13 Key Nutrients You Can Only Find In Meat

I’m of the belief that the optimal diet shouldn’t require supplementation. A diet that allows you to thrive should have all the necessary nutrients in their bioavailable form, and in the amounts needed to sustain high performance across fitness and cognition.

This automatically knocks a vegan diet out of the discussion, since the blissfully ignorant initiates appear to need dozens of supplements just to make ends meet. It doesn’t matter how many times the likes of spinach gets labelled with superfood status, it still falls well short of meeting the criteria. You could have an army of vegetables piled on top of a plateful of quinoa, and still be woefully lacking in key bioavailable nutrients.

Carnivore, on the other hand, is loaded with powerhouses that actually have the density and diversity of bioavailable nutrients to be called superfoods. Many of which can’t be found in the plant kingdom. Meat isn’t just healthy. It’s a necessity.

The 10 Best Foods On The Carnivore Diet

In this article, I’ll be laying down the list of meat-only nutrients, along with the myriad of beneficial effects they can have across your metabolism.

For simplicity’s sake, I’ll be including eggs and dairy within the category of ‘meat’. Technically incorrect, but as animal products, they will share a very similar profile to meat.

I will also be including nutrients that are in some plants, but are either too sparse, convert terribly into their bioavailable form, or are only available as supplements rather than real food. So if there’s a compound that can only be found in algae growing where a Chilean river pours out into the pacific ocean, I’m afraid I’m not counting it.

I certainly wouldn’t expect you to get your folate levels up by ordering a blackbuck antelope.

1. Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Health Benefits

• Nerve function
• Red blood cell formation
• DNA synthesis

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Fatigue
• Weakness

This is the obvious one that crops up whenever dinner parties move on to discuss the nutritional shortcomings of a vegan diet. Vitamin B12 is categorically essential, meaning it absolutely needs to be sourced from the diet, as the body doesn’t possess the ability to synthesise its own.

B12 is found in abundance in animal products, and despite what you might hear from earnest vegans, is absent from the plant kingdom. There will be plant foods that claim to have B12, but these are merely analogues (spirulina, nori, miso, wakame).

This means they are very similar to B12 in their chemical structure, but they don’t quite hit the spot, and can even be harmful by inhibiting the uptake of the real deal. In other words, by increasing your intake of B12 analogues in plant foods, you can actually end up worsening a deficiency.

People who peer deep enough into the literature can find actual B12 concentrations in certain types of algae, due to the microorganisms that live on them. However, they have the tendency to get nuked by processing, and are thoroughly unreliable in their concentrations.

And rather than playing algae roulette, you could just treat yourself to a pound of steak. You’d have all the bioavailable B12 you’d ever need, along with a colossal amount of other nutrients.

It really could be that easy.

2. DHA (Omega 3)

Health Benefits

• Brain function
• Anti inflammatory
• Protects against depression

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Problems concentrating

DHA is the Omega 3 compound found in your brain and eyes, and such as, is critical for their healthy function. Along with EPA, DHA is only found in animal foods, particularly in fatty fish. Smaller amounts can be found in ruminant meat, with grass-finished beef showing a slight edge over the grain-finished version.

Can You Eat Fish On The Carnivore Diet?

There are plenty of plant foods, like flax seeds, that claim to have high amounts of Omega 3. But besides the fact that these seeds and seed oils are nutritionally bereft and wonderfully inflammatory, the plant form of Omega 3 (ALA) converts at less than 0.01% into DHA.

Do you like those odds?

In a twist that shouldn’t surprise you at this point, there have been a few studies looking into the availability of bonafide DHA in algae oil, but the research is still very much in its infancy. And even if you were happy to take the plunge, you’d still have to consider the baggage that comes alongside these pond products.

Algae supplements have been noted for the presence of cyanotoxins, which can result in stomach pain and headaches. Then there’s the issue of ingesting PUFAs in supplement form, since they’ll be rancid on arrival and can turn into toxic byproducts as well as simply causing oxidative damage.

The same issue applies to fish oil supplements, which is why you’re much better off getting your Omega 3 in the form of real food.

3. Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)

Health Benefits

• Anti inflammatory
• Immune function
• Cell repair
• Neuromuscular function

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Fatigue
• Bone pain
• Muscle weakness

This is the bioavailable form of Vitamin D, and once again only found in the animal kingdom, especially in the fatty bits like egg yolks and fish oil. You can get Vitamin D2 by digging up certain mushrooms, but Vitamin D3 will increase your blood concentration 87% more effectively.

Compared to Vitamin D2, D3 is much easier to source, has better bioavailability, and stays in the bloodstream for longer.

There is some evidence that you can get your Vitamin D3 from microalgae, but that’s once again very niche and only available in supplement form.

4. Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone)

Health Benefits

• Blood clotting
• Cardiovascular health
• Bone health

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Easy bruising
• Excessive bleeding

This is the animal variant of Vitamin K, found in the likes of beef liver and cheese. Some scientists believe that it should be classed as a separate nutrient entirely from Vitamin K1, which can be sourced from leafy greens, and is found in much lower concentrations in the body.

K2 can be potentially found in fermented plant foods like nattō and sauerkraut, but it is, regardless, quite challenging to source in meaningful quantities.

5. Heme Iron

Health Benefits

• Red blood cell formation
• Hormone and cell function

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Extreme fatigue
• Weakness
• Pale skin

Another classic deficiency that gets associated with the trappings of a vegan diet. Heme iron is only found in animal products, while non-heme iron is the plant version that converts as low as 2%.

The absorption and utilisation of plant iron can be further affected by allowing antinutrients like phytic acid and polyphenols to tag long, and not having the necessary copper.

