The carnivore diet has moved from fringe experiment to serious dietary practice among a growing community of UK health seekers. Built on the principle that animal foods alone can provide everything the human body needs, the carnivore diet eliminates all plant foods — including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and seeds.
If you're on carnivore, you already know the snacking problem. Most convenient snacks are plant-based, grain-based, or loaded with sugars and seed oils. Finding something you can grab and go — that genuinely fits the rules — is harder than it should be.
Enter biltong. Air-dried beef with a centuries-old South African heritage, biltong is one of the very few convenient snack foods that carnivore practitioners can eat without compromise. This guide covers everything you need to know.
The short answer: traditional biltong is carnivore-compatible — with one important caveat: you need to check the ingredient list.
Traditional biltong is made from:
• Beef (or occasionally game meat such as ostrich, kudu, or venison)
• Vinegar (for the initial cure — this evaporates almost entirely during drying)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Coriander
|
🥩 Carnivore Compatibility Check Beef: ✅ Core carnivore food Vinegar: ✅ Generally accepted — almost entirely evaporates during drying; minimal in final product Salt: ✅ Widely accepted on carnivore Black pepper: ⚠️ Technically a plant product — stricter carnivore adherents avoid it Coriander: ⚠️ Technically a plant product — same consideration as pepper Added sugar: ❌ Not carnivore — always check the label Soy sauce: ❌ Not carnivore — avoid biltong containing this Worcestershire sauce: ❌ Contains plant ingredients — check carefully |
For most carnivore practitioners — particularly those following a 'carnivore-adjacent' or 'animal-based' approach — traditional biltong with salt, pepper, and coriander is entirely acceptable. For strict or 'lion diet' carnivore adherents who eat only ruminant meat, salt, and water, the spices may be a consideration.
The key is always to check the ingredient list and choose a producer who makes biltong the traditional way — without sweeteners, sauces, or plant-based flavour enhancers.
• Simple ingredient list: Beef, vinegar, salt, pepper, coriander. Five ingredients or fewer is the gold standard.
• No added sugar: Traditional biltong contains no sugar. If sugar, dextrose, glucose syrup, or any sweetener appears in the ingredients, look elsewhere.
• No soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce: Some commercial biltong producers use these for flavour. Both contain plant ingredients and sugars incompatible with carnivore.
• High protein content: Quality biltong should deliver 45–55g protein per 100g. Low protein content can be a sign of cheaper cuts or excess moisture.
• Recognisable cuts: Good biltong is made from quality cuts — silverside and topside are traditional. Pressed or reformed biltong is a different product.
• Any biltong containing sugar, honey, or sweeteners
• Flavoured varieties such as 'teriyaki' or 'barbecue' — these almost always contain sugar and plant-based ingredients
• Products with long, complex ingredient lists
• Biltong containing soy sauce, which also introduces gluten and plant compounds
The carnivore diet is inherently a high-protein, high-fat, zero-carbohydrate eating pattern. Biltong's nutritional profile aligns almost perfectly:
|
Nutrient |
Per 100g |
Carnivore Compatibility |
|
Protein |
45–55g |
✅ Excellent — complete amino acid profile |
|
Fat |
5–8g |
✅ Natural animal fat |
|
Carbohydrates |
1–3g |
✅ Near zero — mostly from spices |
|
Sugar |
<1g |
✅ Negligible |
|
Iron |
25–35% RDA |
✅ Haem iron — highly bioavailable |
|
Zinc |
50–80% RDA |
✅ Critical for carnivore adherents |
|
Vitamin B12 |
100%+ RDA |
✅ Carnivore's most valuable B vitamin |
|
Sodium |
1,000–1,800mg |
✅ Electrolyte support on carnivore |
The sodium content deserves a special mention. Many carnivore practitioners — particularly those transitioning from a standard diet — experience electrolyte loss as the body adjusts to lower insulin levels and begins excreting more sodium. Salted biltong is a practical way to maintain sodium intake without supplements.
One of the most common practical challenges on the carnivore diet is finding portable, convenient foods for meals and snacks away from home. The standard carnivore protocol of steak, ground beef, and eggs is nutritionally excellent — but requires cooking equipment and a kitchen.
Biltong solves this completely:
• No refrigeration required. Traditional dried biltong is shelf-stable for weeks when stored correctly. It can live in your desk drawer, car, gym bag, or jacket pocket.
• No preparation. Open the bag and eat. No cooking, no cutlery, no kitchen.
• High satiety. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient. A 40–60g serving of biltong can stave off hunger for 3–5 hours, making it genuinely useful for carnivore adherents who prefer fewer, more filling meals.
• Nutrient density. Biltong provides iron, zinc, B12, and creatine — nutrients that carnivore advocates specifically cite as the diet's key benefits. You're not just filling a protein gap; you're delivering meaningful micronutrition.
• Creatine content. Like all red meat, biltong contains naturally occurring creatine — roughly 0.5–1g per 100g — which supports ATP production and muscle performance without supplementation.
Carnivore practitioners typically eat to satiety rather than tracking macros rigidly, but biltong should be considered a supplement to — not a replacement for — whole cooked meats. Here's a sensible framework:
• As a snack between meals: 30–60g is a satisfying portion that bridges the gap between carnivore meals without excessive sodium.
