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Top 8 Carnivore Diet Condiments
One of the keys to the health benefits of the carnivore diet is that it eliminates inflammatory vegetable oils, sugars, and plant foods. Most popular condiments, like ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq sauce, and dressings, contain nearly all of these non-carnivore ingredients.
However, you may be surprised to learn that there are at least a few delicious and nourishing carnivore diet condiments. Let’s dig in.
Table of Contents
1 Salt
For most carnivore enthusiasts, a well-salted fatty cut of steak–looking at you, ribeye–is all you need to ignite your taste buds.
But salt is the ultimate carnivore diet condiment for more reasons than flavor. Salt provides electrolytes and minerals, including sodium, potassium, and chloride.
This essential nutrient plays a vital role in various physiological processes, including
- Maintain delicate fluid balances within and around cells
- Maintain healthy blood pressure and proper pH
- Essential for muscle contraction
- Helps nerves send signals
On a low-carb high-fat diet, salt becomes even more important. Cutting carbs causes insulin levels to drop, causing the body to release glycogen stored in muscles. When this happens, the water that the glycogen was attached to leaves the body as urine, taking electrolytes with it.
Liberally salting your meat replaces these flushed nutrients, which goes a long way in avoiding various carnivore diet side effects.
2 Butter
Butter is not just allowed but highly encouraged on the carnivore diet.
A few tablespoons of butter slathered over your favorite cut of meat or seafood is often the key to meeting your carnivore diet macro goals.
Additionally, butter is loaded with nourishing fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin A, retinol, and vitamin D.
Choose raw butter and give yourself the gift of a special anti-stiffness factor called the Wulzen-factor. It’s believed that this factor results from the synergistic effects of vitamin E, A, and vitamin K2.
The fats, vitamins, and compounds in butter also support immune health, fat metabolism, a healthy microbiome, intestinal integrity, and protection against type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Ghee
If you’re dairy intolerant, you can still get the benefits of butter from Ghee.
Ghee is a type of clarified butter. The diary solids have been separated out, leaving a toasty, nutty flavor.
In India, ghee is both a source of dietary fat and a medicine. Animal studies show that ghee can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
3 Carnivore Diet Mayonnaise
Though store-bought mayo is a big NO, due to toxic seed oils, homemade carnivore mayo is a carnivore dream.
You can make this recipe truly carnivore by eliminating lemon juice, ACV, and mustard. Or you can add the non-carnivore ingredients and use them as a treat-day condiment.
Ingredients
- 1 cup duck fat or bacon fat
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
- Mix all ingredients except for the duck fat in a blender until smooth
- With the blender on medium speed, VERY slowly add one drip at a time of the duck fat. It should take around 4 minutes
- Blend for another 30 seconds until consistent–should look like mayo
- Store in the fridge and enjoy!
4 Carnivore Cheese Sauce
Carnivore diet cheese sauce is a velvety, salty, satiating condiment with major nutritional benefits.
The vitamin K2 in cheese offers powerful cardioprotection. Soft cheeses like brie and camembert provide between 50 and 100 mcg of K2 per 100grams, and cheddar has 24 mcg.
For every 10 micrograms of k2 you consume daily, your risk of heart disease is reduced by 9%!
And cheese grass-fed dairy is a good source of the fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
CLA has been shown to significantly inhibit the growth of cancer and tumors in the liver, breast, stomach, and prostate.
Here’s an easy carnivore diet cheese sauce recipe to make at home.
Ingredients
- 3 oz. soft cheese like camembert or creamy blue cheese
- ⅓ cup heavy cream,
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions
- Put the cream and butter into a saucepan and gently heat
- Add the grated cheddar cheese and soft creamy cheese
- Stir until melted and bring to a simmer.
- Remove from heat once it begins to bubble
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- For a thicker sauce, cook for 3-5 more minutes while stirring
- If it gets too thick, add a splash of water or cream
5 Bacon Sprinkles
Bacon sprinkles are a great addition to the cheese sauce above, or simply add them to any carnivore meal for extra flavor and crunch. They’re especially good over deviled eggs made with carnivore mayo.
To make bacon sprinkles, simply dice up some bacon and fry as usual.
6 Fish Sauce
Fish sauce is packed with umami flavor. It’s earthy, and savory, with hints of noncarnivore food flavors like mushrooms, soy, and roasted tomatoes, rounded by a briny, caramel sweetness.
A little fish sauce can go a long way in satiating your non-carnivore flavor cravings.
And the best part is that all this flavor is produced by simply fermenting black anchovies for a couple of months to a few years in salt.
Not only is fish sauce packed with flavor, it’s also a great source of electrolytes, especially magnesium which can be a challenge to come by.
7 Meat Reduction Sauce
A meat reduction sauce is a thick, decadent, and flavorful condiment made from meat stock.
It’s easy to make by simply simmering meat drippings or premade beef or chicken stock over low heat until thick. Add water, salt, butter, and/or cream, and even bone marrow for desired texture and flavor.
Spoon over your meats and enjoy!
8 Sour Cream
Sour cream is equal parts fun and yum as a carnivore diet condiment.
Make your own homemade sour cream with heavy cream and cultured buttermilk.
Simply mix the two ingredients together in a jar, tightly screw on a lid, and store in the dark at room temperature for 24 hours.
Carnivore Diet Condiments: The Bottom Line
For a way of eating known for promoting simplicity over variety, the carnivore diet still has a place for a few nutritious condiments.
In addition to delectable textures and flavor zingers, these carnivore diet condiments supply your carnivore meals with electrolytes, healthy fats, and fat-soluble vitamins.
