What do you eat on the carnivore diet, and is it healthy? Dietician Emer Delaney explains the basics of this diet and what you should know about its possible pros and cons.
The carnivore diet has become an increasingly popular way of eating for people looking to improve their health lose weight or simplify their nutritional needs. As the name implies, the carnivore diet involves eating mostly meat and animal products. But can you eat fish on the carnivore diet? Let’s dive in and find out.
An Overview of the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet is an extreme form of low-carb, high-fat dieting that focuses on animal foods like meat, fish, eggs, and small amounts of dairy while eliminating all carbs from plants. The diet was popularized by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Shawn Baker, who claims it can help with weight loss, mental clarity, improved athletic performance, and inflammation reduction.
The premise is that by removing all plant foods and basing your diet almost solely around animal products, you can reap a variety of health benefits. When your body is in a state of ketosis from the lack of carbs, it burns fat for fuel instead of glucose. This shift can lead to weight loss and other positive effects for some people.
On the carnivore diet, your nutritional intake will consist of:
- Fatty cuts of meat like steak, ground beef, bacon, lamb, pork.
- Poultry like chicken, turkey, duck.
- Fish and shellfish.
- Eggs.
- Full-fat dairy like butter, heavy cream, hard cheeses.
- Limited spices for flavor.
Foods you eliminate completely include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and sweets. It’s the strictest version of low-carb, high-fat dieting possible.
Can You Eat Fish on the Carnivore Diet?
The simple answer is yes, fish is definitely allowed on the carnivore diet. Since the carnivore diet centers around animal products fatty fish and shellfish fit right in.
Seafood provides beneficial nutrition like protein, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, selenium, iodine, and more. It adds variety to the limited carnivore diet so you’re not just eating steak and eggs every day.
Some of the most popular fish to eat on the carnivore diet include
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Trout
- Tuna
- Shellfish like shrimp, crab, lobster
The key when selecting fish is choosing fatty varieties like salmon and mackerel that will provide you with those extra calories and nutrients you need from the absence of carbs. Leaner fish like tilapia and cod don’t have as much fat.
Benefits of Eating Fish on the Carnivore Diet
Adding fish to your carnivore diet meal plan provides many benefits:
1. Increases Fat Intake
One potential downside of the carnivore diet is that it might be difficult to meet your minimum daily caloric needs without carbs. Fish adds beneficial fats to help. A 3 ounce serving of salmon has over 15 grams of fat. Compare that to a lean protein like chicken breast that only has 3 grams of fat.
The extra calories from fatty fish help sustain energy, regulate hormones, and keep you feeling satisfied. This makes compliance with the diet easier.
2. Provides Key Nutrients
Fish offers nutrients hard to find in other carnivore diet foods, especially:
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Essential for brain, eye, and heart health. The anti-inflammatory properties can also relieve joint pain.
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Vitamin D – Critical for immune function, bone health, and calcium absorption. Many are deficient.
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Selenium – An important antioxidant that protects your cells from damage and regulates thyroid function.
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Iodine – Needed for proper thyroid hormone production, which controls metabolism.
By incorporating fish in your meal plan, you’ll avoid nutrient deficiencies.
3. Aids Ketosis
One of the goals of following the carnivore diet is reaching a state of ketosis, where your body and brain use ketones derived from fat as their preferred fuel source. This transition can take time for some people when first eliminating carbs.
But fatty fish may help speed up the process thanks to omega-3 fats called DHA and EPA. Studies show these healthy fats help stimulate ketone production. So adding salmon or sardines to your meals can get you into fat burning mode quicker.
4. Improves Variety
Let’s face it, eating just steaks, burgers, bacon and eggs every day can get boring fast. Having seafood in your meal rotation provides more taste, texture, and flavor diversity.
The large assortment of fish and shellfish out there gives you options to create unique and satisfying recipes to prevent burnout, including:
- Blackened salmon
- Shrimp ceviche
- Tuna poke bowls
- Lobster rolls
- Crab cakes
- Baked cod
- Cajun shrimp
- Grilled mahi mahi
- Lemon pepper tuna
- Garlic butter salmon
Varying your protein sources enhances adherence and makes the carnivore diet more sustainable in the long run.
5. Eco-Friendly Choice
From a sustainability standpoint, seafood, especially wild-caught fish, represents a more environmentally friendly choice compared to lamb, beef, pork, and poultry. Commercial fishing practices still require improvement, but fish remains one of the “greener” sources of meat you can choose while on the carnivore diet.
Best Fish to Eat on the Carnivore Diet
You have options when it comes to picking fish for the carnivore diet. Focus on fattier varieties higher in healthy omega-3s while limiting or avoiding lean fish.
Best Choices
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Salmon – King, sockeye, and Chinook salmon offer the most fat and omega-3s. Grilled, baked, or smoked salmon works perfectly for the carnivore diet.
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Mackerel – One of the fattiest fish available is also low in mercury and contaminants. Smoked mackerel contains the most fat.
