Animal-based diets have gone viral on social media. But, what is this diet all about, who is it for, and the potential health pros and cons? Find out in this guide to an Animal Based Diet for Beginners complete with a shopping list, foods to avoid, and more.

raw meats on table with spices.
Selection of meats (photo source: Canva).

What is an Animal-Based Diet?

An animal-based diet centers on whole, nutrient-dense foods from animal sources like red meat, organs, fish, eggs, and dairy, along with some plant foods, including vegetables, fruits, and honey. It prioritizes high-quality animal products for their rich supply of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.

The basic thinking around this approach is that human bodies are designed to consume animal-based foods to get our essential nutrients and to avoid the defense chemicals of plant-based foods like grains and certain vegetables.

Unlike strict diets like carnivore or keto, an animal-based diet allows a mix of animal and plant foods.

Certain vegetables, fruits, and honey are included in moderation, while grains, refined carbs, and processed foods are minimized. This approach helps provide a variety of nutrients without relying on foods that might cause inflammation or digestive issues.

Overall, the diet is about choosing nutrient-rich foods that support the body, blending the benefits of both animal products and select plant-based options.

Potential Health Benefits

The animal-based diet focuses on nutrient-dense, whole foods and offers a variety of potential health benefits.

Don’t miss further along in this article where I discuss which groups of people should not try this animal-based foods approach.

Nutrient-Rich Foods

This diet emphasizes meat, organs, fish, and eggs, which are known for providing high-quality proteins, omega-3s, and essential vitamins and minerals such as B12, D, iron, and zinc.

These nutrients are generally well-absorbed, supporting balanced nutrition.

Simplified Digestion

By limiting grains, legumes, and processed foods, the diet can help create a simpler approach to eating that may ease digestive discomfort.

Foods like bone broth and organ meats are traditionally valued for their role in gut health. In regards to eating vegetables, it is recommended that most people cooked before eaten (or fermented). This can help improve digestion.

Balanced Energy Intake

With its focus on protein and healthy fats, and a reduction in refined carbs, this diet approach can help maintain balanced energy levels throughout the day.

Satiety and Eating Patterns

The emphasis on protein and fat helps to promote satiety, making it easier to manage eating habits and avoid sugar cravings or junk food cravings.

Who Should Try ABD?

An animal-based diet may benefit individuals with autoimmune conditions, digestive issues, insulin resistance, or multiple food sensitivities.

By focusing on nutrient-dense animal foods and minimizing plants that contain potentially irritating compounds, this approach can help some people reduce inflammation, stabilize blood sugar, and avoid symptoms triggered by certain plant foods.

However, it’s essential to approach it carefully and consider working with a healthcare professional to ensure nutritional balance.

Shopping List

Here is a recommended food list for the animal-based diet. This is a summary and does not include every allowable food.

Additionally, you must account for individual preferences and tolerance to certain foods. Please keep in mind that dairy products and eggs are highly-allergenic foods and may be problematic for some people.

Speak to your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet.

Animal Proteins

  • Meat: Grass-fed and grass-finished Beef (steaks, ground beef, roasts), lamb, pork, elk, bison, venison
  • Poultry: Chicken (whole, thighs, breasts), turkey, duck (preferable organic and air-chilled)
  • Fish: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, cod (preferably wild-caught)
  • Shellfish: Shrimp, oysters, mussels, crab, scallops (preferably wild-caught)
  • Organ Meats: Liver, heart, kidneys, bone marrow (beef or lamb, preferably from grass-fed animals)
  • Bone Broth: Beef or chicken bone broth (for soups, sipping)

Eggs

  • Eggs: Chicken, duck, or pasture-raised eggs

Full-Fat Dairy

  • Cheese: Cheddar, gouda, brie, feta, goat cheese, cottage cheese
  • Butter & Ghee: Grass-fed butter, ghee
  • Cream: Heavy cream, sour cream
  • Milk: Full-fat, raw (if allowed where you live)
  • Yogurt: Full-fat, plain Greek yogurt

Vegetables

  • Cucumber – often peeled to reduce lectins
  • Zucchini – also commonly peeled for the same reason
  • Squash varieties – such as butternut or spaghetti squash
  • Lettuce – like romaine or butter, as a low-toxicity leafy green
  • Carrots or sweet potatoes – in moderate amounts, for those who tolerate root vegetables (may be cooked to improve digestibility)

Fruits

  • Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
  • Other Fruits: Apples, oranges, avocados, kiwi, watermelon, bananas

Healthy Fats

  • Animal Fats: Tallow, lard, duck fat, ghee, butter
  • Plant-Based Oils: Avocado oil, coconut oil (for cooking or added fat)

Natural Sweeteners

  • Honey: Raw honey
  • Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup

Seasonings & Pantry Staples

  • Salt: Sea salt, Himalayan pink salt
  • Spices: Black pepper, garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, cumin, rosemary, thyme
  • Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar (for dressings)

Foods to Exclude

This list of foods to avoid on an animal-based approach is summarized to give you an idea of what is not included.

