Fruit And Honey Are Fuel
Animal based does not mean zero carb. If you CrossFit, you need fuel for the work, and fruit and honey are about as simple as fuel gets.
At CrossFit Uncommon we build the plate around meat, eggs and organs. Then we add carbs that come from real food when training calls for them. Paul Saladino's animal based approach is built the same way: meat and organs at the center, with fruit, raw honey and raw dairy alongside.
This is education for people who train. It is not medical advice.
Animal based is not zero carb
A lot of people hear "animal based" and picture a plate of steak and nothing else. That is closer to strict carnivore, which coaches like Shawn Baker and Anthony Chaffee lean toward, and some people do well with it. Saladino talks openly about eating carnivore for years and then adding fruit and honey back in because he felt and trained better with them.
You do not have to pick a team. If you are doing hard conditioning several days a week, simple carbs from real food are worth a try.
Skip the factory carbs
Soda, pastries, chips and fried food cooked in seed oils are not the same thing as a bowl of berries. Saladino makes this point often: whole fruit and honey come with water, minerals and fiber in the case of fruit, while packaged junk comes with a list of ingredients you cannot pronounce.
If you are going to eat carbs, make them carbs your great grandparents would recognize.
Time it around training
The easiest place to start is around your hardest sessions. A piece of fruit or a spoon of raw honey before a tough workout. Fruit with your protein after. That is it. No neon drinks, no packaged gels, no fancy powders required.
Pay attention to how you feel in the workout and how you recover the next day. That feedback matters more than any rule.
Protein first, then fuel
Fruit and honey are the side, not the main event. Build every meal around meat and eggs first. Then add fruit or honey based on how much work you are doing. Heavy training day, more fuel. Rest day, less.
Bottom line
Train hard. Eat real food. Use fruit and honey to fuel the work instead of the processed stuff that leaves you crashing.
Want help building this into your week? Book a free intro at CrossFit Uncommon in North Austin. Link in bio, or start at crossfituncommon.com.
Not medical advice. Educational content only. If you have diabetes or another health condition, talk with your doctor before changing how you eat.
