Cravings on carnivore diet

What I’ve learned over the past few years is that there are two completely different kinds of cravings.

The first kind is when you think, “Ice cream sounds really good right now.” It’s just a passing craving. You still feel undecided, and it’s possible to move on from it.

The second kind is different. It’s when you think, “Ice cream would be nice, I’m going to have it.” At that point, the decision is already emotionally made. You might procrastinate, negotiate with yourself, or pretend the decision is still open, but realistically the outcome is already set.

Once I reach that second state from considering to executing, it almost always happens eventually. Even if I resist in the moment, I stay obsessed with it until I finally give in. It just feels like postponing something I already decided to do.

Even though one is a passing temptation and another one a fully formed decision, both often come from the same underlying reasons. So the key is understanding where the craving comes from. Only then can you stop reacting automatically and respond with awareness.

Reasons behind cravings

1. Skipping meals

One of the biggest reasons people experience intense cravings is simply not eating and skipping meals. Cravings are not always about lack of willpower; very often, they are your body asking for more energy and nutrients. For example, I’m much more likely to cheat or crave unhealthy foods when I skip breakfast, leave the house without eating, know I won’t have access to food until late at night, or accidentally cook portions that are too small. (Sizing is not my strong side.)

Your body is always looking for the easiest source of energy. When energy is running low, it will often crave carbohydrates and sugar because they can be converted into usable fuel (glucose) quickly.

This is one reason why many people don't rush into fasting when starting a carnivore diet. If fasting is making you constantly think about cheating or triggering strong cravings, it may be worth putting it aside for a while.

Give your body time to adapt to relying on fat as its primary fuel source. Once that adaptation is established and your energy becomes more stable, fasting often feels much easier and more natural. At that point, you can experiment with it again without fighting intense cravings.

2. Not Eating Enough Food

Eating enough is even more important when your body is healing, rebuilding, and getting stronger. During that time, your energy and protein needs may be much higher than you expect. Eating large amounts can actually be completely normal and supportive of recovery and energy needs, especially if your body is clearly asking for it.

Many people on a carnivore diet report eating significantly more food than they did before, especially in the early stages. A popular example in the carnivore community is Steak and Butter Gal, whose videos give a realistic idea of how much food some people may need to eat on carnivore to feel truly nourished and satisfied. Watching her content can be helpful if you are struggling with portion sizes or constantly wondering whether you are eating “too much.”

If you prefer using general guidelines, a common recommendation is to aim for roughly 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 56 kg (about 123 lbs), a good target could be around 123 grams of protein per day.

When it comes to fat, many people feel best with a fat-to-protein ratio somewhere between 1:1 and 1.5:1. However, there is no perfect formula that works for everyone. Some people thrive on a very high-fat carnivore diet, while others feel better with slightly less fat. If you constantly feel tired, sluggish, low-energy, or unsatisfied after meals, it may be a sign that you need to increase your fat intake, so always stay alert and see what works best for you.

And if you struggle with animal fat like I do, especially if you dislike the taste or texture, you’re definitely not alone. I’ll be making another blog post soon where I’ll share easier and more enjoyable ways to include fat in your meals, so stay tuned for that.

To sum up, a simple but important rule is: don’t restrict how much meat you eat. Don’t be afraid of eating until you are fully satisfied. Many of us have been taught to fear eating “too much,” or to ignore our hunger signals as eating a lot will make us fat, bloated, or sluggish. But in reality, meat eaten in response to real hunger is very unlikely to cause the same kind of overeating cycle that highly processed foods often do. So trust your body because when you eat enough, cravings, and the urge to cheat, often decrease significantly.

3. Lack of dopamine

You finish a good meal and suddenly get hit with a strong craving for something sweet. I struggled with this myself for a long time. The reason is that your brain is looking for an extra dopamine hit, that quick reward feeling. Even after a solid meal, your mind can still chase the pleasure signal it associates with sugar. This is often a mix of brain chemistry and a deep old habit that says every meal should end with something sweet. It’s not usually because your body isn’t producing enough dopamine, but rather because your brain has been trained to want that extra stimulation and reward at the end of eating.

The good news is this feeling usually fades on its own after some time. Your body starts to regulate blood sugar better, and your brain starts to rewire. But if you need help before that happens, my first advice would be to eat with your hands, which I started lately myself. It felt surprisingly natural, and honestly, more enjoyable than I expected.

I became curious and started looking into it more deeply. In many cultures across South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, eating with the hands is not only normal but also an established tradition, often associated with a more direct and intimate connection to food. People in these cultures frequently describe meals as more flavorful and satisfying when eaten this way, as if the experience itself becomes more grounded and present.

Scientifically, there isn’t much research specifically on eating with your hands, but there is strong evidence behind mindful eating, the practice of paying full attention to the experience.

