Can You Have Glycine on a Carnivore Diet?

December 30, 2025 •

3 min read

Recent research suggests that while the body can produce glycine, internal synthesis often falls short of metabolic demands. This raises the question of how to ensure adequate intake on a restrictive eating plan. The good news is, yes, you can have glycine on a carnivore diet through specific food choices and, if necessary, supplementation.

Quick Summary

This article explains how to obtain glycine on a carnivore diet by focusing on collagen-rich animal parts and balanced protein intake. It outlines the benefits of glycine and explores supplementation options.

Key Points

Balance Methionine: Glycine intake is crucial for balancing the high methionine levels found in muscle meat, a staple of the carnivore diet.
Consume Collagen-Rich Foods: To get natural glycine, eat nose-to-tail by including animal skin, connective tissues, and making bone broth.
Support Digestion and Sleep: Glycine enhances digestion by supporting bile acid production and improves sleep quality through its calming neurotransmitter effects.
Use Supplements for Convenience: Unflavored glycine or collagen powder provides a convenient way to increase intake without changing your meal structure significantly.
A 'Conditionally Essential' Nutrient: While your body produces glycine, the amount may not be enough to meet the demands of a high-protein diet, making dietary intake important.
Enhance Joint and Skin Health: As a core building block of collagen, glycine intake supports skin elasticity, joint mobility, and overall connective tissue integrity.

Understanding the Glycine-Methionine Balance on a Carnivore Diet

For followers of the carnivore diet, the majority of protein intake comes from muscle meat, which is abundant in the amino acid methionine but relatively low in glycine. An imbalance between these two can have implications for various bodily functions. Glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation and calmness, while methionine provides methyl groups essential for DNA repair and detoxification. A carnivore diet that focuses exclusively on lean muscle meat can lead to a relative overconsumption of methionine and an underconsumption of glycine, potentially creating an imbalance. By adopting a 'nose-to-tail' eating approach that includes skin, bones, and connective tissues, carnivores can naturally restore this crucial amino acid balance.

Top Carnivore-Approved Glycine Sources

Incorporating glycine into a carnivore diet is straightforward once you know which animal parts are rich in collagen, the protein from which glycine is derived.

Bone Broth: One of the most potent natural sources, bone broth is made by simmering bones and connective tissues, extracting gelatin and a high concentration of glycine. It can be consumed as a warm beverage or used as a base for soups and sauces.
Gelatin and Collagen Powder: These supplements are derived from animal collagen and provide a concentrated, easily digestible source of glycine. They can be stirred into coffee, tea, or water.
Animal Skin and Connective Tissues: Eating the skin from poultry (chicken, duck) and pork, or consuming fatty cuts like pork chops and lamb shoulder, significantly increases glycine intake.
Organ Meats: Offal, such as beef liver, is a nutrient-dense food that contains a good amount of glycine alongside other essential vitamins.

Glycine's Diverse Health Benefits

Beyond balancing amino acids, glycine offers a range of benefits particularly relevant for carnivore diet followers:

Improved Digestion: Glycine is used by the body to produce bile acids, which are critical for the digestion of fats. Since the carnivore diet is high in fat, adequate glycine can improve nutrient absorption and protect against gastric ulcers.
Enhanced Sleep Quality: As an inhibitory neurotransmitter, glycine helps to calm the central nervous system, promoting restful and deeper sleep.
Joint and Skin Health: A major component of collagen, glycine is vital for maintaining the health of skin, joints, tendons, and ligaments. Consuming more collagen-rich foods can support the body's repair processes.
Antioxidant Support: Glycine is a precursor to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from oxidative stress and inflammation.

Comparing Glycine Sources: Foods vs. Supplements


Feature	Food Sources (Bone Broth, Skin, etc.)	Supplements (Powder, Gelatin)
Purity	Contains glycine as part of a complete food matrix with other nutrients.	Often isolated, pure glycine.
Absorption	Generally well-absorbed, especially when bound in collagen chains.	Highly bioavailable and quickly absorbed by the body.
Convenience	Requires preparation (e.g., making bone broth) or specific meal planning.	Very convenient to add to drinks or take as a capsule.
Nutrient Synergy	Provides synergistic nutrients like minerals and other amino acids.	Primarily offers only the targeted amino acid.
Taste	Can add flavor and richness to meals, but is not palatable for all.	Glycine powder has a slightly sweet taste, easily masked in drinks.

Conclusion

It is not only possible but beneficial to have glycine on a carnivore diet. By including a variety of animal-based foods beyond just lean muscle meat—especially those rich in collagen like bone broth, gelatin, and skin—individuals can maintain the crucial glycine-methionine balance. The diverse health benefits, from improved digestion and sleep to enhanced joint and skin health, make glycine an important focus for anyone following this eating plan. While whole food sources are always ideal for nutritional synergy, high-quality supplements offer a convenient way to meet daily requirements. By taking a comprehensive, 'nose-to-tail' approach, carnivore dieters can optimize their amino acid intake and support overall well-being.

Navigating Your Carnivore Diet with Glycine

Prioritize Nose-to-Tail: Aim to incorporate organ meats, skin, and cartilage into your diet regularly.
Make Bone Broth: Homemade bone broth is a simple and cost-effective way to get a potent dose of glycine.
Consider Supplements: If daily food sources are challenging, an unflavored collagen or pure glycine powder can bridge the nutritional gap.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body responds to increased glycine intake, particularly regarding sleep and digestion.
Consult a Professional: Discuss any supplementation plans with a healthcare provider, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

A carnivore diet heavy in muscle meat can create an amino acid imbalance by providing high levels of methionine but low levels of glycine. Balancing this is important for regulating homocysteine levels and supporting healthy methylation, a process essential for detoxification and other bodily functions.

Bone broth is arguably the best food source for glycine on a carnivore diet, as it is made by extracting collagen from bones and connective tissues. Other excellent sources include skin-on poultry, pork rinds, and organ meats.

Yes, you can. Collagen peptides and gelatin powders are essentially concentrated forms of the collagen found in bone broth and are excellent, convenient sources of glycine. They can be added to coffee or water easily.

Glycine is generally considered safe in moderate amounts. Some people may experience mild gastrointestinal discomfort, such as an upset stomach. It's always best to start with a low dose and consult a healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement regimen.

While daily needs can vary, some sources suggest that the amount of glycine produced by the body may be insufficient to meet high metabolic demands, recommending a higher dietary intake, particularly to support collagen turnover. Focusing on incorporating collagen-rich foods is a good strategy to meet this need naturally.

No, relying solely on lean muscle meat will likely not provide enough glycine. This approach leads to a disproportionate amount of methionine compared to glycine. A balanced intake requires incorporating collagen-rich parts of the animal.

If food sources are not consistently available, supplementation is a viable option. Adding unflavored collagen or gelatin powder to your beverages is an effective and easy way to ensure you are getting adequate glycine.