• As a travel or on-the-go meal: 80–120g can serve as a standalone protein source when cooking isn't possible, providing 40–65g of protein.
• Daily limit: No strict maximum, but moderate your intake relative to your overall sodium targets. Biltong's sodium content (1,000–1,800mg per 100g) means 100g per day is plenty for most people.
For carnivore adherents, the snack options are limited. Here's how biltong compares to the alternatives:
|
Snack |
Carnivore Compliant? |
Portable? |
Notes |
|
Billy Tong Biltong |
✅ Yes (check label) |
✅ Yes |
Best balance of nutrition, convenience, taste |
|
Pork rinds/scratchings |
✅ Yes |
✅ Yes |
Fat-forward, lower protein than biltong |
|
Beef jerky |
⚠️ Often no |
✅ Yes |
Usually contains sugar — check label carefully |
|
Hard-boiled eggs |
✅ Yes |
⚠️ Requires prep |
Good option but less portable |
|
Tinned sardines/mackerel |
✅ Yes |
⚠️ Requires utensils |
Good nutrition, less convenient |
|
Cheese |
⚠️ Depends |
✅ Yes |
Dairy-free strict carnivore avoids; others include |
|
Deli meats / cold cuts |
⚠️ Often no |
✅ Yes |
Often contain fillers, preservatives, sugars |
|
Droëwors (South African dry sausage) |
✅ If traditional |
✅ Yes |
Another excellent carnivore option |
Biltong and droëwors are the two most naturally carnivore-compatible convenience snacks available in the UK. Both are traditional South African cured meats made with minimal ingredients and no plant-based filler.
The most restrictive form of carnivore — popularised by certain practitioners — limits food to ruminant meat (beef, lamb), salt, and water. Under this protocol, even pepper and coriander are excluded.
For strict lion diet adherents, traditional biltong in its spiced form is technically outside the rules. The practical options are limited: you'd need to find a producer who makes salt-only biltong (rare but possible), or make your own at home.
In reality, most people following this strict protocol use it as a short-term elimination approach, then relax into a broader carnivore or animal-based pattern where spices are reintroduced.
The most common form of carnivore allows all animal products plus salt and sometimes spices. Traditional biltong — beef, vinegar, salt, pepper, coriander — fits comfortably within this framework. This is the approach followed by the large majority of carnivore practitioners.
A growing number of people follow what's sometimes called an 'animal-based' diet — prioritising animal foods while allowing some minimal plant additions (fruit, honey, and spices are common). Under this approach, biltong is entirely unrestricted.
The transition to carnivore can be challenging. The first two to four weeks often involve fatigue, cravings, and the 'keto flu' as the body adapts to zero-carbohydrate eating and adjusts its electrolyte balance.
Biltong can genuinely help during this transition:
• Sodium replenishment: The salt in biltong helps offset the electrolyte loss that causes many transition symptoms. Salted biltong is a more palatable way to increase sodium intake than simply drinking salt water.
• Portable protein during the adaptation period: Cravings for other foods are common in the first weeks. Having biltong readily available — in your car, at your desk, in your gym bag — gives you a carnivore-compliant answer to hunger that stops you reaching for non-compliant foods.
• Creatine and B12 support: Biltong's natural creatine content may help support energy levels and mental clarity during the adaptation phase.
For strict carnivore adherents who want to eliminate spices entirely, homemade biltong is an option. The basic process requires only beef and salt — though the resulting product is very different in flavour from traditional spiced biltong.
For most people, however, buying from a quality producer is more practical. The key is choosing a brand that uses traditional methods and a clean ingredient list — like Billy Tong.
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🥩 Billy Tong's Carnivore-Friendly Biltong Our original biltong is made from quality beef with a traditional ingredient list: beef, vinegar, salt, pepper, and coriander. No sugar. No soy. No additives. Perfect for carnivore practitioners who want the convenience of a ready-made snack without compromising on ingredients. → Shop our Original Biltong at billytong.com → Try our Droëwors — another excellent zero-sugar, carnivore-compatible option |
Traditional biltong made with beef, vinegar, salt, pepper, and coriander is generally compatible with standard carnivore diets. Strict 'lion diet' adherents may want to avoid the spices. Always check the label — any biltong containing sugar is not carnivore-compliant.
Traditional biltong should contain no added sugar. However, some commercial brands do add sugar to their cures. Always read the ingredients list. Billy Tong's original biltong contains no added sugar.
Yes, biltong can form part of a daily carnivore eating pattern. It's most useful as a portable between-meal snack. Be mindful of sodium intake — biltong is salted, so consuming very large quantities daily (150g+) will significantly contribute to total sodium intake.
For carnivore purposes, traditional biltong is significantly better than most commercial beef jerky. Jerky is commonly sweetened with sugar or honey, making it non-compliant. Biltong, made the traditional way, contains no sugar. Biltong also has higher protein content — 45–55g per 100g vs typically 25–35g for jerky.
Droëwors — traditional South African dried sausage — is another excellent carnivore-compatible option. Like biltong, quality droëwors is made from meat and spices without added sugars. Billy Tong produces both biltong and droëwors, giving carnivore adherents two excellent South African snacking options.
Traditional biltong contains approximately 1–3g of carbohydrates per 100g, almost all from the minimal spices used. This is as close to zero as a processed food can get, making it ideal for the zero-carbohydrate carnivore diet.
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