28-Day Carnivore Diet Meal Plan, Recipes & Menus (2024)

You've heard all good things about the popular carnivore diet, but the real question is, will it work for you, too?

I think it's time you find out.

Of course, with this diet's unconventional carnivore menu, you need to have a diet plan and stick with it.

Along with other meat experts, I came up with this 28-day carnivore diet meal plan to help fellow carnivore advocates like you.

Quick Summary

How To Prepare Your Carnivore Diet Meal Plan

The following four carnivore diet meal plan tips have helped us a lot to stay motivated and achieve some secondary goals in the full carnivore diet meal.

That is the potential to lose weight, get rid of unnecessary body fat, and gain a little muscle without losing the necessary micronutrients. Now let's get into it.

1. Know Your Why

Before jumping into the strict, plant-free carnivore keto diet, it's crucial to identify your goals. Embrace this lifestyle shift—it's all about meat, good fats, and zero carbs.

Aiming for a certain weight, slashing fat, tackling food allergies, fighting autoimmune diseases, or bulking up? Know your why for choosing this all-meat, high-fat regime.

Craft a clear, personalized carnivore diet meal plan tailored to your objectives.

Maybe it’s to lose 20 lbs before you go on a summer vacation or​ like gain 5 pounds of lean muscle in 6 months - whatever it is, strictly stick to eating the carnivore diet meal plan throughout the whole process.

Read More: Studies on the Carnivore Diet

2. Plan To Commit To The Carnivore Diet Meal Plan

Sticking to a high-fat, keto carnivore diet requires strong dedication. Don't wing it day-to-day; that's a recipe for failure. Plan your week, set solid goals, and use a diet planner with a carnivore food list to pre-decide your meals.

You can also take a little extra time to find new types of animal meat cuts you might like and preparation methods to add a bit more variety to your animal meat diet.

You can even experiment with ​eating animal organs (like cow's liver or heart) to explore more diet options and experience new flavors.

If you’re not keen on preparing your carnivore diet staple meals while on the ​carnivore diet for weight loss, you can take advantage of meat delivery services.

It’s a convenient way to jumpstart your carnivore diet, and most importantly, you get quality beef, chicken, or pork based on your body's needs.

Meat delivery services available:

• ButcherBox (Our #1 recommended delivery service)
• Snake River Farms
• Crowd Cow Co
• Porter Road

3. Social Life Preparations

Eating out used to be a nightmare on a carnivore diet. Mention eating donuts for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch, and pizza for dinner at a party, and nobody bats an eye. But say your diet is all red meat, animal fat, and no plants? Suddenly, everyone's up in arms, critiquing your choice.

Explain you're testing the carnivore diet due to food allergies.
Despite this, some may call you crazy for skipping fruits and veggies.
When this happens, simply ask if they're worried about their health or yours.
Usually, this flips the script.

4. Dining Out

The good news for people on the carnivore diet is that there are many restaurants you can eat out with quality wellness meats that will cater to your needs.

Eating in steak and BBQ restaurants is probably your best bet.

But be sure to avoid processed animal meats. Eating processed foods is not allowed in the carnivore diet for weight loss.

​You just need to be careful of the way the dishes are prepared. The important thing is to avoid eating anything that contains sauces or is stir-fried with vegetables when on a carnivore diet.​

​Unfortunately, as a carnivore, you’ll most likely avoid eating out in many Chinese and Indian restaurants as pretty much all their dishes are heavy with salt and sauces.

When we started ​our carnivore dietmeal plan, what we usually do is check out the menus online.

As long as we see many steaks and filet mignon available, we'd be happy to eat there.

The first thing that attracted me to the ​carnivore diet was the menu. I like meat and other fatty foods and don’t have too much of a sweet tooth anymore. Therefore, it seemed like it would be easy for me to maintain.

- Mike Fishbein, Blogger

After jotting down your fitness goals—be it shedding pounds or gaining muscle—set a timeline to kick off your no-carb, carnivore diet adventure.

Let's dive into planning your weekly carnivore meat menu, outlining daily meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with portion sizes. The carnivore diet food list assists in crafting your meal plan.

These guidelines suit the average person. If you're on an extreme weight loss or muscle gain journey, tweak the portions accordingly.

