The carnivore diet is an elimination-style diet where you eat only animal foods and exclude all plant-based foods. At its core, it means eating meat, fish, eggs, and animal fats while avoiding vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and all processed foods. Proponents report benefits ranging from weight loss and reduced inflammation to improved mental clarity and resolution of autoimmune symptoms.
What Do You Eat on the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet food list is short, which is part of its appeal. Here is everything that is included:
Always Included
- Red meat: Beef, bison, lamb, venison, elk, goat
- Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck
- Pork: Chops, belly, ribs, bacon, sausage (check for fillers)
- Fish and seafood: Salmon, sardines, shrimp, tuna, cod, oysters, mussels
- Eggs: Chicken, duck, quail
- Animal fats: Butter, ghee, tallow, lard, duck fat
- Organ meats: Liver, heart, kidney, tongue, bone marrow
Included by Most (Debated by Some)
- Dairy: Cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, yogurt
- Bone broth: Homemade or store-bought
- Processed meats: Beef jerky, pemmican, deli meats (check ingredients)
- Coffee and tea: Many carnivore dieters continue drinking these despite being plant-derived
Always Excluded
- All vegetables and fruits
- Grains, bread, pasta, rice
- Legumes and beans
- Nuts and seeds
- Sugar and sweeteners
- Vegetable and seed oils
- Processed foods
What Are the Different Carnivore Diet Variations?
Not all carnivore dieters eat the same way. Here are the main approaches, from strictest to most flexible:
The Lion Diet (Strictest)
The Lion Diet, popularized by Mikhaila Peterson, consists of only ruminant meat (beef, bison, lamb), salt, and water. No eggs, no dairy, no poultry, no pork, no coffee. This is used primarily as an elimination protocol for people with severe autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Most people do not need to be this restrictive, but it serves as an effective baseline for identifying food sensitivities.
Strict Carnivore
The standard carnivore diet includes all animal foods: red meat, poultry, pork, fish, eggs, and animal fats. Some strict carnivore followers exclude dairy. This is the most common version and what most people mean when they say “carnivore diet.”
Carnivore with Dairy
Many carnivore dieters include full-fat dairy like butter, cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream. Dairy is well-tolerated by most people but can cause issues for those with casein or lactose sensitivity. If you are using carnivore as an elimination diet, start without dairy and reintroduce it after 30 days to test tolerance.
Animal-Based Diet
Popularized by Dr. Paul Saladino, the animal-based diet is the most relaxed variant. It centers on animal foods but adds low-toxicity plant foods like fruit, honey, and raw dairy. The idea is that animal foods form the nutritional foundation while select plant foods provide additional carbohydrates for active individuals. This is technically not carnivore but is closely related.
Who Is the Carnivore Diet For?
The carnivore diet attracts several distinct groups:
People with autoimmune conditions. By eliminating all plant foods, carnivore removes common inflammatory triggers like lectins, oxalates, and gluten. Many people with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis report significant symptom improvement.
People who want to lose weight. The high protein and fat content of carnivore creates powerful satiety, making it difficult to overeat. Combined with the elimination of hyperpalatable processed foods, many people experience effortless weight loss on carnivore.
People with digestive issues. For those who react to fiber, FODMAPs, or other plant compounds, carnivore can be a game-changer. Many people with IBS, SIBO, and chronic bloating report complete resolution of symptoms.
People seeking simplicity. No meal planning apps, no macro calculations, no reading ingredient labels. For people exhausted by the complexity of modern dieting, carnivore offers radical simplicity. You buy meat, you cook it, you eat it.
How Is Carnivore Different From Keto?
While carnivore and keto share some overlap, they are fundamentally different approaches:
| Aspect | Carnivore | Keto |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | Near zero (incidental) | Under 20-50g per day |
| Plant foods | Eliminated | Allowed (vegetables, nuts, berries) |
| Food focus | Animal foods only | High fat from any source |
| Philosophy | Elimination diet | Macronutrient manipulation |
| Tracking needed | Minimal | Often requires precise macro tracking |
Most carnivore dieters are in ketosis by default since animal foods contain minimal carbohydrates. But the motivations and experiences differ. Carnivore dieters often report benefits beyond what they experienced on keto, likely due to the elimination of plant compounds that can cause individual sensitivities.
What Should You Expect When Starting Carnivore?
The first two weeks of carnivore involve an adaptation period as your body transitions from burning glucose to burning fat as its primary fuel:
Days 1-3: Cravings for carbohydrates and sugar. This is normal and passes quickly for most people.
Days 3-7: The “carnivore flu.” Some people experience headaches, fatigue, irritability, and brain fog. This is caused by electrolyte shifts and is mitigated by increasing salt intake and supplementing magnesium.
Days 7-14: Energy begins to stabilize. Cravings diminish significantly. Digestion starts normalizing.
Days 14-30: Most adaptation symptoms resolve. Energy levels typically exceed pre-carnivore baseline. Mental clarity improves. Hunger becomes predictable and manageable.
Days 30+: This is where the real benefits of carnivore become apparent. Inflammation markers drop, body composition changes, and many chronic symptoms improve or resolve.
For a detailed walkthrough of your first month, read our carnivore diet beginner’s guide.
Is the Carnivore Diet Nutritionally Complete?
This is the most common concern about carnivore, and it deserves a direct answer.
Animal foods provide: complete protein with all essential amino acids, all essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6), vitamin B12, B6, B3 (niacin), B2 (riboflavin), iron (highly bioavailable heme iron), zinc, selenium, phosphorus, vitamin A (retinol from liver), vitamin D (from fatty fish and egg yolks), vitamin K2, and choline.
The nutrients most discussed in the context of carnivore are:
Vitamin C: The RDA is set based on a carbohydrate-containing diet. Glucose and vitamin C compete for the same cellular transporters, so when carbohydrate intake is near zero, vitamin C requirements appear to drop significantly. Fresh meat contains some vitamin C, and clinical scurvy has not been documented in modern carnivore dieters.
Fiber: Carnivore dieters consume zero fiber, yet most report improved digestion. Fiber is not an essential nutrient, and its benefits are increasingly debated in nutritional science.
Calcium: Adequate if you include dairy or bone broth. Bone-in fish like sardines are another excellent source.
For those who want to ensure optimal nutrition, including organ meats once or twice per week covers virtually all nutritional bases. Liver, in particular, is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available.
How Do You Get Started With Carnivore?
Starting is simpler than you think:
- Choose your variation. Most people should start with strict carnivore (all animal foods) for 30 days before experimenting with variations.
- Stock your kitchen. Remove temptation by clearing out plant foods. Stock up on ground beef, steaks, eggs, butter, and salt.
- Eat to satiety. Do not restrict calories during the first month. Your body needs fuel to adapt.
- Track your intake. Use an app like Vore to monitor your protein and fat during the learning phase.
- Give it 30 days. The adaptation period is real. Do not judge the diet until you have completed at least one full month.
For detailed first-week guidance, check out our beginner’s guide to the carnivore diet.
To learn more about carnivore diet fundamentals, visit the Carnivore Diet Guide hub.