Tips from Carnivore Coaches

Optimize your carnivore lifestyle

Categories

Carnivore grocery shopping tips by coach Dana S

December 27, 2020 No Comments
  1. Buy the best you can afford.  Eggs are usually inexpensive if you can tolerate them. 
  2. Look for sales and stock up.  Freeze what you won’t use within a few days. 
  3. Buy in bulk whenever possible.  Split the food up and freeze what you won’t use in the next few days.  Food savers or airtight containers work well for this. 
  4. Shop the perimeter of the store only.
  5. Shop directly from a rancher or farmer.  Many resources can be found on MeatRx resources. 
  6. There are several apps or even websites depending on your location which will help you navigate sales.
  7. Shop ethnic stores.
  8. Ask for fat trimmings directly from the butcher.  Sometimes they will just give this to you or sell it at a low rate.
  9. Don’t shop hungry or when samples are most likely being offered. 
  10. Go with a friend who will support you if you feel weak.  Don’t go with someone who will encourage you to buy or sample something not healthy.
  11. If purchasing processed animal foods, be sure to read the labels. 
  12. Let someone else do the shopping if they can also be supportive and not return with garbage food.

Carnivore cooking tips by coach Dana S

December 27, 2020 No Comments
  1. Steaks and burgers can be cooked and plated in 15 minutes or less on stove top.
  2. If you don’t have a thermometer, check the doneness of your steak by coach touch. link here 
  3. Cook to your preferred doneness and salt to taste…even if that is no salt. 
  4. Remember to let your meat rest at least 5 minutes after cooking. 
  5. If you have access to a smoker, try smoking your steaks and other meats.  Then reverse searing them or cooking as desired.
  6. Ninja Foodi Air Fryer and pressure cooker or similar appliance works wonders to even cook from frozen. 
  7. Try salting your steak 24 hours before cooking.
  8. Try to take your steak out of the refrigerator about 15 to 30 minutes before cooking.
  9. When needing to slice meat thin, try putting your meat in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes first.  Then slicing will be easier. 
  10. Season and dehydrate sliced meat to have for later or easy on the go. 
  11. Join the cooking meeting on MeatRx or check out their many recipes.  
  12. Look for recipes before you are hungry, so it isn’t a trigger.

Carnivore cooking tips by coach Michele F

December 27, 2020 No Comments

Buy a couple pounds of ground beef, sprinkle on some sea salt, and stir it in a Dutch oven on the stove, on medium heat. You will be pleased with how delicious and satisfying it is to taste the flavor of meat in it’s own juices. Once cooked, you can fill separate glass dishes to save leftovers in the fridge for the next few days.

 

You can purchase a large roast, cut it into chunks and cook the pieces in the broiler on low, sprinkled with sea salt. Remove the meat from the broiler when the fat bits begin to brown and look crispy.

 

Some people like to cook meat in a slow cooker or crock pot. If you find your meat tastes over-cooked by coach that method, you may prefer to use your stovetop, oven, broiler, or grill, instead. Those methods may be faster and tend to leave beef more flavorful. 

 

Chicken legs in the air fryer come out delicious and crispy!! Just be sure any poultry is thoroughly cooked (you should never see any blood when you cut into the chicken nor any pink meat). Undercooked poultry can be deadly.  

 

If you are not accustomed to cooking meats, it can be best to stick to making beef, bison, buffalo, deer, and lamb (ruminant animals) until you develop your cooking skills and knowledge. Red meats are generally considered safest by coach many people.

 

Many carnivores love using a cast iron skillet. Some people love scrambling eggs and including meats into their scrambles or omelettes! You will enjoy the freedom of eating fully nourishing foods – meat!  Most importantly, choose to cook foods in ways that are simplest and most delicious for you personally so that you’ll have the most success in sticking with your plan.

 

Lastly, clean-up can be even further reduced if you take steps to move the rendered oils out of your cookware before it hardens. When you cook fatty meats, you might find a lot of rendered oil in your cookware. If you want to save the oils to eat or cook with again, you can allow the dish to cool slightly before you pour the oil into a glass container to save.  

 

If you don’t wish to save the rendered oil, you can pour it into an empty aluminum can (such as an empty coffee can), to allow it to cool for discarding. Either way, carefully remove the oil from your cookware to save or discard before it hardens onto your cookware. This makes your cookware easier to clean. Never pour oils/fats down your kitchen sink as it can seriously clog your drainage system!

