Man who only eats raw meat despite doctors warnings reveals strange side effect from controversial diet
Topics: Health, Food and Drink
Maxine Harrison
Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Health, Food and Drink
From keto to the carnivore diet, we have all heard of our fair share of diets over the years, but this man’s eating habits are sure to have you feeling shell-shocked.
Based in Nebraska, US, Weston has been eating a raw-meat based diet for years now.
Speaking to ITV This Morning's hosts, Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, alongside Dr Zoe Williams, he shared that he consumes uncooked meat with every meal, equating to two pounds a day.
From liver to chicken, Weston chows down all of his meats raw.
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Sharing why he started this journey, he explained: “I started having some health issues in my late 20s, early 30s and… skin problems and brain fog and fatigue… and I decided to take matters in my own hands and go ahead and address it with diet.”
Breaking it down further, Weston continued: “It started with going gluten-free… and I noticed a huge increase in my health by just cutting out gluten.”
He then took it a step further and tried the carnivore diet - a controversial meal plan that experts have also warned against.
His final step was to 'stop cooking his food' altogether, which he claims 'felt even better right away'.
Touching on what it was like eating his first bit of raw food, which was a rib eye steak, Weston said: “I had a little bit of a gag reflex because it was such a new texture and flavor. It took a while for my palette to adjust to the bland taste.”
However, Weston, who says the diet even gives him urges to 'howl like a wolf', admitted: “I actually really enjoy the flavors now.”
Perhaps the most shocking meat that Weston has eaten raw is chicken. He claims he has included this in his diet and has 'never' gotten Salmonella poisoning.
While eating some raw foods, such as sushi, is not as unusual, doctors have warned against a completely raw meat diet, especially involving chicken and pork.
Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr Zoe said: “In America, 48 million people every year end up getting food-borne illnesses.”
She gave a few examples of these infectious diseases, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Hepatitis A and worms.
Touching on the point that Weston has said he has 'felt better' from his change in diet, Dr Zoe did say she agrees that the US and UK typical modern diet has too many ultra-processed foods.
While carnivore and vegan diets are options people try as alternatives, she proposed cutting out ultra-processed foods as 'the healthiest option'.
Healthline states that 'any potential benefits of eating raw meat are likely outweighed by the higher risk of contracting a foodborne illness' and that there is limited evidence to prove that there is more nutritional value to raw meat.
The site also notes that multiple anthropologists have noted that cooking food actually helped humans to evolve due to it breaking down proteins, ultimately making it easier to digest.