The question I get asked the most — WHAT do I eat?

Please understand, what I eat, may not be what YOU eat. You have to find what is right for YOU — and that can, and does, change. I’ve experimented many times. Most of us, if not all of us, have healing to do. Typically, beef is going to be the most healing, or any kind of ruminant animal, like deer, bison, elk, goat, lamb.

I eat mostly ground beef.  I will occasionally have a steak, but love my ground beef! I eat one pound of ground beef per day, divided up into 2 servings. I ate 3 meals a day when I started out, but have gravitated to 2 meals a day, which seems to be my sweet spot.

How do you find your local farmers/ranchers?  It couldn’t be easier — Google! Some farmers/ranchers have their own stores. Or, if you have a local Farmers Market, you can check out the beef farmers that rent spaces.

I always visit their shops/stores — asked questions — and try their beef first. Quite often, it may be less expensive than what a grocery store offers. Buying a quarter, half, or whole cow is the most economical. Go in with several people and divide it up!

The #1 thing I want to know — are their cattle on pasture 24/7 — then supplemented with grain the last 3-4 months.  That creates the fat marbling, which makes the beef so tasty.  This is exactly how my grandfather raised his cattle many, many years ago.

I am not a “grass-finished” snob. Grass-fed does NOT mean grass-finished. Grass-finished means they eat nothing but grass from birth to processing. I’ve tasted some of the worst beef that was “grass-finished” and I’ve tasted some “grass-fed/grain-finished” that was not the best tasting, either. It all depends on where they grazed, and were the soils remineralized.

And, on that note, if you are going to buy a quarter, half, or whole cow, you might want to taste their beef first. Do NOT assume. Purchase one pound of ground beef, or a few steaks, to make sure you’ll be happy. I did that once, and only once, to learn that lesson.

Having said all of this, ANY beef is better than the “Standard American Diet” way of eating.  If you are out and about, you can very much stop in any fast food — ask for a plain burger (or 2 or 3), no bun, and it is way healthier than the what the majority of Americans eat.

I also enjoy bison, chicken wings, or steamed shrimp (wild-caught), or a piece of fatty fish, like wild-caught salmon.  I always keep sardines in water on hand, which I enjoy with a little mustard. If it comes from an animal, it could be on my plate!

I love eggs — having 3-8 per day, prepared in various ways, depending on the other animal proteins I eat.  I have 2-3 in the morning with my burger.  Usually sunny-side up, occasionally scrambled — and often I will make 2 over-easy with an additional raw yolk.  I always keep hardboiled eggs in my frig — if I need something quick.  And, usually, you’ll find bacon in my frig that I cut in half before frying.

I found the pasture-raised eggs I buy at a local health food store — and the price is super good.  Again, Google can be your best friend when finding what is available in your area.

Something I really enjoy, on occasion, is a chuck roast in the crockpot, adding as many marrow bones that will fit, for the added minerals.  Find out how I prepare it on my “Recipe” page.

I also make tallow and ghee.  Super easy — and much cheaper than store bought.  Again, pop over to my “Recipe” page.

I will mention that pork was not agreeing with me, when I started my Carnivore journey, but I’ve been perfectly fine the past few years eating pork bacon. I cannot stress enough, your body will change as it heals. I do not care for pork chops, sausage, or pork roast, but I am very much fine with a good pork bacon.

If you go the turkey bacon route, because it doesn’t have all the fat that typical pork bacon does, I would fry it in tallow, the turkey bacon soaks it up, making it crispier. Super good with butter slathered on top!

If you can find it, beef bacon is a thing — and it is very good, although I find it becomes almost like beef jerky when kept in the frig, not eating it right away.

Let’s talk about dairy — the problem child for many.  If you are having trouble with inflammation, problems losing weight, an autoimmune disease, dairy can be your worst enemy.  Dairy can also cause congestion in the lungs.  As I was approaching my 3-year eating Carniversary, having cut out dairy a few months prior, I noticed my allergies completely disappeared! Although dairy did cause me congestion, I connected my allergies to oxalates.

