The Frugal Carnivore Diet Made Easy for Beginners

How about eating meat, lots of meat, and improving your productivity, mental clarity, libido and blood pressure? That's what proponents of the new carnivorous diet believe. The basis of this diet is only meat, offal, eggs, fish and cured cheeses. No vegetables or plant foods and no supplements.

It's the opposite of the vegan diet. It is a version of a diet that is high in protein and saturated fat and no carbohydrates. But there is no defined protocol for the amount of protein and fat to be ingested.

Thus, the carnivorous diet is a more extreme version of the ketone diet and, as the name suggests, it means eating only foods of animal origin.

How the carnivorous diet works

You can eat all kinds of meat, including beef, chicken, fish, offal - like liver and kidneys. And if you're feeling adventurous, guts and brains. Also, the meat can only be seasoned with a little salt and pepper, no other seasonings are allowed. And while some variations of the carnivorous diet allow whole dairy products, the more extreme followers omit dairy products altogether.

While this sounds (and is) extreme, proponents of the methodology say that consuming only meat helps with many health conditions, such as fatigue, obesity and digestive health.

You can eat any animal food you like in any amount or combination you prefer and drink water as a fluid source, following the signs of hunger and satiety. However, some are a little more flexible and make exceptions for coffee, tea, wine, spirits and spices.

The meat is filling, it tastes good, and we are usually not tempted to overeat. Unlike delicious temptations like pizza and ice cream, we don't get carried away and "accidentally" eat many steaks out of control.

Adaptation Phase to the Carnivorous Diet For many people, the consumption of eggs, cheeses, spices, and beverages, in addition to water, can be problematic, and dietary adjustments are needed to suit their individuality.

Remember that, as the carnivorous diet is a new eating style, different from the way you have been eating throughout your life, there will be a period of adaptation.

This period usually takes from a week to a few months.

Adaptation is usually quicker for those already on low-carb diets such as low carb and ketogenic. It can be more challenging for those who came from high-refined-carbohydrate diets and even vegetarian and vegan diets.

When going through the adaptation phase, be patient and don't eat too little on purpose. The reason many people suffer needlessly is because they eat too little when starting the carnivorous diet.

Another point of difficulty for beginners in carnivore is the following:

When insulin levels fall, there is a greater excretion of water and essential electrolytes (minerals), so drink water, use salt (sodium), and get magnesium and potassium from animal foods themselves.

These adjustments will make the transition to the carnivorous diet much easier.