What Foods Can You Eat on an Animal Based Diet? Your Complete Food Guide

November 25, 2025 •

4 min read

An animal-based diet prioritizes nutrient-dense, animal-derived foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, while permitting a limited selection of plant foods. This eating pattern focuses on high-quality, bioavailable protein and fats, often minimizing carbohydrate intake.

Quick Summary

The animal-based diet centers on animal products and some low-toxicity plant foods like fruit and honey, offering more variety than a strict carnivore approach. It emphasizes nutrient-density from quality sources while restricting processed items.

Key Points

Core Food Groups: Prioritize meat, organ meats, fish, seafood, eggs, and low-lactose dairy.
Permitted Plant Foods: Allows for select low-fructose fruits, raw honey, and some low-toxicity vegetables.
Exclusions: Strictly avoids grains, legumes, refined sugars, and industrial seed oils.
Nutrient Density: Emphasizes highly bioavailable nutrients from animal sources like protein, vitamin B12, and iron.
Flexibility vs. Carnivore: Offers more food variety than the all-animal carnivore diet, potentially making it more sustainable for some individuals.
Quality Matters: Encourages high-quality, ethically sourced products such as grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish.

The Core Principles of an Animal-Based Diet

An animal-based diet is a modern interpretation of ancestral eating patterns, emphasizing foods derived from animals while selectively including certain plants. Unlike the stricter carnivore diet, it is not a zero-carb approach, and the guiding principle is to prioritize nutrient-dense, bioavailable foods. Proponents often choose high-quality sources, such as grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, to maximize nutrient intake and minimize exposure to potential inflammatory compounds found in some plants and processed foods.

Meats and Organ Meats

These form the cornerstone of the animal-based diet, providing high-quality protein, essential amino acids, and crucial micronutrients.

Beef: Grass-fed ribeye steaks, ground beef, briskets, and roasts.
Lamb and Pork: Lamb chops, roasts, and pork shoulder.
Poultry: Chicken, turkey, and duck, preferably pasture-raised.
Game Meats: Bison, venison, and wild game.
Organ Meats: Highly prized for their nutrient density, including liver, heart, and kidney.

Fish and Seafood

Fish and shellfish are excellent sources of protein, healthy fats (especially omega-3 fatty acids), and other minerals.

Wild-caught Fish: Salmon, mackerel, trout, and sardines.
Shellfish: Oysters, shrimp, crab, and lobster.

Eggs and Dairy

Eggs are a complete protein source packed with vitamins and minerals, while dairy offers fat, calcium, and protein for those who tolerate it well.

Eggs: Pasture-raised eggs are preferred.
Dairy: Full-fat, low-lactose options like butter, ghee, and certain hard cheeses are typically included. Raw dairy is also favored by some proponents.

Select Plant-Based Foods

The primary difference between an animal-based and a carnivore diet is the inclusion of specific plant foods. The focus is on fruits, honey, and some low-toxicity vegetables, while avoiding others high in antinutrients.

Fruits: Low-fructose fruits like berries (strawberries, blueberries), melons, bananas, and avocados.
Honey: Used as a natural sweetener in moderation.
Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, yams, and carrots are sometimes included.

What to Avoid on an Animal-Based Diet

For optimal results, many foods are eliminated or strictly limited.

Grains and Legumes: This includes wheat, rice, oats, beans, and lentils.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, chia, and flax seeds are typically excluded.
Refined Sugars and Processed Foods: Candy, baked goods, sodas, and other packaged snacks.
Industrial Seed Oils: Oils like canola, soybean, and corn oil are avoided in favor of animal fats like tallow, lard, and ghee.

Animal-Based Diet vs. Carnivore Diet: A Comparison

To highlight the nuances of this eating style, here is a comparison with the more restrictive carnivore diet.


Feature	Animal-Based Diet	Carnivore Diet
Food Variety	Includes animal products plus select fruits, honey, and low-toxin vegetables.	Strictly limited to animal products: meat, fish, eggs, and some dairy.
Carbohydrate Intake	Low-carb, but not zero-carb due to the inclusion of fruits and honey.	Zero-carb approach, as all plant foods are eliminated.
Flexibility	Offers more food choices and can be easier to sustain long-term due to greater variety.	Very restrictive and can be more challenging to adhere to over time.
Sourcing Quality	High emphasis on grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild-caught options.	Often prioritizes quality sourcing but focuses entirely on animal sources.
Main Goal	Maximizing nutrient intake from bioavailable animal sources while minimizing plant toxins.	Eliminating all plants to potentially reduce inflammation and aid certain health issues.

Potential Benefits and Considerations

Adherents to an animal-based diet report several potential benefits, though individual results may vary. For example, some find that their energy levels become more stable and that they experience better satiety due to the high fat and protein content, which may assist with weight management. The elimination of many high-fiber plant foods can also improve digestion for certain individuals who are sensitive to antinutrients. Animal-sourced foods are packed with essential, highly bioavailable nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. However, it's crucial to be aware of the potential for nutrient deficiencies if not planned carefully, particularly with vitamins like C and fiber. The cost and sustainability of a diet heavy in high-quality animal products are also important considerations. As with any significant dietary change, it is best to consult a healthcare professional to ensure your nutritional needs are being met and the diet aligns with your personal health goals. For further information on the broader nutritional role of animal-sourced foods, the NIH offers a comprehensive look at their importance across the lifespan.

Conclusion

Understanding what foods you can eat on an animal based diet is the first step towards following this focused nutritional plan. By centering meals around meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, and carefully selecting low-toxin fruits and honey, you can build a diet rich in bioavailable nutrients. While more flexible than a strict carnivore diet, it still requires mindful food choices, emphasizing high-quality, unprocessed sources. Always listen to your body and seek professional medical guidance before making major dietary changes to ensure it is the right approach for your health.

Nutritional Importance of Animal-Sourced Foods in a Healthy Diet

Frequently Asked Questions

An animal-based diet is less restrictive than a carnivore diet. While both focus heavily on animal products, the animal-based diet permits the inclusion of some low-toxicity plant foods like fruits, honey, and select vegetables, whereas the carnivore diet eliminates all plant matter.

High-quality, nutrient-dense meat sources are emphasized. This includes grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry like chicken and turkey, pork, lamb, and a variety of game meats.

Yes, but in a limited and selective way. The diet often includes low-toxicity vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots, while restricting or eliminating those higher in antinutrients, such as kale and broccoli.

Yes, fruits are permitted, particularly those that are lower in fructose and contain fewer plant toxins. Examples often include berries, bananas, and avocados.

Full-fat dairy, especially low-lactose options, can be part of the diet. This includes items like butter, ghee, and certain hard cheeses. Some followers also include raw dairy products.

Yes, proponents of the animal-based diet stress the importance of high-quality sourcing. This includes opting for grass-fed meat, pasture-raised eggs, and wild-caught fish to ensure maximum nutrient density.

You should avoid grains (wheat, rice, oats), legumes (beans, lentils), nuts, seeds, refined sugars, and industrial seed oils (canola, soybean).