The Carnivore Diet Tests: What to Track If You're Eating All Meat
Paul Saladino's ancestral diet bloodwork obsessions — LDL particle size, uric acid, fasting insulin, inflammatory markers — with Austin cash-pay lab prices.
Your standard lipid panel is designed for people eating the standard American diet. If you go carnivore, it becomes almost useless — LDL shoots up, your doctor panics, and nothing you say about HDL or triglycerides registers.
Saladino figured this out. The standard panel misses what actually matters when you're eating high-fat. You need particle size, not just total cholesterol. You need particle count. You need insulin sensitivity markers, not just glucose.
Here's what tests actually tell you if you're eating carnivore, and what they cost in Austin.
Test #1: LDL Particle Size (ApoB)
Standard lipid panels measure cholesterol mass, not particle count. On carnivore, your total LDL-C shoots up while your particles shift toward large, benign size. Small, dense particles are the actual risk — standard tests cannot see them.
Order ApoB (apolipoprotein B) or NMR LipoProfile. Both give you particle count and size. Standard LDL-C number becomes irrelevant.
Austin price: ApoB runs $20–$60. NMR LipoProfile $80–$150. Any Lab Test Now has ApoB. For NMR, you need a functional medicine provider.
Search advanced lipid testing in Austin →
Test #2: Uric Acid
Red meat is high in purines. Most carnivores see uric acid spike early on. High uric acid causes gout, kidney stones, and increasingly, cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
If you develop joint pain or kidney pain on carnivore, get tested. Don't assume the diet is fine just because it's "ancestral."
Austin price: $10–$35. LaboratoryAssist is cheapest. Any Lab Test Now is walk-in, no order needed.
Search uric acid testing in Austin →
Test #3: Fasting Insulin
Fasting insulin is the direct measure of whether your pancreas is still overworking. Standard panels measure glucose but miss early insulin resistance. You can have normal glucose with dangerously elevated insulin for years.
Carnivore works only if insulin drops. If it's rising despite zero carbs, something else is happening.
Austin price: $25–$60. Any Lab Test Now doesn't need a doctor's order. LaboratoryAssist stocks it too.
Search fasting insulin testing in Austin →
Test #4: Inflammatory Markers (hs-CRP)
Carnivore works or it doesn't. hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) tells you whether inflammation actually dropped. Many people see it plummet. Many don't — because stress, poor sleep, or gut issues override the diet.
You need the test to know where you stand.
Austin price: $15–$45. LaboratoryAssist and Any Lab Test Now have it.
Search inflammation tests in Austin →
Test #5: Electrolytes + Minerals
Carnivore causes your kidneys to dump sodium, potassium, magnesium. Electrolyte depletion is why people feel terrible in week one. If you fix it, symptoms vanish. If you don't, you stay wrecked.
Comprehensive metabolic panel catches the basics. Magnesium RBC (not serum) catches what you're actually missing at the cellular level.
Austin price:
- Comprehensive metabolic panel: $6–$49 (LaboratoryAssist charges $6)
- Magnesium RBC: $30–$65 at functional labs
Search electrolyte testing in Austin →
The Full Carnivore Panel in Austin
Running all five tests at cash-pay labs:
- ApoB: $20–$60
- Uric acid: $10–$35
- Fasting insulin: $25–$60
- hs-CRP: $15–$45
- Comprehensive metabolic panel + magnesium RBC: $35–$115
Total: $105–$315 at cash-pay labs in Austin. Insurance billing at a hospital lab runs $400–$800 for the same tests.
Run it before starting, again at 3 months. That's the actual data you need.
Do It in Austin
Standard lipid panels don't work for people eating high-fat. You need ApoB, fasting insulin, uric acid, hs-CRP, electrolytes. All available at Austin cash-pay labs. No runaround.
Get tested before you start. Again at 3 months. That's real data.
Written by
Marcus Webb
Independent Health Researcher
Marcus is a freelance health journalist based in South Austin. He went four years without employer insurance and became obsessed with figuring out how the self-pay system actually works — so he started writing it down.
Compare Prices on MarketCare
Search 500+ procedures across 600+ Austin providers. Find the best cash-pay price in seconds.
More from MarketCare
How Much Does a Colonoscopy Cost in Austin Without Insurance? (2026 Guide)
A screening colonoscopy in Austin costs $1,200–$4,000 cash-pay. Compare real prices from Austin ASCs and gastroenterologists. Save up to 70% vs hospitals.
How Much Does Hernia Surgery Cost in Austin? (2026 Cash-Pay Guide)
Hernia repair surgery in Austin costs $3,000–$8,000 cash-pay depending on the type. Compare open vs. laparoscopic hernia surgery prices from Austin providers.
Affordable Dental Care in Austin Without Insurance (2026 Price Guide)
Dental care in Austin costs $75–$5,000+ without insurance depending on the procedure. Compare cash-pay prices for cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, and more.