Embarking on a new way of eating can feel overwhelming, with conflicting advice on what you should and shouldn't eat. Many of my patients come to me feeling confused by complex diet rules and are looking for a simpler, more intuitive approach to nutrition.

This uncertainty can lead to frustration, making it difficult to stick with any plan long enough to see real results. You might worry about missing out on key nutrients, getting bored with your meals, or not knowing how to start properly.

That’s why I’ve put together this comprehensive carnivore diet food list. It’s designed to cut through the noise and give you a clear, straightforward guide to eating in a way that prioritises nutrient-dense, animal-based foods. For those who want extra guidance, tools like the Carnimeat app can provide personalised meal plans to make the journey even smoother.

Before we dive into the specific foods, it’s helpful to understand the philosophy behind this approach. I often describe the carnivore diet as an elimination-style eating pattern that focuses exclusively on nutrient-dense animal foods to simplify nutrition and support certain health goals.

A typical meal would consist of a grilled steak and scrambled eggs, rather than steak served with a side of broccoli or a salad. This focus on animal foods provides a rich source of bioavailable protein and fats, which become the body's primary fuel.

For instance, learning to cook with tallow, lard, or butter is just as important as choosing a quality cut of meat. Fat becomes your primary fuel source, supporting everything from hormone production to the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.

However, more flexible and common variations include eggs, high-fat dairy like butter and hard cheeses, and even coffee or tea. This allows you to tailor the approach to your own preferences and tolerance. I often suggest starting with meat, fish, and eggs before deciding whether to experiment with a stricter version.

With this foundation in mind, let's build the core food list you'll use for your shopping and meal planning.

The foundation of a successful carnivore diet is built on a diverse list of high-quality animal products. Here are the core categories to build your meals around, focusing on nutrient density and satiety.

In my clinical experience, basing meals around these meats helps ensure a robust intake of complete protein and healthy saturated and monounsaturated fats. This combination is incredibly satiating, which helps regulate appetite and reduces the desire for snacking between meals. I always recommend choosing cuts with good fat content, like ribeye or chuck roast, as this fat is a primary energy source.

When shopping, look for grass-fed options if your budget allows, as they tend to have a better omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio. However, conventional beef is still an excellent and affordable choice. Below is a simple guide to help you select the best cuts.

One consideration I discuss with my patients is the fatty acid profile. Poultry and pork, especially from conventionally raised animals, tend to have a higher concentration of omega-6 fatty acids compared to ruminants. While not inherently bad, an imbalanced ratio can be pro-inflammatory for some. Opting for pasture-raised pork and poultry can help mitigate this.

I suggest incorporating fattier cuts like chicken thighs with the skin on, chicken wings, or pork belly a few times a week. These complement a beef-heavy plan well and are often more affordable.

I advise my clients to aim for at least two servings of fatty fish per week to ensure they are getting adequate omega-3s. Wild-caught options like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herring are superior choices as they generally have a better fatty acid profile and fewer contaminants than their farmed counterparts.

Incorporating them is simple. A meal could be a grilled salmon fillet for dinner or a convenient snack of tinned sardines packed in water or olive oil. Other seafood like prawns, scallops, and oysters are also excellent additions, offering unique nutrients like zinc and iodine.

The yolk, in particular, is a fantastic source of choline, which is vital for brain health and liver function, as well as vitamins A, D, and K2. Pasture-raised eggs tend to have higher levels of these nutrients and a better fatty acid profile, making them a worthwhile investment if accessible.

From a practical standpoint, eggs are perfect for a quick and satisfying meal. I often suggest a breakfast of three to four eggs scrambled in butter or cooked alongside bacon. This provides a solid dose of protein and healthy fats to keep you feeling full and energised for hours.

I guide my patients to intentionally add fat to every meal, rather than defaulting to lean protein sources. This ensures a state of nutritional ketosis where the body efficiently burns fat for fuel, leading to stable energy and enhanced mental clarity. Excellent sources include beef tallow, pork lard, butter, and ghee.

