How Do Carnivore Dieters Get Potassium, Magnesium, Fiber & Other Nutrients?

Wooden Spoon

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Perhaps the most common myths and criticisms you will hear about the carnivore diet is how nutritionally deficient it is. “You will get scurvy, cancer, be paralyzed, etc.,” or “it’s an elimination diet, it’s for sick people who can’t tolerate food,” or even “veggies have so many necessary nutrients.”

This is a far cry from the truth. I will not discuss any anecdotes today because the internet is already packed with so many success stories (MeatRX has numerous) of people who lived off of this diet for years.

I will not bring up the “how our ancestors survived’’ argument either.

We are going to take a look scientifically at what our bodies need and whether the carnivore diet can offer it or not. We got so scientific on this that I got Dr. Nour Ibrahim to help out! (She co-wrote with me.)

Pink Salt

What Are the Micronutrients We Need to Function Properly?

We all know the macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. While we consume food to get energy from the macronutrients, we also consume micronutrients with them.

Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that you need for normal body functions to happen. These micronutrients support almost all of your biochemical pathways.

Vitamins can be further divided into water-soluble, vitamin B and C, and fat-soluble, vitamin A, D, E, and K. Some of these vitamins are essential; we can’t make them in our bodies.

Others can be created in our bodies and hence, nonessential, like biotin and vitamin D.

I also believe the best source of Vitamin D to be the sun but that’s a whole other topic!

Minerals are classified into macro-minerals, some needed in large amounts, like calcium and trace minerals. Some are needed in smaller amounts, like iodine and copper.

Are All These Elements Needed?

All these elements are needed for vital functions like energy production, immune function, brain development, growth, and healing. They are not optional. The question is how much and how can you get them while following a carnivore diet?

There are recommended daily intake values for all these micronutrients. So, this is how you know how much, at least according to some scientists and nutritionists.

Recommendations were first published by the National Academy of Science in 1941. Here is a research paper explaining it in more detail.

However, two nutrients are the center of discussion regarding nutrient deficiency in the carnivore diet. Sodium and chloride, salt, is a hot topic for the carnivores.

Some recommend lathering your food with it. In Dr. Paul Saladino’s book, “The Carnivore Code”, he recommends up to 6-10 grams per day.

People in the fitness space like Crossfit also recommend more salt as when you work out and sweat your body expels a good amount.

Of course, others will recommend abstaining or reducing the amount.

The American Heart Association says and recommends, “no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults.“

As you can see salt is controversial and we dive even deeper on the subject in our article:

And to go way deeper I recommend this book!

And speaking of salt, the go-to brand free of microplastics and other potentially toxic additives is Redmond Real Salt. They source their salt from an ancient sea bed n Utah. Plus, they give our readers a 15% discount by using this link.

Another controversial nutrient is fiber. But we get into that down below. It’s a doozy.

Liver Pate
Liver Pate

Vitamins

You can have all your vitamins and minerals on the carnivore diet. In fact, the best source of vitamin B is meat!

You just need to be aware that you need to feed your body smartly. If you are a strict carnivore, you can possibly get all your minerals and vitamins by eating organ meats like liver, brain, and lungs and drinking bone broth.

(Even though Dr. Shawn Baker, carnivore diet advocate, says he does just fine without adding organ meats to his carnivore diet meat rotation.)

For example, just 1 ounce of liver contains more vitamin A than you need per day. Also take a look at eggs, dairy, and seafood like sardines and mollusks these are all great sources of vitamins and minerals and will get you covered.

It is important to note that Vitamin C is especially heat-sensitive, so you might want to lightly cook the foods rich in it like spleen, lung and beef liver.

If you are looking to spice up your carnivore recipe list check this out!

Electrolytes

Potassium regulates fluids in your body, so its deficiency is a serious problem. For instance, it can lead to kidney stones.

You may need to make sure that you eat food high in potassium like salmon, mollusks, and beef liver. Adding dairy or cheese substantially increases your potassium consumption.

Magnesium is essential for DNA production, building protein, and metabolism.

Foods high in magnesium are cod, salmon, and mollusks. A well-prepared bone broth gets you covered. If you will prepare it by yourself, make sure that you need to boil your broth for at least 12 hours to have magnesium in it (1).

Calcium is important for bone and muscle health and function, and deficiency means your body will resorb your bone to get calcium.

Dairy and canned bony fish like sardines are excellent sources of calcium. Again well-prepared bone broth will support your calcium intake.

When I’m working out heavily and know I’ll be sweating more than usual, I will take a pre-made electrolyte supplement/mix from Redmond Real Salt called Re-Lyte.

