While eating at home is the gold standard for maintaining a strict carnivore diet, understanding how to navigate dining out is essential for real-life application and consistency. Adhering to a carnivore diet doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice social outings or business dinners.

 

By focusing on meat-based options and steering clear of hidden carbs and vegetable oils, you can still enjoy dining out without derailing your diet. It’s about making informed choices, such as opting for grilled meats in butter and politely declining sides that don’t align with your specific dietary needs.

 

This way, you can ensure that staying consistent with your diet is manageable, even in less controlled environments. Remember, the goal is healing, and with a bit of planning and knowledge, you can navigate dining out successfully on the carnivore diet.

 

What Is the Carnivore Diet?

 

 

The carnivore diet presents various adaptations to meet individual health objectives and preferences. These variations cater to different dietary needs and goals:

 

• Beef-Only Carnivore Diet: Targets those seeking simplicity and effective elimination, ideal for addressing autoimmune or chronic conditions. Diversifying meat types is recommended for long-term nutritional completeness.

 

• Lion Diet: Focuses on ruminant meats, salt, and water, serving as an elimination diet base with scope for reintroducing other meats, particularly beneficial for gut health and autoimmune issues.

 

• Nose-to-Tail Carnivore Diet: Encourages consuming the entire animal, including organ meats, to achieve a broad spectrum of nutrients, with a cautionary note on potential vitamin A toxicity for those with specific liver conditions.

 

• Meat-Only Carnivore Diet: Includes all types of muscle meat, excluding organ meats, dairy, and eggs, suited for those pursuing a basic elimination diet who tolerate muscle meat well.

 

• Zero-Carb Carnivore Diet: Emphasizes foods with minimal carbohydrates, incorporating dairy and eggs, recommended for those without autoimmune or severe chronic conditions and who can tolerate dairy/eggs.

 

• Carnivore Keto Diet: Combines ketogenic principles with carnivore diet, focusing on low-carb, high-fat intake, including low-toxicity plant foods for those with no chronic health issues.

 

• Carnivore-Ish Keto Diet: Offers more flexibility by integrating ketogenic elements into a predominantly meat-based diet, suitable for metabolically healthy individuals without food addiction concerns.

 

• Animal-Based Diet: Extends beyond strict carnivore guidelines to include fruits, honey, and raw dairy, observed to usually only benefit metabolically flexible individuals and elite athletes. We typically don’t recommend this variation due to its variety of risks.

 

What Are the Benefits of the Carnivore Diet?

 

 

The carnivore diet, centered entirely on animal foods, is heralded for its numerous health benefits, offering a compelling argument for those considering this nutritional approach. Here’s a comprehensive exploration of why individuals might adopt this diet:

 

• Simplicity and Digestive Health: This diet simplifies eating habits, focusing on meats and eliminating most allergens and irritants found in plant-based foods. This simplicity can lead to improved digestive health, as it reduces the intake of fibers and compounds that can irritate the gut.

 

• Weight Loss and Metabolic Health: Many adopt the carnivore diet for weight management, as it naturally limits carbohydrate intake, leading to a state of ketosis. This metabolic state can enhance fat burning and reduce appetite, contributing to weight loss and improved metabolic health.

 

• Mental Clarity and Energy Levels: Eliminating carbohydrates and focusing on high-quality animal proteins can lead to increased mental clarity and sustained energy levels throughout the day. This is due to the stable blood sugar levels achieved by a low-carb diet.

 

 

• Reduction in Inflammation: The carnivore diet reduces systemic inflammation, a root cause of many chronic diseases. By cutting out plant-based foods that contain anti-nutrients and inflammatory compounds, individuals may experience a reduction in inflammation-related symptoms.

 

• Autoimmune and Chronic Conditions: Those with autoimmune or chronic conditions may find relief on the carnivore diet. Its elimination diet aspect can help identify food triggers, while the high nutrient density of animal products supports healing and immune function.

 

• Improved Physical Performance: Athletes and fitness enthusiasts often benefit from the carnivore diet’s focus on protein and fat for energy, which can support muscle building and endurance.

 

 

• Satiety and Food Satisfaction: The high protein and fat content of the carnivore diet can lead to increased satiety, reducing cravings and the likelihood of overeating. It is the ideal diet for healing food addiction and disordered eating.

 

• Nutrient Density: Animal products are rich in essential nutrients such as vitamins B12, D, A, and minerals such as zinc and iron, which are more bioavailable than their plant-based counterparts. There are nutrients we need that are exclusively found in animal foods.

 

• Psychological and Emotional Benefits: The carnivore diet is known for its various mental health benefits. From mood-enhancing nutrients to eliminating the intake of potential triggers that impact mental stability, there are many ways this way of eating can support psychological and emotional health.

 

• Community and Support: The growing carnivore community provides a network of support, sharing experiences, recipes, and success stories that encourage and motivate newcomers. Find like-minded individuals committed to their healing journeys.

 

You can learn more about carnivore diet benefits here.

 

The Carnivore Diet and Fast Food Restaurants

 

 

Adhering to the carnivore diet while dining at fast food restaurants is surprisingly manageable. Many of these establishments offer options that can be customized to fit a carnivore diet, primarily through selecting 100% beef products and requesting modifications to standard menu items.