I also dropped the 8lbs I gained after eating goat cheese over the winter.  But, I think completely eliminating dairy was also the reason I ended up with one of my oxalate dumping weekends, which is why I added some fermented kefir back in to help with the dumping — and that led me back into eating raw goat cheese, which was delicious — until I noticed weight gain — yet again.  It has been a journey for me with dairy. A love/hate relationship.  If there is one thing you get from all of this — experiment on yourself.  Things change as you heal.

Fruit — since I consider myself a “relaxed” Carnivore, I might have a small portion of fruit, but ONLY fruit that is in “season,” which means summertime — and I ALWAYS choose low- to no-oxalate fruits. For me, that is usually black cherries, watermelon, and peaches. I’m still eating 95% Carnivore.

Understand, all veggies that have seeds have been categorized wrongly. They are, in fact, fruits — i.e., cucumbers, squashes, bell peppers, avocado.  I don’t care what I find in the grocery store, if it isn’t the season for it, I don’t eat it. I do keep dill pickles in my frig, for the rare occasion I want those.

Some people, after being strict Carnivore for a year or two, find they can add some fruits back into their diet.  They may find they feel better, or may find they do not.  Sometimes women find it helps them during their cycle time.  Do not deprive yourself, if it’s that time of the month.  There is nothing wrong with having some fruits, or low oxalate starchier veggies.  Just remember, if a food has seeds, it’s a fruit.

I also want to mention, I do have herbal tea occasionally, and I’ll add a little of my Really Raw Honey. The only honey I’ve used for the last 30+ years. There are two camps of thought on raw honey — some say it comes from an animal, some say it’s bee vomit. LOL  My gosh, some of these Carnivores are as bad as the vegans can be.

Bottom line — I do not bash people for eating raw honey, or the darkest maple syrup (less processed), nor a piece of fruit.

In the winter months, I enjoy having a cup of Dandy Blend in the morning with breakfast. Some use it to break their coffee addiction, or add it to a recipe for a mocha flavoring. I have personally emailed them, and was told their product has no gluten or oxalates.

Btw, coffee is NOT a problem with oxalates, although you’ll find wrong information on the web. Some find by cutting out coffee, it’s a game changer for their health. That is something you’ll have to experiment with and decide.

Having said all of this, some people find they CANNOT eat even a tiny bit of something with any kind of sugar, natural or not, as it sends them into a sugar binge. So, please, please, please, do what is right for YOU. Again, this can change the longer you eat Carnivore.

For those who DO have a sugar addiction, know that it takes TWO WEEKS to change your tastebuds. Sugar is worse than a cocaine addiction — and brain scans have proved that. So, give yourself some grace. When you find you are craving something sugary, try a pinch of sea salt on the tongue, chase with some water. The tongue does not distinguish wanting sugar from salt. The salt trick just might be the “trick” to break your sugar addiction.

Considering Carnivore is a runaway train, there are so many companies coming out with better animal products — Carnivore Crisps, Carnivore Bars, Carnivore protein shakes. If you are dairy sensitive, be careful with some of the Carnivore shakes, as some contain whey protein, or colostrum.

The “Equip” brand has some great Carnivore non-dairy protein shakes, which I would use in a pinch, but be careful as some of their shakes have Coconut Cream in them — if coconut is a problem for you. Always, always read ingredients when looking at Carnivore protein shakes.

I have used the Equip unflavored “only grass-fed beef protein” powder to make Carnivore waffles. But, I am currently using one I found on Amazon, Peak Performance Grass Fed Beef Protein Isolate Powder, which is less expensive and works great! (Find that recipe under “Carnivore Recipes” — it’s super good!)

As the Carnivore movement grows, the Carnivore protein shakes and treats will continue popping up. Learn to always read the ingredients.

When people say it’s expensive to eat a Carnivore diet — NOPE!  It has been WAY less expensive than when I was eating Paleo with all the added veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and those protein shakes I wish I had never drank.  Plus, I’ve cut out SO many supplements eating this way.

Where do you start?!?
I love what Dr. Ken Berry suggests — eat BBB&E (Beef, Bacon, Butter & Eggs) for 30 days. Eat as much as you want, no counting calories. That’s it, you’re eating Carnivore!

If you have more complicated health challenges, then I’d highly suggest looking into one of the Carnivore coaching groups to get you started, which I mentioned on the “It All Begins With Nutrition” page.

*The statements and/or products mentioned on this website have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, nor are they intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.