The carnivore diet restricts food intake exclusively to animal products, eliminating all plant-derived items. A frequent challenge is ensuring adequate consumption of dietary fat for both energy and satiety. Since carbohydrates, the body’s primary quick-fuel source, are absent, fat becomes the main caloric driver. This article provides guidance for effectively increasing fat intake within the constraints of the carnivore diet.
The Metabolic Necessity of High Fat
Removing carbohydrates forces the body into a metabolic shift, moving away from glucose reliance. The body must instead break down fat—both dietary fat and stored body fat—into ketone bodies, which serve as an alternative fuel source for most tissues, including the brain. This process maintains steady energy levels throughout the day.
When insufficient fat is consumed, the body is left with an excess of protein. The liver converts this surplus protein into glucose through gluconeogenesis, which can interfere with the desired fat-burning state. A lack of dietary fat can also lead to symptoms similar to “rabbit starvation,” including nausea, diarrhea, and a general lack of energy. Consuming enough fat is a requirement for sustained energy and comfort on this diet.
Determining the Ideal Fat-to-Protein Ratio
Achieving the correct balance between fat and protein is important for success on the carnivore diet. Many individuals aim for a fat-to-protein ratio of approximately 1:1 when measured by weight in grams. This ratio translates to a significantly higher percentage of total calories coming from fat, often falling between 70% and 80%.
Strictly counting and tracking every gram is often impractical. A more sustainable approach involves using hunger and satiety cues as the primary indicators of a balanced ratio. If you experience low energy, persistent hunger shortly after eating, or protein cravings, it may signal the need to increase your fat consumption. When the ratio is correct, meals should be deeply satisfying, and energy should remain steady for many hours.
Incorporating High-Fat Meat Sources
The most direct way to increase fat intake is to select naturally fattier cuts of meat as the foundation of your meals. Beef provides several excellent options, such as ribeye steaks, which are marbled with intramuscular fat, and short ribs, which have a high proportion of both muscle and surrounding fat. Other cuts like chuck roast and skirt steak offer substantial fat content compared to leaner options.
When purchasing ground beef, choosing an 80/20 blend or even a fattier 73/27 blend ensures a good caloric balance. Lamb is an inherently fattier meat that can significantly boost your daily intake, especially cuts like lamb shoulder or chops. It is beneficial to intentionally avoid trimming the fat caps from steaks or roasts before cooking, consuming the entire portion to maximize fat delivery.
Pork belly is another highly concentrated source of fat that can be incorporated for a dense caloric boost. For those who need a higher fat increase, raw beef suet—the hard, white fat found around the kidneys—can be purchased from butchers and consumed directly or rendered down. Focusing on these whole-food sources ensures that fat is consumed alongside the micronutrients naturally present in the meat.
Practical Strategies for Fat Loading
Several practical strategies can actively increase the amount of fat consumed with each meal. A simple, yet effective, method is to change your cooking technique from grilling or air frying to pan-frying or roasting. Cooking meat in its own rendered fat or adding extra animal fat, such as tallow, lard, or butter, allows the meat to absorb additional calories.
Adding solid fats directly to cooked meals is highly effective. A generous pat of butter or ghee can be placed on top of a warm steak or burger patty, where it melts and coats the meat. Rendered tallow or lard can be spooned over leaner cuts of meat, enhancing both the flavor and the caloric density.
For those who struggle to eat enough solid fat, blending fats into liquids can be a useful way to boost intake. This can involve making a warm, savory “fat bomb” by blending bone broth with a tablespoon or two of melted tallow or butter. This method delivers a concentrated dose of fat that is easier to consume quickly.