Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Kiel DiGiovanni, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
If you love meat, the carnivore diet is for you because that's all you eat! Well, not exactly. Eating meat is a large part of the carnivore diet, but there's a misconception that it's all you eat. In reality, you can eat any animal-derived food, including milk, cheese, broth, and organs! The real question is, which of these should you eat to support your workout? This article will provide a quick carnivore diet food list to support your workouts!
What Is The Carnivore Diet?
The Carnivore diet has become quite popular, considering how young the diet is. While you can find examples of all-meat diets throughout the centuries, it wasn't until 2018 that it became more mainstream. This is all thanks to Dr. Shawn Baker when he published his book The Carnivore Diet and his heavy marketing.
Since then, it has taken off and been adopted by numerous high-status persons, such as Dr. Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan, as well as the general population. So what is it?
The general idea is simple: the carnivore diet is a high-fat and high-protein diet with minimal carbs. You can find numerous suggestions for a macro breakdown, but it will usually look like this;
- Protein: 30-50%
- Fat: 50-60%
- Carbs: 5%
The general idea is that you can only eat food that comes from animals. However, this isn't the whole diet. The carnivore diet aims to go back to the days of eating unprocessed and natural foods. Now, you can find that a spectrum exists where some people are ultra-strict, and others are more lenient.
That said, we will review what you can and can't eat on the carnivore diet.
What Can You Eat On The Carnivore Diet?
The list of what you can eat is pretty short. Here are the primary foods you need to focus on;
- Animal meat (specifically fatty meats)
- Seafood
- Dairy
- Bone broth
- Organs (these are vital!)
- Eggs
Take the guesswork out of it and try our 7 Day Bodybuilding Carnivore Diet Meal Plan.
What Can't You Eat On The Carnivore Diet?
Right off the bat, you can't eat any vegan or plant food. This includes the obvious things like:
- Grains
- Fruit
- Nuts
- Legumes
- Vegetables
Basically, if the food was made with any type of plant, you can't eat it.
However, the main goal of the carnivore diet isn't just to promote eating animals. At its core, it promotes a more naturalistic way of eating like our ancestors. This means you should avoid processed foods, including those made with animal products such as salami or pepperoni. It also means staying away from things like soda and even Diet Coke.
Carnivore Diet Food List Gray Area
Now, we're going to discuss some foods in a gray area. Depending on who you ask, these foods will produce different answers about whether you can eat them.
- Milk: Generally, milk is allowed on the carnivore diet. However, you should drink whole milk or even raw milk and stay away from skim milk. The primary reason is that milk contains carbs, and you eliminate many good fats and nutrients by drinking skim milk. Remember, this is one of the only sources of carbs you may eat.
- Lean Meats: The problem with lean meats is that you're not getting your fat intake. Eating too many lean meats will cause you to miss certain vitamins and nutrients.
- Coffee/Tea: Strict followers will tell you no; others are okay with this. Again, the primary reason is that they come from plants.
- Sauces: Some say sauces are off-limits due to the carbs or simply because they're processed.
- Protein Powder/Supplements: Protein powder is processed, and many brands contain unnatural flavoring or sweeteners. Find a clean protein powder and adhere to a strict carnivore diet if you want to use it.
As we said, you can find a range of opinions on these sources and their legitimacy.
Concerns With The Carnivore Diet For Your Workout
When considering the carnivore diet for your workout, it's important to be aware of the potential challenges. Due to the very low carb intake, you'll primarily use fat for fuel. While it's not your goal to be in ketosis on the carnivore diet, you most likely will be due to the low-carb intake.
There is a chance your body may convert protein into glucose, but that doesn't change the fact that your body won't be getting easy energy from carbs.
This presents two issues.
- Getting through a workout will be tough, specifically if you're new to the diet. Your body won't be optimally efficient in burning fat to fuel high-intensity workouts, so you'll likely get fatigued quickly.
- Building muscle will be more challenging. Research has shown that carbohydrates play an important role in the anabolic process. As a result, athletes on low-carb diets have shown difficulty increasing muscle mass even when in a caloric surplus.¹
We want to note that while the carnivore diet may make building muscle tougher, it seems to be an awesome diet for maintaining muscle mass, even when in a deficit. If you want to put on a significant amount of muscle mass, you may want to put the carnivore diet on hold for a bit.
Another important note is that no studies examine the carnivore diet specifically. These very low-carb studies use the keto diet, so keep that in mind.
You could follow a modified carnivore diet and allow more carbs as you adjust. You could also intake more carbs before and after your workout. We are very aware that carnivore purists will not agree with this. However, it depends on your goals and why you're following the carnivore diet.
