The Carnivore Diet Saved My Life After Decades of Anorexia

After a lifetime of battling anorexia and other health issues, Valerie Smith, 54, from Ohio, believes a carnivore diet saved her life. Smith, who spent decades enduring both physical and mental struggles, was at one point down to a dangerous 70 pounds, with a BMI of 11. She survived multiple hospitalizations and feeding tubes but found no lasting solutions through traditional treatments.

For most of her life, Smith adhered to a strictly plant-based diet, as recommended by healthcare providers, but she says this left her with persistent digestive issues and an inability to maintain a healthy weight. By the age of 47, her health had deteriorated to the point where multiple organ prolapses and fractures due to osteoporosis had become her new normal. "I wasn’t going to survive another year," she admitted.

Desperate for change, Smith began researching alternative treatments and discovered the potential benefits of ketogenic and animal-based diets. In 2017, she made a radical shift, slowly reintroducing animal proteins into her diet after avoiding them for 35 years. Starting with a single bite of meat per day, she gradually increased her intake. Within three months, her mental health started to improve significantly.

Smith credits the carnivore diet, which focuses on animal fats and proteins, for healing her brain and body. "There are more than 100 neurotransmitters in our brain, and most of them rely on the amino acids found in complete animal proteins," she explained. Over time, her anorexia symptoms disappeared, including body dysmorphia and obsessive thoughts. "It was effortless," she said. "I was not fighting against myself anymore."

Today, Smith consumes up to 3 pounds of red meat daily, along with eggs, chicken, pork, and fish. In the past eight years, she has gained 50 pounds of muscle and reports no recurrence of her previous health issues. "For me, this is about healing — and I feel that the ultimate healing for body and mind is with animal products in the diet," she said.

Dr. Georgia Ede, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing in nutritional psychiatry, has publicly supported the carnivore diet's potential in treating stubborn cases of eating disorders. "Some patients have reported relief from ‘food noise’ and a welcome sense of satiety, often for the first time in years," she said. However, she also emphasized the need for medically supervised clinical trials to better understand the risks and benefits of this approach.

While Smith’s story is inspiring, experts caution against adopting extreme diets without professional guidance. Margot Rittenhouse, a licensed clinical counselor, and Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian, both stress the importance of a balanced diet that includes plant-based nutrients for optimal health. They warn that restrictive diets like the carnivore diet may increase the risk of disordered eating and create harmful relationships with food.

Despite the debate, Smith remains a testament to the transformative power of finding the right dietary approach for individual needs. Her journey underscores the complexity of eating disorders and the importance of exploring innovative treatments — but always with caution and professional oversight.