Here is a simple checklist I use to help people ensure they are getting enough fat:

1. Choose fatty cuts — Actively select well-marbled steaks like ribeye, 80/20 ground beef, or salmon over leaner options like chicken breast or sirloin.
2. Cook with animal fats — Use generous amounts of tallow, lard, or butter for frying, roasting, or searing your meats instead of letting the pan run dry.
3. Add fat to lean meats — If you are eating a leaner cut of meat, such as a filet mignon or chicken breast, top it with a generous pat of butter or a spoonful of tallow to increase the fat content.
4. Don't drain the fat — After cooking ground beef or bacon, leave the rendered fat in the pan and use it to cook your eggs or simply pour it over your meal.

While the list above forms the strict foundation, some people find that adding a few other animal-derived foods helps with long-term adherence and nutritional variety.

While a strict carnivore diet is limited to meat, salt, and water, many people find success by including a few other animal-based foods. These can add variety and micronutrients, but I always advise people to listen to their bodies to see how they tolerate them.

Dairy provides valuable nutrients like calcium and vitamin K2, but it can be inflammatory for others due to proteins like casein. My advice is always to introduce these foods one at a time after an initial strict period. For example, you could try adding a slice of aged cheddar to your burger patties for a week and monitor for any digestive upset, skin issues, or other symptoms.

Beef liver, for example, is an unparalleled source of vitamin A (retinol), vitamin B12, copper, and folate. These nutrients are critical for vision, energy metabolism, and immune function. Heart is another excellent option, rich in CoQ10, an antioxidant vital for cellular energy production, especially in the heart muscle itself.

I understand that the taste and texture of organ meats can be a barrier for many people. A patient of mine was hesitant to try liver, so I gave him this tip which he found very effective: start small. Mince just 30-60 grams of raw beef liver and mix it thoroughly into 500 grams of ground beef when making burger patties or a meatloaf. The flavour of the ground beef easily masks the liver, but you still receive all the incredible nutritional benefits.

Simmering bones for an extended period (12-24 hours) extracts minerals like magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus, along with collagen and gelatin. These proteins provide amino acids like glycine and proline, which are important for maintaining the integrity of the gut lining, as well as supporting healthy skin, hair, and joints.

You can easily make it at home by simmering beef, lamb, or chicken bones with a splash of apple cider vinegar (to help extract minerals) and salt. If buying it from a store, I recommend choosing a high-quality brand that contains no added sugars, vegetables, or spices to keep it strictly carnivore.

Just as important as knowing what to eat is knowing what to leave out.

The simplicity of the carnivore diet comes from what you eliminate. The primary goal is to remove all plant-based foods and processed ingredients that can be sources of inflammation or digestive issues for some individuals.

This is a non-negotiable aspect of the diet, as even small amounts of plant matter can interfere with the goal of giving the digestive system a complete rest from fibre and plant compounds. The table below outlines the main categories to avoid.

You also need to be vigilant about processed meats. I always tell my patients to read labels carefully on items like bacon, sausages, and cured meats. Many brands add sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, or nitrites for curing and flavour. Look for products with minimal ingredients, ideally just meat, salt, and water.

The topic of coffee and tea is often debated. While they are plant-based, some people choose to include them in their flexible carnivore approach. However, for a strict elimination protocol, I recommend removing them completely at first. You can always try reintroducing black coffee or unsweetened tea later to see how your body responds.

With a clear food list, let's explore how to put it all together into satisfying daily meals.

Turning a food list into satisfying daily meals is the key to making this way of eating sustainable. I advise people to focus on two main principles: eat when you're hungry until you're full, and prioritise fat for energy.

For patients who feel overwhelmed, I often suggest using an app like Carnimeat. It offers personalised meal plans and access to hundreds of carnivore recipes, which removes the guesswork and helps prevent meal fatigue. Having a tool that also tracks things like water intake and weight can provide motivation and keep you on course.