  • Grains: Wheat, rice, oats, barley, corn
  • Refined Carbs and Sugars: Processed sugars, sweetened drinks, candy, pastries
  • Processed Foods: Foods with artificial additives, preservatives, flavor enhancers
  • Legumes: Beans, lentils, peas, soy
  • Processed Seed Oils: Canola, soybean, sunflower, corn oil
  • Highly Processed Dairy: Flavored yogurts, sugary, low-fat dairy products
  • Nightshades: Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, chili peppers
  • Leafy Greens: Spinach, kale, Swiss chard (I believe these can be tolerated by some people if they are steamed well and the water is squeezed out to reduce the oxalates)
  • Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, cashews, chia seeds, flaxseeds (try sprouted varieties based on individual tolerance)
  • Certain Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, onions, garlic (these may be included if cooked well and tolerated)
  • Beverages: Alcohol, soda, energy drinks
  • Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, sucralose

Who Should Avoid the Animal Based Diet?

The animal-based diet may not be suitable for everyone.

  • People with kidney issues, gout, or cardiovascular conditions should be cautious, as the high protein and fat content might not align with their health needs. Consultation with a healthcare provider is essential before making changes.
  • Those with ethical beliefs around plant-based eating, such as vegans and vegetarians, would also find this diet incompatible. Additionally, individuals who are lactose intolerant or who have a casein sensitivity should avoid or adjust the inclusion of dairy products, while those with digestive issues may struggle with the emphasis on high-fat foods.
  • Athletes with high carbohydrate needs might not find enough quick energy sources within this diet, despite allowances for fruit and honey.
  • Similarly, pregnant or breastfeeding women should plan carefully to ensure they’re meeting all essential nutrient needs.
  • Lastly, those who find restrictive diets challenging may want to consider a more flexible approach to avoid issues with long-term adherence. If you have a history of disordered eating, please make sure you are working with a therapist or healthcare provider to make sure you aren’t triggered by this approach.

Overall, it’s best to consult a healthcare provider before starting an animal-based diet to ensure it’s appropriate for individual health goals and conditions.

Animal Based Vs Paleo

The animal-based and paleo diets share similarities, such as emphasizing whole, minimally processed foods and excluding grains, legumes, and refined sugars, but they differ in their approach and food choices.

An animal-based diet prioritizes nutrient-dense animal products, including meat, organs, fish, eggs, and some dairy, while also allowing limited amounts of plant foods like vegetables, fruits, and honey.

In contrast, the paleo diet aims to mimic the eating patterns of our Paleolithic ancestors, balancing both animal and plant foods, including meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. However, it strictly avoids dairy, which is considered a product of the agricultural era.

While the animal-based diet may limit nuts, seeds, and starchy vegetables, the paleo diet allows these foods, offering more flexibility for those who prefer a broader range of plant-based options.

Animal Based Vs Carnivore

An animal-based diet includes a variety of nutrient-dense animal foods, such as meat, organs, fish, eggs, and even some dairy if tolerated, while also allowing select plant foods like vegetables, fruits, and honey.

It focuses on obtaining most nutrients from animal sources but permits a moderate intake of plant foods to provide additional fiber, antioxidants, and natural sweetness.

In contrast, the carnivore diet is much stricter, consisting solely of animal products. This means that meat, organs, fish, eggs, and sometimes dairy are the only foods consumed, with no plant foods allowed.

The carnivore diet eliminates all vegetables, fruits, grains, and even natural sweeteners like honey, aiming to simplify digestion and minimize intake of foods that may cause inflammation or sensitivities.

While an animal-based diet allows for more flexibility and variety, the carnivore diet is an entirely animal-exclusive approach.

Who Invented the Animal Based Diet?

The animal-based diet doesn’t have a single inventor but evolved from several dietary philosophies.

It draws heavily from the carnivore diet, popularized by figures like Dr. Shawn Baker, who promoted a meat-only approach.

The diet also has roots in the paleo and ancestral health movements, which emphasize eating nutrient-dense, whole foods, including animal products and is very different than the vegan diet, vegetarian diets, or plant-based diets which have been so popular in recent years.

It’s also somewhat of a backlash to the dietary guidelines from the United States government which many argue is not based on health, but is more influenced by lobbyists from certain food segments.

Learn more about the ancestral diet guidelines.

Dr. Paul Saladino has been a key advocate in shaping the modern animal-based diet, moving from strict carnivory to a more flexible approach that includes select plant foods like fruits and honey. I love his YouTube videos and find them very informative.

Influences from the Weston A. Price Foundation also support the inclusion of traditional, nutrient-rich animal foods.

Overall, the animal-based diet blends principles from low-carb, keto, and paleo trends, focusing on animal foods while allowing for some plant-based options, making it a more adaptable and balanced approach.

But, you should know that there are few published studies or findings on the ABD, so it’s something you’ll have to discuss with your healthcare provider or make the individual determination if it’s right for you.

When I searched PubMed for research studies, I only found one study that showed a potential increase in cardiovascular disease from animal-based diet.

Conclusions

This article is meant to serve as an introductory guide to an Animal Based Diet, including both a list of foods to include, foods to exclude, and some comparisons to other similar approaches like paleo and carnivore. The bottom line is that you have to decide if this approach is right for you and it has not been thoroughly examined by the scientific literature for its effects on human health and issues such as cardiovascular disease, cholesterol levels, and long term effects.

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and is studying to be a holistic nutritionist. She is a top wellness and food blogger with over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send her a message through her contact form.

Note: this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for recommendations related to your individual situation.