Carnivore cooking tips by coach Bruce W

December 27, 2020 No Comments

Steaks specifically rare/med rare depending on size 

 

Pat dry with a paper towels

Salt liberally on both sides kosher salt or sea salt 

Let it rest on a rack or plate 

 

While it is resting heat up a pan with tallow,bacon fat, butter

Once the pan is hot and the fat has melted but not smoking

Place steak in the pan and do not touch it until you start see the crust coming up the side of the steak slightly 

 

Flip 

Do the same on the other side

Take out of the pan 

Place on a plate and let it rest for 5-15mins depending on the size of the steak

 

Then enjoy.

Dealing with cravings tips by coach Dana S

December 27, 2020 1 Comment

 

Cravings are usually short lived in the moment but can last for a while until you are fully adapted.

  1. Abstinence works wonders but takes time be fully effective. 
  2. Avoid trigger foods.  Avoid putting anything sweet in your mouth, especially if you are a sugar or carb addict.
  3. If possible, remove trigger foods from your home / office
  4. Have animal-based products on hand. Homemade bone broth, bacon, extra beef patties, cheese, coffee with pure cream, butter, tallow sticks, eggs
  5. Make sure you are eating until completely full when you are hungry
  6. Drink some water, flat, sparkling, salted
  7. Look at the ingredients of any processed foods you may be eating.  Some ingredients can trigger cravings. 
  8. Get a coach or lean on your support system
  9. Join the MeatRx community meetings for support
  10. Stay busy, do something else like go for a walk
  11. Avoid trigger locations or trigger activities that you associate with poor food choices

Dealing with cravings and staying accountable tips by coach Michele F

December 27, 2020 No Comments

To cope with cravings, it helps greatly to hydrated! Sometimes, you may think that you have a food craving, but you’re really just thirsty.  Secondly, when you have a craving, it can help to ask yourself, “Am I hungry?”  When you’re hungry, your brain may send you a memory of a particular food it recalls having enjoyed in the past. That does NOT mean we must go acquire that food! It’s just a signal that we are hungry, and usually anything we eat will satisfy that craving. So when you are hungry, EAT!  Almost always, I find cravings for other foods disappear when I eat meat.

 

To stay accountable, it can be very helpful to put your Carnivore “start date” on a physical (wall) calendar. Such as writing “First Day Carnivore”  on your start date. That calendar can be a valuable visual motivator!  It’s satisfying to observe the longevity of your journey and how well you did with sticking to your goal, if you have written a start date on the calendar. 

 

Telling a close friend or family member about your goal, can also boost your motivation and help you stay accountable to your goal. Once we’ve shared with someone we trust that we are working on a goal, we begin to feel excited to be able to tell them, “I DID IT!” when we reach our goal.   So share! Tell your loved ones (or at least one person) that you are giving this a try!

 

Even if you’re not following-up with that person, daily, it will be so satisfying to know that after the six weeks you’ll be able to tell them that you succeeded! 

 

Community also helps us stay accountable. I highly recommend attending at least one MeatRx meeting, each week. You have the opportunity to hear others’ tell their stories, share their experiences and tips, and you can just observe how good others report feeling. This community engagement will help motivate you to stick to your plan because you’ll want to see such an outcome for yourself. 

 

MeatRx also offers Coaching sessions at low cost. Being connected to a Coach on a weekly (or even a more frequent) basis can be an immensely powerful tool to help you stay motivated and accountable in your journey!

Social life tips by coach Elizabeth B

December 27, 2020 No Comments

if you are eating out or with friends, again, make sure you don’t arrive hungry. Most hosts or restaurants will want to provide different choices, but as in grocery stores, there will usually be more carbohydrate and sugar foods than carnivore foods. 

 

I often eat some fat and protein before I arrive so I can be sure I won’t be hungry during the event. You can focus on the carnivore foods, if provided or offered, and avoid the rest. This way you can relax and enjoy the company and the conversation.

 

As a former restaurant owner, I can attest that it is always easier for the kitchen to remove an ingredient from a dish than to switch out or add one. Because of how prices are calculated, you may have accept paying the price on the menu, even without the rice or pasta. 

 

Removing dairy is usually easy because it is added to sauces at the last minute. Some sauces contain sugar and, unfortunately, the owner, if they aren’t the chef, may not even know this, and won’t be able to tell you if it does or does not, so it is best to avoid sauces. Ordering a plain steak or fish is always safest.

Social life tips by coach Dana S

December 27, 2020 No Comments

Try to schedule social events away from food.



Avoid trigger foods.  Avoid putting anything sweet in your mouth, especially if you are a sugar or carb addict.



If your social situation is around food and it is appropriate:

    1. Eat before you go – eat fully to satiety.
    2. Bring something everyone can enjoy that you know you can eat.
    3. If you are comfortable enough and it is possible, discuss options with the host ahead of time.

