A Complete Guide: What to Drink When Doing a Carnivore Diet?

October 25, 2025 •

5 min read

For those following a carnivore diet, the beverage options can seem extremely limited, as many common drinks contain plant-based ingredients. Understanding what to drink when doing a carnivore diet is crucial for maintaining proper hydration and electrolyte balance, especially during the initial adjustment period.

Quick Summary

This article explores compliant beverage choices for a carnivore diet, including the foundational importance of water and bone broth. It covers electrolyte management and provides guidelines for incorporating or avoiding gray-area drinks like coffee and tea, depending on your dietary strictness.

Key Points

Water is the Foundation: Plain or mineral water is the most crucial beverage for staying hydrated on a carnivore diet.
Bone Broth is Liquid Gold: This nutrient-dense drink provides collagen, amino acids, and essential electrolytes to prevent "carnivore flu" symptoms.
Electrolyte Replenishment is Key: Since a low-carb diet flushes out minerals, it is important to add high-quality salt or use clean electrolyte supplements.
Coffee and Tea are Gray Areas: While technically from plants, many carnivores tolerate black coffee and unsweetened tea, but strict adherents avoid them.
Avoid Sugary and Artificial Drinks: Sodas, juices, and most alcohols are off-limits due to high sugar or non-compliant additives.
Consider Dairy Carefully: Heavy cream and butter are often allowed due to low carbs, but standard milk is usually avoided because of lactose.

The Foundations of Carnivore Hydration

The primary focus of the carnivore diet is eliminating all plant-based foods, which simplifies beverage choices significantly. However, this also means losing the fluid and electrolyte intake that plants provide, making conscious hydration more important than ever. The two cornerstones of any carnivore drinking plan are water and bone broth.

Water: The Carnivore's Mainstay

Water is the purest, most fundamental drink for anyone, and it’s non-negotiable on a carnivore diet. While many of us take it for granted, the quality of your water matters. Tap water can contain contaminants like chlorine and heavy metals, which some followers prefer to avoid. Choosing filtered, spring, or mineral water can be a better option for those seeking the cleanest hydration. Some carnivore dieters even add a pinch of high-quality salt, like Himalayan pink salt or Redmond Real Salt, to their water to replenish lost electrolytes.

Still Water: The most basic and essential beverage, vital for all bodily functions.
Sparkling Water: A refreshing alternative to still water that is compliant as long as it's unflavored and unsweetened.
Mineral Water: Offers a natural source of key electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which are particularly important during the adaptation phase.

Bone Broth: Nutrient-Rich Liquid Gold

Bone broth is a staple in the carnivore diet for good reason; it's a potent source of collagen, amino acids, and minerals. Made by simmering bones and connective tissues, it provides natural electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium, which help counteract the fluid loss that occurs when carb intake is drastically reduced. Beyond hydration, bone broth supports gut healing and joint health. Making your own is the best way to ensure it's free of non-compliant vegetable scraps or additives, and that you retain all the nutrient-rich fat.

Navigating 'Gray Area' Beverages

Some drinks occupy a gray area in the carnivore community, with tolerance depending on an individual's goals and health sensitivities. These beverages are not strictly animal-based but are often low in carbs and can be included by those on a more relaxed version of the diet.

Coffee and Tea

Coffee and tea are technically plant products, so strict carnivores avoid them entirely. However, many carnivore dieters include them, particularly black coffee or unsweetened tea, noting potential benefits like improved focus and reduced mortality risk. If you choose to drink them, consider the following:

Coffee: Opt for high-quality, mold-tested beans to minimize exposure to mycotoxins, which can be an issue with lower-quality coffee.
Creamer: Traditional creamers are off-limits due to added sugars and ingredients. Instead, add a pat of grass-fed butter, ghee, or heavy whipping cream to your coffee for healthy fats.
Tea: Stick to plain, unsweetened herbal teas like chamomile or peppermint, and monitor how your body responds.

Dairy

While an animal product, dairy is another debated item on the carnivore diet, mainly due to its lactose (sugar) content and potential for inflammation in sensitive individuals.

Heavy Cream and Butter: These are often allowed because they are very high in fat and low in carbohydrates compared to milk. They are good sources of healthy fats and add richness to drinks and meals.
Milk: Most carnivore experts recommend avoiding standard milk due to its lactose content, which can be high in carbohydrates and cause digestive issues for some adults. Raw milk is an exception for some relaxed followers but carries risks and is still not carb-free.

