Carnivore-ish Diet FAQ
An animal-based diet goes against everything we’ve been taught, so it can be daunting to start. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the carnivore-ish diet (ketovore diet, semi-carnivore diet, ketovoreish diet) with links to further resources.
What is a carnivore-ish diet?
Why choose a carnivore-ish diet?
What do you eat on a carnivore-ish diet?
How do you start a carnivore-ish diet?
Isn’t meat bad for you?
What can I do to help the transition phase?
How will cutting out sugar make me feel?
Will I notice results straight away?
Do I need to count calories, macros, micros etc?
Aren’t saturated fats bad for you?
I like fruits and vegetables. Aren’t they healthy?
Isn’t meat bad for the planet?
What if I can’t source grass-fed meat?
Isn’t meat too expensive?
What is a carnivore-ish diet?
Also referred to semi-carnivore, ketovore, ketovorish, a carnivore-ish diet is a way of eating that focuses on getting most of your nutrients from animal foods (meat, eggs, dairy, fish & seafood etc) and severely limiting the consumption of plant foods. Any plant foods that are consumed are typically low in sugars/carbohydrates.
Why choose a carnivore-ish diet?
People turn to a carnivore-ish diet because it dramatically improves physical health, mental state, obesity, energy levels, appearance, cognitive function, mental clarity and many chronic illnesses.
People who are trying to improve overall health, lose weight, heal auto-immune conditions and serious illness often turn to a stricter 100% carnivore approach, because it is an elimination diet that helps removes inflammation from the body. Countless people have reduced and even reversed symptoms of diabetes, digestive issues, depression, mental disorders, skin conditions, gastrointestinal issues, joint pain, hormonal imbalances, lyme disease, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, candida overgrowth, pain, inflammation and more. (source)
What do you eat on a Carnivore-ish Diet?
Ideally, you eat a diet rich in animal meat, fat, organs etc., nose-to-tail if possible. Red meat offers the most nutrition overall, particularly beef, but any meat from any animal is beneficial to mind and body. Beef, lamb, pork and chicken are the most available meats in the UK where I live but goat, game etc. can be easily sourced too. Grass fed and grass finished meat is ideal but, again, any whole meat is beneficial. Obviously avoid processed meats in the main.
Fish and seafood is great, so long as you opt for fatty fish and avoid those that tend to store heavy metals, like tuna.
Pasture-raised eggs are ideal, from chickens, ducks, geese etc.
Dairy products like heavy or extra thick cream, hard cheeses, Greek yoghurt etc. are a great addition, though many people prefer to limit or eliminate dairy products. Raw milk is better than pasturised, of course (I grew up on raw cow and goat’s milk – delicious!) and some people find they tolerate goat’s milk better than cow’s milk.
Coffee and tea can be consumed, but many people find that excluding them is helpful because of the caffeine. Some people drink sparkling water as well as plain water. And of course it goes without saying that alcohol is best avoided altogether.
Plant-wise, low-sugar fruits and vegetables, herbs, spices etc. are fine but people tend to eat fruits and vegetables sparingly, preferring to focus on animal products in the main.
Celtic salt, Himalayan pink salt, rock salt, sea salt etc. are a great choice but table salt is best avoided as it contains a silicon coating to make it flow. Yuk.
How do you start a carnivore-ish diet?
It really depends on you. Some people jump in while others take weeks or even months to transition.
What I’d recommend (based on my own experience) is simply choosing to eat some fatty meat and eggs before you allow yourself to eat anything else. The chances are you won’t want anything plant-y, carb-y or sugary after eating that. Fatty meat and eggs are incredibly satiating and naturally reduce cravings, so if you eat that, give it 15 or 20 minutes then see how you feel, you’ll probably find you’re not thinking about food anymore!
Isn’t meat bad for you?
Nope. Once you wake up and realise that you’re being lied to, that the food and pharmaceutical industries are concerned only with profit, not health, you learn that the studies they fund are manipulated according to their desired outcome. It’s truly shameful – criminal, even – but more and more people are seeking the truth as their health fades, their brain function declines and they lose trust in the powers that (should not) be.
The following video by Dr Ken Berry explains more:
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE TRANSITION PHASE?
First, eat plenty of meat, eggs (and dairy if you can tolerate it). Make sure you are eating enough food because when you eat animal products it’s easy to feel so satisfied that you don’t actually eat enough nourishing food.