Eating with your hands can naturally encourage this kind of awareness. It makes the experience more sensory-rich by default. You engage with the food before it even reaches your mouth, feeling its texture, temperature, and structure. This added layer of sensory input tends to slow the pace of eating and shifts attention toward the act itself, rather than rushing through it unconsciously. This heightened sensory input can enhance the brain’s reward response, making the meal feel more satisfying and potentially reducing the urge for additional “reward foods” like sweets afterward. As a result, people often report feeling satisfied with less food, while experiencing greater enjoyment of the meal itself.

In that sense, it’s less about digestion or biology in a direct way, and more about how sensory engagement and reward perception shape our sense of satisfaction after eating.

And honestly, even without looking into it, I still would have chosen to trust my body when it randomly wanted to eat without cutlery. Humans ate with their hands for most of history, so I believe there may be something deeply instinctive and familiar about it that modern eating habits have disconnected us from.

4. Not eating enough fat

You sometimes might crave something deeply filling and satisfying. I only noticed this after accidentally reducing my fat intake. I wasn't craving sugar or snacks, I wanted that heavy sense of fullness you get after eating a large bowl of pasta.

So, if you find yourself constantly wanting something substantial and "stuffing," it may be worth looking at your fat intake. Try adding more fatty cuts of meat, butter, cheese, cream, or coconut oil and see how you feel. For me, increasing fat often brought back that sense of satiety that no amount of lean protein seemed to provide.

Many people also claim that sugar cravings mean your body needs protein, while carb cravings mean your body is looking for quick energy. These ideas make intuitive sense, but they are not strongly supported by scientific evidence. Cravings are influenced by many factors, including hunger, habits, emotions, reward signaling, and overall energy intake.

That said, staying open-minded and experimenting can be useful. Pay attention to what actually satisfies the craving rather than what you think should satisfy it. Sometimes the answer is more protein, sometimes more fat, and sometimes simply eating enough food overall.

5. Being an emotional eater

Emotional eating is one of the hardest habits to overcome because it can develop quietly over many years without you even noticing. Food gradually turns into a way to cope with difficult emotions.

If you're struggling with emotional eating yourself, you can check out my previous blog post dedicated entirely to the topic. For now, it's important to understand that cravings are not always caused by physical hunger. Sometimes they are driven by emotions instead.

This is especially true when you're feeling down, stressed, lonely, bored, or emotionally drained and you're looking for comfort, relief, distraction, or a reward. In those moments, it's easy to tell yourself, "I've had a hard day. I deserve this."

However, you have to realize that there is nothing there to deserve. The reward exists mostly in your mind. What you’re often reaching for is a brief dopamine hit that creates a temporary feeling of pleasure or comfort. But once it passes, the underlying feeling that triggered the craving is usually still there.

That's why it's important to take the time to truly understand what these foods are doing to your body. Most people know that excessive sugar and ultra-processed foods aren't ideal, but very few take the time to learn just how many health issues can be linked to them when consumed regularly over the years. Weight gain, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, chronic inflammation, dental problems, and energy crashes are just a few examples.

The danger is that these effects rarely appear overnight. They build gradually, often so slowly that you don't notice them happening. One dessert, one soda, or one cheat meal may seem insignificant, but habits compound. The consequences are usually the result of months and years of repeated choices rather than a single indulgence. The more you educate yourself about how these foods affect your metabolism, hormones, appetite, and long-term health, the easier it becomes to see them for what they are. When you fully understand the cost, the temporary pleasure often becomes much less appealing.

6. Being nostalgic

Sometimes cravings are deeply tied to memory. Especially today, many social moments, family gatherings, and meeting friends, celebrations, are centered around food, often carbs or sweets. Even something like drinking an energy drink on a summer day with friends can feel nostalgic because those experiences get stored in the brain as emotional memories.

In those cases, you’re not actually craving the food or drink itself, you’re craving the feeling and the moment it represents. Your brain links certain tastes and smells with experiences of happiness, connection, and belonging, and later it can recreate that emotional association as a craving. Reward systems attach pleasure to experiences so they can be remembered and repeated.

The good part is that this is what allows us to hold on to meaningful and positive moments. Remember our happy memories for many years to come. But even so, these nostalgic memories don’t have to control your behavior or define your choices.

You are still the main character of your own life. You can start building new associations and memories with different choices. For instance, sharing something like crispy bacon with friends instead of chips, or enjoying a refreshing electrolyte drink with family instead of soda or energy drinks. Bake a carnivore cake and let your beloved one tease you about how plain it tastes, how it lacks sugar, how it feels incomplete without flour. Try other recipes, share them with the people you love. Recreate old memories in new forms, and slowly reshape the associations you once held.

And while we’re on the topic of memory, it's worth mentioning that smell plays a powerful role as well. Research shows that smell is one of the strongest senses when it comes to forming and recalling memories. That’s why certain scents can instantly bring back vivid moments from the past or remind you of something you can't even recall. So be mindful of it, smell the sunny summery air while enjoying something healthy with your loved ones and let your brain store healthier attachments.

Truthfully,

Lia from

Carnivore to Heal