Animal-Based Diet With Fruit: Different Than Carnivore?

You’ve probably landed on this post because you’re wondering about this “meat diet” that also includes a bunch of fruit.

Maybe you’ve seen a person eat fruit while simultaneously claiming to follow an animal-based diet. You think, “fruit is not an animal, so why are they calling their diet animal-based?”

If you engage in the diet community online, the terms “animal-based diet” and “carnivore diet” are probably not new to you.

Many people even use these terms interchangeably. This is incorrect in most cases, but it happens often (and is a pet peeve of mine).

While there are some similarities between an animal-based diet and the carnivore diet, the two are not the same.

In the next section of this blog post, I will explain the differences. animal-based diet with fruit

Animal-based diet vs. carnivore diet

So, what is the difference between an animal-based diet and the carnivore diet?

For starters, below are all the ways I’ve seen the term “animal-based” defined in the diet community:

• Animal-based means you eat only foods from Paul Saladino’s low-toxic foods list (and maybe some from his medium-toxic list). People who follow this definition do not stray from Paul’s list. Any food not found on Paul’s low toxic list (and/or maybe the medium toxic list) is not considered animal-based.
• Animal-based means the majority of the foods you eat are animal foods, and you also eat some plants. People who follow this definition focus more on ratios. As long as the majority of their diet is animal foods, they consider it animal-based no matter what type of plant foods they eat.
• Animal-based means you eat only animal foods. This definition is wrong. Eating only animal foods is considered carnivore which is not the same thing as animal-based…similar to how being a vegan is not the same thing as eating plant-based. Here’s the tricky thing…if a person was to follow the carnivore diet, their diet would technically be “animal-based” since they’d be eating 100% animals. However, if a person is following an animal-based diet, that does not automatically mean they are following the carnivore diet since an animal-based diet can include plants.

When it comes to defining an animal-based diet, I combine the first two bullet points. I call my diet animal-based as most of the foods I eat are from Paul’s low-toxic foods list and most of them are animal foods. Foods like meat, animal fats, eggs, raw dairy, and the sweet and non-sweet fruits he recommends.

A small percentage of the foods I eat are found on his medium and high toxic foods list. I eat them in moderation because I enjoy them. Some examples of these foods are iceberg lettuce, onions, garlic, cassava, and carrots. animal-based diet with fruit

For more information on which foods are found on Paul’s low, medium, and high toxic food lists, check out this post.

So, in a nutshell:

• I eat mostly animal foods
• I eat some plants
• Most of the foods I eat are from Paul’s low-toxic foods list
• A small percentage of the foods I eat are from Paul’s medium and high toxic foods list

This is how I define animal-based, although I think either of the first two bullet points at the beginning of this section are fair definitions. Regardless of the definition, the hallmark of this diet philosophy is that you consume mostly animal foods and minimize toxicity when it comes to eating plants.

So, to sum it up:

• If you follow the carnivore diet, you eat animal foods only and zero plant foods.
• If you follow an animal-based diet, you eat mostly animal foods and some plant foods (including fruit). Some folks also place an emphasis on which types of plants they eat.
• A carnivore diet can be called an animal-based diet, but an animal-based diet is different than the carnivore diet since it may include plants.animal-based diet with fruit

How to follow an animal-based diet

If you’re interested in learning more about an animal-based diet and lifestyle, this blog post can help you get started. animal-based diet with fruit

These resources may also be of interest to you:

• If the idea of food sourcing is daunting to you, in this post I do a deep dive into how I grocery shop and source food for my family. This is not a suggested plan or recommendation, but rather a detailed account of what we do in our house.
• If you’d like some help with switching out your conventional household products with better, lower toxic alternatives (many of them animal-based), check out this post.
• If you’re looking for animal-based hair care alternatives and would like to read about a transformative experience I had with lard shampoo, check out this post.
• For gift ideas for your friends and family who live an animal-based lifestyle, check out this post.
• If you’re pregnant, looking to become pregnant, or know someone who is, visit the Pregnancy section of my website. I have multiple blog posts geared toward animal-based pregnancies, prenatal substitution recommendations, postpartum recipe recommendations, and more. Heart & Soil Films also featured me and my daughter in their mini-documentary, Nourished, centered around animal-based pregnancies. Click this link to watch.

Looking for animal-based recipes and lifestyle help?

If you’re looking for animal-based recipes, I got you. I create tasty whole food, animal-based recipes using animal foods and low- and moderate-toxicity plant foods.

I have recipes for things like pancakes, tacos, breads, muffins, cookies, and more.

I share the recipes here on the blog and on my Instagram page (@ashrothstein).

I also blog about the lifestyle. Click this link to check out my blog posts.

Also, if you like deals, I created one giant hub that lists out the products I (and my family) use and/or recommend with explanations about each. I am also partnered with the majority of these companies and have plenty of discount codes available for use. To take advantage of the deals (or if you’re curious to learn more about what I and my family use to optimize our health), check out my Discounts Hub here. animal-based diet with fruit