If you’re going to start a new diet like the carnivore diet, it’s important to learn all the rules and guidelines, so you can set yourself up for success. Today, we’re answering some questions related to what you can eat on a carnivore diet. Can you eat nuts? Can you eat mayo? Can you eat yoghurt? What about fried chicken?
Find out below.
Is Bacon OK On a Carnivore Diet?
You can eat bacon on a carnivore diet, but think about where your bacon came from. Pigs raised with conventional farming methods and raised in factory farms have high levels of linoleic acid, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid that can cause inflammation, trigger fat cells to grow, and increase your risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
If you can, choose bacon from pasture-raised pork.
Can You Eat Hot Dogs on a Carnivore Diet?
If you just eat the sausage and throw away the bun, then a hot dog could be included in this diet, but only if you’re following a dirty carnivore diet.
I don’t think hot dogs belong on a strict carnivore diet, but there are animal-based diet enthusiasts who aren’t that concerned with being really strict on their diets and still include processed meats like vienna sausages and burger patties from fast food joints. Perhaps you’ve seen the photos of people who just removed the bun and lettuce from their burgers, kept the meat and processed cheese, and called it carnivore.
My concern is what they potentially added to the burger patties or sausages. These often contain things like gluten, soy, and even vegetable oils.
Can You Eat Fried Chicken on The Carnivore Diet?
You cannot eat standard fried chicken on this diet. Why? Because the flour or breadcrumbs they use to coat the chicken before frying definitely isn’t carnivore, and neither is the vegetable oil they probably fried it in.
I guess you could eat fried chicken on this diet if you made it yourself and used something like egg white powder instead of flour or crushed crispy pork rinds instead of breadcrumbs. You will need to fry it in an animal-based fat like tallow or duck fat in order for it to be carnivore.
Is Mayonnaise Allowed on the Carnivore Diet?
Only if you make an animal-based mayonnaise yourself. Mayonnaise is often made with inflammatory vegetable oils, but you can make your own using bacon grease or tallow instead.
Can You Use Olive Oil on a Carnivore Diet?
Not on a strict carnivore diet, but you can if you want to follow an animal-based diet that includes some less toxic plant foods. Vegetable and seed oils like canola oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil are very inflammatory and not included in this diet. But, since olives are fruits, and so are avocados, olive oil and avocado oil are more acceptable options. Many people on animal-based diets still include avocados and olives in their diets.
Sure, the oil is a little more processed, but I personally won’t object to them. Just make sure that if you buy olive oil, it comes in an opaque bottle, as olive oil can oxidise easily and become rancid (the same with avocado oil).
Many companies and restaurants also lace their olive oil with other oils like canola oil to save costs. Make sure the oil you’re getting is 100% olive oil or avocado oil.
Can I Eat Nuts on the Carnivore Diet?
No. If you’re on a carnivore diet, chances are you want to reduce your consumption of plant toxins. Nuts contain some of the highest concentrations of harmful plant chemicals like lectins, oxalates, and phytates. Nuts are also high in linoleic acid, which is why I eliminated them from my diet initially. On an animal-based diet, you generally want to eliminate nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains.
Can I Drink Alcohol on a Carnivore Diet?
Some animal-based dieters do allow themselves to indulge and have some alcohol now and then. If your goal is to follow a strict carnivore diet and you want to eliminate all plant foods, then you should skip the alcohol, but if you’re following the diet for a reason like you want to stick to a low-carb/keto diet and it’s easier to do on a carnivore diet or because you want to follow a low-fibre diet, then you would still be able to have alcohol. The questions you need to ask yourself are “Why do I want to do this diet?” and “Will having alcohol interfere with my goals?”
Can You Eat Avocado on a Carnivore Diet?
You can eat avocado on an animal-based diet that still includes some plant foods like fruit. You can include low-toxicity fruits and vegetables if you want, and avocado definitely makes the list of approved fruits.
Is Yoghurt Allowed on The Carnivore Diet?
While some choose to avoid dairy on a carnivore diet entirely, there are those that can include dairy in their diets. If you are able to eat dairy products without any side effects, you can definitely eat yoghurt, but obviously not the flavoured kind with added sugar.
Can You Eat Beef Jerky on the Carnivore Diet?
You can have beef jerky or biltong on a carnivore diet, but be aware of which spices are put on it. If you’re following a dirty carnivore diet and you don’t mind the spices, go for it. But be aware that many spices are contaminated with gluten and they often contain soy.
If you can make your own biltong or jerky, or have a butcher make it for you just using salt, then you can eat it even if you’re on a strict carnivore diet.
Have a question about following an animal-based diet? Send it to joane@thehartofhealth.com.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29610056/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4807701/
