What our recipes may contain
- Unprocessed meat: beef, lamb, pork, bison, venison and other animal meats, including organ meats.
- Poultry: chicken, turkey, duck.
- Fish and seafood.
- Eggs.
- Butter, ghee, and rendered animal fats such as tallow and lard.
- Salt, and water for cooking when needed.
What they never contain
No vegetables, fruit, herbs or spices (including pepper, garlic and paprika). No sugar, honey or sweeteners. No flour, grains, starches or legumes. No seed or vegetable oils. No sauces, marinades, vinegar or condiments. And no cheese, cream, milk or yogurt: butter and ghee are the only dairy we use.
Processed animal foods
Bacon, ham, sausages, smoked or cured fish and shop-bought broth are made from animals but often contain sugar, spices or vegetables. Our recipes don’t use them unless we have approved that exact kind by name. Two are approved: sugar-free bacon (look for pork and salt on the label, nothing else) and homemade bone broth (bones simmered in water with salt). Ham, sausages, and smoked or cured fish are not used.
How this differs from other definitions
“Carnivore” doesn’t have a single agreed definition. Many people who eat carnivore also use cheese, cream, coffee or seasonings; “animal-based” eating often adds fruit and honey; keto and low-carb eating include many plant foods. Those are all choices people make, and we don’t say one is right. MeatingUp simply keeps its own recipes to the narrowest version, so every recipe on the site works for someone following it, and so you never have to read an ingredient list twice.
How we check
Every ingredient in every recipe is checked against this list automatically when the recipe is saved. A recipe with anything else in it can’t be published, can’t appear in the meal planner, and can’t be added to a grocery list.
This is an editorial policy about what we cook, not health advice. We don’t make claims about what a carnivore diet does for your health. If you have a health condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat.
