Traveling on an animal-based or carnivore diet can be tricky, especially when visiting foreign countries. But its absolutely doable and so worth it if it's how you feel your best!
Here are some tips I've learned along the way as someone that's done a lot of traveling since starting the carnivore diet three years ago. I've done international travel, climbing trips, and backpacking trips and have found it's actually a lot easier than I expected to eat this way while traveling than I expected.
For about a year and a half, I followed a strict carnivore diet, and now I'm eating more of an "animal-based" approach. Both are very doable when traveling!
1) Remember your "why"
Keeping a healthy mindset has been so important for me when traveling while doing an animal-based diet. Feeling grateful to be able to eat nourishing foods rather than feeling sad that I "can't" eat what others are eating makes such a difference. I'm choosing to eat this way for a reason—because it makes me feel my best. If something improves your quality of life, it isn't restrictive, it's freeing.
To me, it's just not worth it to eat poorly on vacation if it means not feeling well. Nourishing my body is a priority for me when I'm at home and away! It allows me to be able to do so many things that I wasn't able to do in the past (due to chronic illness) like hiking, climbing, and exploring.
When it comes to navigating social situations, don't feel pressure to eat something you don't want to if someone is being pushy. Remind them of how this way of eating has improved your health and life. People who truly care will usually be understanding.
All this being said, it's important to remember it's okay if you don't follow your diet perfectly or if you eat some things you don't normally. There's no badge of honor for those that are more strict. It's all about supporting your body and be healthy. We don't need perfection 100% of the time. Only you know what that looks like for you.
2) Bring lots of snacks with you
Having food / snacks on hand is a must when traveling on a carnivore diet.
My favorite snack to bring when "on the go" is homemade jerky or beef chips. Here's my recipe, it's very easy to make and will save you money. When I went backpacking last year, I basically survived off of my homemade beef chips for 3 days and felt great. They make for a perfect satiating snack or meal replacement when in a bind.
For those that would rather purchase snacks, here are some great brands you can buy that are will work for those on a strict carnivore diet (just meat and salt). Of course homemade is best, but convenience does have a place. I love having these snacks / meal replacements on hand for when I'm in a bind or don't have time to make my own.
Carnivore Snax (code: RIBEYERACH)
Carnivore Bars (code: RIBEYERACH)
The "naked" version is just beef and salt
Power Pucks (code: RACH)
Pork Rinds
Epic Provisions and 4505 are good brands that have options with just pork + salt (fried in pork fat)
Mozzarella sticks / cheese
These obviously don't last unrefrigerated that long, but are still great to have when traveling for snacks
Bone broth
Fond bone broth (code: RACH) has carnivore options with no added spices (just bones + salt) that's shelf stable and could be brought traveling. One of the things I miss the most when traveling is my homemade bone broth and this is the next best thing!
Some are of these links are affiliate links. Thank you so much for your support, it greatly helps me to continue making free content!
For those that aren't as strict or doing more of an "animal-based" diet, here are some options that have clean ingredients:
The link above gives 50% off their beef sticks! These are our favorite beef sticks and they have very clean ingredients. They do have organic spices so I didn't include them in the strict carnivore list.
Dried Fruit
Bone Broth
Fond Bone Broth (code: RACH)
Kettle & Fire (code: RIBEYERACH)
3) Find "meaty" restaurants
My favorite type of restaurant to eat at is Brazilian steakhouses, because they serve unlimited steak and other meats. And for a carnivore, that ends up being a very good deal (especially if you happen to eat only one meal a day).
Money savings tip: Go for lunch instead of dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse. The meat is usually still unlimited and very similar options to dinner, but it comes at a much lower price.
Other types of restaurants that often work well for carnivore are:
Farm to table restaurants
BBQ restaurants (ex. Texas brisket)
Burger restaurants (ex. In-N-Out)
Wing restaurants (ex. Buffalo Wild Wings)
Hot pot
Check out this article for tips for avoiding seed oils where possible when eating out.
4) Stay in rentals that have kitchens
When I travel, I always try to stay in apartment rentals or hotel rooms that have kitchens (wherever possible). Another option is to find a hotel that has an outdoor grill! Being able to cook usually saves us money, as we don't have to go out to eat very much.
I always feel my best when I cook for myself! My go-to meals to cook while traveling include fried eggs, burger patties, and steak. They are very quick to make and are easy clean-up too. I typically pick up some butter and groceries at the store to cook with. You could also bring beef tallow with you if you prefer that.
When it comes to cookware, some people like to bring their own, especially if they're road tripping and have the space. I usually don't do this, as I try to make things as simple as possible. At home, I always cook with stainless steel and cast iron, but when traveling I'm okay with using other types of cookware. Our bodies don't need perfection.