Drink plenty of water.
Work on reducing stress levels.
Get lots of rest. Avoid intense exercise because it stresses the body. As time goes on you’ll find you have more energy to take on heavier exercise if you want to.
Add extra salt, electrolytes or bone broth to your diet, to top up electrolytes.
Don’t put yourself under pressure to do this perfectly from the outset!
HOW WILL CUTTING OUT SUGAR MAKE ME FEEL?
Not too great, to be honest. Common symptoms of sugar withdrawal are irritability, fatigue, headache or migraine, general malaise, low mood, disrupted sleep, thirst, constipation or diarrhea, joint aches, muscle aches or cramps and skin rashes. It can take days, weeks or even months for these transition symptoms to go away but see it through because the improvements you’ll feel long term will astound you! Life after sugar addiction is truly marvellous.
Will i notice results straight away?
How quickly you see positive results after cutting out sugar and going carnivore-ish depends on so many factors but one thing’s for sure … you will see results, no matter how long it takes. Usually it takes a few days to a few weeks – and even a few months – to see improvements, as your body adjusts to your new way of eating. Once you’re adapted, you’ll likely see dramatic changes in your energy levels, sleep quality, mood, digestion, skin, brain clarity, strength and more.
Do I need to count calories, macros, micros etc.?
You can if you want but you don’t need to. Personally, I’d make it as simple as possible: eat when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re full. Eat the meats you enjoy, make sure you eat plenty of animal fats, add in eggs and dairy if your body thrives on them and only add in low-sugar fruits and veggies etc. when your body tells you it wants them. Your days of obsessing about food are over on this way of eating – you just have to give your body time to adjust.
ISN’T FAT BAD FOR YOU?
Fat is good for you. Again, we’re being lied to on a grand scale about what is and isn’t good for us. This video by Carnivorous Me, in which she interviews Dr Phillip Ovadia, a heart surgeon, explains more.
Here’s another video on Ovadia’s channel, called ‘Nina Teicholz: Wanna Avoid Heart Disease? Eat More Fat‘.
I like fruits and vegetables. Aren’t they healthy?
According to Dr Shawn Baker, it depends on the person and the plant. Baker says, “Most plants in the environment are downright poisonous and deadly, whereas a small percentage have been found suitable to eat by humans and many of those require extensive processing to make them safe to ingest. Some people have a greater capacity to handle certain plants than others do. Remember that things like sugar, vegetable oil and Oreos are all made from plants and some of them are clearly worse than others.”
See Baker’s impressive and comprehensive list of anti-nutrients, their negative effects, the foods that contain them, and how they can be neutralised.
Isn’t meat bad for THE PLANET?
If you haven’t discovered yet that the climate ‘crisis’ is yet another scam (sinister at best and anti-human at worst), I urge you to open your eyes and start exploring the possibility that pretty much everything you’re being told is a lie. And I really do urge you …
There are few farming practices that are less damaging to the planet than livestock farming. The so-called statistics we’re being told are based on skewed results and outright lies. The following video by English farmer, Harry, explains more:
WHAT IF I CAN’T SOURCE GRASS-FED MEAT?
It doesn’t matter. The more natural your meat is, the better, but if you can’ get your hands on local farmers’ grass-fed (and preferably grass–finished) meat don’t stress about it. Most people can’t these days. People are improving their health and healing chronic conditions on supermarket meat just as they are on grass-fed meat. Some of those people never eat organ meats, either. Just do what you can and stick to animal products in the main because you’ll see the benefits, no matter how ‘pure’ you are on this lifestyle.
ISN’T MEAT TOO EXPENSIVE?
Think about it this way: you’re not buying the usual fruit juices, alcohol, processed foods, cereals, pre-prepared meals, chocolates and sweets, desserts, crisps, take-aways etc. You’re buying meat, eggs, dairy, fish and a few fruits and vegetables if you want them. A carnivore-ish diet is no more expensive than a standard diet. And you can opt for cheap cuts of meat, like ground beef or mince, skirt or bavette, burgers, bacon, sausages, marrow bones etc to save money. I find that eating this way saves a bit of money – and it certainly saves on waste because I hardly ever throw any food away (which is a bonus when you live in a van, like I do!).