Carnivore Foods To Support Your Workouts
So, when it comes to supporting your workout, there isn't a specific food you should concentrate on. Usually, we suggest that you eat a little bit of carbs and protein. However, since you're not eating carbs, that's not an option.
Many people compare the keto to the carnivore diet and may wonder about taking MCT oil to power workouts. MCT oil is a common oil used by those following a keto diet as it's converted into ketones for fast energy. However, MCT oil comes from coconut or palm oil, meaning it's a no-go as you can't eat plant-based foods.
Related: Best MCT Oil Supplements
Pre-Workout Food On A Carnivore Diet
Many followers of the carnivore diet will say you shouldn't take the supplement as it's processed. You could opt to just take some caffeine, but again, caffeine is plant-based, so it's up to you how strict you want to be.
That said, many followers of the carnivore diet claim they prefer working out fasted in the morning. While this is also seen among omnivore athletes, it does seem to occur more in the carnivore circle. However, this is generally said by those with a bit of experience, as their bodies have likely adapted.
One issue with eating before a workout when following the carnivore diet is most foods are heavy. Eating a steak before hitting some heavy deadlifts doesn't sound awesome.
Although there isn't a specific go-to food, you could focus on two options power your workout.
1. Bone Broth: Bone broth is quite common in carnivore diets. It's basically bones and connective tissue boiled in water with some seasoning. This makes a nutrient-dense, low-calorie food that many enjoy. Many people who follow the carnivore diet like having bone broth before a workout as it satisfies their hunger yet is very light.
2. Dairy (Milk, Cheese, Yogurt): Dairy, especially Greek yogurt and milk, could be a good option for athletes on the carnivore diet. Remember that these products contain some lactose (carbs) and protein. This could make it an excellent choice for lifters getting ready for the gym who are new to the carnivore diet. While your overall carb intake will still be low, saving their consumption to just before your workout could be a nice little kick to fuel your workout.
Post-Workout Food On The Carnivore Diet
Post-workout, be sure to get in your protein. After a training session, a fatty cut of steak and/or eggs is a favorite carnivore meal. These will deliver high-quality protein full of amino acids to help your muscles recover and rebuild.
Again, you could opt for some raw milk as well. This will deliver high-quality protein and a bit of carbs. Further, milk has been found to be awesome as a hydration fluid, even better than sports drinks!²
2 Tips for following the carnivore diet
1. Be Sure To Get Your Micronutrients
One area of particular concern when following a carnivore diet is getting all your micronutrients. Because the carnivore diet is so restrictive, it can easily fall into a vitamin, mineral, and electrolyte deficit.
This is why the carnivore diet emphasizes fatty cuts of meat and, more specifically, organs. Eating organs may be odd to those in the Western world, but it is a great way to ensure you get your vitamins and minerals. One you should learn to prepare is beef liver.
Being deficient in these micronutrients will cause many problems, some specific to working out, such as fatigue and muscle cramps.
2. Rest And Recovery
The importance of rest and recovery is true for everyone but is heavily emphasized in the carnivore diet. Again, this is due to the carnivore's push for optimal health. Therefore, be sure you get plenty of sleep while training on the carnivore diet. Follow a sleep routine to get 7-9 hours every night can help restore your muscles and replenish your energy levels.
Final Say On The Carnivore Diet For Your Workouts
There is much more nuance and controversy within the carnivore diet than this article can cover. Putting that aside, due to the nature of the carnivore diet, your main hurdle in powering awesome workouts is simply spending time adjusting to alterations in your metabolism.
The best solution is to slowly adapt to the diet and let your body acclimate to using fat as a fuel source. Other than that, due to the restrictive nature of the diet, your food choices are limited, and none really stand out over the others for being superior to fuel your workout. The only foods that are unique are dairy products due to the lactose, so this could be a food to try. Otherwise, you'll just need to experiment and find what works for you!
Check out our full collection of diet guides!
References
- Chung, Nana. “Impact of the Ketogenic Diet on Body Fat, Muscle Mass, and Exercise Performance: A Review.” Physical Activity and Nutrition (Online), vol. 27, no. 4, 31 Dec. 2023, pp. 1–7, doi.org/10.20463%2Fpan.2023.0031, https://doi.org/10.20463/pan.2023.0031.
- Shirreffs, Susan M., et al. “Milk as an Effective Post-Exercise Rehydration Drink.” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 98, no. 01, 26 Apr. 2007, p. 173, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114507695543.
Garett Reid
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