The Carnivore diet has rapidly increased in popularity over the last few years. It is a very unique and extreme diet that revolves around only eating meat.
When it comes to diets this restrictive, there are a lot of rules and it can be difficult to work out what is okay to consume and what is not.
You might know the basics of this diet, but it’s likely you’re wondering about the specifics. What is okay to eat with the carnivore diet? What about beverages – does it work the same way? If you’re wondering about these questions then you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we’re going to be taking you through everything you’ll need to know about what you can drink on a carnivore diet. We’ll take you through how this works and what you should watch out for.
What Is The Carnivore Diet?
Because of how new it is, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what the carnivore diet actually is. It is as restrictive as it sounds. The central idea of a carnivore diet is to take out every kind of food from your diet aside from meat and fish.
It is often chosen by those with severe auto-immune disorders as there is some evidence that it can help to counteract symptoms.
Whilst there isn’t that much research into how effective the carnivore diet is, there are many personal reasons why somebody might choose such a restrictive diet, and you should know that there are a few different versions that people go for.
Strict: This is a version of the diet that involves completely cutting out everything other than meat. This means your diet will consist of mostly poultry, fish, and red meat.
A lot of the nutrients here come from types of food like organic meat and other organic animal products such as eggs.
With Dairy: Some types of carnivore diets do not completely exclude food from other sources and sometimes include very low-carb versions of dairy products. For example, you might be able to add organic yogurt, certain cheeses, and butter.
Modified: The modified version of the carnivore diet allows you to add small vegetables into your diet so long as they don’t contain much sugar.
For Example, plants that are high in water content such as lettuce or cucumber, and those high in fat content like avocado.
What Can You Drink On The Carnivore Diet?
So now we come to the central question of our article – what exactly are you able to drink on a carnivore diet?
One of the main mantras of the carnivore diet is cutting out anything processed or that contains a high amount of sugar (be it natural or artificial).
This means that a lot of the beverages that we have grown to enjoy as a species are all out.
So then what can you drink? Well, you have a very limited amount of options, but if you look a little closer there are some variations.
We’re going to list them for you below with reference to the type of carnivore diet they work with.
Water
This one is the obvious choice and the main thing you’ll be drinking on a carnivore diet. Water is still very important and it’s vital that you get enough throughout the day.
The recommended amount of water per day for an average human adult is around 3.7 liters. Whilst water may seem simplistic in terms of variation, there are a few things you can do to spice it up.
The first is to opt for sparkling water over still – this is something that is easy enough to do, but you have to make sure you’re getting water without any additional ingredients placed inside. For example, many types of bottled sparkling water come with artificial sweeteners that are not suitable.
Similarly, if you find yourself struggling with missing out on hot beverages, a cup of hot water can also act in the same way. The only thing is that you have to make sure not to add anything else to it like sugar.
Bone Broth
Another thing you can drink without much difficulty. You can drink it hot or cold, but it’s generally boiled on a stove as you might with soup.
It’s a great way to add something warm and nutritious to your diet, and can really take a break from the daily routine of water, water, and nothing but water.
Some people add spices to their bone broth to add flavor, but it’s often best to leave those out if you’re worried about the effects they might have on your body.
A Note On Alcohol
This could be bad news or good news depending on your tastes, but the truth is that you can’t drink alcohol on a carnivore diet. Alcohol does just not fit with a carnivore diet as there are no kinds of alcohol made purely out of animals.
Even cleaner alcohols such as vodka mean that you’ll be ingesting additional calories that won’t be suitable for you.
Conclusion
So there you have it! There really aren’t a lot of options when it comes to beverages for those on a carnivore diet. This is one of the reasons why it is seen as an extremely severe diet and is usually only adopted by those who have extreme auto-immune disorders. One of the main things you’ll have to make peace with is variety should you choose to follow this diet.
We hope that this article has given you some tips on what you can drink should you choose to follow a carnivore diet and that you’re much more confident about what your options are. We wish you the best of luck and hope you can find a diet that’s right for you.
