Carnivore Diet Meal Plan for Beginners

There's a new diet in town, and it's meaty.

The Carnivore Diet, popularized by Shawn Baker, has gone somewhat viral since 2018 due to its extreme stance.

A carnivore diet meal plan for beginners and experts advises an all-meat diet — to heck with vegetables and fruits. What you need is grass-fed meat, like the days of old. By eliminating carbs, we can absolve ourselves of the misfortunes and health issues that have arisen due to a western diet loaded with carbs and inflammatory ingredients.

While there is some truth to that, you'll soon discover that a carnivore diet meal plan for beginners and experts is controversial. 

Today, we're going to breakdown the carnivore diet so you can make the best decision for your lifestyle. We’ll also provide you with a sample carnivore diet menu to create your own plan for eating.

What Is the Carnivore Diet?

The carnivore diet plan is simple: focus on meal recipes and snacks. You only eat animal foods and products. Everything else is restricted. That means no fruits, no vegetables, no bread or grains, and limiting your dairy intake to low-lactose foods. It's almost the complete opposite of a vegan diet.

While this may seem crazy at first, some people theorize that plant foods are not required to live. In fact, carbohydrates — which are abundant in plants — are the only non-essential macronutrient. This means fats and proteins are required for our bodies to survive, but we don't need carbohydrates in the same way.

The carnivore diet plan is sort of an evolution of paleo and keto. It stems from the contested belief that our ancestors ate mostly meat and fish, and high-carb diets are why Americans and other western societies are experiencing such high rates of chronic inflammation, disease, and gut issues.

Carnivore Diet rules are a controversial evolution of the keto and paleo diet that aims to eliminate carbs entirely from your diet by eating exclusively animal-based foods.

How Does the Carnivore Diet Work?

The carnivore diet meal plan works by eliminating all carbohydrates and forcing your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When you remove carbs entirely, your body shifts from using glucose as its primary fuel source to breaking down stored and dietary fats for energy through ketogenesis.

This carnivore diet meal plan triggers several physiological changes. First, your insulin levels drop significantly which promotes fat burning and can lead to rapid initial weight loss. Second, your body begins producing ketones, an alternative fuel source that many carnivore dieters report provides steady energy and mental clarity.

Additionally, by eating only animal products, you're consuming high-quality protein and natural fats that promote satiety. This means you'll likely feel fuller for longer periods, naturally reducing your overall calorie intake without the need for portion control or calorie counting that other diet plans require.

Carnivore Diet 7-Day Meal Plan

Getting started with the carnivore diet plan is extremely simple. Here's an example of what a full week carnivore diet menu: 

Day 1

• Breakfast: Steak and eggs

• Lunch: Salmon and fried pork

• Snack: Cottage cheese

• Dinner: Ground beef patties
  

Day 2

• Breakfast: Feta cheese omelette

• Lunch: Chicken thighs with cheddar cheese

• Snack: Chomps meat sticks!

• Dinner: Ribeye steak
  
  

Day 3

• Breakfast: Poached eggs with bacon

• Lunch: Tuna and hard boiled eggs

• Snack: Sardines

• Dinner: Bone broth and roasted chicken
  
  

Day 4

• Breakfast: Kefir and two eggs over medium

• Lunch: Shredded chicken with bacon

• Snack: Tuna

• Dinner: Bison burgers
  
  

Day 5

• Breakfast: Chicken livers and scrambled eggs

• Lunch: Turkey burgers

• Snack: Hard boiled eggs

• Dinner: Slow roasted salmon
  
  

Day 6

• Breakfast: Chicken and feta omelette

• Lunch: Beef liver

• Snack: Sardines

• Dinner: Pork chops
  
  

Day 7

• Breakfast: Bacon and eggs

• Lunch: Grilled chicken tenders

• Snack: Steak bites

• Dinner: Prime rib

Whether it’s a carnivore diet for beginners or experts, it doesn't get more straightforward, and there's no need to over-complicate it. In fact, if you love steak you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert!

Satisfy your sweet cravings on the carnivore diet with these guilt-free desserts, free from sugar and grains.

Getting Through the First Month of an All-Meat Diet

Before you dive right into the carnivore diet plan, it's important to know that the first month (especially the first week) will be the hardest.

