonings with sugars, starches, or carbohydrates.
• Water

* If possible you want to choose grass-fed meat and pasture raised meat. 

If you are interested in carnivore diet snacks, we have a post with 23 carnivore diet snack ideas!

Foods to avoid on a carnivore diet: 

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• High-lactose dairy products such as soft cheese, milk, sour cream, yogurt, etc. 
• Legumes
• All additives including but not limited to, nitrates, artificial flavours, natural flavours, nitrites, MSG, etc.
• Nuts and seeds
• Imitation meats or plant based meats
• Vegetable oils
• Grains
• Alcohol
• Sugars
• Drinks other than water

One very important thing to remember is that in order to do the carnivore diet properly, and ensure you get enough essential nutrients you need to include organ meats in your diet. If you don't include organ meats you could become deficient in various vitamins and minerals. As I mentioned before, the carnivore diet is an extreme elimination diet so it needs to be approached with caution.

Ideally, you also want to ensure that the meat and fish you are eating are naturally raised. This means pasture raised meats (ie. grass fed and grass finished beef) and wild fish. Because of this, the carnivore diet can be rather expensive to do and not everyone can afford to do it properly.

Carnivore diet shopping list:

I've created a handy printable PDF carnivore diet food list for you that you can take to the grocery store.

To get the list simply leave your email below and it will be sent to your inbox.

Carnivore diet meal plan:

If you are thinking about trying a carnivore diet, I highly encourage you to discuss it with your doctor or other healthcare provider first, as there are significant potential risks to this diet, and depending on your underlying health issues it may be very dangerous.

I also encourage you to do more research before just starting it on a whim. I would recommend the book The Carnivore Code by Dr. Paul Saladino which has a lot more information about this way of eating.

If you are thinking of trying a carnivore diet here is a sample 3 day carnivore diet meal plan:

Sample Carnivore Diet Meal Plan

Day 1

• Breakfast: Steak and eggs
• Lunch: Salmon and fried duck
• Snack: Bacon
• Dinner: Ground beef patties

Day 2

• Breakfast: Eggs with bacon
• Lunch: Tuna and hard boiled eggs
• Snack: Sardines
• Dinner: Bone broth and roasted chicken

Day 3

• Breakfast: Chicken livers and scrambled eggs
• Lunch: Turkey burgers
• Snack: Hard boiled eggs
• Dinner: Roasted salmon

Other carnivore diet features:

On a carnivore diet, counting calories and macros is not recommended. Portion sizes will also vary depending on the person. The idea is to listen to your body and to eat when you are hungry, and finish eating when you are full.

Our expertise:

Dr. Erin Carter, MD, FRCPC, is a physician with board certifications in internal medicine and rheumatology. She is passionate about nutrition, environmental health and low toxicity living and has been doing research and publishing information in this area for years.