I provide my patients with these actionable steps to achieve the right balance:

1. Start with fatty cuts — Make fatty meats like ribeye, pork belly, 80/20 ground beef, or salmon the foundation of your meals.
2. Add animal fats — Get comfortable cooking with and adding fats like butter, tallow, or lard to leaner cuts or ground meat.
3. Aim for a target ratio — A good goal is to have about 70-80% of your calories come from fat. In practical terms, this often looks like aiming for at least 1 gram of fat for every 1 gram of protein by weight on your plate.

Here’s a concrete example I share with clients: a satisfying breakfast of four eggs cooked in butter with bacon might keep you feeling full and energised well into the late afternoon. This often eliminates the need for lunch and the desire for snacks, simplifying your day and improving metabolic health.

To prevent symptoms like headaches, muscle cramps, and fatigue, I instruct people to drink plenty of water throughout the day and to be liberal with unrefined salt (like sea salt or pink salt) on their food. Adding an extra pinch of salt to each meal and drinking a cup of bone broth daily are simple yet effective strategies.

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Meal 1 (Morning): 4 scrambled eggs cooked in 1 tablespoon of butter, served with 4 strips of sugar-free bacon.
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Meal 2 (Evening): A 450g ribeye steak cooked in tallow, salted generously to taste.

1. Eat enough — Do not restrict calories. Focus on eating fatty foods until you are fully satisfied to avoid energy dips and cravings.
2. Keep it simple — In the first week, stick to basic meals like steak or ground beef and eggs. This allows your digestive system to adapt without too many variables.
3. Prioritise rest — Your body is undergoing a significant metabolic shift. Ensure you get adequate sleep and avoid intense exercise during the first week to allow for proper recovery.

Now that you know the what and the how, let's touch on some of the positive changes many people experience.

Many people are drawn to the carnivore diet for its potential benefits, which often stem from its highly simplified and potentially anti-inflammatory nature. In my practice, I’ve seen patients report positive changes in several key areas.

For instance, because a meal of fatty steak can keep you feeling full and satisfied for six to eight hours, the hormonal drive for snacking between meals often disappears completely. This effortless reduction in eating frequency is a powerful driver of fat loss for many.

I often hear patients who have struggled for years with digestive discomfort report feeling 'lighter' and more comfortable after just a week or two on the diet. For them, this dietary reset provides a valuable opportunity to identify trigger foods.

The brain runs very efficiently on ketones, which are a clean-burning energy source derived from fat. This can lead to a state of sustained mental alertness and productivity that many of my patients find transformative.

Of course, any significant dietary change requires careful consideration and a smooth transition.

Like any significant dietary change, the carnivore diet comes with an adaptation period and a few considerations to keep in mind. Approaching these proactively can make for a much smoother and more positive experience.

I reassure my patients that this is a normal part of the metabolic shift. To manage these symptoms, I recommend three key strategies: stay well-hydrated with plenty of water, increase your salt intake to replenish lost electrolytes, and, most importantly, ensure you are eating enough fat to provide your body with adequate fuel.

For example, just 100 grams of beef liver provides well over 100% of the recommended daily intake for Vitamin A (retinol), Vitamin B12, and copper. Eggs provide choline, fatty fish provides omega-3s and vitamin D, and bone broth offers minerals and collagen. Focusing on a variety of animal foods is key.

1. Plan ahead — Before going to a restaurant, check the menu online. Look for simple meat dishes like steak, burger patties (ask for no bun or sauce), grilled fish, or a roast. Most places are happy to accommodate simple requests.
2. Eat beforehand — If you're going to an event where you're unsure about the food options, have a satisfying carnivore meal before you go. This allows you to focus on socializing instead of worrying about what to eat.
3. Communicate simply — You don't need to give a detailed explanation of your diet. A simple statement like 'I'm avoiding carbs and sugar right now' is usually enough to politely decline unwanted foods.

While mild adaptation symptoms are common, it's important to listen to your body. You should consult a healthcare professional if you experience severe or prolonged digestive distress, persistent dizziness, or heart palpitations.