6. Choline

Health Benefits

• Neurotransmitter synthesis
• Lipid transport
• Cell membrane signalling

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Anxiety
• Lowered recovery
• Fatty liver

Given essential status in 1998, choline is a critical brain nutrient that is mainly found in animal foods, with egg yolks being a classic example. It’s very difficult to get from plant foods, and has been unfairly put through some bad press due to TMAO, a breakdown product that’s been held up as a risk marker for cardiovascular disease.

To keep things brief, TMAO can be elevated during conditions like diabetes, and the research hasn’t proven that it has causality. Also, fish has much more TMAO than eggs and beef, and hasn’t been associated with any unwanted cardiovascular outcomes.

7. Taurine

Health Benefits

• Fat digestion
• Anti oxidant
• Cell membrane stability
• Nerve and muscle function

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Anxiety
• Obesity
• Depression
• High blood pressure

We’re now veering into the realm of conditionally essential nutrients, as in compounds that can be produced by the body without a need for dietary supplementation, but with a giant asterisk during times of disease or stress.

Which is most people these days.

The case can also be made that these compounds should be included in the diet regardless, since the RDAs (Recommended Daily Allowance) were created with the intention of stopping people from dying. That’s a far cry from a diet that’s built to make you thrive.

Taurine is absent from plant foods, and is available in plentiful amounts in animal products like beef and eggs. Vegans have been shown to have less than half the taurine levels of omnivores.

8. Creatine

Health Benefits

• Cognitive function
• Athletic performance
• Force output
• Anti oxidant
• Resilience to infection

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Low muscle mass
• Fat gain
• Neurodegeneration

The bane of nans everywhere, creatine is the best researched and approved sports supplement on the market. But don’t let that distract you from the profound effect it can also have on your mental health and immune system.

This marvellous compound is once again devoid in plants, and can be sourced in appreciable amounts from red meat and dairy. Creatine supplementation in vegans have shown to significantly increase athletic performance and memory, more so than when administered to omnivores.

You can get as much as 2 grams in every pound of beef, which is why I personally skip supplementing, since my creatine intake comfortably hits the coveted 5 gram mark by beef alone.

9. Carnosine

Health Benefits

• Blood glucose regulation
• Anti oxidant
• DNA integrity
• Lactic acid buffer

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Muscle loss
• Fatigue

Carnosine is also absent in plants, and is a popular supplement for boosting athletic performance, generally taken in the form of its precursor beta-alanine. Carnosine levels have been shown to be reduced by as much as 50% on a vegetarian diet.

10. Carnitine

Health Benefits

• Mitochondrial function
• Lipolysis (fat burning)
• Anti inflammatory

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Muscle weakness
• Fatigue
• Irritability

Carnitine can’t be sourced from plants, and vegans show significantly less concentrations of the compound when compared to omnivores.

11. Anserine

Health Benefits

• Blood sugar control
• Cognitive function
• Athletic performance
• Anti oxidant

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Hypertension
• Hyperglycemia
• Memory decline

Anserine is a carnosine-like compound with better buffering abilities. Humans don’t have the ability to synthesise anserine, but non-primate animals do, so beef acts as a great source.

12. 4-Hydroxyproline

Health Benefits

• Collagen formation
• Anti inflammatory
• Intestinal function
• Skin, joint, and bone health

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Joint pain
• Brain fog
• Insomnia

This amino acid is critical for the formation of collagen and synthesis of glycine, the chief compound in collagen. Just another great reason to choose ground beef or the tougher cuts of steak, since they’ll be higher in 4-Hydroxyproline. Whereas most plant foods have negligible amounts.

13. Cholesterol

Health Benefits

• Cell membrane function
• Hormone production
• Vitamin D production
• Lipid metabolism

Symptoms Of A Deficiency

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Hormone imbalances

Now, technically the body makes its own cholesterol, and dietary fat doesn’t have a great impact on your blood cholesterol. However, a vegan diet can actively lower your total cholesterol. And that’s a problem.

Plants don’t have cholesterol, they have their own compounds, called phytosterols. The ingestion of which causes the human body to focus on flushing them out, at the expense of absorbing cholesterol. Hence the drop in blood cholesterol levels.

The body clearly doesn’t like phytosterols, and treats them as foreign toxins. Whereas cholesterol is essential for optimal function, and the lowering of which shouldn’t be considered a good thing.

So a carnivore diet won’t cause high cholesterol, it just lets them go back to their normal levels, since you’re no longer crashing the party with phytosterols.

Should You Be Worried About High LDL On Carnivore?

Why I don’t pay attention to RDA’s

You may have noticed that I haven’t bothered listing out the amount of steak you’d be needing to hit your recommended daily intakes on these meat-only nutrients. While some might find it helpful for framing, I’ve skipped it for a few reasons.

The RDAs don’t reflect what we need to thrive, just what we need to stay alive. This is a sharp contrast from the carnivore diet. We should want the absolute best.

They were written for people on high carb diets, and make some concessions for low bioavailability, anti-nutrients, and requirements to keep the glucose pathway running (like vitamin C)

A carnivore diet focused on fatty beef, with a smattering of eggs, fatty fish, and the occasional liver, is designed to provide you with all the nutrients you need, and in their right proportions. You don’t have to micromanage the details, that’s the beauty of following the diet we evolved on.

As for readers who are not inclined to go full carnivore, the same will still apply as long as you keep it heavily red meat-based and low carb. Which should be the bare minimum if you’re intending to maximise your physical and mental wellbeing.

The Complete List Of Benefits On The Carnivore Diet