How To Eat Fast Food on a Carnivore Diet | Dirty Tricks

In an ideal world…can you eat fast food on a carnivore diet? Nope!

However, we do not live in an ideal world; we live in a world where the food supply chain is riddled with cheap grain and sugars; we live in a world of stress and late nights; we live in a world where we must go to work, we live in a world where we must travel, and we sometimes might be drawn into less-than-ideal choices by our social circles.  

So, it is not always the case for everyone to always cook a beautiful Ribeye steak from a butcher for every meal. Some days we may have to make concessions; in reality, we want to set ourselves up for success and not fail.

If you are brand spanking new to the carnivore diet, I suggest reading this website or going ahead and picking up this practical and easy-to-understand book, “The Carnivore Diet” by Dr. Shawn Baker.

What is the problem with fast food when on Carnivore?

Generally speaking, the main problems with food from fast-food joints, in my opinion, are:

1. Carbs: Fast food is generally high in carbohydrates. Nearly all fast food comes in a bun, taco, wrap, or comes with something like French Fries. On top of this, there will be a lot of added sugar in the sauces or coatings, never mind the vast sugary cold and hot drinks on the menu… I’m also talking about diet sodas which are not Kosher for this diet. 
2. Vegetable Seed Oils: Under the guise of health, the food supply chain is flooded with vegetable seed oils, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the fast-food industry. Nearly everything will be cooked in some sort of vegetable oil. 
3. Quality: Fast food chains are not here for the good of our health. They are here to profit off our desire for convenience. This means they will want to make as much money per order as possible; therefore, you may not get the quality of food you think you are. You are likely getting highly processed food because the more you process something, the cheaper it is, and the more profit you can make. 

How to make good food choices on Carnivore

As I said, sometimes you need or simply want to eat at a fast-food joint. If you do find yourself in this situation, then here are some tips:

1. High Protein: Look for the items on the menu that are the highest in animal protein. If there is a single quarter pounder option or a double quarter pounder option, go double. 
2. Low Carb: Look for the lowest carb options available. Having a chicken salad box without the lettuce and veggies is a better option than having a chicken burger in a bun. Also, where possible, get it plain and without any sauces. 
3. Drinks: Sugary sodas are a huge problem in today’s obesity pandemic, but so are many coffees nowadays. So, where you can…drink water or standard all-black coffee with no extras. Stay away from drinks like this too.
4. Off Menu: Very few fast-food joints will have a Carnivore option on the menu for all to see. However, if you are prepared to ask, you can get a Carnivore meal or something close to it. For example, in McDonald’s, it is effortless to order some beef patties, but nowhere in the franchise will it say you can do this. 
5. Salt: Fast food franchises use nasty low-quality chemical plant salts, and that’s why I carry around extra salt; yes, I know I’m a little crazy. I recommend Redmond Real Salt, as it is sourced from an ancient sea bed, so you need not worry about toxins from the sea or ocean-based salt. Plus, they give our readers a 15% discount on all their products, including electrolyte mixes!

How To Eat Fast Food on a Carnivore Diet

Here are some examples of how to eat carnivore-style in fast food joints:

McDonald’s

Go to the touch screen and order a Bacon Double Cheeseburger. Go into the edit screen and delete the bun and sauces because condiments are prohibited. Then add extra cheese and bacon if you like. Or go to the counter and ask for as many plain patties as necessary.

Five Guys

Order the burger with a lettuce wrap; you can chuck the lettuce in the bin if you like. The sides and extras are generally plant-based and cooked peanut oil, so stick to the meat.

In-N-Out Burger

In-N-Out Burgers are famous for its secret menu, and it is easy to order plain patties, and if you want two patties with cheese in the middle, it’s called a Flying Dutchman (my go-to.) For the ancestral diet folks, or if you do not mind a bit of lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese, try the Animal Style or Protein Style burgers. 

If you are curious about the ancestral diet, check out this link.

Wendy’s

If you are a Carnivore, you will most likely have heard of Shawn Baker, and you will know that he has no problem with going into Wendy’s and ordering 16 plain beef patties. Just do the same; well, maybe not 16, haha. 

Personally, I can handle two triple burgers with cheese, but only if really, really hungry.

KFC

Ask if they have any “Naked” chicken on their menu or are willing to cook some up. If not, I order some normal chicken on the bone pieces and remove the coating before eating.

FYI, this is my least favorite chain, as I’m not a huge fan of chicken.

I dedicated a whole article on the topic of KFC and how it relates to a carnivore diet which you can check out here.

Chick-fill-A

Their menu is a little easier to get just plain chicken than KFC, but once again, I’m not a fan of chicken, but if it’s the only option, then you have to do what you must.

Starbucks (Drinks Only)

Obviously, I don’t condone any of the mix or sweet drinks, but there are some options; you can get a plain coffee and ask for full-fat milk or cream.

Their Grand Ice Coffee with heavy cream is also pretty good. 

Plus, from what I understand, they use a high-quality water filtration system which is probably better than your standard non-filtered tap water.

Not sure what to drink on the carnivore diet? We got you covered with this article which lists the top 4 beverages. And if you need reasons to quit coffee, check out these two articles:

1. 11 Reasons to Quit Coffee on a Carnivore Diet
2. Can You Drink Coffee on a Carnivore Diet?

Supermarkets

By now, you know I’m not a huge fan of chicken, but if you are struggling for a Carnivore meal, going to a supermarket for a cooked rotisserie chicken is a great option.

Or pick up a few packets of cooked Parma ham, cold cuts, or wild-caught smoked salmon.

Traveling on a Carnivore Diet

We all have to travel at some point in the year. This is where I highly recommend food prepping. These are my easy Carnivore Diet Travel snacks which should help you avoid the fast food joint:

1. Hard Boiled Eggs with Redmond Real Salt (15% off)
2. Carnivore Crisps: Beef, Bison, and Organ Meats (10% Off)

I wrote a more in-depth post on how to think about traveling while on a carnivore diet and some helpful tips here.

Conclusion

It is unlikely that one trip to KFC will ruin all your goals, and if that trip was a part of a great day out with the kids to the movies or beach, then there is no actual harm in that for most people. 

It might become a problem or stall your goals if KFC becomes a part of your weekly trip to the movies though it is all context-dependent. 

The idea is to use a fast-food restaurant as a temporary solution to adding food to your body. You can easily request burgers or chicken without buns, condiments, or anything from the plant kingdom.

Motivation

If you have a problem with motivation, this post should help you.

Many people are on Carnivore Diet because they are in health’s last chance saloon.

Modern medicine has failed them, and they have discovered that Carnivore is the only thing that helps them.

These people should not be having many trips to fast-food joints.

Instead, stay home and cook a delicious meal…if you need recipes, pick up this book, “The Carnivore Cookbook” by Jessica Haggard, or watch our YouTube channel with a ton of carnivorous recipes.

Good luck out there!

Carnivore Discounts

• Redmond Real Salt and Re-Lyte Electrolyte Mix (15% Discount)
• White OakPastures Regenerative Farmed Meat (10% Discount)
• Carnivore Crisps (10% Discount)
• Live Water Glass Bottled Spring Water (11% Discount)

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or dietician, or nutritionist. 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.