 

At a restaurant

    1. If possible, call ahead to discuss options with the manager or cook. 
    2. Order meat (steak, burger, chicken, fish etc.)
    3. Ask meal to be cooked on a clean grill or pan with only butter, ghee, tallow, or water, or do the best you can with what they have. 
    4. If you can tolerate spices or herbs, fine but many seasonings have added problematic ingredients.  Otherwise ask for salt only
    5. Instead of non-carnivore sides see if they have add-on menu items or ala cart animal items.  You can sometimes order two ala cart steak or burger patties as an example, sometimes cheaper than a whole entre. You can add bacon and / or cheese /sour cream / butter.   If you can’t get them to swap your sides for something else, have them leave them off or put in separate dishes to share with the other diners. 
    6. If you know a non-carnivore food will not be a trigger and will not give you problems, it is okay to indulge.  What you don’t want is to derail yourself.  Just choose wisely.

 

  1. Remember, your diet is your choice.  People will have opinions both positive and negative. 
    1. If discussing your diet choices makes you uncomfortable or puts you on the defensive, avoid the topic. 
    2. Depending on your level of comfort discussing the topic, if asked, you can share as little or as much as you want.  A good option if asked is to share you are eliminating certain foods right now for health reasons. 

Social life tips by coach Michele F

December 27, 2020 No Comments

If you know that you have an event coming up on your calendar, during which food will be involved, it can be a great idea to pre-eat before attending the event. Pre-eating will ensure you have the nutrients you need for your day and that you’re full and satiated, during the event. When you’re nourished and full, you will be much less likely to be tempted off your plan and away from your goals. Additionally, if someone offers you a food you don’t wish to eat, you can simply respond politely, “Thank you, but I’ve already eaten.”

 

If you’re attending the social function with a friend or close family member, you can notify them in advance that you’re working on a specific goal or way of eating. This way you won’t be caught off-guard or feel a need to explain to your friend/family during the social situation.

 

Holding a glass of water during the event may also help limited uncomfortable inquiries or interactions. People often feel naturally compelled (out of politeness or concern) to check that their guests have food or drink, and if you’re not holding a beverage, they seem to be more compelled to insist you must need something. Holding a beverage at an event, has helped me to visually convey to others that I’m well and satisfied, and it helps to avoid a conversation about why I’m not eating or drinking other things. 

 

If the event includes meat, fill your plate and enjoy!  Dr. Shawn Baker recently commented about the “decoy broccoli” – I love this phrase. If it helps to allow the restaurant to serve your steak alongside a piece of vegetable, go ahead and allow it on your plate (just not in your mouth)! It’s amazing how people will feel calmed by coach seeing the decoy broccoli (or decoy lemon wedge, or decoy carrot, or decoy anything!) on your plate. People are less likely to interrogate you about what you’re eating, if your plate looks more like their plate. Over the long-term, we become more comfortable with our choice and less concerned about what others think, but when initially making a change, there is some value and benefit in “blending-in” as it may help you reach your goals.

 

Lastly, but very importantly, when in social situations, remember to focus on the reason you are attending the event. Your purpose is generally about seeing friends, loved ones, or associates and it is not about the food. This is a good time to practice staying mindful in the social situation. Observe others and their interactions. Ask questions and really listen to people’s answers. And enjoy yourself!

 

You will have more energy to have a good time, socialize, and be an interesting guest because you’re not focused on food. 

Spinal & muscular health tips by coach Karla H

December 27, 2020 No Comments

20 years ago I had a diskectomy on my spine of L5 / S 1 from a ruptured disk. From 2000 until may of 2017 I had chronic back pain stiffness and often acute flare ups from I’m assuming scar tissue, lack of mobility etc post surgery. 

 

Since starting carnivore my flare ups have dwindled to zero and since strictly going beef this past year I have full mobility flexion, extension and lateral flexion as well as NO stiffness or soreness EVER. Go Meat!

 

 

The year before turning Carnivore I got a shoulder injury- a torn labrum and rotator cuff tear. I PT’d it for a year but still was in acute chronic pain not sleeping well and work was quite painful. I was put on the surgical schedule just before beginning carnivore. 

 

Over that first year on a new diet I realized I was  sleeping through the night with no shoulder pain. I started to do Active Isolated Stretching to rehab myself and moved to mostly beef with little to no extras ( cheese, heavy cream , pork rinds, jerky etc) and soon took myself off the surgical schedule. I am now pain free with full mobility, range of motion and strength in my shoulder.

 

Go Meat!!

Categories

Book A Carnivore Coach Now

30 minute zoom call - only $17.99

Book Now