Joe Rogan, a prominent figure known for his podcasting, comedy, and dedication to health and fitness, has experimented with various diets, including the carnivore diet. This meat-focused approach has garnered significant attention, with Rogan openly sharing his experiences and perceived benefits. This article delves into the specifics of Joe Rogan's carnivore diet, exploring its principles, potential benefits, and considerations.
Understanding the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet is a restrictive eating plan that centers around the consumption of animal products exclusively. It's a high-protein, high-fat diet that eliminates all plant-based foods. The core principles include:
- Animal Products Only: The diet revolves around eating only meat and animal-based foods.
- No Plant Foods: Vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes are completely eliminated.
- High Protein, High Fat: Protein and fat make up the bulk of your daily intake, helping to maintain energy and muscle mass.
- Simple Food Choices: Meals are generally straightforward-steak, bacon, chicken wings, and organ meats are popular choices.
- No Carbs: Carbohydrates are removed entirely from the diet.
Joe Rogan's Carnivore Diet Journey
Joe Rogan's journey with the carnivore diet began in January 2020, when he embarked on a 30-day experiment. Part of Rogan’s motivation for trying the carnivore diet was listening to Jordan Peterson and his reports on cognitive performance and auto-immune benefits. Rogan observed similar effects. After eating only meat and eggs for about a week, he started noticing it was much easier to form sentences. He felt more mental clarity and his conversations improved. He remembers thinking that wasn’t how he normally felt, it was him at his peak.
- Initial Experiment: Rogan first announced his 30-day experiment with the carnivore diet in January 2020.
- Cycling On and Off: After his initial 30-day trial, he continued to cycle on and off the carnivore diet. Then in 2023, Rogan decided to go back to Carnivore because he realized it was when he was feeling the best.
- Adding Fruit in 2022: In January 2022, he announced that he was tweaking the diet by adding fruit.
- Hunting His Own Food: A unique aspect of his carnivore diet is his passion for hunting.
Motivations for Trying the Carnivore Diet
Rogan's decision to explore the carnivore diet was driven by several factors:
- Addressing Autoimmune Issues: One of Rogan’s main reasons for trying the carnivore diet was to see if it could help with his vitiligo, an autoimmune condition.
- Weight Loss: He also wanted to shed excess weight.
- Boosting Energy: He shared that he was seeking more consistent energy levels throughout the day.
Joe Rogan's Carnivore Diet Plan
Joe Rogan’s carnivore diet plan revolves around simplicity and high-quality meat.
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- Two Meals a Day: He follows a pattern of eating only two meals a day-one in the morning and one in the evening.
- Breakfast: For breakfast, he often eats eggs and bacon, a classic high-protein, high-fat meal.
- Dinner: His evening meal usually features grass-fed meats like elk, bison, or steak. He frequently prepares elk using a reverse-sear technique. Rogan explains that elk is very lean meat, so he usually cooks it in grass-fed beef tallow to get some additional fat in. He has breakfast around noon, after training.
- Focus on Quality: He emphasizes the importance of eating grass-fed and wild-caught meats. Rogan believes that animals raised in the wild or on grass are healthier than those raised in feedlots.
- No Snacks: Snacking is not part of the carnivore diet Joe Rogan follows.
The Role of Supplements and Hydration
- Morning Supplement: Before diving into the joe rogan carnivore diet food list, Rogan starts his day with AG1. Each morning, Joe Rogan begins his day with a simple routine-mixing one scoop of AG1 powder with water to support his overall health. Joe Rogan on carnivore diet appreciates the simplicity of AG1. AG1 plays an important role in the joe rogan carnivore diet plan by filling nutritional gaps and supporting overall well-being.
- Hydration: Staying hydrated is essential when following the carnivore diet, especially as cutting out carbs can impact electrolyte balance. Rogan often adds pink Himalayan salt to his water. He adds a bit of lemon to his water, providing a boost of vitamin C. On the carnivore diet Joe Rogan follows, replenishing electrolytes is key. Keeping water on hand is important to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Key Components of Joe Rogan's Carnivore Diet
- Ruminant Meats: Ruminant meats play an essential role in the Joe Rogan carnivore diet, providing a rich source of nutrients and high-quality protein. Stocked Freezer: Joe Rogan’s carnivore diet food list includes a variety of meats.
- Wild-Caught King Salmon: Salmon, particularly wild-caught King salmon, is a key part of Joe Rogan’s carnivore diet. He catches wild King salmon in Alaska and often adds it to his carnivore diet meal plan. Along with magnesium, salmon is loaded with healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Wild-caught salmon offers a clean and sustainable source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health and inflammation control.
Reported Benefits and Results
After following the carnivore diet, Rogan reported several positive outcomes:
- Reduced Aches and Pains: Many of the aches and pains he had been dealing with disappeared.
