Coffee on Carnivore?

The whole point of switching over to a Carnivore diet is to eliminate plant products. 

That means no more vegetables, and no fruits. 

But what about coffee? Many carnivores still drink coffee. Is that truly carnivore?

Is coffee a plant?

Yes,  coffee is a plant. 

Specifically, it is derived from the seeds of the Coffea plant. 

So when you run your hot water over those coffee beans and drink the liquid, you are technically consuming plants. 

Same goes for tea. Tea is also a plant. It comes from a plant called Camellia sinensis. 

Why is it so hard to give up coffee?

Coffee is usually one of the last things to go when we switch to Carnivore. 

Mostly because we can feel like we’ve given up so much already. Why do we have to give up our coffee, too? 

We just want to hang on to that one pleasure. 

Even some of the hardcore Carnivore coaches still have their coffee! 

Then there’s also the fact that coffee is a stimulant, it has caffeine, and let’s face it, it’s an addiction. 

Even if you drink decaf, there’s still the whole habit of having that coffee in the morning. 

Some people have had this habit their entire adult life, and it’s not easy to give up. 

Does it really matter? 

It depends on what is important to you, what your goals are. 

Why do you follow a Carnivore diet? 

And how strict do you want or need to be? 

Some carnivores are stricter than others.

For some, it’s a matter of necessity. 

They simply do not get all the amazing benefits of carnivore unless they eliminate all plant material. 

Others allow for things like spices, condiments, and yes, coffee. 

And they mostly do fine (except they get called out by the carnivore police).

Carnivore for weight loss

If you’re following a Carnivore diet mostly for weight loss, coffee is probably not going to hurt anything. 

That being said, be careful how much cream or butter you’re adding to your coffee.

Cream and butter are animal products, but it can add up and stall weight loss.

And of course you wouldn’t want to add sugars or sweeteners. 

Some people enjoy a dash of cinnamon in their coffee, you could give that a try. 

Carnivore for health issues

If you’ve switched to Carnivore for health reasons, it might be a good idea to at least give up the coffee for a bit.

That way you know you are giving this your best shot.

Once your health issues improve, you could try adding it back in and note if you see a difference. 

If you do decide to give up coffee ….

Wean yourself off.

While some people do go cold turkey, don’t feel bad if you need to take it a little slower. 

Try cutting back at first. 

If you normally drink three cups every morning, do two cups for a while, then one, then cut it out completely. 

Or maybe try half cups at a time instead of whole cups. 

Another way might be to replace one or two cups of your coffee with decaf for a while.

Doing it this way can make it easier because you won’t experience severe withdrawal symptoms, like headaches. 

If no coffee, what can I drink on a carnivore diet? 

If you really want to avoid all plant material, you’re pretty much left with water. 

Plain water, or you can have sparkling mineral waters, as well. 

But be careful with the bubbly waters, some of them have added flavourings that you might not want. 

You could also do milk, like cow or goat’s milk. A lot of carnivores opt for raw milk. 

Do what works for you

Don’t let anyone shame you. 

If you want or need to hang on to the coffee for now, that’s your business. 

If coffee is your only guilty pleasure, you’re still doing way better than if you were on a standard diet of carbohydrates and junk food. 

And no one is going to take your carnivore card away from you.