Here are a few things you should understand to make the transition easier:

Get your blood tested.

Get your blood work done before you start a carnivore diet meal plan and again after approximately 2 months in. Everyone has different metabolic needs, so it's important to know if the diet is working well with your body. Better yet, work with a physician!

Don't quit when you don't feel good.

If you’re on a carnivore diet meal plan for beginners, you'll likely experience fatigue, headaches, and other flu-like symptoms during the first week of the diet. This is a normal part of the process as your body is getting used to using fats for energy rather than carbs.

Expect your appetite to fluctuate.

You'll have some days where you want to eat non-stop and other days where you won't even think about food. Your appetite will adjust once your body gets used to the diet.

Carnivore Diet Food List You Can Eat

A carnivore meal plan makes your weekly grocery haul extremely easy. One of the major selling points of the diet is how easy it is to follow.

Here's is a carnivore diet food list: 

Meat

Your main calorie source of your carnivore diet meals should come from fatty cuts of grass-fed meat like NY strip steak, porterhouse, ribeye, 80/20 ground beef, t-bone, bacon, pork chops, and flank steak. Since you're restricting carbohydrates, meats with more fat content are preferred so your body can use those fats as a source of energy.

Fish

Just like meat, aim for the fattiest fish you can purchase. Salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel, and catfish are allowed on a carnivore meal plan.

Eggs

Also known as nature's multivitamin, eggs are the perfect ratio of protein, fats, and essential nutrients to keep your body performing at its best on a carnivore meal plan.

Bone marrow

Bone broth is approved for carnivore diet meals and is a great protein source that helps with gut, skin, and joint health.

Low-lactose dairy

Milk, grass-fed butter, and aged cheese are technically allowed in carnivore diet meals since they come from an animal, but many carnivore dieters try to keep dairy intake at a minimum since a large percentage of the population eventually develops an intolerance.

Lard, grease, and other animal-based fats

Use lard, tallow, and other animal-based fats to cook your carnivore diet meals instead of vegetable oil.

Simple spices, seasonings, and condiments

Salt, pepper, herbs, and spices are allowed on the carnivore diet plan. Stick to simple ingredients that don't contain any sugar or carbohydrates. If you want some flavor with your meat, consider adding some zero-calorie hot sauce like Frank's Red Hot.

Carnivore Diet Food List to Avoid

Now for the hard part. Eating carnivore diet meals is extremely restrictive, so that means most of your usual snacks and meals may be off the table.

Here's what you can't have on the carnivore meal plan:

All fruits

Apples, bananas, berries, tomatoes — you name it - must be avoided in carnivore diet meals.

All vegetables

That includes vegetable broths and any condiments made from vegetables.

Most dairy products

How much dairy you eat is up to debate during your carnivore meal plan, although people tend to opt for low-lactose dairy products such as aged cheeses and kefir as opposed to creamy cheeses and yogurt.

All sugars

Added sugars across the board are out in your carnivore meal plan! That goes for natural sugars as well.

All additives

Processed foods that include nitrates, nitrites, MSG, and any other additives typically found in frozen and canned food are not allowed in a carnivore diet menu.

Low-grade meat

Even though the carnivore diet meal plan is meat-based, that doesn't mean any meat is on the table. In order to avoid the inflammation caused by grain, you need to eat grass-fed and pasture-raised meats.

All grains, bread, pastries, etc

No bread or grains across the board! This means no rice, no pasta, etc in your carnivore meal plan.

All nuts, seeds, and legumes

Nuts, seeds, and legumes aren't allowed either. This includes almonds, peanuts, peas, flax seed, chia seeds, etc.

Anything else that isn't meat! That includes candy like taffy, lab-grown meats, and meat alternatives like Beyond burgers.

Carnivore Diet Benefits

While the credibility of the carnivore diet meal plan for beginners and experts is very much in question, there is no doubt that people credit it for substantial transformations. Common anecdotal stories include results of:

1. Weight Loss

Similar to the ketogenic diet, eating a strict carnivore diet menu can help you lose weight faster because you're shifting your main energy source from carbs to fats.

When you're fat-adapted — also known as being in ketosis — your metabolism can use both dietary and stored body fat for fuel. This means you can burn off your own body fat and use that as energy.

