🥩
Jordan Peterson's
All-Meat Diet
Beef. Salt. Water. That's it. The most controversial dietary experiment in modern internet history.
3
Ingredients (beef, salt, water)
50 lbs
Weight loss claimed
25 days
Apple cider doom spiral
∞
Internet arguments caused
The Diet: What's Allowed
Timeline
Mikhaila Peterson starts the 'Lion Diet' (beef, salt, water only) for severe autoimmune issues.
JP begins a broader elimination diet after watching Mikhaila's results.
Goes full carnivore. Tells Joe Rogan he lost 50 lbs and his depression lifted. The internet explodes.
Rogan podcast episode goes mega-viral. 'I eat beef and salt and water. That's it.' becomes a meme.
Reports that apple cider put him in a 25-day doom spiral. The cider heard round the world.
Health crisis. Benzodiazepine dependency, treatment in Russia and Serbia. Very dark period.
Returns to public life. Still on the carnivore diet. Still controversial.
Continues the diet. Has become one of the most visible advocates for carnivore eating.
Claimed Benefits
Per Jordan Peterson. Not medical advice. Obviously.
Weight loss (~50 lbs)
Depression resolved
Anxiety reduced
Gum disease reversed
Snoring stopped
Psoriasis improved
Gastric reflux gone
Mental clarity increased
Sleep improved
Autoimmune symptoms reduced
What the Critics Say
Nutritional Scientists
No fiber, no micronutrient diversity, no long-term studies. The diet violates basically everything nutrition science has established in 80 years.
Cardiologists
Saturated fat intake at these levels is a cardiovascular risk factor. The cholesterol panel alone would make a doctor faint.
The Internet
'This man looks like he hasn't slept in 40 years and he's telling me to only eat meat?'
Dietitians
Scurvy is a real disease that exists because of zero vitamin C intake. We solved this in 1747. We don't need to re-learn it.
Vegans
No comment. (Lots of comments.)
The Carnivore Community
JP's daughter. Started it first. Runs the 'Lion Diet' brand. Her autoimmune recovery story is what convinced JP.
Orthopedic surgeon turned carnivore advocate. Holds the world indoor rowing record for his age group. Had his medical license temporarily revoked.
Author of The Carnivore Code. Later added fruit and honey back, which the purists considered treason.
Did 'Carnivore January' challenges. Has had every carnivore on his podcast. Elk meat is his personality at this point.
Been carnivore since 2009. One of the longest self-experimenters. Writes about ketogenic metabolism.
Glen's Take
I'm not going to tell you to eat only meat. I'm also not going to tell you it's insane. What I will say is this: the fact that a clinical psychologist went on Joe Rogan, said “I eat beef and salt and water,” and it became one of the most-discussed dietary moments in internet history — that tells you something about how hungry people are for someone to just try something different and report back honestly.
The carnivore diet is an n=1 experiment. Peterson is the test subject and the publicist. The results are self-reported. The mechanism is unclear. The long-term data doesn't exist.
But the man lost 50 pounds, says his depression lifted, and has eaten this way for 8+ years. At some point, the anecdote becomes the data.
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Read moreDisclaimer: This page is for entertainment and informational purposes only. It is not medical or nutritional advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any dietary changes. The author eats carbs. And vegetables. And sometimes pie (it was Pi Day).