The unflavored one is best for a carnivore diet as it doesn’t have a sweetener. Remember they give our readers a 15% discount by using this link. )I go into more detail below)

Resorting to Dr. Paul Saladinos book, “The Carnivore Code”, one more time. He mentions that people with abnormal kidney function that include electrolyte supplements may be dangerous. Talk to your doctor before proceeding!

My go-to for magnesium supplements right now is Natural Calm but be careful as if you take too much you will get a bad case of disaster pants if you know what I mean!

Re-Lyte Electrolyte Powder

Like I was saying my favorite electrolyte powder is made by Redmond. The reason I like this version of a pre-mixed powder is that they have some extra electrolytes mixed in. Here is what you get with this powder per serving:

  • 1000mg Sodium
  • 500mg Potassium
  • 1585 Chloride
  • 75mg Calcium
  • 60mg Magnesium
  • 100mg Coconut Water Powder (Not Carnivore but I still use this)
  • 60+ Trace Minerals

They have 3 different flavors: Mixed Berry, Lemon Lime, and Unflavored.

The unflavored is perfect for strict carnivore dieters.

Salt

Salt is a cooking staple probably because it makes our food tastier. It is also used as a food preservative and in different cooking methods like pickling.

However, many scientists like to point fingers and blame it for everything.

Dr. Paul Saladino stresses how salt shouldn’t be feared especially in the first stages of your diet when your body is adapting. In this stage, you may experience the low-carb flu as your body is losing minerals along with the water loss. Adding salt may make your symptoms milder.

He recommends that you have up to 6 to 10 grams a day. Again, make sure you get high-quality salt that’s free of micro-plastics…Redmond Real Salt is just that.

If you are concerned with the keto flu or carnivore flu we wrote an article that may help you out:

I use a lot too so I buy it in bulk!

Salt Pics

For years, salt was directly incriminated in increasing the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

But, the evidence is arising that the war against salt should end soon. A meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Hypertension proved that there is no strong association between salt reduction and decreased risk of stroke, hypertension, or death in health or hypertensive individuals (2). So, have salt guilt-free.

Fiber

Fibers are a form of carbohydrate, so it’s a macronutrient to be accurate.

However, it needs to be mentioned here. Your body can’t digest fiber in food, so it excretes it as it is.

This is why it is thought to be important for pooping. It also helps with lowering cholesterol, which might not be in our favor after all. Cholesterol is a whole other can of worms.

However, we need to take a step back: do we truly need to poop too often?

Dr. Shawn Baker mocks this notion in his book “The Carnivore Diet” by saying, “why would we want to walk around flatulent, full of gas, and wanting to poop all the time?”

Also, does it work? In his book “The Carnivore Code’’, Dr. Saladino cites a meta-analysis that concludes: “Dietary fiber intake can obviously increase stool frequency in patients with constipation. It does not obviously improve stool consistency, treatment success, laxative use, and painful defecation.’’ (3). Therefore, it really doesn’t help with the symptoms, so why would we increase the frequency of a painful experience?

This is a hot topic and we already addressed pooping and fiber in this article:

Another research paper studying the effect of fiber intake on 63 patients suffering from idiopathic constipation concluded that: “Idiopathic constipation and its associated symptoms can be effectively reduced by stopping or even lowering the intake of dietary fiber.’’ Science is growing further and further away from the fiber legend or now myth.

You also need to keep in mind that on the carnivore diet you should have plenty of water. As you progress in your journey, you will also notice how satiating the diet is. Therefore, your water to solid food ratio dramatically changes as you shift from common diets to the carnivore diet.

Final words

If you have problems because of your diet, don’t complicate it. Instead, be more austere with your choices and only have what your body truly needs.

Carnivores live by this concept. Drink plenty of water, eat meat until you are full, and make sure that whatever goes in your system is of high quality.

Use a variety of organ meats to meet your requirements, and a cup of bone broth can go a long way.

If you are not yet confident or don’t want to have any produce other than red meat, you can even try organ supplements like desiccated liver capsules or any multivitamin if you feel they are required. Nutrional science is sketchy so listen to your body!

Also if you have some time check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel Wild Lumens! Thanks for reading and good luck on your dietary journey.

Useful Links:

Book me as a Carnivore Diet Coach!

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. Consult with and ask your doctor about any diet or medical-related questions. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.

References

  1. Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths
  2. Reduced Dietary Salt for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (Cochrane Review)
  3. Effect of Dietary Fiber on Constipation: A Meta Analysis
  4. Stopping or reducing dietary fiber intake reduces constipation and its associated symptoms

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