In addition, fat and protein are very satiating. You may go for several hours without thinking about food, and studies have also shown that becoming fat-adapted improves your hunger hormones, further regulating your appetite.

2. Decreased Inflammation

Inflammation can be exacerbated when carbohydrate-rich food groups are consumed. Vegetable oils, processed foods, and even some nutrients in plants have been linked to increased inflammatory responses in the body.

Having less inflammation through a carnivore diet plan may result in fewer aches and pains. The extra collagen from protein sources can also improve cartilage health.

3. Increased Testosterone

Healthy fats are responsible for optimal hormonal function, including testosterone, and diets that are high in healthy fats have been shown to improve testosterone levels.

Since most people will be eating more healthy fats and protein in a carnivore diet menu, you may see an increase in muscle mass, strength, and energy. 

And if you're a woman, don't worry. Following a female carnivore diet plan may lead to an increase in muscle mass, strength, and energy due to the consumption of healthy fats and protein while regulating hormone levels.

4. Mental Clarity

Many meat eaters have reported increased focus, energy, and mental clarity while on a carnivore meal plan. This is likely due to the restriction of carbohydrates, becoming fat-adapted, and running on ketones (fats) for energy.

Studies have shown that ketones have neuroprotective properties and the brain actually prefers fats for energy over carbohydrates.

Risks of the Carnivore Diet Meal Plan for Beginners and Experts

Now that you're aware of the purported benefits and structure, let's talk a bit about the risks.

1. Low Vitamin C

Organ meats and eggs are about your only option apart from supplementation to get the Vitamin C you need. Vitamin C is vital for repairing our body's tissues and helps reduce the chance of chronic diseases.

2. Lack of Fiber

Fiber is only found in plants, and it contributes to healthy bowel movements and good gut bacteria. A lack of fiber may lead to constipation and eventually contribute to an imbalanced gut — which can contribute to a weakened immunity system and increase your chance of colon cancer.

3. Loss of Good Bacteria

Many carnivore meal plan evangelists note that intestinal issues are resolved after beginning a carnivore diet plan. This may be true due to the elimination of typical inflammatory foods like sugar, lactose, or anything else your body may be sensitive too. The issue is if good bacteria is eliminated over time as well, which could cause a variety of digestion issues.

4. Excessive Sodium and Saturated Fats

Eating only meat and dairy will almost certainly increase your intake of sodium and saturated fats. Excess sodium can contribute to headaches, swelling, and kidney disease, and excess saturated fats can increase your risk of a stroke.

5. Contrary to Established Dietary Guidelines

A carnivore diet meal plan for beginners and experts significantly diverges from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends that adults get 45% to 65% of their daily calories from carbohydrates. By eliminating entire food groups, the diet makes it challenging to obtain the balanced nutrition that health authorities recommend for optimal wellbeing.

What Advocates for the Carnivore Diet Say

The carnivore diet is spearheaded by a man named Shawn Baker. He is the founder of MeatRX, which is the primary community for carnivore dieters. Shawn Baker temporarily lost his medical license but was reinstated in 2018.

Baker positions himself as a skeptic but believes carnivore diet meals have been the path to fat loss, an improved mind, and relief from chronic illness for both himself and other carnivore dieters.

Specifically, MeatRx states that:

Thousands of people have reduced or even reversed symptoms of diabetes, digestive issues, depression, mental disorders, skin conditions, joint pain, hormonal imbalances, lyme disease, chronic fatigue, candida overgrowth, pain, inflammation, etc.

And it does all of this without timing your food intake, counting calories, and counting your macros. Its simplicity is partly its success — all you have to do is eat meat.

Carnivore diet meals have been rising in popularity in the last few years and received a bit of viral news when famous intellectual Jordan Peterson and his daughter began to advocate for the benefits of the carnivore diet.

A survey study of over 2,000 people who followed a meal plan for carnivore diet from nine to 20 months also reported several improvements, including lower body mass index (BMI), increased energy, better sleep, greater strength and endurance, and improved memory and focus. 

Many participants with diabetes reported being able to reduce or eliminate their medication. However, it's important to note that this study was based solely on self-reported survey answers without clinical measurements or controlled conditions, which leads many researchers to conclude that more rigorous research is needed to understand the diet's effects.

