Curious? Try This 7-Day Carnivore Diet Meal Plan

May 27, 2024

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If you’ve been immersed in the food pockets of any social media platform, no doubt you’ve seen mentions of the carnivore diet. Proponents tout the all-meat eating style as a way to lose weight, clear up skin issues, boost endurance, improve mental clarity, and more. Nay-sayers — including many doctors and other health professionals — worry that it’s too restrictive and doesn’t provide enough well-rounded nutrition. But there’s an in-between way to get the benefits without eschewing vegetables and other healthy foods forever: Using a carnivore diet meal plan for a brief time as an elimination diet.

What is an elimination diet?

An elimination diet is just what it sounds like: You eliminate certain foods for a set period of time to determine which, if any, are causing adverse effects. After the set time period is over, you reintroduce the foods you eliminated one at a time to gauge your reaction, sussing out what was bothering you. Whole30 is an elimination diet; you also can work with a doctor, dietitian, or other healthcare provider to set up an elimination diet just for you and help you through it.

Often you eliminate foods that are common irritants, such as:

Dairy
Wheat
Tree nuts
Peanuts
Soy
Shellfish

An elimination diet can last a week or up to a month, and then the reintroduction phase that follows lasts as long as it takes to bring back each food with a few days in between.

What does a carnivore diet meal plan look like?

With the carnivore diet, you eat only animal products, such as:

Beef
Lamb
Chicken
Fish and shellfish
Eggs
Pork

So a carnivore meal plan would include only those foods. You cook in animal fats such as butter or tallow, and you use salt as seasoning. Some carnivores don’t include dairy (in which case, no butter), and some eschew eggs as well. If you suspect eggs or dairy may be an irritant for you, it’s a good idea to leave them out.

Why a carnivore diet meal plan can work as an elimination diet

Elimination diets can be confusing, and it can be a challenge to figure out what to eat when trying to avoid the array of foods you’ve cut. With the carnivore diet, what to eat is simplified; you’re only eating animal products, so you have fewer choices.

A temporary carnivore diet also can work as a reset; instead of something like a juice cleanse after the holidays or an indulgent vacation, you can try it for a few days or a week to help curb sugar cravings and get you back on track.

We’ve created a 7-day carnivore diet meal plan for you, so you can give it a try if you’re curious. A few caveats:

If you think you have a food intolerance or allergy, work with a healthcare professional to get to the bottom of it. If you want to try a carnivore diet meal plan as an elimination diet, look for a practitioner who’s open to that approach.
If you have a history of disordered eating, speak with a healthcare professional before embarking on any new eating plan.
This plan isn’t meant to be a roadmap for the rest of your life; it’s temporary. Each of us is individual, as are our nutritional needs. But most of us do well with a broad array of foods, including vegetables, fruit, occasional treats, and more.
We didn’t include specific amounts, because everyone’s needs will be different. It’s very hard to overeat on a carnivore diet, because protein is so satiating. Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues and eat accordingly.

Seven-day carnivore diet meal plan

A few things to note:

We included dairy and eggs. If you’re eliminating them, swap in a meal from another slot
We left out seasonings; whether or not you include them depends on how strict you want to be. The same goes for coffee and tea
Be sure to stay hydrated
We repeated some meals a few times to minimize shopping and cooking; feel free to cook a few items in batches to streamline (such as roasted chicken)
We didn’t include snacks, but you can add cheese, hard-boiled eggs, or plain jerky between meals if needed