Joe Rogan, a well-known podcaster and MMA commentator, has been a vocal proponent of the carnivore diet, sharing his experiences and observations with his extensive audience. This article delves into Rogan's carnivore diet journey, exploring the reasons behind his interest, the specifics of his diet plan, and the benefits and drawbacks he has encountered.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet is a restrictive dietary approach that involves consuming only animal products, eliminating all plant-based foods. This includes meat, fish, eggs, and certain dairy products. The diet is based on the premise that humans evolved eating primarily animal foods and that many modern health problems are a result of consuming plant-based foods.
Why Joe Rogan Chose the Carnivore Diet
Rogan's interest in the carnivore diet was sparked by listening to Jordan Peterson's reports on cognitive performance and autoimmune benefits. He also aimed to address his vitiligo, an autoimmune condition, lose weight, and achieve more consistent energy levels throughout the day.
Joe Rogan's Carnivore Diet Plan
Rogan's carnivore diet plan revolves around simplicity and high-quality meat. He typically eats two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. His breakfast often consists of eggs and bacon, while his dinner usually features grass-fed meats like elk, bison, or steak. He emphasizes the importance of eating grass-fed and wild-caught meats and avoids snacking. He also incorporates supplements like AG1 powder and fish oil to cover his nutritional bases.
Benefits Experienced by Joe Rogan
Rogan has reported several benefits from following the carnivore diet, including:
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- Improved Mental Clarity: After about a week of eating only meat and eggs, Rogan noticed it was much easier to form sentences. He felt more mental clarity and his conversations improved.
- Steady Energy Levels: Due to the low carbohydrate intake, the carnivore diet induces ketosis, helping the body use ketones for fuel instead of sugars. This resulted in steadier energy levels throughout the day, without the crashes associated with carbohydrate-heavy diets.
- Weight Loss: Rogan reported losing seven pounds after 11 days and 12 pounds after one month on the carnivore diet. In a more recent episode, he reported losing five pounds in two weeks.
- Improvements with Vitiligo: Rogan also experienced some improvements with his vitiligo, an autoimmune disorder. He states that one of the reasons he feels better on a carnivore diet is due to lower inflammation.
- Reduced Aches and Pains: After following the carnivore diet, many of the aches and pains he had been dealing with disappeared.
Drawbacks and Side Effects
Despite the benefits, Rogan also experienced some drawbacks and side effects, including:
- Diarrhea: A major side effect was "explosive uber diarrhea" for the first two weeks. Rogan described it as a fire coming through the cracks, with no time to escape.
- Potential Nutrient Deficiencies: The carnivore diet eliminates many essential nutrients found in plant-based foods. To address this, Rogan takes multivitamins, amino acids, and fish oil to cover his nutritional bases.
- Lack of Fiber: The carnivore diet lacks fiber, which is necessary for good digestion and a strong microbiome.
Expert Opinions on the Carnivore Diet
While Rogan has had a positive experience with the carnivore diet, experts caution against its long-term sustainability and potential health risks. Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine called the diet "absolutely ridiculous," and registered dietitian Heidi Bates stated that there is no body of evidence that suggests that vegetables cause illness. Clinical dietitian Scott Hemingway noted that there is very little science to support any negative effects of consuming vegetables on our overall diet.
The Importance of Fat
Rogan warns against rabbit starvation syndrome, a phenomenon observed in Arctic explorers who only ate rabbits. They ate enough calories, but it all came from protein. So, their body was starving for fat and they experienced side effects like fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea. The main point is that for people to thrive on a carnivore diet, they need fat. Rogan adds fat to his diet by cooking lean meats like elk in grass-fed beef tallow and eating bacon.
Joe Rogan's Recommendations
Rogan recommends that people with autoimmune disorders or those looking to identify food sensitivities try the carnivore diet as an elimination diet. He suggests trying it for 30 days and monitoring how you feel. However, he also emphasizes the importance of moderation and covering your nutritional bases with supplements.
The Debate on Meat Consumption
Rogan's carnivore diet experience has sparked debate about the role of meat in a healthy diet. In a debate with Dr. Joel Kahn on the Joe Rogan Experience, the two discussed the health impacts of a vegan vs. an omnivorous diet. They touched on topics such as nutritional epidemiology, lifespan, red meat and cancer, saturated fat, animal protein and longevity, and TMAO.
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Key Takeaways from the Debate
- Nutritional Epidemiology: Dr. Kahn contended that if we throw epidemiology away, we throw away about 80 percent of nutrition research. Rogan pointed out that there are eight major studies to date that have compared lifespan in vegetarians and vegans and omnivores, only five of which did a good job controlling for the healthy-user bias.
- Red Meat and Cancer: Dr. Kahn referenced the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) report that found an association between red meat and cancer. Rogan pointed out that the WHO report found only an 18 percent increased risk of cancer from eating processed meat, and a two percent increased risk from eating unprocessed red meat.
- Saturated Fat: Dr. Kahn claimed that basic science has shown that when you eat foods rich in saturated fat, you reduce the receptors on the liver that take cholesterol out of the blood. Rogan argued that the most important question is not whether eating saturated fat increases blood cholesterol levels, but whether eating saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease.
- TMAO: Dr. Kahn mentioned several studies that showed a causal relationship between increased consumption of carnitine and choline and TMAO. Rogan pointed out that certain species of fish increase serum TMAO orders of magnitude more than meat or eggs, yet fish are associated with reduced cardiovascular risk.
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