- Improvement in Vitiligo: He also saw improvements in his vitiligo, a condition he’s struggled with for years.
- Steady Energy Levels: One of the highlights of Rogan’s experience was the steady energy he felt throughout the day.
- Weight Loss: Over the 30 days, he dropped from 205 pounds to 193 pounds, a significant result from following the carnivore diet. Rogan discussed the benefits of being on a carnivorous diet for a month. He reported losing seven pounds after 11 days, and 12 pounds after one month. In the more recent, #1994 episode, he reports losing five pounds in two weeks.
Potential Side Effects and Considerations
- Temporary Side Effects: While the benefits were notable, he did share that the first two weeks came with a temporary side effect-explosive diarrhea. When he first started the carnivore diet, Joe Rogan mentioned one huge side effect - diarrhea.
- Rabbit Starvation Syndrome: Rogan also warns against rabbit starvation syndrome. This phenomenon was first 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.
- Impact on High-Intensity Training: In episode #1958 of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, in a discussion with Andrew Huberman, Rogan mentioned that his high-intensity training sessions were affected while eating a carnivorous diet.
Foods Included and Excluded in the Carnivore Diet
A carnivore diet consists of eating only animal products. Specifically meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. To start, you might want to rid your pantry and refrigerator of any foods that contain carbs, so you won’t be tempted to eat them. Then make a shopping list. You’ll do most of your shopping in the meat, poultry, and seafood sections of the grocery store since those are the only foods that you can eat on the carnivore diet.
Foods Allowed:
- Beef (Steak, ground beef, ribs)
- Chicken
- Pork (Chops, bacon)
- Lamb
- Seafood (Salmon, tuna, shrimp, lobster, crab, mackerel, sardines, other fatty fish, and shellfish)
- Organ Meats (Liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, oxtail, heart, feet, cheeks)
- Eggs (Whole eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs)
- Dairy (Cheese, butter, heavy cream)
Foods to Avoid:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Grains
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Seeds
Potential Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
The Joe Rogan carnivore diet offers a range of potential benefits, from weight loss to improved mental clarity. Fans of the carnivore diet say it has a range of benefits, from weight loss to higher testosterone levels, but there is no evidence for this.
- Weight Loss: In the podcast episode #1424 with Tom Papa, Rogan discussed the benefits of being on a carnivorous diet for a month.
- Improved Mental Clarity: Rogan states that one of the reasons he feels better on a carnivore diet is due to lower inflammation. A lot of foods we eat contain preservatives and other ingredients that make it harder for our body to process.
Potential Risks and Drawbacks
“There are a lot of downsides to the carnivore diet,” says Liz Weinandy, MPH, RDN, a dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “We have multiple food groups for a reason: They each provide us with a range of nutrients.” Humans are omnivores, which means we derive nutrients from a variety of foods, both animal- and plant-based. Eating only one food group is a problem, no matter which one (even if it’s just vegetables).
- Nutrient Deficiencies: Limiting yourself to all meat can cause you to run low in certain nutrients that are abundant in plants, like vitamin C and vitamin E, Weinandy says.
- Constipation: Although some anecdotal reports suggest that constipation isn’t a problem on a carnivore diet, you will be missing out on fiber, a nutrient important for colonic health, says Weinandy.
- Gastric Cancer: A diet high in red and processed meats has been linked to an increased risk of gastric cancer.
- Eating Disorders: Extreme restriction or labeling foods “good” or “bad” can also set off disordered-eating behaviors or full-blown eating disorders, Weinandy says.
- Saturated Fats: Many experts are worried about the risks of saturated fat from meats like fatty steaks and bacon, which is also one of the main concerns with a keto diet.
- Kidney Health: Large amounts of meat protein can also put undue stress on kidneys. Metabolizing high amounts of protein is the cause of this.
- Missing Disease-Fighting Nutrients: You’ll likely miss out on disease-fighting nutrients like fiber and antioxidants like vitamins C and E, says Weinandy.
Sample Meal Plan
Here's a sample 7-day meal plan inspired by Joe Rogan's carnivore diet:
Read also: The Carnivore Diet: An Autoimmune Solution?
- Day 1:
- Breakfast: Eggs and bacon
- Dinner: Ribeye steak
- Day 2:
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with ground beef
- Dinner: Salmon
- Day 3:
- Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
- Dinner: Lamb chops
- Day 4:
- Breakfast: Ground beef and eggs
- Dinner: Steak
- Day 5:
- Breakfast: Eggs and bacon
- Dinner: Bison steak
- Day 6:
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with ground beef
- Dinner: Salmon
- Day 7:
- Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
- Dinner: Elk steak
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