5) Search for local butchers or farm shops
If you're looking for higher quality meat or dairy when traveling, look out for farm shops! You can search on Eat Wild or Raw Milk Finder (or even on google maps or facebook groups can have resources).
When I was in the Dolomites recently, we found a local farm nearby to where we were staying that had fresh raw milk and other raw dairy products. This bottle of milk was only one euro and was so creamy and delicious (I think we might need to move to Italy with those kinds of prices, haha).
6) Never go anywhere hungry
There's nothing worse than being in a situation where there isn't anything for you to eat and you're hungry. Thankfully, many people find they don't get hungry as often on an animal based or carnivore diet (as our food is so satiating and sustaining). But its better to be safe than sorry!
If I know there's not going to be anything for me to eat somewhere, I make sure to eat before I go or even bring a meal along with me in a thermos (it's nice to be able to eat with loved ones). I always try to focus on how grateful I am to be able to go out and enjoy time with family and friends even if I'm not always eating what they are eating!
7) Bring a cooler or freezer bag with meat
If you're on a road trip, you can bring your meat with in a cooler you so you don't have to go shopping when you get to your destination!
Even if you're flying, you can bring a freezer bag filled with frozen meat through security or put it in a checked bag. I used to do this more often when I was really strict carnivore and doing a low-histamine approach. Now I typically just bring snacks/jerky and buy meat when I get to my destination.
If you're really looking to make it easy when you get to your destination, you can meal prep. I've slow cooked chuck roasts as meal prep and frozen them to travel with. Sometimes I'd just eat them cold with some butter and salt and they tasted great! It made eating very easy.
My favorite freezer bag is insulated with sheep's wool. It's an Australian brand that my mom used when I was growing up. It really keeps things really cold. When I fly across the country with a bunch of meat in it, it's still frozen solid when I arrive. I'm not affiliated with them at all but the brand I have and love is called Cape Woolamai.
8) Bring your own salt
Ever since starting the carnivore diet, I've become accustomed to the taste of Redmond Real Salt and always like to have it with me when traveling. High quality salt makes everything taste better!
Redmond has generously offered my community 15% off with my affiliate code RIBEYERACH and this link.
Other great clean salt options are celtic sea salt or vera salt, but my personal favorite is Redmond. Regular table salt is ultra-processed and stripped of important minerals, so I try to avoid it where possible.
That being said, I'm not at all worried about having some table salt at a restaurant or a friends house. It's not going to hurt me! Again, we're not striving for perfection. We can be aware and make educated choices without being fearful.
9) Offer to cook for your family / friends
If you're traveling with family or friends, offer to cook for them! Chances are, they may feel better eating more animal-based protein and fat, too. Everyone loves a good steak or burger.
Sometimes when you're staying at someone else's home, it can feel uncomfortable to stick to a carnivore diet. Especially when they offer meals or want to go out to places that may not work for you. Every situation will be different, but try to remember that most people will have your best interest at heart. If you really want to stay strict, just explain your "why" to them and hope they'll respect it.
If you decide that it's worth it to eat some things you don't normally when staying at someone else's home, try not to worry about it (especially if you don't have any sort of serious reactions). Do your best and forget the rest!
10) Prioritize consistency over perfection
This is something I really want to emphasize. Always do what makes YOU feel best, even if it doesn't fit perfectly within a diet label. What we eat is very important for our health, but so is having fun and enjoying ourselves.
I'm at a point in my healing journey where I know I'll be okay if I have a little something that's out of my usual diet. For example, we were in Italy and I had a little bit of gelato ("When in Rome"). Interestingly enough, I find that I don't have as much of a taste for really sweet things anymore. After a few bites of gelato, I was thinking "I used to love this, but where's the steak?!". I will say that it's been helpful for me to let go of perfectionism, as that's something I've wrestled with these past few years.
Often we don't realize how much stress can affect our overall health (it can actually be worse than any sort of toxins in our food). Fearing foods and fearing reactions often actually cause and contribute to food reactions.
Personally I believe if one bite of a non-carnivore food causes a significant reaction, much more healing needs to take place. Addressing the nervous system is often the missing link and it's just as important as fueling our bodies with nourishing, animal-based foods. For more information about nervous system healing, visit my Instagram and YouTube channel.
In summary
Many people find that traveling while eating an animal-based or carnivore diet can be quite simple and enjoyable—especially when it helps you to feel your best while on vacation.
I hope you've found these tips helpful! Let me know about your experience traveling on the carnivore diet in the comments below. Thank you so much for visiting my blog!
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