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 2-3 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 you find your local farmers/ranchers?  It couldn’t be easier — Google!  That’s how I found my original rancher, out of the seven I tried, as well as the butcher I use now. My local butcher raises his own cattle.  No, it’s not grass-finished, but the cattle are 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.  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 may have a few chicken wings, or steamed shrimp (wild-caught), or a piece of fatty fish, like wild-caught salmon, or bison.  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 menu!

I love eggs — having 4-8 per day, prepared in various ways.  I have 2-3 in the morning with my burger.  Usually sunnyside up, occasionally scrambled.  I always keep hardboiled eggs in my frig — if I need something quick.  Sometimes you’ll find bacon in my frig that I cut in half before frying. At first pork was not agreeing with me, so I bought turkey bacon.  More on that below.

I found the eggs I buy at a local health food store — and the price is super good.  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 mentioned above that pork was not agreeing with me, but after 5yrs, I’ve found I’m perfectly fine eating pork bacon. I cannot stress enough, your body will change as it heals. I wouldn’t eat pork chops, or a pork roast, but I am very much fine with a good pork bacon. I do look for pork raised with NO antibiotics or growth hormones, and raised humanely, crate free.

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, makes it crispier. Super good with butter slathered on top!

If you can find it, beef bacon is a thing — and it is very good.

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 couple months prior, I noticed my allergies completely disappeared! Although dairy did cause me congestion, I connected my allergies to oxalates, as I had a wicked oxalate dumping from my lungs!

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 that oxalate dumping weekend, which is why I added some fermented kefir back in to help with the dumping — and that led me back into eating raw sharp goat cheese, which was delicious — until I noticed weight gain — again.  It has really been a journey for me with dairy.  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” — and I always choose low- to no-oxalate fruits.

Before I go any further, 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.

It’s rare that I actually partake in having fruit in the summer — and I don’t really crave fruit in the winter. Although, I am finding each year I eat less and less fruit(s). I figure I’m about 98-99% Carnivore in the winter; about 95% in the summer.

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 they may find they do not.  Sometimes women find it helps them during the time of their cycle.  Do not deprive yourself, if it’s that time of the month.  There is nothing wrong with lower carb kind of fruits.  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. I do not bash people for eating raw honey, or the darkest maple syrup (less processed), nor a piece of fruit. 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.

In the winter months, I enjoy having a cup of Dandy Blend in the morning with breakfast. Some use it to get off coffee, or add it for a mocha flavoring. I’ve personally emailed them and they said their product has no gluten or oxalates. 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, or 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.

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. The “Equip” brand has some great Carnivore non-dairy protein shakes, which I would use in a pinch. I use their unflavored “only grass-fed beef protein” powder to make Carnivore waffles. Super good! As the Carnivore movement grows, so do the Carnivore protein shakes. Be careful and read the ingredients.

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

Where do your start?!?
#1 — Eat meat, if it comes from an animal it’s fair game.
#2 — Eat enough animal fats, like butter, egg yolks. Fats keep you fuller longer. Fats burn fat!
#3 — Eat when you are hungry, and eat until you are FULL. No calorie counting.
#4 — That’s it! Congratulations, you are now Carnivore!

*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.