 

When ordering, one can often request beef-only options, such as burger patties without buns or toppings. However, vigilance is required regarding fillers in chicken, cheese, and other animal-based foods, which may not align with your specific dietary needs. Some fast food chains are known for using 100% beef in their burgers and cooking in beef fat, ensuring a higher compatibility with the carnivore diet.

 

Five Guys, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and In-N-Out as of March 2024 offer 100% beef burger patties cooked in their own fat. Always ask employees as menu items can change.

 

It’s crucial to inquire about the cooking practices and ingredients to avoid unintended consumption of non-carnivore-compliant additives. This approach allows for maintaining dietary adherence even when convenience or necessity dictates dining out.

 

Ordering Carnivore Diet-Friendly Meals At Restaurants

 

 

When dining out on the carnivore diet, it’s essential to communicate your dietary needs to ensure your meals align with your preferences and needs. Request that your food be cooked in pure butter or animal fat, as many restaurants use oils mixed with vegetable fats to prepare dishes. Highlight any allergies to ensure that ingredients such as olive oil or butter, often cut with vegetable oils, are avoided in your food preparation.

 

Choose simple meat dishes or meat sides, asking for them to be cooked without added sauces or specific seasonings can help maintain dietary integrity. Being specific about your needs can lead to a more enjoyable dining experience, allowing you to stick to your carnivore diet without compromising on the social aspects of eating out.

 

Always verify the ingredients and cooking methods used to ensure they meet your dietary requirements, ensuring a satisfying and compliant meal.

 

Bringing Carnivore Diet Staples With You

 

 

Dining out while adhering to a carnivore diet can often involve a bit of preparation, especially for those with specific dietary needs or sensitivities. Many individuals find that bringing their own dietary staples, such as high-quality salts or grass-fed butter, to restaurants enhances their dining experience and ensures they can stay within their dietary guidelines.

 

Restaurants typically understand and accommodate such requests, particularly when patrons explain they have food allergies or sensitivities that limit their menu options. Being upfront and polite about your dietary needs generally leads to a more enjoyable and stress-free meal.

 

This approach allows for a compromise between maintaining strict dietary adherence and enjoying the social aspects of eating out, ensuring that dietary restrictions don’t hinder social engagements or the pleasure of dining in different settings.

 

Carnivore Diet Restaurant Favorites

Navigating restaurants on the carnivore diet can be both rewarding and delicious with strategic choices. Buffalo Wild Wings is highly regarded for using beef tallow to cook their wings, offering a pure carnivore delight. Five Guys stands out for its commitment to 100% beef patties, cooked in rich beef fat for an authentic taste. Fogo de Chao, a renowned Brazilian steakhouse, presents a wide array of meat selections that cater perfectly to carnivore diet enthusiasts.

 

Additionally, traditional steakhouses, hot pot venues, Korean BBQ, Japanese BBQ, and fondue restaurants provide a diverse and meat-centric dining experience. These establishments are favored for their high-quality meats prepared in natural fats, ensuring that those on the carnivore diet have a multitude of options to enjoy while dining out.

 

Many restaurants offer sides of meat that you can create your own meal with. As long as the restaurant offers meat, there’s a good chance they’ll be able to accommodate you. You can always call ahead to make sure they’re able to help you with your dietary requests.

 

Closing Thoughts for Eating Out On the Carnivore Diet

Successfully navigating dining out on the carnivore diet is achievable with careful restaurant selection and clear communication of dietary needs. Establishments such as Buffalo Wild Wings, known for using beef tallow for wings, and Five Guys, with its 100% beef patties cooked in beef fat, are prime examples of carnivore-friendly options.

 

Brazilian steakhouses like Fogo de Chao offer a wide variety of meats that align with carnivore principles. Similarly, traditional steakhouses, hot pot venues, Korean BBQ, Japanese BBQ, and fondue restaurants provide ample opportunities for those on the carnivore diet to enjoy a rich dining experience without compromising their dietary restrictions.

 

Bringing personal condiments such as high-quality salts or grass-fed butter can further enhance these dining experiences, allowing for a more personalized and satisfying meal. It’s also beneficial to be upfront about any food sensitivities or allergies to ensure that meals are prepared according to carnivore diet standards, avoiding any hidden fillers or unwanted vegetable oils.

 

With these strategies, individuals following the carnivore diet can navigate dining out with ease, enjoying a variety of meat-based dishes that cater to their specific dietary needs while still partaking in the social and culinary pleasures of eating out.

 

Work With Our Trusted Carnivore Diet Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioners

The Nutrition with Judy practice is honored to be a trusted carnivore diet practitioner support serving clients from around the globe. We’re passionate about helping our clients achieve root-cause healing in order to lead the best quality of life possible that’s nearly symptom-free. Our team is dedicated to helping our clients find practical ways to make this way of eating sustainable. We welcome you to explore our free resources and are always available to support you through personalized protocols. Our Symptom Burden Assessment (SBA) is the perfect starting point for discovering your root cause and is required to work with our team— you can learn more in-depth about this powerful tool here.

Start your root-cause healing journey today and contact us any time with any questions or concerns.

 

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only. While we are board-certified in holistic nutrition and are nutritional therapy practitioners, we are not providing medical advice. Whenever you start a new diet or protocol, always consult with your trusted practitioner first.