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Sardines – These small fatty fish are nutrient powerhouses convenient to take on the go. Choose sardines canned in olive oil.
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Anchovies – Similar to sardines, these small fish pack big flavor and healthy fats. Keep canned anchovies on hand for easy fish recipes.
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Trout – A freshwater fish that’s a little lower in fat than salmon but still provides omega-3 fatty acids.
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Herring – Pickled, smoked, or raw herring fillets bring a salty seafood kick to the carnivore diet.
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Canned tuna – Opt for tuna packed in olive oil rather than water for an extra dose of fat.
Moderate Choices
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Cod – A white fish that’s very low in fat but offers an affordable option. Best avoided in large amounts.
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Halibut – Has a firmer texture with more fat compared to cod or tilapia. Eat occasionally for variety.
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Tilapia – Extremely lean so not the best for getting extra calories or nutrients.
Poor Choices
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Shellfish – Shrimp, scallops, crab, lobster and others contain minimal fat and aren’t the best sources of omega-3s. Eat only occasionally.
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Mahi mahi – With less than 2 grams of fat per serving, this lean tropical fish won’t provide energy or nutrients.
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Snapper – Similar to tilapia and cod, snapper is too lean to be a regular choice.
While all fish is allowed on the carnivore diet, your best choices are fatty fish several times per week for the optimal nutritional benefits.
Potential Downsides of Eating Fish on the Carnivore Diet
Despite the many benefits seafood offers, there are a few potential downsides to consider:
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Higher Mercury Levels – Larger, longer-living fish accumulate more mercury. Limit higher mercury choices like tuna, swordfish, mackerel, and shark.
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Sodium Content – Canned fish and shellfish can be high in sodium. Read labels and aim for low-sodium options when possible.
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Sustainability Concerns – Overfishing threatens certain fish populations and marine ecosystems. Use Seafood Watch to make responsible choices.
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Allergies – Fish allergies are common. Discontinue eating fish if you experience symptoms like hives, rash or swelling.
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Food Poisoning – Eating raw or undercooked fish increases the risk for parasitic or bacterial illness. Source fish carefully and cook properly.
While fish offers many benefits for the carnivore diet, you’ll want to educate yourself on the potential risks and follow mitigation strategies.
How Much Fish Should You Eat
How does the carnivore diet work?
The diet is a form of ketogenic diet, and works by eliminating all plant-based foods and solely eating meat, fish, eggs and small amounts of low-lactose dairy foods. Chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, beef, organ meats, oily and white fish, hard cheese, butter and cream are all allowed. Advocates encourage fattier cuts of meat to ensure daily energy needs are met.
Under normal circumstances, our body uses glucose from carbohydrate foods for energy. In the absence of glucose, a process called ketosis occurs. This is a state in which the body burns fats instead of carbohydrates as its main fuel source.
The liver breaks down fat stores to make energy when we don’t eat carbs, like when we’re on the carnivore diet. This energy comes in the form of “ketones.”
What is the carnivore diet?
The carnivore diet is mostly made up of animal products like meat, fish, eggs, animal fats, and small amounts of low-lactose dairy products. It is high in protein and fat and very low in carbs. As such, it excludes all other foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds. Advertisement.
Since there isn’t strong evidence to the contrary, the carnivore diet is thought to be unbalanced and probably not healthy. People today are told to eat more fruits and vegetables, focus on a plant-based diet, and eat less red meat. Because of this, this diet probably won’t be recommended in the long term.
Read on to discover:
How the carnivore diet works; How to follow a carnivore diet; Is a carnivore diet good for you? What are the cons of the carnivore diet? What evidence supports the carnivore diet? What does our nutritionist think?
Fish on a CARNIVORE DIET? | Can You Eat SEAFOOD on a Carnivore Diet?
Can a carnivore eat fish?
The answer is no. Like other animal-sourced foods, fish is very nutrient-dense and is especially a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. However, if you are already eating nose-to-tail, you will get all nutrients that your body needs without the need to add fish to your carnivore diet.
Is it good to eat fish?
Fish is one of the healthiest foods on earth. It is loaded with important nutrients such as protein and vitamin D. Fish is also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are very essential for body and brain growth and development. Some fish are high in mercury, which is related to brain developmental problems. Eating fish lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish may combat depression. Fish and fish products are the best sources of vitamin D. Eating fish has been linked to reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes and several other autoimmune diseases. Eating fish protects vision in old age, preventing age-related macular degeneration(AMD).
Can You Survive on a carnivore diet?
You can survive on a carnivore diet, but you’ll miss out on important nutrients, such as fiber and vitamins C and E. It is not safe for certain groups, including those with kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, or those with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. What Is the Carnivore Diet Exactly, and How Does It Work?
Should you eat fillet steak on a carnivore diet?
However, that’s the exact opposite of what people should do when making a carnivore diet list. While a nice fillet steak might be quite delicious, it simply won’t give you all the calories your body requires in the carnivore diet for weight loss.