The Non-Toxic Carnivore Diet: How to Start Eating Clean on Carnivore
It’s World Carnivore Month! The carnivore diet—focusing on animal-based foods—has gained popularity for its potential health benefits, including better digestion, weight loss, and mental clarity. But as with any diet, ensuring the food you eat is free from harmful toxins is key to maximizing these benefits.
Whether you’re eating purely carnivore or exploring a carnivore-adjacent approach with small amounts of carbohydrates (yes, you can eat cottage cheese on the carnivore diet), this guide will help you avoid common food toxins while maintaining a nutrient-dense and satisfying diet.
Why Carnivore Works
The carnivore diet appeals to many because it simplifies eating while addressing common health concerns:
Eliminates Inflammatory Foods: By cutting out processed foods and plant-based anti-nutrients (like lectins, oxalates, and phytates), many people experience reduced inflammation, better digestion, and clearer skin.
Supports Hormonal Health: Healthy fats and complete proteins from animal products help stabilize hormones and provide steady energy levels.
Simplicity: With fewer foods to plan for and prep, this diet streamlines decision-making and reduces food-related stress.
For those who prefer more flexibility, carnivore-adjacent eating allows small amounts of carefully chosen carbs while retaining most of these benefits.
The Foundation: Prioritize Quality Animal Products
The cornerstone of a carnivore diet is high-quality, animal-based foods. Here’s how to select toxin-free options:
Meat
Conventionally raised meat may contain antibiotics, hormones, and pesticide residues from feed. Choose grass-fed and finished, pasture-raised, or wild-caught sources.
Best options for meat include grass-fed and finished beef, pasture-raised pork and poultry, wild-caught salmon, and other sustainably caught fish.
Avoid factory-farmed meats and processed deli products that contain preservatives like sodium nitrite or artificial flavors.
It's best to avoid conventional bacon which includes sugar and nitrites or nitrites from celery powder. Healthier options include sliced pork jowl and sliced pork belly. Both fry up just like bacon without unnecessary additives!
Dairy
If you wish to include dairy, opt for organic, pasture-raised options to avoid pesticides and synthetic hormones. Look for raw or minimally processed dairy, free of carrageenan or added sweeteners.
Full-fat dairy is often recommended on carnivore and carnivore-adjacent diets because it aligns with the diet’s emphasis on healthy fats, nutrient density, and minimal processing. Here’s why:
Rich in Healthy Fats: Full-fat dairy provides essential fatty acids that help support energy levels, hormone production, and satiety, especially important in low-carb diets where fat is a primary energy source.
Less Processed: Full-fat dairy is typically less processed than low-fat or fat-free versions, which often have added sugars, thickeners, or stabilizers to compensate for the loss of fat.
Higher Nutrient Density: The fat in dairy carries fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, making full-fat options more nutrient-dense than their reduced-fat counterparts.
Improved Satiety and Taste: The natural fats in full-fat dairy make it more satisfying and flavorful, helping you stay full longer and making the diet easier to stick to.
By choosing high-quality, pasture-raised, or grass-fed full-fat dairy, you also minimize exposure to toxins and ensure better nutrient content.
Eggs
Always buy pasture-raised, organic eggs. These have fewer pesticide residues and more nutrients like omega-3s and vitamin D.
For Carnivore-Adjacent Eaters: Low-Toxin Carb Options
If you’re incorporating carbohydrates, they can provide a quick, clean-burning energy source, support hormonal health, and improve workout performance. To minimize exposure to plant toxins, focus on low-toxin, whole-food options.
Fruits
These provide natural sugars for energy, are easy to digest, and are generally low in plant defense compounds like oxalates and lectins. Choose fruits with lower pesticide exposure or buy organic, such as:
Berries (blueberries, raspberries): Low in sugar and packed with antioxidants.
Bananas: A great source of quick-digesting carbs and potassium.
Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew): Hydrating, low-toxin, and gentle on digestion.
Honey
A raw, minimally processed carb source that’s rich in beneficial enzymes and easily digestible.
