Why I Eat Carnivore
September 10, 2026
By Corey Klein
Yes, I eat a lot of steak.
If you’ve spent much time around me, you know I’m a carnivore guy.
Part of the reason is extremely scientific: I really like steak.
But the bigger reason is that it works for me. I do well with simple rules. Protein and fat are easy for me to build meals around. I like the food. I feel good eating that way. And if I actually enjoy the way I’m eating, I’m a lot more likely to keep doing it.
That’s my experience.
It does not mean you need to go home and throw away every carbohydrate in your kitchen.
Nutrition can turn into a full-time job if you let it.
I don’t want to spend all day thinking about food.
I spent probably a decade eating a pretty Atkins-style, low-carb diet. Over time, that moved more toward eating basic, minimally processed foods with most of my protein coming from meat.
For me, fewer choices work.
I know what I’m going to eat. I know what I’m not going to eat. I’m not standing in the pantry at 9:30 at night trying to negotiate with myself about whether some snack technically fits my macros.
It’s simple.
And simple is easier to repeat.
That’s probably the part of my diet I’d recommend stealing from me.
Not necessarily the steak.
I don’t think carbohydrates are automatically bad.
Fruit has carbohydrates. Beans have carbohydrates. Whole grains have carbohydrates.
An apple and a bag of whatever neon-colored thing can survive on a gas station shelf until 2047 are obviously not the same food just because they both contain carbs.
Where I have a problem is with how much highly processed food people eat without really thinking about it.
It’s cheap. It’s easy. It tastes good. It’s everywhere. And easy doesn’t automatically mean good.
There’s research behind that concern, too. In a controlled NIH study, people eating an ultra-processed diet ate more calories and gained more weight than they did while eating a minimally processed diet, even though the diets offered were matched for several nutrients.¹
So yes, I’m the guy who is going to tell you to eat more actual food. I like the process of carving, prepping, and cooking to perfection all kinds of meat, it’s something I enjoy and also it’s not for everybody.
I can live with that.
And Yes, There Are Downsides to the Way I Eat
Here’s where I’m probably supposed to pretend steak is perfect because I like it.
I’m not going to do that.
A diet built heavily around meat, especially fatty red meat, can be high in saturated fat. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat and eating a broader dietary pattern that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein sources.²
So if you’re asking whether the American Heart Association has officially endorsed the Corey Klein Steak Plan, no.
They have not.
Carnivore is also restrictive.
You’re cutting out a lot of foods. If you’re trying to eat good-quality meat and fresh food, it can get expensive. It requires planning. You have to cook. You can’t live on whatever happens to be sitting in the break room.
That works for me.
It’s not going to work for everybody.
This is probably the part of diet culture that annoys me the most.
Somebody loses 30 pounds eating one way and suddenly they’ve discovered the secret to human nutrition and everybody else is an idiot.
No.
I can tell you what works for me. I can tell you what I’ve seen work for clients. I can help you pay attention to protein, portions, food quality, habits and what you’re eating around your workouts.
But I don’t need you to eat exactly like I do.
If you have a medical condition, cholesterol concerns, significant dietary restrictions, or need actual medical nutrition therapy, that’s a conversation for your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Personal training and nutrition coaching should help you figure out what works for your body and your life.
My dinner does not need to become your religion.
Make it simpler.
Eat more food with fewer ingredients.
Shop more around the outside perimeter of the grocery store.
Get enough protein.
Pay attention to what you’re eating before and after you train.
Stop assuming that putting the word “healthy” or “protein” on the front of a package magically makes whatever is inside good for you.
And probably most importantly, figure out a way of eating that you can actually keep doing.
Because the perfect diet you follow for 11 days isn’t doing you much good.
I’m not going to tell you that an all-meat diet is the healthiest way for everybody to eat because we don’t have the evidence to say that.
It’s how I prefer to eat. That’s different.
Major heart-health guidance recommends a broader eating pattern that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein sources while limiting saturated fat.²
No.
I’ll talk about it because it’s what I do, and people ask me about it.
But nutrition coaching isn’t me handing you my grocery list and telling you good luck.
We look at what you eat, what your goals are, what you’ll actually stick with, and where we can make it better.
No.
I’m a low-carb guy. That does not mean I think a blueberry is trying to kill you.
There’s a pretty big difference between whole-food sources of carbohydrates and a diet dominated by highly processed foods.
Food quality matters.
Yes.
We provide practical nutrition coaching and accountability alongside personal training.
We can help you think through protein, food choices, habits, portions and how you’re fueling your training.
If you need medical nutrition therapy or have a health condition that requires specialized dietary treatment, we’re going to tell you to involve the appropriate healthcare professional.
We take the personal part of personal training pretty seriously.
We’ll help you find an approach to nutrition that makes sense for your goals, your schedule and your life.
You don’t have to eat steak every day.
Honestly, it’s probably just lucky for me that I married into a cattle farming family.
Personalized training designed to help you achieve lasting fitness results.
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