What to Strictly Avoid

To maintain the core principles of the carnivore diet, many common beverages must be eliminated completely. These drinks are high in sugar, carbohydrates, or contain non-compliant additives.

Soda and Sugary Drinks: Both regular and diet sodas should be avoided. Regular soda is full of sugar, while diet versions contain artificial sweeteners and chemicals that can interfere with health goals.
Fruit Juice: High in natural sugars, fruit juices are incompatible with a zero or low-carb diet like carnivore.
Alcohol: Most alcoholic beverages, especially beer and wine, are made from plant-based ingredients and contain carbohydrates. Distilled spirits like vodka or tequila are carb-free, but they still provide empty calories and can interfere with fat metabolism and blood sugar stability. It is best to avoid alcohol, especially if healing is the goal.
Sweetened Milks or Shakes: Any flavored or sweetened milk, milkshake, or protein shake with non-compliant ingredients should be avoided.

The Role of Electrolytes on Carnivore

When transitioning to a carnivore diet, or any low-carb diet, your body flushes out excess water and minerals, which can lead to fatigue, headaches, and muscle cramps—symptoms often called the "carnivore flu". Ensuring adequate electrolyte intake is critical to mitigating these effects. Salting your meat and sipping on mineral-rich bone broth are excellent strategies, but some may also opt for clean, unflavored electrolyte supplements.


Beverage	Strict Carnivore Compliance	Relaxed Carnivore Compliance	Electrolyte Content	Notes
Filtered Water	Yes	Yes	Minimal (add salt)	The most important drink for hydration.
Bone Broth	Yes	Yes	High (sodium, potassium, magnesium)	Excellent for gut health and electrolytes.
Mineral Water	Yes	Yes	High (calcium, magnesium, etc.)	Naturally sourced minerals aid hydration.
Heavy Cream	No (sometimes debated)	Yes	Low	High-fat, low-carb dairy for coffee or recipes.
Black Coffee	No	Yes (individual tolerance)	Minimal	Technically a plant product, but low-carb.
Unsweetened Tea	No	Yes (individual tolerance)	Minimal	Herbal teas can be tolerated by some.
Milk	No	No (some rare exceptions)	High carbs (lactose)	Not recommended due to sugar content.
Soda/Juice	No	No	N/A	High in sugar; completely non-compliant.

Conclusion: Personalize Your Approach

Ultimately, what to drink when doing a carnivore diet is a matter of strictness and personal tolerance. For all carnivores, clean water and nutrient-dense bone broth should form the foundation of your hydration strategy. These animal-based beverages provide essential minerals and support the body's transition to a low-carb, fat-adapted state. The decision to include gray-area beverages like coffee, tea, and dairy depends on your health goals and how your body responds to them. By listening to your body's signals and focusing on high-quality, compliant options, you can effectively manage hydration and support your wellness on the carnivore diet. Carnivore Store offers further insights into compliant options for this lifestyle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Standard milk is generally not recommended on a carnivore diet due to its lactose content, which is a type of sugar. High-fat, low-lactose dairy products like heavy cream and butter are often preferred as alternatives.

This depends on the individual and their dietary goals. Strict carnivores avoid coffee and tea as they come from plants. However, many relaxed carnivores tolerate black coffee and unsweetened herbal teas without issue.

To get electrolytes, you can liberally salt your meat with high-quality salt (like Redmond Real Salt or Himalayan pink salt), drink mineral-rich bone broth, or use a clean, unflavored electrolyte supplement.

No, most alcohol is not compliant with a carnivore diet. Beer and wine contain carbohydrates, and while distilled spirits are carb-free, they are typically avoided as they offer no nutritional value and can hinder health progress.

Diet soda and other zero-calorie drinks are generally avoided on a carnivore diet. The artificial sweeteners and chemicals they contain are not compliant and can disrupt gut health or trigger cravings.

Bone broth is recommended because it is a nutrient-dense, animal-based beverage rich in collagen, amino acids, and essential electrolytes. It helps support joint health, gut healing, and manages electrolyte balance during the diet's adaptation phase.

Yes, plain, unflavored sparkling water is a compliant beverage for the carnivore diet and provides a refreshing alternative to still water.