My Husband’s Carnivore Diet Shopping List: What We’re Buying (and Why It’s Working So Far)
A few years ago, my husband had thoracic surgery, and ever since, he’s dealt with ongoing inflammation issues. We’re not totally sure if the surgery kicked it off, but after talking about it for over a year, he finally bit the bullet and started the carnivore diet.
What is the carnivore diet?
If you’re new to this (like we were), the carnivore diet is pretty much what it sounds like: all meat and animal products, no plants or carbs at all. It’s an extreme elimination diet that cuts out everything except things like beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and some hard cheeses. I was surprised to learn milk isn’t allowed—it has way more carbs than you’d think!
He’s been officially on the carnivore diet for about a month now, and he’s already saying he feels lighter and more energized. There was some initial bloating and flu-like symptoms (that “carnivore flu” everyone talks about), but now he’s loving it and feeling clear. He believes old ailments are even healing from it.
How do you prep for the Carnivore Diet?
Shopping for the carnivore diet has been… an adventure. He really prefers steak over chicken and isn’t big on seafood, but good steaks get expensive fast! To keep it budget-friendly, I’ve been grabbing eye of round steak—it’s super high in protein and lean. Pro tip: tenderize it well (pound it or marinate in salt) and grill just a minute or so per side. Comes out perfect without drying.
For lunches, he’s switching between rotisserie chicken and ground beef seasoned with Hardcore Carnivore Tex-Mex seasoning (it’s zero-carb and amazing) plus some shredded cheddar cheese. We figured out pretty quick that the chicken breasts don’t stay juicy long enough, but the thighs and legs do, so we will use the breasts either in my lunch or our sons lunch.
Here’s our simple carnivore diet shopping list right now—we hit Sam’s or Costco for bulk deals:
– 8 pounds of steak (mostly eye of round)
– 1 rotisserie chicken
– 7 pounds of ground beef
– 2 containers of pork rinds (his go-to snack)
– Eggs (a dozen or two)
– Shredded cheddar cheese
– Cheese sticks
– Salami and/or pepperoni
We’re still in trial-and-error mode, figuring out portions to make sure he’s full and getting enough calories/fat. If this isn’t quite enough, I always have extra protein prepped for family dinner anyway (the kids and I aren’t full carnivore!), so he won’t go hungry. Pork rinds and cheese sticks are clutch for snacks too.
I’m sure our carnivore diet menu will evolve as he keeps going—maybe more variety in cuts or adding butter for extra fat. If you’re on the carnivore diet, what’s your favorite meat or must-have item? Drop it in the comments—I could use the ideas!