Feeling peckish post-meal? Feel free to gradually up your meat intake for lasting results.

Week 1 Diet Plan and Carnivore Diet Food List

​We advise people starting on the carnivore diet to take a 3-level approach elimination ​way of eating where over several weeks, you work towards a beef-only diet.

This isn't the same as many of your regular plant-based or low-carb diets, after all.

​For the 4-week carnivore diet meal plan, we will gradually change the meat selection to get you to level 3 by the end of the week.

The first mistake to avoid, and something you will notice below, is that you shouldn’t stay away from fats or fatty meat.

This research by the National Center for Biotechnology from 2018 claimed that saturated fat is not your enemy, and there are increasing studies that show the culprit is sugar when it comes to heart disease [2].

Shawn Baker writes about this a lot in his book, you can see my full review here.

You will notice this week on ​this carnivore diet that we still have some dairy products we can eat. This will help you adjust and stay focused during the initial stages of your diet.

Also, you must have one pint of drinking water with every meal as well as one pint of water in between meals. One pint is equivalent to 470 mL. That’s a total of five pints (2400 mL) of water per day or more.

Shopping list for the week:

• Butter: 1lbs
• Cheese: 1/2 lbs
• Trout: 26 ounces
• Bacon: 12 ounces
• Pork chops: 12 ounces
• Pork belly: 10 ounces
• Lamb Chops: 24 ounces
• Chicken breasts
• Beef (Grounded): 18 ounces
• Porterhouse steak: 24 ounce
• Ribeye steak: 24 ounce
• Topside of beef: 24 ounces
• 100% pork sausages: 13 ounces
• Salmon cutlets: 30 ounces (or other fatty fish)

In week two of the carnivore diet, we're cutting most dairy, except butter for cooking. Say goodbye to cheese.

It's time to tinker with your meat prep. Try your beef rarer to lock in nutrients—overcooking destroys protein and vitamins.

Keep the variety - seafood, poultry, pork, lamb, grass-fed beef, and introduce organ meats. Feeling iffy about it? A peek at their nutrient profile might win you over. If organ meats aren't your thing, you can consider the alternatives.

Tip: Ask the butcher for sliced organs. They'll resemble familiar cuts, easing you into it.

Shopping list for the week:

• Chicken breasts: 32 ounces
• Topside of beef: 44 ounces
• Lamb chops: 12 ounces
• Ribeye steak: 28 ounces
• Ribeye steak: 24 ounce
• 100% pork sausages: 3 ounces
• Porterhouse steak: 12 ounces
• Pork chops: 12 ounces
• Beef's liver: 12 ounces
• Salmon cutlets: 30 ounces (or other fatty fish)

Week 3 Diet Plan and Shopping List

For week three of the carnivore diet, we're ditching all remaining dairy and leaning more into beef. You'll find fewer fish and poultry meals and even a beef-only day to gear up for next week. Make sure to eat your grass-fed beef at least medium-rare for the full nutrient kick.

By now, you're a pro at cooking various beef cuts and can better evaluate other meats. Try slicing your steak in two, cooking one piece medium-rare and the other medium-well, and taste the richer flavor of the less-cooked half.

We're spicing things up with more organ meats like liver and kidney. Not only do they pack a nutrient punch, with loads of Vitamin B12 and A, outdoing most plant foods, but they also meet, if not exceed, your daily nutrient needs. And yes, raw liver even sneaks in some Vitamin C. Trust me, these organs are nutritional goldmines.

Shopping list for the week:

• Chicken breasts: 12 ounces
• Topside of beef: 36 ounces
• Lamb chops: 8 ounces
• Salmon cutlets: 15 ounces
• Ribeye steak: 24 ounces
• Bacon: 4 ounces
• 100% pork sausages: 3 ounces
• Porterhouse steak: 32 ounces
• Beef's liver: 8 ounces
• Beef Kidney: 8 ounces

If you're on the carnivore diet, get ready to see some health perks from animal foods.

You'll likely feel more energetic and focused, thanks to ketosis and steady blood sugar levels. That's the ketogenic diet's effect on your body.

