Raising Strong and Healthy Kids as a Carnivore Mama

Healthy swaps for home, and why I'm writing this now.

When our first child was born, I wanted to do everything I could to give him the best possible start in life. Deep into those nesting instincts and outfitting our family’s first home, I went down one rabbit hole after another learning about the hidden toxins in our everyday lives. From cooking methods to the clothes we wear every day, I found some simple and affordable swaps that reduce our exposure to forever chemicals, endocrine disrupters, microplastics, and more.

I started The Carnivore Mama hoping to help other mothers like me to nourish their homes with educated intention, reduce hidden toxins, and raise strong, resilient kids, without feeling overwhelmed.

Whether you’re curious about the carnivore diet, healing from chronic fatigue, or just tired of plastics and phthalates, you’re in the right place.

Let’s start with five quick, powerful changes you can make today to start protecting your family’s health from the inside out.

1. Switch to Tallow-Based Skincare

Your skin is your largest organ. What you put on your skin feeds your body, too! Especially important for babies and children, most conventional lotions, shampoos, and diaper creams are full of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, forever chemicals, and synthetic fragrances.

Tallow balm (from grass-fed beef fat) is incredibly nourishing, naturally antibacterial, and completely non-toxic. It mimics the composition of human skin oils and can be used for:

• Baby balm

• Face moisturizer

• Healing eczema

• Diaper rash and dry patches

I love Bello Tallow (no affiliation) because they test their products for PFAS. You can stock up on lovely-smelling balms made with essential oils (instead of phthalate-filled fragrances), or keep it pure and simple with scent-free blends. Try a jar! You won’t look back.

2. Cook with Cast Iron or Stainless Steel (Never Nonstick!)

Nonstick pans (especially the older ones) release harmful PFAS chemicals. These are nicknamed “forever chemicals” for a reason: they don’t break down in the body or the environment, and they build up over time, contributing to hormone disruption, immune issues, and even cancer.

Switching to cast iron or stainless steel is a one-time investment that removes a daily exposure. I love this stainless steel fry pan from Heritage Steel—it's even made in the USA!

If you’re nervous about sticking, I’ll teach you how to season and cook in cast iron and stainless steel. No fuss, no scrubbing, no regrets.

3. Toss the Plastic Drinkware (Especially for Kids)

BPA-free does not mean non-toxic. Most plastics still contain hormone disruptors that leach into liquids, especially when heated, scratched, or washed in the dishwasher.

Trade your family’s plastic cups, sippy lids, and food containers for:

• Stainless steel tumblers (with silicone straws if needed) like these ones for kids

• Glass Mason jars with reusable lids and glass straws for adults

• Unfinished/non-varnished wood plates or bowls

Transition gradually by replacing your most-used dishes first.

4. Replace Your Cooking Fats with Animal-Based Ones

Seed oils are lurking everywhere. Canola, soybean, “vegetable oil.” These are inflammatory, highly processed, and oxidize easily at high heat.

Instead, cook with:

• Beef tallow (great for frying or searing)

• Butter or ghee (use pastured when possible)

• Duck fat or lard (especially for roasting)

Your food will taste better and your kids will stay fuller longer with real, nourishing fats.

5. Choose a Clean, Additive-Free Salt

Salt is essential, especially on an animal-based diet. But most grocery store salts are highly processed, stripped of minerals, or contaminated with microplastics and heavy metals.

Here are three cleaner options I trust in our kitchen:

• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt: pure, free-flowing, and tested clean.

• Morton Iodized Sea Salt: a convenient way to add iodine if you’re not eating much seafood.

• Maldon Sea Salt Flakes: beautiful texture and minimal contaminants.

These simple swaps can reduce your family’s toxin exposure without changing what you eat, just how you season it.

Ready to Go Deeper?

I'm here to be your clean-living companion! I write about:

• Carnivore recipes and maintaining a carnivore diet as a busy mom

• Toxin-free kitchen swaps (avoid endocrine disrupters and forever chemicals)

• How to start healing from sugar, fatigue, chronic stress, and overwhelm

• Gentle guides to raise healthy, strong, and independent kids

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