Keto Carnivory
Healthy Fatty Meats
When following a carnivore diet, one focuses just on eating good, healthy, fatty meats, and nothing else but water! When one is also trying to maintain ketosis, it is especially important to make sure the meat is fatty enough. Unfortunately a lot of meat is actually marketed as "lean", which makes it hard to find the opposite!
The type of fat is very important for health. Omega 6 fatty acids tend to be more inflammatory than omega 3 fatty acids. So poultry and pork are not as healthy meats to choose as ruminant animals. Beef is OK, but tends to be very lean. There are just a few cuts that are fatty enough for me usually, such as brisket with full fat cap, oxtail, tongue, and sweetbreads.
Locally raised, 100% grassfed lamb and mutton have been the best choices, in my experience. Really healthy, very fatty, but good healthy golden fat that crisps up nicely in the slow cooker. When I cook my roasts in the slow cooker, I do not add anything - no water, nothing. I put the cuts in an empty slow cooker on low for 12 hours. Everything comes out perfect! Even organ meats like kidney, heart, testes, sweetbreads, and tongue!
Buying whole lamb or sheep shares is also very economical. For example, my last sheep share was only $3.11 per pound! Amazing! Lamb tends to be a little more, around $7 per pound. But still, that's really not bad, considering it is so nutrient and calorically dense that you don't need much of it, and it's all I'm eating. So there's no other grocery costs!
I occasionally like to branch out though. So sometimes I'll get get fatty wild-caught fish, like mackerel or Pacific saury (sanma). Salmon works too, but it is important with all of these fish to eat the skin, which is where the fat is!
I really enjoy pork, but since it is highly inflammatory, I have been trying to find healthier versions of it. I had read about Mangalitsa pork being used at the Paleomedicina Clinic in Hungary, but I haven't been able to procure any here in the USA that is not fed grain.
However, there is wild boar here. About four years ago, I ordered a wild boar leg, and that was good. I'd like to get wild boar belly! I found a distributor online and have emailed to confirm if the animals are truly wild and not fed grains.
Edited to add: I just found a vendor that sells forest-raised, acorn-fed Iberico pork and placed an order!
I have had some other wild and game meats, but they are generally very, very lean. I found this chart today which shows the omega 6 to 3 ratio and fat content for some wild meats:
It shows that the omega 6 to 3 ratio for elk, deer, and wild boar are all very good, just as good as beef, as opposed to pork, which is very high in omega 6. So I think that true wild boar could be a healthy option. It is more expensive than local, 100% grassfed lamb and mutton, so if it works out, it will have to be a special treat just from time to time!
Cod liver, the actual liver and not just the oil, is a great and very fatty option. I found some really good, affordable, canned Icelandic cod liver available online. If you have never had it, and think you don't like liver, you should try it. It is incredibly creamy and mild, unlike animal liver. It is also probably the most nutrient and calorically dense food in the world! So I have a case of it in my pantry. In case of disaster, that can hold me over for a while!
Sable fish / black cod is another very fatty fish, but it is hard to find. I was able to special order it from Whole Foods. It's very good and the skin is fantastic! There is a creamy layer of fat under the skin that is amazing.
I have been trying for years to find fresh eel, but have had no luck. That is another very fatty fish. I have found the pre-marinated Asian style eel at the Asian grocery store, but not fresh or frozen eel that is unseasoned. Maybe I can ask them next time I am in there!
Also, just wanted to mention, it has been going well transitioning my cat to being zero carb / strict carnivore as well! I am using Tiki brand's "After Dark" series, which is just meat and organ meats, its juices, tuna oil, and vitamins and minerals. Petco carries it!
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