What Critics of the Carnivore Diet Say

Considering how restrictive an all-carnivore lifestyle and pursuit of zero carbs can be, it's no surprise that the carnivore diet plan has been the subject of much debate and is widely criticized by nutritionists and doctors, leading to such headlines like "Vegetables are good for you, we promise", among others.

Counter arguments point out that while going low-carb and eliminating sugars, grains, and other typical sources of inflammation can be good for health (much like Whole30), it is not a sustainable diet in the long-term because it lacks critical sources for nutrients like fiber and makes it difficult to have a balanced nutritional profile without supplementation.

Carnivore dieters tend to point toward meat-eating ancient cultures like the Inuit in defense, but these cultures were eating extremely fresh meat (sometimes raw) and almost always ate the organs, which are chock full of important nutrients.

And because there are no specific studies that back up the benefits of the carnivore diet plan, dietitians argue that the carnivore diet is established on belief — not scientific fact, and therefore should not be trusted by the public.

The Bottom Line on the Carnivore Diet

The fact is, while there may be unique health benefits of following the carnivore diet plan and the downsides may be overblown — we simply don't know. What we do know is that the carnivore diet directly advises people to not eat food we know scientifically is good for you. Studies show the benefits of eating a balanced, natural, and organic diet.

If you're looking to improve your health, we recommend implementing trusted advice before attempting something as drastic as the carnivore diet. For example, if you think inflammation may be an issue, run a more traditional elimination diet that still has room for most conventional foods instead of cutting everything out.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Carnivore Diet

Here's a list of the most common questions people have about carnivore diet meal plan for beginners.

Is a carnivore diet actually healthy?

The health effects of a carnivore diet meal plan remain controversial among nutrition experts. While some people report benefits like weight loss and reduced inflammation, the diet eliminates entire food groups that provide essential nutrients. 

Most registered dietitians express concern about its long-term sustainability and potential nutrient deficiencies. If you're considering this carnivore diet meal plan to fuel both your workouts and your life, consult with a healthcare provider first.

What is the 80/20 rule on the carnivore diet?

The 80/20 rule in a carnivore diet meal plan typically refers to eating 80% red meat and 20% other animal products like fish, eggs, or dairy. Some followers use it to describe being strict 80% of the time while allowing small deviations 20% of the time. However, purists argue that any deviation from 100% animal products isn't truly following the carnivore diet meal plan principles.

What do I eat in a day on the carnivore diet?

A typical day on a carnivore diet meal plan might include ribeye steak and eggs for breakfast, salmon for lunch with a snack like Chomps meat sticks, and ground beef patties for dinner. Focus on fatty cuts of grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, and pastured eggs. Many followers eat just two meals per day due to the high satiety of animal proteins and fats.

What is the simple plan for the carnivore diet?

The simplest carnivore diet meal plan is: eat only animal products, drink water, and eliminate everything else. Choose fatty cuts of grass-fed beef, wild fish, pastured eggs, and minimal dairy if tolerated. 

Season with salt and pepper. Start with familiar meats you enjoy, eat when hungry until satisfied, and avoid all plants, processed foods, and added sugars completely.

What happens the first week of the carnivore diet?

The first week of your carnivore diet meal plan often brings "keto flu" symptoms. This often includes fatigue, headaches, and digestive changes as your body adapts to burning fat instead of carbs. 

You might also experience initial water weight loss, changes in bowel movements, and fluctuating appetite. These adaptation symptoms typically improve as your body becomes fat-adapted, usually within 2-4 weeks.

How long should you stay on the carnivore diet?

There's no established timeline for following a carnivore diet meal plan since long-term studies don't exist. Some people follow it for 30-90 days as an elimination diet, while others adopt it long-term. Given the restrictive nature and potential nutrient concerns, many health experts recommend treating it as a short-term intervention rather than a permanent lifestyle without medical supervision.

Is carnivore diet ketosis?

Yes, a properly followed carnivore diet meal plan typically induces ketosis due to the near-zero carbohydrate intake. Your body will begin producing ketones for fuel within a few days to weeks. 

However, eating excessive protein can sometimes prevent ketosis through gluconeogenesis, where protein converts to glucose. Focus on fatty cuts of meat to maintain ketosis while following your carnivore diet meal plan.