How to Find the Best Carnivore Protein Powder

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best carnivore protein powder.

Discover how to supplement your protein intake on the carnivore diet.

Last Updated
Jan 24, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, Founder

Jack is the Founder of Drink Wholesome.

Medically reviewed by Brittany, MS, RD and Jenn, PA-C

Kayla is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Jennifer is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

Protein Powder for the Carnivore Diet

Is Protein Powder Allowed on the Carnivore Diet?

The carnivore diet is a restrictive diet that, in its extreme form, limits food to meat, fish, and eggs.

It excludes all other food groups including vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

It follows that protein supplements are compatible with the carnivore diet, whereas others are not.

First of all, whether or not a protein supplement is allowed on the carnivore diet depends on how strictly you follow the diet.

If you are truly limiting yourself to only meat, fish, and eggs, then you can use only protein supplements made from these food groups.

Protein supplements made with whey, casein, peas, and other plant proteins, for example, are strictly prohibited.

Protein supplements that contain food additives, flavors, and sweeteners are also prohibited.

If you are strictly carnivore (only eating meat, fish and eggs), then unflavored protein powder is your only option.

Note that many flavored protein powders labeled as “carnivore” contain ingredients that are not allowed on the carnivore diet.

MuscleMeds’s Carnivor Beef Protein Isolate Powder, for instance, contains added ingredients such as acesulfame potassium, xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, and sucralose.

Not only are these ingredients not carnivore, but they are also not good for you (more on this later).

It is also important to note that any type of carnivore protein can help you effectively supplement your diet.

In other words, if you are healthy and getting protein from a variety of sources, variables like amino acid profile and bioavailability are not something you have to worry about.

This is supported by evidence that dietary patterns incorporating diverse protein sources are sufficient to maintain nitrogen balance and support muscle protein synthesis (N Engl J Med, 2024), provided total protein intake meets recommended levels.

What is the Best Carnivore Protein Powder?

There are several different types of carnivore protein powder, including beef, chicken, egg, fish, and even cricket.

As you might imagine, most of these protein sources do not make appetizing protein shakes.

Moreover, in order to become protein supplements, most of these protein sources have to undergo extensive processing.

This is why I highly recommend Egg White Protein Powder for the carnivore diet.

Why Egg Whites?

Here are a few of the many reasons why Egg White Protein Powder is the best carnivore protein powder:

1. Egg whites are naturally high in protein. A dried egg white is 80% protein, which gives it, pound for pound, the most protein of any whole food. Other dietary protein sources (beef, whey, etc.) have to be mechanically or chemically stripped of the fats, carbs, etc. before they can be used as a protein supplement.
2. Egg whites contain a complete protein. A complete protein contains all nine essential amino acids that the body needs, but cannot produce on its own. Many dietary proteins, including some animal-based proteins, are not complete.
3. Egg whites are easy to digest. Unless you have a sensitivity or allergy to eggs, egg protein is the best protein for people with gut issues and sensitive stomachs.
4. Egg whites taste good. Most protein powders have a chalky aftertaste because they are made with protein concentrates or isolates. Egg whites, on the contrary, are a delicious addition to smoothies, oatmeal, and yogurt.
5. Egg whites have a perfect PDCAAS. For what it is worth, egg protein has a Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of 1.0, which is the highest possible score. Only whey protein scores as high. The PDCAAS is a method of evaluating the nutritional quality of a dietary protein based on its amino acid profile and digestibility.

Why Bovine Collagen?

If you cannot eat eggs, you might want to consider bovine Collagen Protein Powder, which is made from cow hides.

Although collagen is not a complete protein like egg whites, it does have several distinct advantages.

For starters, collagen protein powder can be added to hot drinks like coffee, whereas egg white protein powder cannot.

Its neutral flavor profile also means you can add it to almost any recipe, including soups and sauces.

That said, at the end of the day, any type of animal-based protein powder can help you meet your daily protein needs.

Not all animal-based protein powders are created equal, however.

Many options contain ingredients known to cause painful digestive issues and even long-term health problems.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

Over time, this can lead to gut dysbiosis (Microorganisms, 2022), which has been linked to development of many chronic diseases (Sci Rep, 2019).

Keep in mind that your gut microbiome affects various physiological processes, including immune function and inflammation.

So, when the balance of bacteria therein is disrupted, it can have a huge impact on your overall health.

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues too.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many individuals with sensitive stomachs cannot fully digest.

But you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein supplements are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

You should thus look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. The New England Journal of Medicine | Research & Review (N Engl J Med). Guidance on Energy and Macronutrients across the Life Span. 2024.
2. The New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med). Plant-Based Diets and Long-Term Health: Findings from the EPIC-Oxford Study. 2024.
3. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
4. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
5. Scientific Reports (Sci Rep). Defining Dysbiosis for a Cluster of Chronic Diseases. 2019.
6. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
7. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions.. 2024.

Editorial Guidelines

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This article was written by a Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.