Can You Eat Garlic on a Carnivore Diet? Is Garlic Powder Allowed?

What Is the Carnivore Diet?

Can you eat garlic on a Carnivore diet? It may sound like a strange question, as the Carnivore diet is an animal-based one, prioritizing meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs, excluding all plant-based products.

But is there a way to make an exception for a yummy, healthy ingredient like garlic? Simply put, it depends on the type of Carnivore you’re following.

A strict Carnivore diet says no to all plant-based foods, i.e., fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds, including garlic. However, its less strict versions “may” allow minimal amounts of garlic powder.

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Is Garlic Allowed on the Carnivore Diet?

I know you may say that garlic comes with numerous health benefits, but as mentioned above, the strict Carnivore diet doesn’t allow garlic or similar plant-based foods.

Why is that? Because the true Carnivore diet aims to boost fat loss and bring various health benefits by minimizing carbs and focusing on protein and fat.

Minimizing the consumption of carbohydrates and increasing the intake of fat and protein will lead to ketosis, i.e., your body burns fat instead of carbs, which boosts fat melt and weight loss.

So, if you include carbohydrates in the diet, you may disrupt this process and hinder the results. However, some beginners find it challenging to become a true Carnivore dieter from the beginning.

So, what should they do? Should they forget about the Carnivore diet? Well, no. Doing it semi-right is better than not doing it at all. You can simply start the Carnivore diet and follow its rules as much as you can.

But the point that makes you excel is to know the rules and try to move toward them gradually. If I want to speak less figuratively, I can say that you need to focus on minimizing cheating and eating carbs.

It’s okay to include minimal garlic at the beginning, but you must plan to keep the usage minimal and try to eliminate it gradually.

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Can You Have Garlic Powder on a Carnivore Diet?

Garlic powder is not so different from garlic as both are plant-based products. Anyhow, beginners may add some garlic powder to their meat dishes to change the taste.

It’s no secret that including garlic or garlic powder in a Carnivore diet is your choice, but if you want to get the best results as fast as possible, you need to stick to the rules of a strict Carnivore diet.

How to Eat Garlic on a Carnivore Diet?

If you choose to include garlic in a Carnivore diet, you must consider these points:

• Garlic Powder: Use minimal amounts of garlic powder to add flavor to your meat dishes. You can add a pinch of garlic powder to your meat before cooking.
• Infused Oils: You can make garlic-infused animal fats or oils. Put garlic cloves in a jar of animal fat or oil and let them sit for a few days to infuse the flavors. Use this infused fat to cook meat.
• Garlic Butter: If dairy is allowed on your version of the diet, you can make garlic butter using animal-based fat, such as butter or ghee. Melt the fat and infuse it with minced garlic. Use this garlic butter to flavor your cooked meat.
• Garlic Salt: If you're allowed to consume salt, you can make garlic salt by mixing garlic powder with salt to season meat.
• Roasted Garlic: Some Carnivore versions may allow roasted garlic with cooked meat.

Although garlic is not generally allowed on the Carnivore diet, we know that it contains various health benefits. Let’s review these benefits and check garlic nutrition.

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The Benefits of Having Garlic on a Carnivore Diet

Here are some of the main benefits of eating garlic.

Added Flavor

Garlic has a strong and distinctive flavor, which can enhance the taste of meat dishes, making the Carnivore meals more enjoyable.

Antimicrobial Properties

Compounds like allicin found in garlic have natural antimicrobial properties, which can add an extra layer of protection against certain pathogens. Additionally, consuming garlic can modulate different biomarkers of various diseases (source). Also, various studies indicate that garlic has antioxidant, antiviral, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, antihypertensive, anti-anemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anticarcinogenic, antiaggregant, and immunomodulatory properties (source).

Nutrient Content

Garlic contains various nutrients and healthy compounds, including vitamins C and B6, manganese, and antioxidants.

Health Benefits

Some studies show garlic may have positive cardiovascular effects, like improving cholesterol levels and supporting heart health. It also has anti-tumor and anti-microbial effects, and positively affects high blood glucose concentration.(source).

Digestive Health

Garlic contains prebiotics, promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, which help overall digestive health.

Appetite Regulation

Some studies indicate that garlic regulates appetite and reduces cravings, which is good for those aiming to reduce their caloric intake and lose weight.

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Garlic Nutrition

• Calories: 149 kcal
• Water: 58.58 g
• Protein: 6.36 g
• Carbohydrates: 33.06 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
• Sugars: 1 g
• Total Fat: 0.5 g
• Vitamin C: 31.2 mg (52% DV)
• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): 1.235 mg (62% DV)
• Niacin (Vitamin B3): 0.7 mg (4% DV)
• Folate (Vitamin B9): 3 µg (1% DV)
• Calcium: 181 mg (18% DV)
• Iron: 1.7 mg (9% DV)
• Magnesium: 25 mg (6% DV)
• Phosphorus: 153 mg (22% DV)
• Potassium: 401 mg (11% DV)
• Sodium: 17 mg (1% DV)
• Zinc: 1.16 mg (8% DV)

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Summary

While garlic and garlic powder are not allowed on a strict Carnivore diet, they may contain various healthy components. Avoiding garlic on a Carnivore diet is not because it’s unhealthy but because it may hinder the Carnivore results.

The Carnivore diet focuses on minimizing carbohydrates and increasing the consumption of protein and fat to achieve ketosis and streamline fat melting and weight loss.

If you wish to achieve the best Carnivore results and lose weight quickly, you need to stay loyal to the diet, stick to its rules, and avoid carbohydrates. The more you can follow the rules of the diet, the better results you may get.