Florida Man Claims ‘Lion Diet’ Transformed Health and Life

A Florida resident, aged 50, who battled severe psoriasis, chronic pain, and depression, attributes his life-saving turnaround to an extreme lion diet. Stephen Lashbrook, hailing from Pensacola, shared with Fox News Digital that his depression began at four years old. By his teenage years, chronic pain and sleeplessness were prevalent, and he faced a psoriasis diagnosis in his early twenties. Psoriasis, an immune-mediated skin condition, affected Lashbrook deeply.

“I was probably 90% covered in psoriasis,” Lashbrook remarked. “My body was just one big, giant, itchy, flaky scab.” Despite trying creams, steroids, and various medications, Lashbrook found no relief. Doctors advised costly, long-term injections to counteract inflammation, leaving him feeling hopeless and considering suicide.

His turning point came from a TED Talk by Mikhaila Peterson, daughter of psychologist Jordan Peterson, who benefited from a meat-only elimination diet for personal health challenges. “It gave me a whole new lease on life,” Lashbrook commented.

Initially, Lashbrook removed sugar, grains, fruits, and vegetables from his diet. On January 1, 2024, he committed to the “lion diet,” a strict carnivore approach focusing on ruminant animal meat, such as beef, buffalo, lamb, and goat. Lashbrook reported that within a week, his itching ceased, and suicidal thoughts stopped. Over the following month, his skin cleared, and pain diminished.

“I haven’t had one suicidal thought. I haven’t had any depression. I haven’t had any pain,” Lashbrook said. “All my skin issues cleared up.” Presently, his menu includes only grass-fed ground beef and steak. Typically, his single daily meal includes 1.5 to 2 pounds of high-fat ground beef prepared in an air fryer.

Although Lashbrook reports feeling rejuvenated, his improvement is based solely on personal experience. He has not undertaken follow-up blood tests or medical consultations since adopting the diet, relying instead on his feelings to assess its effectiveness. “Everyone’s different,” he noted. “Not everybody needs to be on a lion diet. … I’m a very specific case.”

The carnivore diet, however, is met with skepticism from medical professionals. Dr. Michael Aziz, a New York City internist and regenerative medicine specialist, cautions that while some might benefit from reduced sugar and processed food intake, this doesn’t make the carnivore diet a definitive cure for psoriasis or other chronic ailments. Aziz remarks, “While many people rate this diet highly due to weight loss, they often fail to consider the potential effects on lifespan.”

Aziz highlights the carnivore diet’s lack of fiber as a key issue, which potentially leads to problems like constipation, kidney stones, and increased risks of heart attacks and strokes. Despite such warnings, meat and protein-focused diets have garnered recent popularity online and in mainstream circles, with individuals actively cutting out ultra-processed foods.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., follows a carnivore diet emphasizing meat and fermented foods, claiming significant weight loss and enhanced mental clarity. Like Lashbrook, Kennedy acknowledges that his personal success may not apply universally; experts also caution that the long-term implications of the carnivore diet are still not fully understood.

Lashbrook’s story will be featured at Carni-Con, a virtual convention dedicated to carnivore diets. This event, occurring from September 18–20, includes doctors, creators, and advocates of such dietary approaches.

“The stories are what’s most important,” Lashbrook stated. “If people don’t hear that these healings are possible, they’re not going to know.”