But beware, some on the carnivore diet face blood sugar dips due to improper carb intake, a critical note for those with Type 2 Diabetes.

Also, you'll probably crave carbs less, as your body now draws its energy from fat and protein.

This week, we're cutting out all non-beef meats and adding more organ meats to the carnivore diet. Remember, only buy grass-fed beef for those extra healthy fats—not necessarily organic, but go for it if it's within your budget. If not, just load up on as much grass-fed beef as your wallet allows.

With carnivore diet options being pretty slim, mix up your cooking methods. Grilling is a top pick—it nails those charred, delicious, fat-rich flavors.

Shopping list for the week:

• Topside of beef: 36 ounces
• Beef (Grounded): 56 ounces
• Ribeye steak: 28 ounces
• Porterhouse steak: 32 ounces
• Beef liver: 8 ounces

Because here’s the thing: studies have been quietly accumulating over the past few years that suggest the truth about saturated fat is more complicated and less damning than previously thought. In fact, saturated fat may be necessary, even... healthy.

- Michelle Stacey, Women's Health Magazine

Tips To Optimize Your Carnivore Diet Meal Plan:

When you make a drastic shift ​to a strict carnivore diet, small mistakes can end up reducing your success rate. Here are a couple more tips (number one is my favorite) to help set you up for the best carnivore diet meal results.

1. Explore The Fatty Cuts

When we first started with ​our strict carnivore diet, we thought we were doing ​it right by only getting lean and low-fat cuts of meat and avoiding high fats.

A good example is if you ate fatty steaks, which it has a high healthy fats and protein ratio. In addition, it is rich in nutrients.

However, once your body switches to ketosis, you will need a lot of fat in your diet as a source of energy.

This is what happens to the body when on a ketogenic diet.

Diets like these will use your body fat and convert it to energy.

How much body fat will very much depend on your daily activity? If you have a physical job and head to the gym regularly, then your body will need a lot more body fat.

As compared to a day without much activity ​(a day that revolves around the bed, car, elevator, desk, elevator, car, couch, and back to bed).

Remember to get your blood work done before the diet to make sure cholesterol from bad fats, and triglyceride levels can be monitored.

2. What About Vitamin C on a Carnivore Diet?

The Vitamin C deficiency in the carnivore diet debate remains ongoing, but many long-term carnivore diet practitioners have not shown signs of ascorbic acid deficiencies.

Other people worry about their vitamins and nutrition and the risk of acquiring Scurvy (a disease caused by ascorbic acid deficiency) when on a prolonged carnivore diet.

The right amount of vitamin C you need on the strict carnivore diet meal is debatable.

There have been people practicing a strict carnivore diet for 10+ years ​without signs of ascorbic acid deficiencies. I recommend you watch this video by Dr. Barry as a guide.

3. Don’t Be Too Worried About Calories

Pairing an active lifestyle with a strict carnivore diet makes packing on pounds unlikely. Since the calories aren't from carbs or insoluble fiber, they won't turn into fat.

Eating extra fat? Your body might not digest it all. But remember, to shed weight on this diet, burn more calories than you eat.

Say your daily intake is 2,000 calories. To drop the extra weight, aim to burn at least 2,500 calories through exercise.

4. Try Out Organ Meats

When you're on a strict carnivore diet, don't limit yourself to meat alone. Diets like this give you the chance to explore other organ meats of animal foods to include in the carnivore diet.

You'll be surprised to find out about its nutritional contents, plus it tastes delicious, too (even when only seasoned with salt).

Examples of organ meats you can include when you follow the ​carnivore diet keto are beef tongue, heart, liver, bone broth, bone marrow, chicken liver, and more.

For its ​nutrition, a cow's tongue, for instance, is a good source of zinc, iron, choline, trace minerals, and Vitamin B.

The liver from animals, on the other hand, contains a lot of iron, nutrients, B Vitamins, and Vitamin A.

This 2017 research by Alexandra Rowles from Healthline, specified that the vitamins and nutrients from vegetables can be taken from organ meats, after all. This will ease any worries about nutrient deficiencies when on ​a carnivore diet [3].

Related Articles:

• Carnivore Diet on a Budget
• Joe Rogan’s Carnivore Diet
• What is a Lion Diet?

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