Choosing quality honey involves looking for raw, unfiltered varieties to ensure it retains its natural nutrients and enzymes. Opt for local honey to support sustainable beekeeping and reduce the risk of adulteration. Check labels carefully to avoid honey blends with added sugars or artificial ingredients, and prioritize honey packaged in glass jars to avoid plastic contamination. Certifications like USDA Organic can help, but they aren’t foolproof.
Truly organic honey is difficult to guarantee because bees can forage up to 5 miles from their hive, potentially encountering non-organic flowers treated with pesticides. Additionally, global honey fraud and inconsistent organic certification standards make it challenging to verify purity. Buying from trusted local beekeepers or reputable brands is the best way to ensure high-quality, toxin-free honey.
Vegetables
If adding small amounts, focus on options that are lower in anti-nutrients and gentler on digestion, such as:
Zucchini
Squash
White potatoes (peeled, if tolerated)
Avoiding Toxins in Preparation
Even the cleanest food can be compromised by how it’s prepared. Here’s how to cook carnivore-friendly meals without introducing toxins:
Cookware Matters. Use stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic cookware. Non-stick pans release harmful chemicals like PFOAs at high heat. Avoid aluminum foil (can leach into food) and plastic storage containers (opt for glass instead).
Cooking Oils: Stick to animal fats like beef tallow, ghee, or butter for cooking. These are stable at high heat and free from the inflammatory compounds found in vegetable oils. Avoid canola, soybean, and sunflower oils.
Storage Tips: Store leftovers in glass or stainless steel containers to avoid leaching toxins from plastics into fatty cuts of meat.
What to Drink
Staying hydrated is key on any eating plan. Here are toxin-free beverage options for carnivore or carnivore-adjacent diets:
Water: Stick to filtered water to avoid contaminants like chlorine and heavy metals, and microplastics in bottled water.
Coffee: If you choose to include caffeine, enjoy a high-quality coffee either black or with some full-fat dairy. Look for mold-free beans or instant coffee.
Electrolyte Drinks: Make your own with water, a pinch of sea salt, and a squeeze of lemon (optional). Avoid store-bought electrolyte drinks with artificial flavors or sweeteners.
Herbal Tea (for Carnivore-Adjacent): Choose organic herbal teas if you enjoy variety. Avoid teas with added flavorings or sugar.
Bone Broth: A nutrient-dense option that doubles as a drink and meal component. Look for high-quality, pasture-raised sources, or make your own.
Supplementing for Balance
While the carnivore diet is nutrient-dense, you may want to supplement if you’re avoiding plant-based foods entirely:
Electrolytes: A common concern on low-carb diets. Look for clean supplements free of artificial flavors or sweeteners.
Organ Meats: Incorporate liver, heart, or kidney into your meals or use freeze-dried organ supplements if the taste isn’t for you.
Omega-3s: Balance your omega-6 intake from animal fats with wild-caught fatty fish or fish oil supplements.
Transitioning to Carnivore
If you’re new to this way of eating, transition gradually to avoid common pitfalls:
Start Slowly: Begin by replacing one or two meals with animal-based foods to let your digestion adjust.
Lower Volume, Higher Satisfaction: If you're observant of your calories, you may notice that your portion sizes are smaller. However, because your meal is composed of proteins and fat, you'll also find that you feel full sooner despite the lower food volume.
Stay Hydrated: Low-carb diets require more water and electrolytes. Add salt to your meals to support hydration.
Focus on Variety: Include different cuts of meat, fats, and optional dairy to keep your meals interesting and nutrient-dense.
A Sample Day of Toxin-Free Carnivore Eating
Breakfast
2 pasture-raised eggs cooked in grass-fed butter.
2 slices of pasture-raised bacon.
Snack
1 oz raw cheese (organic and grass-fed).
Lunch
4 oz grass-fed ribeye steak cooked in beef tallow.
1 small baked white potato (if carnivore-adjacent).
Dinner
6 oz wild-caught salmon pan-seared in ghee.
Optional Sweet Treat
1 tbsp raw, local honey.
Eating carnivore or carnivore-adjacent can be a transformative experience for your health—but only when it’s done with clean, toxin-free foods. Start by upgrading the quality of your ingredients and being mindful of how you cook and store your meals.
Getting Started with Carnivore
Want to join me on a carnivore journey? Here’s an infographic I made just for you!
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